Jordan Times
Thursday, November 2, 2006
King says Arab Peace
Initiative offers comprehensive settlement
Agencies
King Abdullah reiterated that there cannot be
lasting peace until injustice against Palestinians is corrected.
"This is the basis for the landmark Arab Peace Initiative. Articulated at the
2002 meeting of all Arab states, it offered a comprehensive settlement…
guaranteeing Israel’s security to live in peace with its neighbours… and
providing, at long last, a sovereign, viable and independent Palestine," the
King told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Tuesday (see
transcript).
The Monarch, who concluded his state visit to the Netherlands and returned
yesterday, praised the UN court for an advisory opinion it issued in 2004,
saying that the barrier being built by Israel around parts of the West Bank was
illegal and should be torn down.
"The court's opinion speaks to the profound injustice which the Palestinian
people have suffered for decades," the King said. "There can't be lasting peace
until this injustice is corrected.”
The court’s opinion “asserted the need for such a negotiated solution, one that
will establish a Palestinian state, existing side by side with Israel and its
other neighbours — with peace and security for all in the region," the King
said.
It was “more than a declaration about the illegality of the wall — a barrier
that would divide Israelis and Palestinians even further… a barrier that would
perpetuate conflict in our region. By pronouncing, extensively, on long-standing
questions of legality, this court has given Arabs, Israelis and the
international community firm ground on which to build peace in our region — a
new foundation of international legality and justice. This court ruled, clearly,
that the Palestinian territories are occupied… that the Palestinian people
possess a legal right to self-determination, on Palestinian territory… and that
the conflict will only be brought to an end when all relevant Security Council
resolutions are, finally, implemented," the King told the international
tribunal.
It is vital now to move the peace process forward on this basis, King Abdullah
added, urging concerned nations to "act together — and with new urgency."
Jordan, he continued, has made a clear commitment to the cause of international
peace and legality. "That commitment is attested to in our respect for this
court, our good faith in treaty obligations, our support for United Nations
conventions and international legal instruments," he said.
The UN and the ICJ, King Abdullah noted, are founded on the principle that
violence, force and illegality should not be allowed to determine the future.
"The Arab people agree. We know that unilateral solutions will not bring peace,
which requires a willing partnership, result-minded negotiations, and a
settlement that is in full accord with international legality," he said.
The ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the UN, began work in 1946, when it
replaced the Permanent Court of International Justice.
The court has a dual role: To settle in line with international law legal
disputes and to give advisory opinions on legal questions.
Jordanian Awn Khasawneh is currently serving as ICJ vice president.
In her remarks, court's president, Rosalyn Higgins ,commended Jordan's
cooperation with the international community in promoting the basic principles
in the UN Charter.
On Wednesday, King Abdullah and Queen Rania visited the national air and space
laboratory, toured a replica of the Dutch East India Company ship "Batavia" and
watched wood carvers at work before stopping at the factory of Spyker, which
makes exclusive sports cars. The company bought into the Formula One racing
world earlier this year by taking over the Midland Formula One racing team and
renaming it Spyker MF1 Racing.