Speakers in the General Assembly this morning expressed great shock and sadness over the tragic assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and praised him as a man who had dedicated his life to his country and to the cause of peace.

In a statement of tribute, Assembly President Freitas do Amaral (Portugal) said Mr. Rabin, as a soldier for much of his life, had experienced first hand the scourge and high cost of war. "As the leader of his country, in his wisdom, he chose to lead his people down the path towards lasting peace in the Middle East, and for this, he has made the ultimate sacrifice."

Following the observance of a moment of silence in tribute to the memory of the late Prime Minister of the State of Israel, speakers further stressed that the peace process must move forward with greater momentum in memory of Mr. Rabin for the sake of all peoples of the region and of the world.

The representative of the United States said that out of such tragic times must come a renewed determination to seize destiny and go forward on the path of peace. "We will not be daunted, we will not succumb to grief. We will pledge ourselves to work with even more determination to achieve peace in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world."

The Israeli representative said the bullet that had killed Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was meant to stop the courageous march towards peace for all people of the Middle East. Mr. Rabin said at his last speech at the peace rally in Tel Aviv, "I was a military man for 27 years. I fought so long as there was no chance for peace."

The representative stressed that Israel was fully committed to continuing its efforts for a comprehensive and lasting peace with all of its neighbours. It was the obligation of those in the international community and the Middle East to ensure that "an assassin's bullet will not halt our efforts to achieve what Prime Minister Rabin had so boldly set out to accomplish", he added.

Other statements in tribute were made by the representatives of Brunei Darussalem (on behalf of the Asian Group of States), South Africa (on behalf of the African Group), Albania (on behalf of the Eastern European Group), Bolivia (on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group) and Norway (on behalf of Western European and Other States). Individual expressions of condolence were also conveyed by Member States throughout the morning meeting.

Also this morning, the Assembly began its consideration of a draft resolution by which it would call upon Member States to reaffirm the observance of an Olympic truce during the 1996 Games of the XXVI Olympiad, to be held in the United States in the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

Under the terms of that text the Assembly would call upon States to observe an Olympic truce in advance of the Summer and Winter Games. The Secretary-General would be requested to continue to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in joint endeavours for the promotion of peace, equality among nations and the harmonious development of humankind.

Speaking on sport and the Olympic Ideal, the representative of Monaco proposed that the organizations involved in the Olympic Movement launch operations, in cooperation with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), should increase medical assistance to infants and children caught in armed conflicts. The occasion of the Olympics in Atlanta could be used to undertake in the areas of armed conflict campaigns of medical assistance, including vaccinations. The Olympic truce would then take on its full value and would have incalculable, concrete benefits for children.

The representative of Guinea suggested that the United Nations, working with the International Olympic Committee, study the possibility of holding a world conference on the problems of youth.

Also making statements on sport and the Olympic Ideal were the representatives of the United States (introducing the draft), Italy, Bolivia, Latvia, France, Spain, Poland, Peru and Azerbaijan.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of building a better world through sport and the Olympic Ideal.

For further details please see source:
MEETINGS COVERAGE

For further details please see official record:
A/50/PV.50

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