Secretary-General Chairs First Meeting of CEIRPP in 2000Â The
United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the
Palestinian People (CEIRPP) held its first meeting in the year 2000 on 3
February. At the meeting, the
Committee adopted its program of work for 2000 and elected its officers, which
form the Bureau of the Committee. After
the nominations were announced by Ambassador Yel’Chenko of Ukraine and
seconded by Ambassador Hachani of Tunisia, Ambassador Ka of Senegal was
unanimously re-elected as the Chairman of CEIRPP, as were Ambassador Rodriguez
Parrilla of Cuba and Ambassador Farhadi of Afghanistan as Vice-Chairmen and
Ambassador Balzan of Malta as Rapporteur of the Committee. As
is customary, the Secretary-General of the U.N., Mr. Kofi Annan, chaired the
meeting until the Bureau was elected and also made a statement before the
Committee. In his address, the
Secretary-General emphasized the encouraging opportunity for peace in the Middle
East. At the same time, however, he
drew attention to ongoing problems creating difficulties on the road to peace,
including among other things the construction and expansion of Israeli
settlements throughout the occupied territory.Â
Moreover, he stated that real peace and stability could not flourish in
the region without the improvement of social and economic conditions. In
this regard, Mr. Annan stressed the important efforts being carried out by the
United Nations, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
and other agencies, in providing assistance to the Palestinian people in
numerous fields. He maintained the
necessity for continuing such humanitarian and developmental assistance for the
Palestinian people, along with ensuring effective and focused U.N. support for
the peace process. In this respect,
in closing, he expressed his hope that the Committee would one day soon witness
the fruition of its steadfast work and efforts “when the Palestinians will be
able to exercise their inalienable national rights.” The
Committee’s first meeting of 2000 was also addressed by Ambassador Ka, in his
capacity as Chairman. Ambassador Ka
reflected on the work of the Committee since its establishment in 1975, as well
as the transformation in its membership, which now consists of 25 Member States
and 24 Observers. Despite signs of
hope in the peace process, Ambassador Ka also noted the continuation of problems
on the ground and the outstanding issues that remained to be implemented in
accordance with the agreements signed by the two sides. Further, in discussing
the role of CEIRPP in promoting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian
people, he emphasized that the involvement of the U.N. in the peace process was
aimed at supporting it and not impeding negotiations.Â
In this regard, he maintained that the mandate of the Committee, as well
as the work of the Division for Palestinian Rights, remained constant and more
timely and relevant than ever. The
Deputy Permanent Observer of Palestine, Mr. Jilani, in his capacity as Charge
d’affaires, participated in and addressed the meeting as well. He expressed the appreciation of the delegation of Palestine
for the work of CEIRPP towards the realization of the exercise of the
inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of a just and
lasting peace in the Middle East. Moreover,
he stressed that the year 2000 must be the year of an independent Palestine,
asserting that an additional and natural deadline for the achievement of a final
settlement and full membership for Palestine in the U.N. was the forthcoming
Millennium Summit being held at the U.N. in September 2000.Â
In closing remarks, he encouraged, and expressed confidence in, the
Committee’s support for this goal. Â |