Speech by Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Istanbul, November 18, 1999
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Secretary General, Presidents and Prime Ministers,
Distinguished representatives, Ladies and gentlemen,
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the families and the
victims of the recent earthquakes. Israel will do its utmost to
extend all possible help to the Government of Turkey in its major
rehabilitation efforts.
Mr. Chairman,
In the Middle East, Arabs and Israelis are in the midst of an
historic mission - bringing an end to the century-old conflict and
violence between Israel and its Arab neighbors. We all strive to take
advantage of the current window of opportunity, and establish a
secure, comprehensive and durable peace, which addresses the concerns
and needs of all people of the region.
We view Chairman Arafat as our partner in this historic voyage; and
we hope that President Assad will not miss the historic opportunity,
and will resume negotiations, which will lead to peace of the brave
between Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
Last week we embarked on the most critical stage in the peace process
with the Palestinians when joint teams began negotiating final status
issues. This will, hopefully, lead us within 100 days to a major
milestone - a framework agreement for permanent status. Leadership
and courage will be needed on all sides, in order to confront the
common challenges and in order to make the painful decisions required
for an historic compromise. On behalf of Israel, I'm here to tell
you, "We are ready."
Israel is determined to pursue negotiations on all bilateral tracks -
Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese. People and leaders in the Middle
East must realize that peace-making entails a shift from a zero-sum
game, whereby one party's gain is the other's loss, to a win-win
game, whereby both parties stand to reap the dividends of peace.
Terrorism is the arch rival of peace. We should not allow it to
undermine our historic task. Terrorism constitutes a strategic
challenge not just to Middle East peace, but to the security,
stability, and the way of life of the free world.
Terrorism has neither rules nor borders. It now uses explosives and
machine guns; but it might deteriorate into the use of chemical and
biological means or even worse. No country is immune from this global
threat.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon us all to forge an international
front, and wage an uncompromising and systematic war against
terrorism in order to eradicate it everywhere on earth. The
international community should act in concert to eliminate
terrorism.
All countries should enhance diplomatic, political and intelligence
cooperation on terrorism, as well as defensive steps within their own
borders. Any country hosting terrorists or promoting it through
proxies should be isolated and excluded from the family of
nations.
Mr. Chairman,
Together, anti-terrorism cooperation and Middle East peace are
important elements in the formation of a Middle East security system.
Such a system should help consolidate the peace agreements and anchor
them in a broader context of regional security. Inspired by the
example set by the OSCE, it could play a critical role in the
historic transition of the Middle East from hostility and conflict to
stability, cooperation and prosperity.
We all know that the most complicated peace is preferable to the
simplest war. I believe that it is the duty of the leaders to make a
concerted effort to make the turn of the new millennium a turning
point in changing the Middle East landscape and making it a stable,
secure and prosperous region.
We must ensure that our children and grandchildren live without the
deep fear of more war, but rather with the expectation of new
horizons and promising opportunities. This is our vision. This is our
sacred mission.
I want to express our gratitude and appreciation to all members
states and observers of the OSCE, for their support to the Middle
East peace process. I join all of them in praying for peace to spread
to all war-ravaged regions of the world.