MIDDLE EAST SITUATION (Singapore's position)

Dr Ong Chit Chung asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he would inform the House of Singapore's position on recent disturbing developments on the Middle East situation, including the position Singapore has taken in the United Nations Security Council.

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Middle East issue is one of the most complex and intractable issues of our time. We are fully aware that there are no easy solutions.

Singapore's position on the Middle East has been guided by our support of the principles of international law, observance of the United Nations Charter, and compliance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. These include opposition to the use of force against the territorial integrity or political sovereignty of any state, and respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

Sir, we have good relations with Israel as well as with the Palestinian Authority. Singapore has supported the aspirations of the Palestinian people, and has voted in support of all United Nations General Assembly resolutions pertinent to the Palestinian question. At the same time, we recognise the right of Israel to exist as an independent state within secure and recognised borders, but Israel, in turn, must recognise the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to a homeland of their own and must comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions on withdrawal from the occupied territories.

The vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side, within secure and recognised borders, has been enshrined in the UN Security Council Resolution 1397 of 12th March 2002, for which Singapore voted in favour.

The recent deteriorating crisis in the Middle East is a matter of grave concern. This escalation of violence has continued unabated for far too long, resulting in a senseless loss of lives of so many innocent people. In the United Nations Security Council, we have joined other members in expressing outrage that innocent civilians have been targeted and killed for military and political reasons. In particular, we have expressed our concerns over alarming reports of what UN officials have described as a horrific devastation and a dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian cities. We have deplored in the strongest terms all acts of terror, and have called for an end to the extreme acts by both sides. As an elected member of the Security Council, we have worked with the 14 other members and voted in support of four resolutions in the recent two months to demand an immediate end to the violence.

Sir, we believe that there must be a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian cities, accompanied, at the same time, by genuine efforts of the Palestinian Authority to take action against acts of terror. In this regard, Sir, the UN Security Council has supported the joint statement of 10 April 2002 of the quartet, ie, the US, Russia, EU and the UN Secretary-General, which called on Chairman Arafat to use the full weight of his political authority to persuade the Palestinian people that any or all terrorist attacks against Israelis should end immediately. This is in the interests of the Palestinians, for, as the joint statement also said, "Terrorism, including suicide bombs, is illegal and immoral, and has inflicted grave harm to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and must be condemned, as called for in Resolution 1373."

Sir, there have been claims and counter claims as to the nature and extent of the humanitarian situation, especially in the refugee camp in Jinin. At the UN, we have said that the only way to objectively assess the situation is for an independent and impartial body to establish the facts. Therefore, we and other Council Members voted unanimously on 19th April to support Secretary-General Kofi Annan's initiative to despatch a fact finding team to Jinin.

We believe that it was in Israel's interest to have a full and public clarification of the situation in Jinin. It is therefore unfortunate that the Secretary-General has now been forced by Israel's continued rejection of the fact-finding team to disband the team. In the informal consultation at the Security Council, we have joined others in expressing deep regret at Israel's rebuff of the Secretary-General's efforts. We hope that the Secretary-General will continue to collate all available information on Jinin and keep the Council informed as accurate information becomes available.

Sir, Singapore supports the immediate relief efforts to address the humanitarian crisis. Israel's obligation and the international laws are clear. It must allow and facilitate immediate access by humanitarian agencies to mount emergency rescue operations in the affected areas.

Sir, decades of tragic violence have clearly demonstrated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. We support all efforts to bring about an end to the violence and the resumption of the peace process. These include Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's Arab peace initiative, the efforts of the quartet involving the US, EU, Russia and the UN Secretary-General, and all these efforts have been supported by the UN Security Council.

We also welcome the latest news that the siege on Chairman Arafat has been lifted as a result of diplomatic efforts undertaken by the US and UK. Sir, we believe also that the UN Secretary-General has a vital role to play. We have responded positively to his proposal to deploy an impartial and robust multi-national force to the region, and we have urged the Council to consider the situation seriously.

In closing, let me say that the immediate priority now is to break the cycle of violence. What is urgently needed is a political will to end the violence and implement the ceasefire which would pave the way to the resumption of peace talks. But the primary responsibility, Sir, clearly falls on the parties themselves. Nonetheless, Singapore will continue to work with other members of the Security Council to adopt the constructive approach to assist the parties to reach a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong): Sir, I would like to say that I am personally satisfied that we, Singapore, are equal, fair and impartial. But I would like to ask the Minister whether he cares to elaborate that in our position in the UN Security Council, of which we are a member, whether we could draw any lessons from this very difficult situation and very difficult time, because we are a very small nation. And if the impasse continues in the Middle East, could we, as a small country, together with other nations, take any further steps to improve the situation?

Prof. Jayakumar: Sir, to deal with the second part of his question first, yes, we are in the Security Council. And for this month, in May, we have the Presidency of the Security Council. We will do our part as a member of the Security Council and, for this month, as President, working closely with the other members of the Security Council and the Secretary-General, to facilitate the discussions, to reach whatever constructive solutions that can be had for this very difficult problem. It is a problem that has been in the world and the region for decades. Many a leading statesman has been involved in offering good offices. There have been many accords and peace plans; the Mitchel Plan, the Tenet Plan, Oslo Accord, Madrid Accord and so on, but the crisis has not eased up. We have a sense of realism as to what Singapore can do because, as I said in my main answer, really it calls for political will and a resolve of the parties themselves. Clearly also that there can be no military solution to the conflict. But to the extent that we can, we will play our part as a member of the Security Council, but I would not want to overstate it because it essentially falls on the parties themselves and the permanent members of the Security Council; the United States particularly plays a very important role in this process.

What lessons can we draw? I would say that this situation underscores the importance of observance and compliance with principles of international law, compliance with United Nations Security Council, respect for territorial integrity, avoidance of the use of force and violence and, above all, I think it shows that for a small country, it is important for us, on this situation or any other crisis situation, to show support for the United Nations and to show support for initiatives by the United Nation's Secretary-General.