November 27, 1995
Mr. Chairman,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my honor and privilege, as Israel's new foreign minister, to commend the European Union, and the Spanish Presidency of the Union in particular, for their vision, leadership and commitment, which have brought this Barcelona initiative to fruition.
It was here in Spain that Muslims and Jews created in the Middle Ages a golden age of tolerance, coexistence and cooperation. It was in Madrid that the present Middle East peace process began in 1991, and it is only fitting that Barcelona be the site of an even greater leap into our joint future.
Our late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was a firm believer in dialogue and cooperation.
He devoted his life to bring security and facilitate peace between Israel and its neighbors. To create a new beginning, an era of hope. He ultimately gave his life to that cause under the most tragic of circumstances. We mourn him deeply, and his memory and legacy present us with an imperative and challenge - to continue marching on the course of peace which he, and Prime Minister Shimon Peres charted.
The Bible says: "...and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares."
For me, this expression has now literally become a personal experience.
I was a soldier for 35 years.
I had the privilege of commanding the Israel Defense Forces and ensuring my country's security, but I also witnessed in person the bloodshed and destruction the sword can cause; the pain and despair it can bring.
I am now joining a new club - your distinguished club. The club of peace makers and peace keepers. A club whose symbol is the ploughshare and the olive branch. It seems that no time is as ripe as the present to "join the club."
Let us not only beat our swords into ploughshares. Let us together make swords a tool of the past, make war almost impossible.
Let us make sure that the modern ploughshares, the computers, will help people to prosper in a political atmosphere of mutual respect, where extremism and terror are no longer tolerated.
We are gathered in Barcelona to build bridges: the bridge of political and social endeavor, the bridge of economic development, the bridge of interdependence and above all a bridge of human dignity.
These are the most important bridges to ever join both sides of the "Mare Nostrum" - the birthplace of philosophy, science, and democracy.
Building bridges is a gradual process that requires cooperation, partnership, and patience.
I look at this conference hall and I see representatives from Syria, including my counterpart Mr. Farouk A-Shara. Permit me to address a few words to you:
We have been rivals on the battlefield and shed the blood of our courageous soldiers, the finest sons of Syria and Israel.
Let us now make peace.
Peace between us is of strategic importance to Israel and, I believe of strategic importance to Syria, too.
It could become a major and lasting contribution towards the achievement of stable and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
We have to overcome the memories, bring down the walls of suspicion and learn to respect each other's perspective, interests and sensitivities.
Our challenges will be to understand the security needs of each other and establish a viable structure that would respond and cater to both.
Above all, we have to provide our peoples with real and stable peace, full normalization of relations and enhanced economic development. This must include the maximum exploitation of the region's energy and water resources. Our peace will thus create regional prosperity as we together enter the 21st century.
Mr. Chairman,
Among the elements on our agenda, three are of major importance; the need to develop new sources of water, the need to go ahead with technical cooperation and the need to place education atop our priority list, thus elevating our schools into the prevailing business and social culture.
Our future must begin now. It is our responsibility. Our mission. Our children's lives.
We cannot afford to idly wait while the next millennium and future generation are knocking on our door, expecting us to step forward.
Here and now, in Barcelona today, we are making a first step. Let us commit ourselves to making it a first step of a great journey.
Thank you.