UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said here on Monday that he and visiting Arab foreign ministers agreed to work closely so that the current Gaza conflict can end quickly.
"We have had a very good exchange of views on the very serious matters of security situation in Gaza and southern Israel," he said. "This meeting has provided an excellent opportunity (for) us to discuss how we can bring this violence to an immediate end, and to restore peace and stability in the region."
Speaking to reporters here after his meeting with the visiting Arab foreign ministers, Ban said, "We have agreed to work very closely so that the Security Council can take decisive, swift and practical actions for a binding resolution to immediately end the violence."
During the meeting, the UN chief and the Arab ministers also touched upon how to bring durable peace to the region, which can be fully respected by all the parties concerned.
"We will continue to work very closely in the coming days" with the Security Council members and the key leaders in the region, Ban said.
"We have also agreed to discuss a credible mechanism to ensure the protection of the Palestinian people, as well as humanitarian assistance, and to prevent the further occurrence of this situation," he said. "I think we have some convergence of opinions on the major elements, which can be the basis of the discussions at the Security Council."
The meeting also agreed on a practical mechanism to ensure protection for the Palestinians and the humanitarian personnel working in the region, he added.
Ban is scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday, and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt will join them in the meeting.
Asked about his vision on how to deal with Hamas, Ban said, "I believe that there should be unity among Palestinian peoples. This is up to the Palestinian people to reunify themselves between Fatah and Hamas."
The UN secretary-general will also meet with U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday in Washington, to discuss the situation in Gaza.
"I'm going to stress the importance of bringing this violent situation to an immediate halt, with the durable and permanent systems which can be respected fully by all the parties concerned," said Ban.
"And we will also discuss about how we can bring humanitarian assistance to those many civilian populations who are suffering from this current situation," he noted.
Those present at the Monday meeting included Amr Mussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, and foreign ministers from Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
The Arab ministers are at the UN Headquarters in New York to press for a resolution by the Security Council to call for an immediate end to the Gaza conflict, which has left more than 500 Palestinians killed and 2,500 others injured.
At the outset of the meeting, Ban said, "It is regrettable that the call by the Security Council has not been heeded by the parties concerned. I believe that the Security Council should live up to its responsibilities under the UN Charter and bring this crisis to an end and establish a durable, permanent peace in the region."
"We must work together, urgently and practically, so that the Council can act quickly and decisively," he said. "As secretary, I want to help facilitate a speedy and effective international consensus to end this violence. I am looking forward to talking with you today on how this can be done together."
For his part, Mussa said, "We agree that the Security Council should act swiftly and decisively to deal with the bloodshed situation in Gaza in order to put an end to it and prevent the recurrence of this very dangerous situation."
Mussa, who described the meeting with Ban as "very useful," said that after the discussions, the work to draft a resolution "should start immediately." The Security Council is expected to meet on Tuesday.
"We have no more time to waste as the bloodshed is going on in Gaza," he said.
Ban said that he and the Arab ministers are working with Security Council members so that "a mutually agreed resolution" can be adopted by the 15-member Council.
By press time, the Arab ministers are meeting with members of the Security Council one by one to discuss the Gaza conflict in order to pave the way for the Council's action to end the violence at an early date.
The Security Council, which remains divided on Gaza, failed to reach consensus on how to end the violence in Gaza and southern Israel after three emergency meetings held since the outburst of violence on Dec. 27.
Source:Xinhua
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