UN urges support of Palestinian leaders, resumption of peace talks

Apr 21, 2011, 17:02 GMT

New York - The United Nations on Thursday called for support of Palestinian Authority leaders as they achieve institutional steps for a Palestinian state despite restraints in the political and physical space available to them.

'The international community is rightly concerned at the protracted stalemate in the peace process' between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, B Lynn Pascoe, UN undersecretary general for political affairs, said in an address to the UN Security Council.

'We stress the importance of supporting and empowering the leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and of bringing the parties back to the table,' Pascoe said.

'Far reaching rather than incremental steps should be taken by Israel to lead to progress on the ground, by rolling back measures of occupation to match the Palestinian Authority's achievements,' Pascoe said.

The UN said last week that the PA has made progress in achieving steps that are now 'sufficient for a functioning government of a state.'

Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour informed the 15-nation council during is monthly session on the situation in the Middle East that the state-building plan launched two years ago would be complete by August. Mansour said the 'only obstacle' to that plan was 'the ongoing Israeli occupation' of Palestinian territories.

The UN, the European Union, the United States and Russia, which form the diplomatic quartet on the Middle East peace process, have called for reaching an agreement by September on all final status issues to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

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