OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2009. Esteemed Mister Secretary General, Esteemed Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude for your accepting our invitation to take part in this meeting dedicated to such a vital issue as Middle East settlement.

Not so much time has passed since the previous meeting in such a format. Last December, we adopted UN Security Council resolution 1850 unanimously expressing ourselves for continued movement towards the establishment of peace and stability and its being comprehensive, to embrace all negotiation tracks, and based on the generally recognized international legal decisions and principles.

But as of now there has arisen an alarming negotiation vacuum for reasons that are well known: the flare-ups of violence and the start-of-year crisis around the Gaza Strip and the elections, and then the long period of the formation of a new government in Israel.

The chief thing in these conditions is a swift resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinians. It is crucial that the political process should not be returned to the zero mark but should build upon the existing decisions of the world community and the parties’ agreements and understandings already reached.

Hence one of the most urgent tasks is a reaffirmation of the international legal framework for settlement, above all, the “two states” principle whose realization will lead to the creation of an independent viable Palestinian state coexisting with Israel in peace and security. Of special significance is the reaffirmation of the Arab Peace Initiative at the recent summit of the League of Arab States in Doha. Along with resolutions 242, 338 and other relevant UNSC decisions, the Madrid Principles and the Roadmap, the Arab Peace Initiative has become an integral part of the foundation for constructing a new Middle East. There will be no room for occupation and terrorism in it, but there will be mutually beneficial and mutually respectful cooperation of sovereign countries and equal peoples.

Of course, the road to this goal is not easy. The situation in the region should remain the focus of our attention. It is necessary to strive for explicit compliance by the Palestinian and Israeli sides with their obligations regarding the struggle against terror and violence, renunciation of any unilateral actions prejudging a final status, an end to settlement activities, and freedom of movement for the Palestinian population in the West Bank.

Much will depend on the success of inter-Palestinian dialogue. Egypt’s efforts to this end should be further comprehensively backed by the world community. We are convinced that restoring unity in the Palestinian ranks on the platform of PLO and adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative is the key to accomplishing the lawful national aspirations of the Palestinian people toward progress in the peace process based on the UN-endorsed quartet proposals.

Guided by the above considerations, we have prepared the draft of a Presidential Statement which we suggest adopting as the outcome document of the meeting. I want to thank all the colleagues who have made a substantial contribution to its elaboration.

A crucial task faces the participants of the present meeting and the entire international community – to reaffirm the irreversibility of the peace process and to facilitate its swift resumption and the assurance of its continuity. Emotions should not hinder the solution of this task.

The next step in our common efforts must be the Moscow Conference on the Middle East. A broad international consensus has taken shape in favor of this forum, as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions and the decisions of the Middle East quartet.

During the course of the elaboration of the practical aspects of the Moscow Conference we orient ourselves on the opinion of the principal actors: the Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. With their support, for which we are grateful, the date and substantive part are being agreed for the Moscow Forum, meant to take an important step towards a comprehensive settlement with a view to bringing peace, security and stability to all peoples and states of the Middle East.