Middle East peace efforts face race against time, UN envoy warns
438 views · Published 17 December 2009 · 3:34 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: United Nations · 2009 · News & Politics
United Nations, New York, 17 December 2009 - Informal comments to the media by Robert H. Serry, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, and Secretary-General's Envoy to the Quartet on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Robert Serry, spoke at the Security Council today. He warned of a series of problems impeding that peace process as 2009 draws to a close. He said that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are yet to resume, confidence between the parties remains low, facts continue to be created on the ground, tensions persist in Jerusalem. He said the actions of both Hamas and Israel are not contributing to the stability and welfare of Gaza. He said there was a danger of a political vacuum. If we cannot move forward towards a final status agreement, he said, we risk sliding backwards, with both the Palestinian Authority and the two-State solution itself imperiled. He said the Secretary-General believes a revitalized Quartet must play its full role in urgently advancing a common agenda in the crucial few months ahead. We have his remarks in my office. After a formal meeting, the Security Council continued its discussions on the Middle East in consultations. View the entire media stakeout (Real media, 8 minutes) : http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ondemand/stakeout/2009/so091217am4.rm News story: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33284&Cr=palestin&Cr1=
More from this channel
-
2:09
Ban Ki-moon gets first-hand look at Gaza devastation
-
2:49
"I sincerely hope that we are going forward not back": UNRWA, Director of operations in Gaza
-
1:43
Voicing optimism, Ban Ki-moon congratulates US President on inauguration
-
1:23
UN welcomes decision by the US administration to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay
-
1:45
Top UN envoy appeals to Congolese rebels to seek peace after arrest of leader
-
2:34
Secretary-General speaks out against clashes in North Darfur
-
10:40
UN observes Holocaust Remembrance
-
4:17
UNFPA Welcomes Restoration of U.S. Funding