PARIS, Jan 15 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said that the international conference for peace, Paris is hosting on Sunday, should focus on an end for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The conference should concentrate on reaching a "final settlement" for the conflict and not only continuing to manage it, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled told the meeting which opened earlier today by the French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
This can be realized through incentives to the Israelis and the Palestinians to resume the peace negotiations, creating the favorable conditions and climate for interaction and economic, educational and vocational cooperation, he said.
"This is likely to lay down bases for peace and dismiss all forms of extremism and violence," he added.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled called for setting a time limit for completing the negotiations, as well as the immediate implementation of any agreement to be concluded, for reaching a two-state solution based on the relevant UN resolutions, mainly the UN General Assembly's No 1994, and the UNSC's 242, 338, 1397, 1515, 1850 and 2334, in addition to the Arab Peace Initiative, paving the way for establishing a Palestinian State on the pre-June 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem a capital.
In order to achieve these goals, the concerned world's bodies - especially the Middle East Quartet, the UNSC's Permanent Members and the international bodies - have to play an effective role for supporting and implementing them, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister noted.
He expressed hope that the Quartet would include Arab members to make it more vital and effective.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled expressed deep concern over reports that the new US Administration would move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the "Occupied Jerusalem," a matter that is most likely to undermine the opportunities for peace, contradicting with the UNSC resolutions, especially No 478 that reads: "Those States that have established diplomatic missions at Jerusalem to withdraw such missions from the Holy City." At the onset of the address, the Kuwaiti chief diplomat said that the world's public opinion, especially in the Arab region, is closely following the conference and the regional and international momentum it could produce to resume the stalled peace process.
Thus, participants in the Paris meeting, should seek by all means that the event would lead to the activation of the outcome of previous conferences and initiatives that sought a solution to the Palestinian cause, such as Madrid 1991, Oslo 1993 and Camp David 2000, besides the several resolutions by the UN's General Assembly and the UNSC on the major issue, he said.
The results of not applying the UN resolution, and the non-commitment to what have been concluded in the relevant international conferences have "aggravated the humanitarian tragedies of the unarmed Palestinian people, and heightened tension in the region, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled stressed.
Moreover, this has been reflected on the international peace and stability, as the region started to see the emergence of further crises, such as extremism and terrorism that cannot be dissolved unless the root of the problem, namely the Palestinian issue, is settled, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister noted.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that this year marks the 69th anniversary of the Palestinians' Nakba, sufferings and pain, and the 50th of the occupation of Arab territories in 1967. He also highly appreciated the precious peace initiative offered by the French President Francois Hollande to save the Mideast peace process, recalling France's stances in support of the Palestinian cause on the international levels.
The Paris conference is bringing together more than 70 participants, nations and international organizations, in an attempt to bolster the "Two-State Solution" and provide incentives to both belligerents to resume negotiations that have broken down for six years. (end) msa