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H.E. Mr. Saleh Mohd al-Ghamdi, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia,
H.E. Dr. Ahmed Salem Saleh Al-Wahishi, Chief Representative, League of Arab States,
H.E. Mr. Osama Musa, Ambassador of the State of Palestine,
Excellencies,
Distinguished invitees,
Ladies & Gentlemen,
It is indeed a pleasure for me to be here today to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This is an important occasion and I commend the Indian Council for World Affairs for taking the initiative to organize this event.
2. India’s solidarity with the Palestinian people was lended early voice by our national leaders led by Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and others during our own freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi said and I quote “My sympathy for the Jews does not blind me to the requirements of Justice. Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French”. In the early years of independent India, this policy was given fresh vigour by our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. India’s empathy with the Palestinian cause and its friendship with the people of Palestine is an integral part of our time-tested foreign policy.
3.India was the first non-Arab State which recognized the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1975 and in 1988 became one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine. India opened its Representative Office in Palestine in 1996 after the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority and return of President Yasser Arafat to the territories.
4.Since the opening of this Representative Office, in line with India’s principled support to the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people, India has, till date, extended assistance in the form of grants to the tune of US$ 27 million to the Palestinian National Authority towards humanitarian relief, development projects, establishment of educational and training facilities etc.
5.In 2004, India donated vehicles and medicines worth US$ 1 million to the PNA. I had the honour to personally hand over this aid to late President Arafat. In 2005, a grant of US$ 15.4 million was offered by India to the PNA for the development of infrastructure and human resources. Several projects have been conceived for implementation under this offer.
6.At the International Donors’ Conference for Palestine in Paris last month, India pledged US$ 5 million for projects aimed at strengthening Palestinian institutions. India also committed to provide training to 400 Palestinian officials under our ITEC programme over a period of two years. We have remained involved in encouraging Palestinian cadre building and, within this framework, have trained a large number of Palestinian Authority officials from economic, industrial and financial sectors including conducting of special courses for Palestinian diplomats in our own Foreign Service Institute. Our commitment at the Donors’ Conference is to assist in the capacity building and the human and infrastructure development of the Palestinian people.
7.The entire world is a witness to the manner in which the border restrictions, economic sanctions and a restrictive regime have brought the Palestinian economy to the verge of a collapse. We have viewed with alarm the continuous vicious circle of attacks, reprisal and counter-attacks, the worsening humanitarian and security situation in Gaza, as well as the continued violence inflicted on innocent citizens. The continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories and the relentless construction of the separation wall threaten to create new facts on the ground and fresh grievances in an old conflict.
8.India believes that there is no military solution to the problems facing the Middle East. We have repeatedly called for all parties in West Asia to fully cooperate with the international community in its efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace. We support the revival of direct negotiations between the leaders of Israel and Palestine. We look forward to the continuation of a constructive dialogue and forthcoming meetings towards further resolution of issues on the agenda.
9.As a responsible member of the international community and as a country with long-established ties with West Asia, India also desires to see a peaceful resolution to tensions in the region through peaceful dialogue. At the Annapolis Conference last November, India reaffirmed its commitment to play its due role in the collective endeavour of the international community to strengthen the forces of peace and stability in the region.
10.On this occasion, I would like to re-affirm India’s consistent and unwavering support to the friendly people of Palestine and reiterate India’s belief that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region can be achieved through negotiations and dialogue so that a sovereign, independent, viable State of Palestine living side by side within secured borders, with the State of Israel, becomes a reality.
11. I thank the Indian Council for World Affairs for inviting me to this occasion and wish the deliberations all success.
Thank you, Jai Hind.
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