UN / SETTLEMENTS REAX

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu and British Secretary of State William Hague call on Israel to extend the moratorium on settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to address reporters in the afternoon. UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:14
• Production Date: 27 September 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY; DISARMAMENT
• Geographic Subject: MIDDLE EAST
• MAMS Id: U100927e

Description

STORY: UN / SETTLEMENTS REAX
TRT: 2.14
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 27 SEPTEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

27 SEPTEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY

2. Close up, camera
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel:
“I think that even the fact that they came to the table, to the talks, in the last weeks, it was not a real good intention to achieve an agreement but Americans imposed this process on them. In any case we are ready to continue the direct talks without preconditions.”
4. Close up, laptop computer
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign Affairs, France::
“You know, my country is strongly in disfavour of settlements, new settlements, and we were in favour of the prolongation of the moratorium. So we have to work, we are still working for the international pressure to come and to try to convince the protagonists.”
6. Close up, notepad
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ahmet Davutoðlu, Foreign Minister of Turkey:
“We were hoping that Israel would extend the moratorium and show a good will that Israel is ready to accept an independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 territories. All these settlement activities are in occupied territories. Therefore it is contradictory if you are continuing negotiations and continuing settlements at the same time.”
8. Close up, camera
9. SOUNDBITE (English) William Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom:
“The United Kingdom believes that it is very important for the moratorium on settlements to be continued, to be extended. This affects the credibility of the negotiations, the viability of the direct talks. So, we do look to Israel to extend that settlement freeze, the settlement moratorium. We believe it’s very, very important that they do so, and that that would send a powerful signal to Palestinians and to the world that they take this process seriously.”
10. Close up, camera

Storyline

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today (27 September) held a discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, on the direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

During the meeting he expressed his disappointment that the Government of Israel had not yet decided to extend its settlement restraint policy and his concern at provocative actions taking place on the ground.

After the encounter Lieberman put in doubt the Palestinian Authority’s intentions, telling reporters that he believed that they had joined negotiations in the last weeks, not because of “a real good intention to achieve an agreement” but because “Americans imposed this process on them.”

He insisted that Israel was “ready to continue the direct talks without preconditions.”

Earlier today, a variety of voices urged Israel to extend its new settlement moratorium on the building of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which expired yesterday after ten months.

Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France told reporters that his country “is strongly in disfavour of settlements” and is trying to exert pressure “to try to convince the protagonists.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu said that his Government had hoped that Israel would extend the moratorium and “show a good will” that it is “ready to accept an independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 territories.”

He pointed out that “all these settlement activities are in occupied territories” and therefore it would be “contradictory” to continue negotiations and “continuing settlements at the same time.”

British Secretary of State William Hague, also said that “it is very important for the moratorium on settlements to be continued”.

He added that it “affects the credibility of the negotiations” and “would send a powerful signal to Palestinians and to the world that they take this process seriously.”

At an earlier meeting, Ban exchanged views on the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the United States envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell, who informed the Secretary-General that he would be travelling to the region for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Last Tuesday, the Quartet urged Israel to continue its settlement moratorium in the occupied Palestinian territory in the interests of resumed negotiations between the sides and called on Arab States to support the talks.