SI Paris Congress Resolution On The Middle East

The Congress of the Socialist International, meeting in Paris 8-10 November 1999, to review the general status of the Middle East peace process,

Congratulates its sister parties, the Israel Labour Party and Meretz, on their victory in the last elections, which puts an end to the three years of stalemate in the peace process under the previous government;

Notes with satisfaction the renewal of the peace process and welcomes the signing of the Sharm-el-Sheikh Memorandum and the significant progress already achieved by the Israeli and Palestinian leadership in implementing important elements of the Wye River Memorandum;

Appreciates the resumption of final status negotiations and hopes that the timetable proposed will be respected;

Confirms its determination that the peace process on all its tracks be established on the principles and basis of international legitimacy and mutual security as embodied in Resolutions 242, 338 and 425 of the UN Security Council and on the principles stated in the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, the Oslo accords and on all other resolutions and agreements concluded between the parties;

Reaffirms likewise the right of Israel to live within secure and recognised borders;

Reaffirms that these principles and agreements, aiming at a permanent and stable peace, provide for Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian and other occupied territories, allowing the Palestinians to practice their inalienable right to self-determination and the setting up of an independent, democratic Palestinian state which is the best guarantee for stability in the region, and in this regard welcomes the Conclusions of the Berlin European summit of March 1999;

Calls upon the parties to negotiate the shape and substance of future relations between them and to develop patterns of close economic and cultural cooperation;

Asks both sides to desist from unilateral practices, particularly settlement activity;

Condemns terrorism, the killing of civilians-men, women and children-in the strongest possible terms. The parties must spare no effort to destroy terrorism, isolate the terrorists and to put an end to violent extremist activities;

Reiterates the importance of granting economic support to the Palestinian Authority, of regional economic cooperation and of extending every kind of assistance to the Palestinian people to improve their living conditions;

Encourages the parties to renew work on the multilateral track;

Calls upon Syria and Israel to resume as soon as possible negotiations on the Syrian track, on the basis of the UN Security Council Resolutions and the terms of reference of the Madrid Conference;

Authorises the Presidium, in collaboration with the SI Middle East Committee, to set up a high level delegation to visit Syria and Lebanon in order to enhance the peace process;

Reasserts its conviction that no real and lasting peace in the region will be established if the Kurdish question is not addressed. The international community must put pressure on the governments concerned to start profound democratic reforms and to favour political, negotiated, peaceful and fair solutions guaranteeing the legitimate rights of the Kurds within the borders of each country concerned;

Supports the planned study delegation of the SIMEC Working Group on the Kurdish Question to the region to support and to enhance democratic developments;

The Congress of the Socialist International expresses, in these decisive times, its solidarity with the Israel Labour Party, Meretz and with Fatah and their leaders, in their bold efforts to reach a just and lasting peace, bringing security and stability to the region.