Mr. President,

My delegation has listened with sorrow to the many statements made in this great hall of the United Nations. If one were to make a tally, clearly there are more statements in condemnation of one side than those that are objective and helpful. Thus, it would seem to the people outside this hall that the United Nations debate on this issue lack a genuine and sincere effort to soothe the tension in the Middle East and to encourage both sides to talk peace.

The Secretary-General has reported to this body on the conciliatory role he has just played in urging both sides of the conflict to abandon violence and go back to talking peace. My delegation commends the hard work and dedication by the Secretary-General for his role in the Middle East Peace Process. We also pay tribute to the critical roles played by the President of the United States and the President of Egypt in the reconciliatory process and for their efforts to rein in the cycle of violence in the region.

Mr. President,

No one likes violence and no one condones a loss of life to violence. My government expresses its condolences and deep sympathies to the Israeli people and the Palestinian people for the loss of lives, injuries, and damages to properties. We hope the recent unfortunate events will re-enforce once again that there is no real and better alternative than lasting peace for any people any where. We support those delegations who have spoken before us urging both sides to make peace.

We also would like to urge that the delegations in this August body play a conciliatory role by supporting the peace process, and not by passing unbalanced resolutions that would only further inflame violence. The United Nations must remain objective and impartial in its relentless work to find lasting peace in the region.

Thank you.