*EPF404 03/29/01
Text: Moose Remarks to Human Rights Commission on the Middle East
(Selective treatment threatens integrity of human rights) (1230)
Prospects for peace in the Middle East have dimmed dramatically under a seemingly unending cycle of violence, says George Moose, a member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, and the United States is deeply concerned that "norms of human rights have also suffered."
Noting that every year the Commission assigns a separate agenda item to Israel, Moose said the United States believes "selective treatment" in human rights matters "threatens the integrity not merely of the Commission but of human rights themselves."
Addressing the Commission in Geneva March 28, he said, "We must not allow our deliberations to add further to the heavy burden" which Israel and the Palestinians are under in their effort to find a path to peace.
Following is the text of Moose's remarks:
(begin text)
Ambassador George Moose
U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Offices in Geneva
U.S. Delegation, United Nations Commission on Human Rights
Item 8: Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine
March 28, 2001
Mr. Chairman:
The situation in the Middle East is a matter of vital concern to the Government and the people of the United States. It is a matter of the highest priority for the Bush Administration. It was not by chance that the first official mission undertaken by Secretary of State Colin Powell was to the Middle East.
Recent developments in the region have created a situation that is exceedingly perilous. Prospects for peace have dimmed dramatically under a seemingly unending cycle of violence. With millions of others around the world, Americans have been profoundly shaken by the appalling consequences of the violence for both Israelis and Palestinians. Secretary Powell, during his visit to the region, and again only last week, echoed the concerns of all Americans about the tragic and still-rising human toll. For every life lost, he said, a family grieves, and a dream is destroyed. He also expressed concern over the severe disruptions that have been caused in the lives of so many others, both Palestinian and Israeli.
There is a serious risk that the peace negotiations could become another casualty of the violence, destroying a decade of careful and patient efforts to build the confidence required for a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. The United States is also deeply concerned that in this troubled climate adherence to, and respect for, norms of human rights have also suffered. These concerns are reflected in the chapter of the State Department's recently released annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices that assesses the situation in the Occupied Territories.
The State Department report on the situation in the Occupied Territories reflects a serious effort to present an accurate, objective and balanced assessment of the human rights situation in all its complexity. However, it is deeply regrettable that the deliberations of this body, as well as the resolutions adopted year after year, have rarely reflected a comparable effort. Indeed, of all the countries in the world, there is only one -- Israel -- for which this Commission continues to assign its own, separate agenda item. I raise this point because we believe that selective treatment within the United Nations in matters of human rights threatens the integrity not merely of the Commission but of human rights themselves.
The United States does not dispute the right of this Commission to address the legitimate concerns regarding the human rights practices of any country. We believe strongly, however, that the Commission also has the high responsibility to address those concerns fairly and objectively, in full cognizance of the consequences of its actions. Words, sometimes more than actions, have the power to move hearts and minds and to shape events, for the better or for the worse. Especially given the exceedingly fragile situation in the region, it is incumbent upon us all to consider what we do and say here with the greatest care. We must not allow our deliberations to add further to the heavy burden the parties are already under in seeking to restore the mutual confidence that is essential to their effort to find a path to peace.
As Secretary Powell said only last week, "We cannot allow the dream of peace to perish... Neither Israelis nor Palestinians are served by the current situation. Both sides require a dialogue that will lead to mutually acceptable political, economic and security arrangements."
In the current situation, the continuing cycle of violence stands as the single greatest obstacle to the search for peace. To further quote Secretary Powell: "Violence is corrosive of everything the parties in the region hope to achieve. Violence saps the psychological well being of every child, every parent and grandparent. Violence makes every life insecure. Violence provokes armed reaction, not compromises. Leaders have the responsibility to denounce violence, strip it of legitimacy, stop it."
At the Sharm el-Sheikh summit last October, both Palestinians and Israelis agreed on the creation of a special Fact Finding Committee. The Committee has just completed its second visit to the region. The report, which is due shortly, will be forwarded by President Bush to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. We are hopeful, given the character and integrity of the Committee's members, and the seriousness with which they have approached their work, that the report will contribute to the efforts of the parties themselves to bring the violence to an end.
Mr. Chairman, in the final analysis, hopes for a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East can only be fulfilled by the actions and the efforts of the parties themselves. Only they can make the difficult decisions that can lead to peace. As Secretary Powell has observed: "History teaches us that a peace arrived at voluntarily by the parties themselves is likely to prove more robust and able to withstand inevitable pressures and setbacks than a peace widely viewed as developed by others..."
Nothing that we might say or do here in this Commission can substitute for the will and the effort of those most directly involved. By the same token, let us undertake to do nothing here that would make their already daunting task more difficult.
Mr. Chairman, I close by recalling the words of two men who gave their lives in pursuit of peace in this region. Both were soldiers. Both fought each other. Perhaps that is why they were uniquely suited to seek a just and lasting peace. One soldier reached out to his neighbor and former foe with the cry: "Enough of blood and tears." His name was Yitzhak Rabin. Another solider reached out to his neighbor and former enemy with the promise to "fill the air and space with recitals of peace. Make a reality that blossoms and lives. Make hope a code of conduct and endeavor." His name was Anwar el-Sadat.
These were great men, men of vision and courage. Both understood the necessity of peace. Both made the ultimate sacrifice in the struggle to achieve it. Let the words we utter here, and the actions we take, also be inspired by the same spirit.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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