(U.S. Mission to the UN) Amb. Susan E. Rice - Following the UN General Assembly vote on Thursday, U.S. UN Amb. Susan E. Rice said: "Only through direct negotiations between the parties can the Palestinians and Israelis achieve the peace that both deserve: two states for two peoples, with a sovereign, viable and independent Palestine living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish and democratic Israel....Today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path to peace. That is why the United States voted against it." "The Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed, save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded. The United States therefore calls upon both the parties to resume direct talks without preconditions." "This resolution does not establish that Palestine is a state....In many respects, the resolution prejudges the very issues it says are to be resolved through negotiation, particularly with respect to territory. At the same time, it virtually ignores other core questions such as security, which must be solved for any viable agreement to be achieved."
2012-11-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive