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COPYRIGHT 2005 Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
Original Source: Political Transcript Wire
SECRETARY RICE HOLDS A MEDIA AVAILABILITY AFTER A MIDDLE EAST QUARTET MEETING, AS RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2005
SPEAKERS: CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE
KOFI ANNAN, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL
JACK STRAW, UNITED KINGDOM FOREIGN MINISTER
SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIAN FEDERATION FOREIGN MINISTER [*] MODERATOR: Good afternoon. We will start off -- the Secretary General will start off the press conference by reading off his statement on behalf of the Middle East Quartet and then we will open it up to questions.
Secretary General, sir, please.
ANNAN: Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, let me apologize for keeping you waiting a bit longer. The meeting lasted longer than we had anticipated.
The Quartet met today to discuss the Israeli withdrawal and the prospects for movement towards peace in the Middle East. The Quartet welcomed the successful conclusion of the withdrawal and the opportunity it brings to renew efforts on the road map. The Quartet paid tribute to the political courage of Prime Minister Sharon and expressed its appreciation for the responsible behavior of the Palestinians.
The withdrawal is an important step towards achieving the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and in security. The Quartet applauded the close coordination between the Israeli and Palestinian security services and their cooperation with the U.S. security coordinator General Ward.
While noting that the Palestinian Authority has condemned violence, the Quartet further urges it to maintain law and order and dismantle terrorist capabilities and infrastructure and reaffirms the continued support of comprehensive security sector reform.
The Quartet encouraged the work of Jim Wolfensohn, the Quartet's Special Envoy for Disengagement, to facilitate discussion between the parties to build on the success so far.
The Quartet will continue to lead international efforts to support the sustainable growth of the Palestinian economy and to help strengthen the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities through an aggressive pursuit of state building and democratic reform efforts.
The Quartet urges an easing of the system of movement restrictions that prevent Palestinian economic recovery consistent with Israel's security needs.
Beyond disengagement, the Quartet calls for renewed action in parallel with both parties on their obligations under the road map. The Quartet urged both sides to return to the cooperative agenda reached at Sharm el-Sheikh. Contacts between the parties should be intensified at all levels.
The Quartet discussed armed groups and the political process. The PA leadership has condemned violence and has sought to encourage Palestinian groups who have engaged in terrorism to abandon this course and engage in democratic process. We also agreed that ultimately those who want to be part of the political process should not engage in armed group or militia activities, for there is a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building of a democratic state.
The Quartet reaffirms that any agreement on final status issues must be reached through negotiations and that a new Palestinian state must be truly...
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