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(Translated from the French)
Toast by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
at the dinner for Palestinian leaders
- French General Consulate, 25 February 2000 -,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
At the end of the first day of my official visit to the Palestinian territories, I would like to start by telling you how happy I am to be here tonight in Jerusalem I am delighted that this dinner is the occasion for a meeting at the French General Consulate. I invited you here because I wanted to listen to you and gain a better understanding of your aspirations at a time when, despite the hazards and even the disappointments inherent - in international negotiations, the idea of peace is making decisive inroads in people's minds.
This land saw the birth of one of the longest conflicts in recent world history. It is from this land alone that peace can come, as part of a fair and lasting settlement that recognises the rights of the Palestinian people. Palestinian and French leaders have united their efforts towards this end for a long time now. Naturally, it is primarily up to the parties directly concerned to negotiate and make the necessary decisions. But, it can also be helpful to suggest the shape these decisions can take. This is the ambition that France and Europe are now pursuing in the Middle East.
A just and lasting peace requires respect for the law.
The right under law for all the peoples and States in the region to exist; the right to an existence that is fully and unhesitatingly recognized. With its declaration in Washington in September 1993, the PLO opened the way with courage and foresight. But mutual recognition must take its full course. We cannot stop in midstream You have heard from President Mitterand, and then from President Chirac, how attached France is to defining just what the concept of the right to self-determination means. Through its support for the Palestinian people's legitimate aspiration to create a State in its land, France has contributed, along with others, to upholding the law. Because it has built up a relationship based on respect and friendship with the Palestinian people, because it has many historic and human links with the State of Israel, France was one of the first countries to can for the implementation of international law, and in particular Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. The rights of the refugees forced out of Palestine must also be recognised. The international community has lo1lg asserted these rights, but they have never been exercised.
The law is also a just solution for the issue of Jerusalem. On the basis of the peace process principles defined at the Madrid Conference and in the Oslo Agreement, this solution is also a prerequisite for a just and lasting settlement fu the Middle East. The issue of sovereignty over Jerusalem should find a negotiated solution that respects the aspirations and rights, including political rights, of an the parties concerned. The solution must take account of the city's indivisibility and its holy status for the three great religions of the Book.
Peace also involves water. Water, like land, has been an issue in conflicts. It is a complex matter that requites legal, political and technical solutions. It is also an urgent matter, since rainfall has been catastrophically light in the Middle East in recent years. The international community can help the countries in the region find solutions. It is up to these countries to make the necessary decisions. Once again, this matter requires compliance with commitments, respect for the recognised principles of fairness, transparency, co-operation, agreements to share data and know-how, and using and managing water resources with neighbors and without depriving them The European Union, working on the strength of its own experience, can assist an the countries concerned to create a regional water authority that will be responsible for ensuring better management of this rare and precious resource.
Peace must be built on security. Security is vital for all. For your Israeli neighbors, who have for so long felt isolated in the midst of a hostile Middle East and who must now face the threat of extremist terrorism. For the Palestinians who have suffered just as much from violence and despair.
But peace is a difficult task. Political leaders, diplomats, business leaders are doing their part. Lasting peace cannot be established unless it is supported by all.
Through you, I wish to speak to the future citizens of Palestine.
The Palestinian people have suffered the tragedy of exile and dispersion, followed by war. They have acquired outstanding political maturity from these sufferings. They now have a historic opportunity to take their destiny in hand and build a society based on justice and liberty . The institutions that, along with the Palestinian Authority , are the forerunners of the future State have been in place since 1994 and the value of the vital work they have been doing deserves recognition.
However , Palestinian society did not wait until the Oslo process to get organized.
I see in the strong network of associations and the multitude of NGOs operating in Palestine today, in the flourishing individual and collective initiatives and in the ability to criticise and make proposals that underpins it the birth of a society that wants to speak out and take its destiny in hand. Palestinian NGOs have very close relationships with their foreign counterparts. The work they do in the field is outstanding. They are forging relationships built on trust and friendship. Decentralised co-operation and twinning have led to intense exchanges between Palestinian and foreign municipalities, with French towns taking the lead. Sharing the experience of democracy and taking charge of local development are genuine means of preparing for peace.
Because we share these aspirations, because the task still before us is both exciting and demanding, other democracies, starting with France, have a duty to show solidarity . We want to build a partnership based on equal rights and mutual respect. I want Palestine, which is now one of the countries getting priority treatment under our reformed co-operation structure, to become one of our leading partners in a Mediterranean that is finally free of the antagonisms that have cause bloodshed for too long. Ladies and gentlemen, it is to this project, which we must achieve together, that I would like to raise my glass.
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