Draft PRST on the Situation of the Middle East
(As of January 10, 2007, 08.22 PM)

The Security Council expresses concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories caused by actions which are in contradiction to the spirit of the agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Security Council reiterates the importance of full implementation of that agreement and calls on all parties to take part in the creation of a conducive condition in that regard.

The Security Council calls on the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to make efforts towards the extension of the Gaza cease-fire to other parts of the Occupied Palestinians Territories, including the West Bank.

The Security Council urges all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any action which could jeopardize the cease-fire, endanger innocent civilians, and undermine recent progress between the parties. 

The Security Council notes with enthusiasm the recent meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and affirms the role that key countries in the Middle East can play in paving way for the continuation of peace process in the region. 

The Security Council stresses that there can be no military solution to the problems of the region and negotiation is the only viable way to bring peace and prosperity to peoples throughout the Middle East.

The Security Council underlines that action by the international community cannot be a substitute for determined measures by the parties themselves. The Security Council, therefore, encourages the parties to engage in direct negotiations.

The Security Council reaffirms its profound attachment to the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, as envisaged in the Roadmap. The Security Council reaffirms the vital role of the Quartet and looks forward to its continued active engagement.

The Security Council reiterates the importance of, and the need to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 1515 (2003), the Madrid terms of reference and the principle of land for peace, and the Peace Initiative endorsed at the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002.