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STORY: UN / MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
TRT: 08:59
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC / RUSSIAN / PERSIAN / SPANISH / NATS
DATELINE: 18 APRIL 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
18 APRIL 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Middle East is on the precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation in words and deeds. One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable, a full scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved and for the rest of the world.”
4. Wide shot, Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The risks are spiralling on many fronts. We have a shared responsibility to address those risks and pull the region back from the precipice.”
6. Wide shot, Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Middle East is on a knife edge. Recent escalations make it even more important to support good faith efforts to find lasting peace between Israel and the fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state. Failure to make progress towards a two state solution will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region will continue to live under the constant threat of violence. I urge every government involved to use its influence and leverage to promote trust building, mutual security and regional peace. We have a shared moral obligation to advance a comprehensive Middle East de-escalation effort in order to reduce risks, increase stability, and pave the way towards peace and prosperity for the countries and people of the region and beyond.”
8. Wide shot, Palestine Representative Ziad Abu Amr addressing Council
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ziad Abu Amr, Special Representative of the President, Observer State of Palestine:
“How could granting the state of Palestine full membership at the United Nations - similar to other countries around the world - how could this damage the prospects of peace between Palestinians and Israelis? How could this recognition and this membership harm international peace and security? This question, ladies and gentlemen, we ask specifically to the United States and other countries that oppose granting the state of Palestine membership at a time when they recognize Israel, which is the other party in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has granted Israel full membership at the United Nations.”
10. Med shot, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ziad Abu Amr, Special Representative of the President, Observer State of Palestine:
“This resolution naturally will not be the alternative for serious political negotiations that are time bound to implement the two-state solution or relevant Security Council and GA resolutions, and to resolve the pending issues between Palestinians and Israelis. However, this resolution will grant hope to the Palestinian people, hope for a decent life within an independent state, after this hope has dissipated over the past years because of the intransigence of the Israeli government that has rejected this solution publicly and blatantly, especially following the destructive war against the Gaza Strip and after the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel.”
12. Wide shot, Erdan addressing Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“How detached from reality can this Council be to dedicate its time and resources to support a resolution so disconnected to the reality on the ground? A resolution that will have zero, zero positive impact for any party and will cause only destruction for years to come and harm any chance for future dialogue. Colleagues, six months after October 7, the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, this Council seeks to reward the supporters and perpetrators of these atrocities with statehood.”
14. Med shot, Abu Amr
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“It is Iran, Iran that ensured Hamas was able to orchestrate the October 7 massacre. It is the Ayatollah regime in Tehran that has provided weaponry to Hezbollah, to rain down missiles on Israeli towns and cities. It is the Ayatollah regime in Tehran that has equipped the Houthis with cruise missiles to fire at merchant vessels. And it is the Ayatollah regime that launched an unprecedented attack at Israel, a fellow UN member state, less than a week ago.”
16. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya addressing Council
17. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“We call on all Security Council members to vote in favour of the relevant draft resolution, which was put forward, as I said earlier on behalf of the Arab States Group by Algeria. We're convinced that recognizing Palestine and its status on par with Israel will help the long term settlement of the Palestine-Israeli conflict on the basis we all know well in international legal basis, endorsed by the UN and buttressed by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.”
18. Wide shot, United States Representative Robert Wood addressing Council
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert A. Wood, Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations, United States:
“Iran has provided significant funding and training for the military wing of Hamas, which, as we know, perpetrated unspeakable acts of cruelty on October 7 against Israelis, Americans, and citizens from countries all over the world. This long standing Iranian support continues to contribute to the current crisis in Gaza. While Iran's minister will offer excuses for these actions today, we have a collective responsibility to set the record straight on Iran’s nefarious actions to ensure that Iran both complies with the Council's resolutions and faces, its violations of international law.”
20. Wide shot, Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian addressing Council
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Iran:
“Iran's military attack on April 13th, was first and foremost necessary, because Iran had no other option. Secondly, it was carried out in response to a series of attacks and recurring aggressions by the Israeli regime in form of missile attacks on Iran's interests, especially on our embassy in Syria. Thirdly, it took place in the fulfilment of Iran's right to legitimate defence under international law. Fourthly, it was conducted by observing the criterion of non-aggression to civilian people and places. And fifthly. It focus solely and only on two military bases of the Israeli regime which had been used in the attack on our embassy.”
22. Wide shot, Council
23. Wide shot, Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg walking up to stakeout microphone
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Ian Borg, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Malta
“The region is in crisis and the threat of wider regional conflict remains ever present. Malta's message has been consistently clear, we need to collectively avoid this and focus our endeavours on dialogue and peaceful resolution of all the disputes. Immediate de-escalation and restraint are of paramount importance, respect for international law, including the International Humanitarian Law and diplomacy must be our guiding principle.”
25. Wide shot, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares walking up to stakeout microphone
26. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain:
“Spain positions itself as one of those who believe that Palestine should be a member of the United Nations. In the spirit of continuing to work so that the two States, Palestine and Israel, finally live together in peace and security. We believe that this is the time because now is when peace and stability throughout the Middle East are most crudely at risk. That's why we can't delay any longer.”
27. Pan right, Albares walks away
Secretary-General António Guterres today (18 Apr) told the Security Council that the Middle East “is on the precipice” and warned that “one miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable, a full scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved and for the rest of the world.”
Addressing a Ministerial-Level open debate on the Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question, Guterres said, “the risks are spiralling on many fronts. We have a shared responsibility to address those risks and pull the region back from the precipice.”
He said, the Middle East was “on a knife edge” and recent escalations “make it even more important to support good faith efforts to find lasting peace between Israel and the fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state.”
Failure to make progress towards a two state solution, Guterres said, “will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region will continue to live under the constant threat of violence.”
The Secretary-General said that the international community must work together to prevent any actions that could push the entire Middle East over the edge, with a devastating impact on civilians.
He urged “every government involved to use its influence and leverage to promote trust building, mutual security and regional peace.”
Ahead of a possible vote this afternoon in the Council on Palestinian statehood, the Special Representative of the President of the Observer State of Palestine, Ziad Abu Amr, asked “how could granting the state of Palestine full membership at the United Nations - similar to other countries around the world - how could this damage the prospects of peace between Palestinians and Israelis? How could this recognition and this membership harm international peace and security?”
Abu Amr said the draft resolution on Palestinian statehood, “naturally will not be the alternative for serious political negotiations that are time bound to implement the two-state solution or relevant Security Council and GA resolutions, and to resolve the pending issues between Palestinians and Israelis.”
However, he continued, “this resolution will grant hope to the Palestinian people, hope for a decent life within an independent state, after this hope has dissipated over the past years because of the intransigence of the Israeli government that has rejected this solution publicly and blatantly, especially following the destructive war against the Gaza Strip and after the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel.”
Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan, for his part asked “how detached from reality can this Council be to dedicate its time and resources to support a resolution so disconnected to the reality on the ground? A resolution that will have zero, zero positive impact for any party and will cause only destruction for years to come and harm any chance for future dialogue.”
Erdan said, “colleagues, six months after October 7, the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, this Council seeks to reward the supporters and perpetrators of these atrocities with statehood.”
The Israeli Ambassador said it was Iran “that ensured Hamas was able to orchestrate the October 7 massacre.”
He said, “it is the Ayatollah regime in Tehran that has provided weaponry to Hezbollah, to rain down missiles on Israeli towns and cities. It is the Ayatollah regime in Tehran that has equipped the Houthis with cruise missiles to fire at merchant vessels. And it is the Ayatollah regime that launched an unprecedented attack at Israel, a fellow UN member state, less than a week ago.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya called on Council members to vote in favour of the resolution and said, “we're convinced that recognizing Palestine and its status on par with Israel will help the long term settlement of the Palestine-Israeli conflict on the basis we all know well in international legal basis, endorsed by the UN and buttressed by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.”
United States Representative Robert Wood said, “Iran has provided significant funding and training for the military wing of Hamas, which, as we know, perpetrated unspeakable acts of cruelty on October 7 against Israelis, Americans, and citizens from countries all over the world” and stressed that “this long standing Iranian support continues to contribute to the current crisis in Gaza.”
He said Member States “have a collective responsibility to set the record straight on Iran’s nefarious actions to ensure that Iran both complies with the Council's resolutions and faces, its violations of international law.”
Iran’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the Council that “Iran's military attack on April 13th, was first and foremost necessary, because Iran had no other option. Secondly, it was carried out in response to a series of attacks and recurring aggressions by the Israeli regime in form of missile attacks on Iran's interests, especially on our embassy in Syria. Thirdly, it took place in the fulfilment of Iran's right to legitimate defence under international law. Fourthly, it was conducted by observing the criterion of non-aggression to civilian people and places. And fifthly. It focus solely and only on two military bases of the Israeli regime which had been used in the attack on our embassy.”
Outside the Council Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg said, “the region is in crisis and the threat of wider regional conflict remains ever present. Malta's message has been consistently clear, we need to collectively avoid this and focus our endeavours on dialogue and peaceful resolution of all the disputes. Immediate de-escalation and restraint are of paramount importance, respect for international law, including the International Humanitarian Law and diplomacy must be our guiding principle.”
Finally, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said, “Spain positions itself as one of those who believe that Palestine should be a member of the United Nations. In the spirit of continuing to work so that the two States, Palestine and Israel, finally live together in peace and security. We believe that this is the time because now is when peace and stability throughout the Middle East are most crudely at risk. That's why we can't delay any longer.”
