Explanation of Vote (EOV) by Pakistan before the General Assembly 64th Session

Vote on Report of Fact Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict

New York( 

5 November 2009

PAKISTAN REPRESENTATIVE:  Mr. President, my delegation would like to thank you for convenin
g today’s meeting to consider the report of the United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict, or the Goldstone Report.  
Mr. President, early this year, the international community was horrified by the events surrounding three weeks of Israeli aggression in the occupied Gaza Strip.  The report of the special session of the Human Rights Council and periodic reports by the High Commissioner for Human Rights collaborated other independent reports on these events.
The Goldstone Report only authenticated these reports with evidence.  The Human Rights Council, after detailed discussions in its 12th session, has referred the Goldstone Report to the General Assembly.  The AJASI [?] [00:42:57] has also requested the UN Secretary General to submit a report on the status of implementation of Goldstone’s recommendations at its 13th session.  In this backdrop, I believe the present session of the General Assembly has three faceted significance.  
First, the General Assembly has to actively and constructively consider the Goldstone Report in terms of the implication and future follow-up action.  It is our hope that the Assembly will discharge this responsibility in an efficient and just manner. 
Second, ...  to the AJASI request, the Secretary has been requested to submit his report on the status of implementation of the Goldstone recommendations to the AJASI.  We may rightfully expect him to keep the General Assembly informed on the subject.  As such, this session can give the requisite inputs and guidelines for preparation of his report.  
Third, the General Assembly through this session has an opportunity to position itself behind the growing concern of international community and the stalled peace process in the Middle East.  In the absence of meaningful and durable peace process, violence will continue and respect of human rights will remain a distant dream.  
We sincerely believe that our meaningful deliberations on the issue will help revive the peace process.  
Mr. President, from the discussion the AJASI, it is evident that many member states have widely appreciated the Goldstone Report for being objective, impartial, and comprehensive.  We see the deliberations on this report as an opportunity for the international community to address the suffering of the Palestinian people and for Israel to rectify its past actions and policies.  
Mr. President, achieving lasting peace in the Middle East is a long held common objective of the international community.  This meeting should bring us closer to this objective.  As such, the overarching message of revival of the peace process with firm commitment to a two-state solution must resonate from our deliberations.  
During last month’s debate in the Security Council, Pakistan had outlined four parameters for international engagement with the view to achieving a sustained peace process in the Middle East.  
We had called upon the Security Council and the Middle East Quartet to utilize their full potential in support of the peace process through a transparent and objective engagement.  They must prevail upon Israel to cease all settlement activity, including illegal excavation in East Jerusalem, as the two actions have so far proved the largest stumbling block on the road to peace.  We will relate [?] [00:46:15] this message.  
There is also a pressing need to address the plight and suffering of Palestinian population and to rebuild Palestine institutions battered by conflict and violence.  
The four way measures must be supplemented by addressing the root cause of all trouble – that is, ending Israeli occupation of Arab Territories.  Such a framework of peace is not new.  It is already determined in relevant resolutions of the Security Council as well as the many terms of reference, the Road Map, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the understanding of the ... [?] [00:46:58] in 2007.  
Mr. President, I wish to conclude by expressing Pakistan’s sincere hope that the Goldstone Report will ultimately strengthen the initiative for peace in the region and that the General Assembly will be able to utilize this important document to find a meaningful basis for lasting peace and security in the Middle East.  
I thank you, Mr. President.