South African Government Statement on the Agreement Between Israel, Palestine, USA and the UK

The South African Government welcomes the agreement reached between Israel, Palestine, the United States and United Kingdom which lays a basis for ending the impasse between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.

It is the South African Government’s fervent hope that this agreement would spell the end of Israel's continued attempts to isolate President Arafat both by means of internal exile and through preventing him from travelling abroad.

Such actions could never be justified in respect of a leader whose centrality to achieving a just and lasting peace in the region has been demonstrated repeatedly not only due to his status as the democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people but also by the international community's response to his continued isolation by Israel.

The South African Government regards this agreement as a milestone in efforts to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating process with a view to bringing about a lasting peace to the Middle East.

We express our hope that Israel will take advantage of the agreement to heed the broad consensus of the international community for an immediate withdrawal from all Palestinian territories occupied during the recent military operations.

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa at 082-990-4853

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs

P/Bag X152

Pretoria

0001

29 April 2002