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Address of President Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Executive
Committee of the PLO President of the Palestinian National Authority, before Joint
Sitting of the South African Parliament, 31st March 2006, Cape Town Madam
Speaker of the National Assembly;
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces;
Mr. President;
Ladies and gentlemen; I would like to express my
gratitude for your kind invitation to speak today before the representatives of
the South African people. A great country, that epitomizes the model for all countries
in their struggle for equality among its people and has eliminated all kinds of
racial discrimination and injustices. Your country, despite your painful
experience under apartheid, it still continues supporting all causes of freedom,
independence and democracy. Madam speaker, The Palestinian people is proud
of the historic and strong bonds of relations with the people of South Africa
and is looking towards your country as a model from which we draw lessons and
inspirations, to continue our march to achieve a just and comprehensive peace
and regain our rights of self determination, and establishment of Independent
state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. Madam Speaker, Mr. President
Dear friends, members of parliament, it is a great honour to me to address
this august assembly and to convey sincere greetings of the Palestinian people,
members of the Palestine national council and members of the newly-elected Palestinian
legislative council. I would like to reaffirm, our deep pride of the historic
relations between our two peoples, which have been establish many years ago during
our common struggle for justice arid freedom, which gave birth to the new South
Africa. At this historic moment I want to salute my great friend President
Thabo Mbeki for his unwavering support for the Palestinian national struggle and
his great efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East and his prominent
regional and international efforts to achieve peace and stability in the world.
We salute our dear friend Mr. Nelson Mandela for his great contribution to our
struggle, and remember our dear late leader Yasser Arafat for consolidating the
struggle relations between our two nations. We are confident that these
relations between our two governments and people will further enhance and develop
under the wise leadership of dear brother Thabo Mbeki and his friendly government.
We are always keen to listen to his wisdom, advice and coordinate our common stances
regarding various bilateral and international issues. South Africa's policies
against all forms of human rights violations and its role in support of political
and economic stability and conflict resolutions in Africa is another testimony
of the leading role of South Africa and its leadership. Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your great achievements in lifting the injustice perpetuated against your
people marked by the historic defeat of apartheid, is a unique human achievement
which lead to the political and economic stability and equality regardless of
colour, race and religion. As you are aware my friends, the Palestinian
people has and still continue to sacrifice and suffer tremendously to obtain their
freedom. Palestinian People is living under extremely difficult and dangerous
conditions, where they are subjected to all kinds of torture, siege, suffocation,
and confiscation of land by Israel - the occupying force. These aggressive and
illegal practices are aimed at establishing its occupation, illegal settlement
in our land and to undermine the peace process and all the regional and international
initiatives to reviving it. It seeks to destroy our National Authority
and the recent Israeli military aggression against the city of Jericho and its
crime of kidnapping the Palestinian prisoners is clear evidence which demonstrates
Israel's intentions to ignore and disregard all the signed international agreements.
Dear friends, Your participation and advice, is essential under these complex
and difficult circumstances, and we are confident that, with our dear friend President
Thabo Mbeki and members of his government, we can reach common position, through
which we can push towards reviving the peace process in our region. We Palestinians
are very keen and interested in learning more about your experience that will
help us to advance the political process in the Middle East. We welcome
any effort that your government would make and we assure you, that despite all
our suffering, we will remain committed to all peace initiatives and continue
to be responsible and objective in positively responding to all regional, international
efforts and initiatives aimed at reviving and protecting the peace process, despite
Israeli obstruction of the negotiation process to replace it with the iron fist
and unilateral policies, which we vehemently reject. We demand that these policies
cease immediately as they intend to draw and define the final solution unilaterally.
We have agreed to the Road Map sponsored by the Quartet Committee. The
government of Israel; however, has put forward fourteen reservations on this plan,
and has relied on its force and influence to continue expansionist policies and
oppression against our people. It has misled the world by creating the impression
that there is no Palestinian partner to negotiate with. I want to reiterate
before you my dears friends, that we are ready to start the negotiations immediately,
and to implement all the United Nations Resolutions and signed agreements. The
real obstacle is the Israeli obstinate stance from the one side, and the lack
of effective intervention by the international community from the other. It
is unacceptable to use the victory of Hamas in the elections of the second Palestinian
Legislative Council, as an excuse to increase the Israeli aggression against our
people and punish our people for its democratic choice. Here I would like
to call upon you and all peace and freedom loving people in the world, to exert
all necessary efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, and to implement all the
signed agreements and the relevant UN resolutions. That will lead to the establishment
of our independent Palestinian state in all the territories occupied by Israel
in June 1967. So as to accomplish the desired peace, which can ensure stability
and security to all the people in the region including Israel, and would allow
our people to live freely, with dignity, sovereignty and independence on its Palestinian
soil. We have learned from your struggle that peace is possible when justice
and equality prevail. No matter how powerful the enemy is, it cannot defeat the
will and determination of the people to live free and dignified. As much as we
wish to jive in peace with our Israeli neighbors, we are determined in upholding
our national rights in our country, to reach the day when we have a free, independent
and democratic Palestine, which will contribute towards the stability and prosperity
of the Middle East. Madam Speaker, Mr. President and dear friends, Given
all the difficult circumstances, we need your continued support, together with
the international community The extent of the suffering of our people is beyond
imagination and words, either on the economic level1 freedom of movements, the
ghettos that are being imposed on our people, who live in isolated areas surrounded
by either Jewish settlements or by the Israeli military forces, Specific roads
and routes are being designed for settlers that are forbidden for Palestinians.
I believe that whoever has visited Palestine among you, arid has seen the extent
of the suffering, discrimination, injustice, and oppression, remembers the worst
days of racial discrimination in your past. Madam Speaker, Mr. President,
ladies and Gentlemen, May I once again congratulate you for your achievements
in South Africa. We are determined to follow your steps towards freedom, sovereignty
and independence. We will remain together until we have liberated Palestine,
and we will defend the freedom of others as we defend ours. Long live South
African-Palestinian friendship. Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private
Bag X152
Tshwane
0001 31 March 2006
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