The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War, with U.N. Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Chairman Munir Akram saying the gross failures of the U.N. Security Council continue to perpetuate the problems of the Palestinians as council resolutions go unheeded. As we mark the 40th anniversary of the illegal occupation of East Jerusalem, with its continuing tragic consequences, let me express, on behalf of the OIC group in New York, our solidarity with our Palestinian brothers, said Akram, who is Pakistan s ambassador to the United Nations. Akram called on the international community to accept a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. Whatever one s political perspective, it is clear that peace in the Middle East can only be attained by an Israeli withdrawal from all Arab lands, including the Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem as well as the Syrian Golan Heights, he said. Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyadh Mansour also addressed the General Assembly, reading a six-page statement on behalf of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abba. The statement reiterated the daily problems encountered by Palestinians, including the more than 500 checkpoints throughout the Palestinian territories, and cited Israel s racist and discriminatory road network and permit system. All such illegal practices and measures, along with the colonial settlement campaign, are dramatically altering the demographic composition, character, and nature of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and destroying its territorial contiguity and integrity, the statement said. Mansour gave special thanks to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which assists Palestinian refugees, and to the U.N. General Assembly committees that monitor and create programs for the Palestinians. The Palestinian people, firmly believing in the purposes and principles of the U.N. and in the primacy of international law, believe that law, justice, and peace will ultimately prevail, and will continue to seek the support of the family of nations at the U.N. and beyond to achieve the peace we have all been striving for, the statement said.
