ALI HACHHANI (TUNISIA):  Thank you Mr. President.  Mr. President, please allow me to express to you our utmost appreciation to the attention given by the General Assembly to the question of Palestine and the struggling Palestinian people at this important meeting.
Undoubtedly, this central issue, which has acquired the attention of the international community remains as the most important issue for peace and stability in the Middle East, the cradle of civilizations.
The situations in the Middle East goes through a very delicate stage that requires efforts by the international community in its entirety and all active parties in order to put an end to the cycle of violence and conflict in which the region finds itself, and to return to dialogue and negotiation and serious work with a view to putting an end to this conflict and achieving a just comprehensive and lasting solution that guarantees the liberation of all occupied Arab territories and allows for the peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the region.
From this rostrum, such as other peace-loving countries, Tunisia has always warned of the dangers of the failure of the peace process and the non-implementation of agreements with the Palestinian party and the cessation of negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks because they all represent a setback to peace -- to the peace efforts that we've made.
There is no doubt that the Israeli government's intransigence in its policy against Palestinian civilians and its expansionist policy and the construction of the wall of separation are all counterproductive based on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and is not in the interest of the region.
The provisions of the fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in the time of war have become ineffective and violence only generates counter-violence, and there is no way to break this cycle unless genuine efforts are made for the realization of the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and good neighborliness.
The establishment of just comprehensive peace in the region requires a full withdrawal by -- an unconditional withdrawal by Israel from the Syrian -- from the occupied Syrian Golan and from Lebanese territories that were occupied at the same -- in the same conflict in accordance with all resolutions and reference points.
Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip and the opening of the Rafah Crossing all represent positive developments within the framework of the application of the road map, and we hope they will be followed by similar and expeditious measures in the West Bank and other occupied Palestinian territories, and we must not allow internal considerations in the region to delay this search for peace that has gone for too long.
Mr. President, the road to peace is still long and delicate and requires all our efforts in order to protect peace efforts and to refrain from confrontational declarations that only undermine trust and confidence among the parties to the conflict.  It is important to learn from past lessons to avoid all the factors that do not assist the peace process. 
We look with hope to the efforts made by the Quartet in order to reactivate the road map and to restore trust between the Palestinian Authority and the Israelis and open the way for the resumption of peace negotiations with an aim of enabling the Palestinian people to enjoy its legitimate rights, particularly its right to establish its own independent state with Holy Jerusalem as its capital.
Tunisia's firm belief in the just cause of the Palestinian people and its continued commitment to its support and its times of difficulty would only enhance peace efforts in order to reach a peaceful settlement in accordance with the Madrid conference and the Arab Peace Initiative that was adopted in the [inaudible] Summit in March, 2002. 
Tunisia will continue its efforts bilaterally, regionally and internationally under the leadership of our President, His Excellency Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in order to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the Palestinian question that would enable the Palestinian people to enjoy its legitimate rights, and provides the Palestinian people with security, stability and peaceful coexistence in the region in a manner that would enable its peoples to work on development and reconstruction.
We do not fail to mention that we truly appreciate all the efforts made by the United Nations in order to reach that goal, and in dealing with the crisis in the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and would like to particularly commend here the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and other committees and United Nations bodies that work for the establishment of peace in the region and which should continue their work until they fulfill their mandates in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions.  Thank you Mr. President.