Ambassador Le Luong Minh, the Permanent Vietnamese Representative to the Untied Nations, stated this at the Security Council’s Open Debate on “The Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question” in New York on October 14.

The Ambassador added that Vietnam continues to support Russia’s initiative to convene an international conference on the Middle East in Moscow before the end of this year.

The Ambassador welcomed efforts by the international community over past few months to  resume the negotiations aimed at achieving a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. He noted that under difficult circumstances, the Palestinian National Authority has continued with its efforts to strengthen socio-economic sustainability, reform the security sector and other institutions.

The Vietnamese diplomat, however, expressed his concerns that the peace process still faces persistent challenges. No substantive progress has been achieved in implementing Security Council Resolutions 1850 (2008) and 1860 (2009). Israeli military incursions, the construction of the Separation Wall, the expansion of settlements, and the blockade of Gaza have never ceased, inflicting vast deprivations on the Palestinian civilian population. Sporadic rocket attacks have placed civilians in southern Israel under continual threat. 

Ambassador Minh said that constructive dialogue and political negotiations remain the only viable solution. 

He urged Israel to immediately stop building illegal settlements, dismantle outposts erected since March 2001, open all border crossings, release all Palestinian prisoners, and ensure the unhindered access of humanitarian assistance.

He also urged Palestinian factions to look at their long-term national interests, resolve their differences through reconciliation, and jointly work toward the establishment of a Government of national unity. 

The Ambassador expressed his deep concern on the findings contained in the Report prepared by the Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, established by the Human Rights Council, to the effect that Israel has seriously violated international human rights and humanitarian laws during the conflict and failed to cooperate. However, rocket and mortar attacks have caused loss of life and property to southern Israeli communities.

On the Lebanon situation, Ambassador Minh shared the concerns about the delay in the formation of a new Government in Lebanon after the parliamentary elections last June. He hoped that negotiations will soon conclude in a spirit of reconciliation in order for a new Government to be formed, representing the interests of every community in Lebanon.

 VNA