As Media Seminar on Middle East Peace Opens in Budapest, UN Commu... http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/pal2143.doc.htm 12 July 2011 Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York AS MEDIA SEMINAR ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE OPENS IN BUDAPEST, UN COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF CITES SMALL BUT VIBRANT PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE MOVEMENT BETWEEN ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS He Calls on Media Makers to Help Combat Narratives Of ’Fear, Hostility and Violence’ that Hamper Progress (Received from a UN Information Officer.) BUDAPEST, 12 July — Welcoming journalists and creators of fiction, theatre and music this morning to a seminar in Budapest, Hungary, on the media’s vital role in resolving the Middle East conflict, the United Nations communications Chief called on them to further utilize their talents to help counter narratives of “fear, hostility and violence” that reified the standstill in the peace process. “While a virtual stalemate prevails on the diplomatic front, there is a small but vibrant people- to-people movement taking place between Israelis and Palestinians. One of the main forces of this people-to-people movement is cooperation on the ground in art and culture,” Kiyo Akasaka, Under- Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, told participants at the opening of the two-day International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information. “Writers, musicians and filmmakers are crafting a new narrative that reflects the shared experiences and common destiny of peoples on both sides. There is enormous potential for culture and media to further contribute to building peace on the ground through interpersonal contacts,” Mr. Akasaka said. The annual seminar was established by a 1991 General Assembly resolution to provide a forum for dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian journalists and others from the region, with the participation of the international community, aimed at enhancing understanding between peoples and achieving a just and lasting peace based on two States living side by side in peace and security. This year’s event, held in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, is themed “Prospects for Peace: Understanding Current Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles”, and takes account of the dramatic changes in the greater region’s political landscape, including the increased role of new media such as Twitter and Facebook in fostering political change. In that context, three panel discussions were held today. Entitled “The Middle East peace process: Overcoming the standstill”, “The changing landscape in North Africa and the Middle East: implications for Israeli-Palestinian peace” and “The role of media in transforming societies”, they included political principals, activists and journalists. The obstacles and opportunities of the current situation were surveyed in the first panel by the keynote speaker, Richard Miron, Spokesman, Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who delivered a statement by Special Coordinator Robert Serry. Reporting on last night’s meeting of the Quartet in Washington, he said the group remained united in its support of the vision laid out 1 of 7 12/07/2011 4:43 PM As Media Seminar on Middle East Peace Opens in Budapest, UN Commu... http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/pal2143.doc.htm by United States President Barack Obama on 19 May and urgently appealed to the parties to resume direct negotiations without delay or preconditions, beginning with preparatory talks. The urgency of resuming talks, he said, was increased by the coming to term of Palestinian State- building efforts, deadlines set for final status negotiations and the upheavals occurring in the region, he stressed, adding that new media was allowing ordinary people more power to push more for change than ever before. “The Internet, along with social networks, and the ability to display pictures, video footage and transmit information have given people a platform from which to voice their sentiments where none existed before,” he said. A fuller picture of the dynamics on both sides was filled in by other speakers in the first panel, along with options for overcoming obstacles, while the second panel focused on the implications of the so-called Arab Spring for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the third panel looked at the use of the media, new and traditional, in both fostering and suppressing change. At the opening, which also heard from Zsolt Nemeth, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Mr. Akasaka delivered a message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in which Mr. Ban stated that, at a time when “the region is coming alive and pressing to become part of the future, it is our duty to do all we can to help the parties realize peace and security.” “As members of the media and representatives of civil society, you play a vital role in raising public awareness and promoting mutual understanding between Palestinians and Israelis,” the Secretary-General stated. “I am greatly encouraged that you have come together to explore and deepen new avenues of dialogue and outreach,” he added. Mr. Nemeth, welcoming participants to Budapest, said that at this moment of turbulence in the region, it was crucial to make progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He was aware of difficulties but also of unprecedented opportunity, including the position of the President of the United States and activity at the United Nations. His country, which had been chairing the European Union in the last year, had been active on the situation and from that experience knew that the transformational momentum was indeed an opportunity not to be missed. Together with the Union, Hungary was convinced that direct negotiations were the only way forward. “We simply don’t have any other alternative,” he said. Setting clear parameters was crucial, while unilateral measures should be avoided. International efforts, therefore, had been focused on setting a credible framework for the talks. The media seminar had the potential for moving dialogue forward through messages that had a positive impact on public opinion and created an environment conducive to peace. He hoped that the multicultural atmosphere of Budapest could contribute to that end. As part of his own welcome, Mr. Akasaka stressed to the media makers: “Ultimately, it is people — your readers, your listeners, and your viewers — who have the power to demand, to shape, and to deliver peace.” The international seminar will meet again tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. for two final panels and a concluding session, following a “Peace Concert” this evening, featuring renowned violinist and oud player Simon Shaheen alongside Hungarian musicians Bori Magyar and Daniel Kardos. Panel I: The Middle East Peace Process: Overcoming the Standstill Today’s first panel, moderated by Under-Secretary-General Akasaka, featured a keynote address by Mr. Miron, on behalf of Mr. Serry. Panellists included Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for Palestine to the United Nations, Yossi Beilin, former Justice Minister of Israel, and Geoffrey Aronson, Director of Research and Publications of the Foundation for Middle East Peace of Washington, D.C. Mr. Serry’s address, as read out by Mr. MIRON, noted that only two months remained until the target date set last year by the parties for reaching agreement on permanent status issues, with only one month until the deadline set by the Palestinian Authority for completing its two-year State-building programme. Unfortunately, negotiations were not under way and there was increasing uncertainty about 2 of 7 12/07/2011 4:43 PM As Media Seminar on Middle East Peace Opens in Budapest, UN Commu... http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/pal2143.doc.htm what September would bring. He said that the Quartet, which had met last night, was united in its support of the vision laid out by United States President Obama on 19 May and urgently appealed to the parties to resume direct negotiations without delay or preconditions, beginning with preparatory talks. Much work remained to be done to close the gaps between the parties if the current impasse was to be broken, requiring a “spirit of statesmanship and vision” from the parties, he said, adding that, in this new era, leaders could not overlook the sentiments of ordinary people, partly due to the effects of new media. “We have seen the effect of people power in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere and the role of the media, particularly new media in motivating people to protest. The Internet, along with social networks, and the ability to display pictures, video footage and transmit information has given people a platform from which to voice their sentiments where none existed before.” For those reasons, it was even more important for the international community to provide added reassurance and credibility to the political process, given that “there is deeply popular discontent — on all sides — with the outcome of nearly 20 years of peace process”, he said. The return to talks, in that context, must be centred on clear ideas, including territorial lines based on those of 1967 with agreed swaps and credible security arrangements ensuring full Israeli withdrawal and a sovereign Palestinian State. Convergence on those issues could then provide a foundation for progress on other core issues. It was also critical to address issues on the ground, he said, stressing that Israel must respect international law in occupied territory in regard to settlement expansion, housing demolitions and displacement of Palestinian residents. He said that the Palestinian State-building programme had reached its limits under the status quo, which also constrained development in the West Bank. In Gaza, the uneasy calm was threatened by recent incidents. It was important that rockets were not fired and that Israel exercised maximum restraint and liberalized further movement of people and goods.