From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [R-G] South Africa Strongly Condemns Israeli Operations http://www.palestine-pmc.com/news/new-23b-1-02.html Palestine Media Center-PMC January 22, 2002 South Africa Strongly Condemns Israeli Operations The South African Government strongly condemned "the senseless retaliatory operations of the Israeli [Occupation] Forces against the Palestinian [National] Authority over the past few days". Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad stressed: "Sending in tanks to Palestinian towns and surrounding President Arafat's complex, confining him to Ramallah, using war planes to destroy another PNA government complex in Tulkarem in which a Palestinian policeman was killed and 61 people injured, and blowing up the Palestinian Broadcasting center in Ramallah serve only to fuel extremism and run contrary to seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict." "At the same time the South African Government equally condemns without equivocation and in the strongest possible terms the atrocious attacks carried out by Palestinian gunmen- who opened fire on guests at a Bat Mitzvah in an Israeli banquet hall on Thursday 17th January", the Deputy Minister added. He further emphasized that the South African Government will continue to "provide all support necessary to assist President Arafat to stop these kinds of terrorists operating in Palestine and to push perpetrators of such inhumane acts". The Presidential Retreat hosted by President Mbeki at Spier Estate, Cape Town, 9th to 11th January, at which senior Israeli and Palestinian delegations met together in the interests of restarting the peace process, exemplified the South African Government view that the only solution to the Middle East conflict is through dialogue, leading to negotiations in good faith. "South Africa has consistently maintained that there is no military solution to the conflict… The three Party Spier Communiqué adopted at the end of the retreat articulates the desires of both the Israeli and Palestinian peace camp and to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and find a just and peaceful resolution to the conflict based on the Tenet Plan, the Mitchell Report and UN resolutions 242 and 338", Mr. Pahad asserted. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
