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Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East Opens in Geneva

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Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East Opens in Geneva MEDIA SEMINAR ON PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST OPENS IN GENEVA 12 June 2012 The 2012 Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East opened today at the International Geneva Conference Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The Seminar will focus on the role of the media in covering different aspects of recent events in the Middle East, especially the Arab Spring, and how they relate to the situation in Israel and Palestine. In his message to the participants, Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General, said that much had been achieved across the region for the past 18 months, but for too many the suffering continued. The killings in Syria had not stopped despite repeated pledges by all sides and the dangers of a full-scale civil war were imminent and real. The Secretary- General expressed his concerns over the fragility of the peace process and urged the parties to overcome the current obstacles and resume direct, bilateral negotiations without delay or preconditions. More effort was needed by Israel to improve the unsustainable situation in Gaza. The United Nations would continue its engagement to help parties forge the way forward and create the conditions for meaningful negotiations that would resolve the core permanent status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees and security. Maher Nasser, Acting Head of the Department of Public Information of the United Nations, in opening remarks, emphasized that this was a media seminar and that much of the discussion would focus on the role of the media in covering different aspects of recent events in the Middle East, and how they related to the situation in Israel and Palestine. It was an opportunity for representatives of the media and civil society from the region and beyond to come together to share their experiences and exchange views, he stressed. Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart, Assistant State Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, said that this Seminar was an opportunity to discuss ways to revive the peace process in the Middle East and reiterated the commitment of Switzerland to those efforts. Switzerland condemned all violations of international humanitarian law to which the Syrian population had fallen victim and emphasized that it was imperative to find a peaceful solution to conflicts by all means. Following the opening session, the Seminar held a panel on the prospects for peace approaching the twentieth anniversary of the Oslo Accords, which looked at the current status of internationally sponsored peace efforts, following almost two decades since the signing of the Oslo Accords. Speakers agreed that the prospect of peace was a critical issue. Robert Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, delivered the keynote address in this panel. Other panellists were Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations; Jean-Daniel Ruch, Special Representative for the Middle East of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; and Daniel Levy, Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation. The 2012 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East is organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information in cooperation with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. It will hold two panels this afternoon to explore the impact of the Arab Spring on media coverage of the question of Palestine and discuss the role of women’s activism and the media in the Israeli-Palestinian peace and the wider region. Opening Session WOLFGANG AMADEUS BRÜLHART, Assistant State Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs , in his opening remarks said that the panelists of the 2012 Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East would be able to discuss the ways to revive the peace process in the Middle East and reiterated the commitment of Switzerland to those efforts. Switzerland had embarked on a number of measures to support the outcomes of the Arab Spring, reinforce democracy and protect vulnerable groups in the society. Switzerland condemned in all possible terms all violations of international humanitarian law to which the Syrian population had fallen victim and emphasized that it was imperative to find a peaceful solution to conflicts by all means. BAN KI-MOON, United Nations Secretary-General , in his message to the 2012 Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, which was read out on his behalf by MAHER NASSER, Acting Head of the Department of Public Information of the United Nations , said that this seminar had gathered at a pivotal time in the Middle East and North Africa. The world had witnessed profound changes across the region in the past 18 months, driven by brave and committed citizens. Many participants in the seminar had played important roles in those events as journalists, activists, policy-makers and representatives of civil society and the Secretary-General urged them to continue to promote peace and increase mutual understanding between communities. While much had been achieved across the region, for too many the suffering continued. The killings in Syria had not stopped despite repeated pledges by all sides and the dangers of a full-scale civil war were imminent and real. All violence must end, said the Secretary-General, adding that now was the time for the international community to take bold and concerted action. The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was now essential. The Secretary- General expressed his concerns over the fragility of the peace process and urged the parties to overcome the current obstacles and resume direct, bilateral negotiations without delay or preconditions. Mr. Ban welcomed the progress achieved by the Palestinian Authority in building the necessary institutions of governance and the significant progress on security in the West Bank. He reiterated the Quartet’s call on the Palestinian Authority to continue to make every effort to improve law and order, fight violent extremism and end incitement. The expansion of settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was contrary to international law and Israel’s Roadmap commitments. The Secretary-General underscored the Quartet’s concern over settler violence and incitement in the West Bank, and repeated its calls on Israel to take effective measures, including bringing the perpetrators of such acts to justice. The situation in Gaza was unsustainable with a continuing need for the free movement of goods and people; more effort by Israel was needed. The United Nations would remain engaged to help parties forge the way forward and create the conditions for meaningful negotiations that would resolve the core permanent status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees and security, and an end to the occupation that began in 1967. MAHER NASSER, Acting Head of the Department of Public Information of the United Nations , said that the objective of the Seminar was to sensitize public opinion on the question of Palestine and to explore how the events in the region related to the relations between Palestine and Israel. It was also an opportunity for representatives of media and civil society from the region and beyond to share their experiences and exchange views. This Seminar was taking place during a period of profound and tumultuous change in the Middle East. People across the region, led by women and youth, continued to call for freedom and human rights, democracy and accountability and for an end to corruption. The home-grown democratic movements were a credit to the Arab people, but they came at a heavy cost as the loss of life had been large. Mr. Nasser noted that what had started as a popular call for democracy in Syria had turned into a dangerous spiral of violence and everyone was watching in horror the mounting death toll in this country. A regional awakening based on the ideals of freedom, dignity and non-violence cannot be complete without a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Panel 1: The prospects for peace approaching the twentieth anniversary of the Oslo Accords ROBERT SERRY, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority , said that the prospect of peace was a critical issue today, because 20 years of violence had turned the optimism into skepticism. The current situation was that of deep deadlock and lack of substantial negotiations despite the international community’s efforts. Progress had been elusive and it was clear that after 20 years of peacemaking the prospect of a two-State solution was weak. Instead of achieving a two-State solution, it was possible to move to a one State solution and further away from the progress and spirit of the Arab Spring. One State was unlikely to satisfy the aspirations of the Israelis and the Palestinians and this would further aggravate the situation. Substantive negotiations would not resume without mutual confidence building measures between the parties to resume their quiet negotiations. This so far had not happened. The recent actions of the Israeli Government in approving new settlements undermined the peace prospects and the Palestinian faith in peace process. The Palestinian Authority had made huge progress in transforming itself and its institutions over the past four years; still some claimed that Palestinian State building was at the risk and if it was not matched by progress in peace negotiations it would fail. The State building project needed more space, time and resources. The division between the West Bank and Gaza also prevented the Palestinian State from reaching its full potential.
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