24 August 2005, NEW YORK—While acknowledging that the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank is a positive development in the Middle East, the Philippines today urged the Security Council to "take a serendipity walk to address with specifics the remaining crucial issues that will determine the viability of a Palestinian state and reactivate the Road Map."

"Much will depend on how we remove the attitudinal barriers from both sides while building an environment that nurtures trust and confidence," Ambassador Lauro L. Baja Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, said during a closed-door meeting of the Security Council a day after Israel completed its withdrawal from its Gaza and West Bank settlements.

Ambassador Baja made his statement shortly after the Security Council heard a briefing on the Israeli disengagement from UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari who said that the attention of the international community must now turn to the aftermath or the "day after."

In his intervention during the consultations that followed, Ambassador Baja called on the stakeholders on the issue to plant a seed and go beyond the status quo of their current efforts.

"The Quartet—the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States—must move past their formal meetings; the Security Council must go beyond presidential and press statements after its monthly meetings on the Middle East; and the Arabs must do more than what they are doing now," Ambassador Baja told council members.

Ambassador Baja also called on the Security Council to come forward with an operational framework to address issues after the withdrawal.

"The people of Gaza must see improvement in their lives after the withdrawal, must be able to believe in themselves and see hope for this important development," he said.

In his briefing, Undersecretary General Gambari said that over the next month, it would be necessary for the Quartet to bring the process back into the mainstream laid down in the Road Map, which calls for a series of parallel steps leading to two states living side-by-side in peace, and to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the region.

He also warned that while Israel's "bold" first withdrawal is welcome, the situation elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territory continues to fester, with many Palestinians fearing that Israel is consolidating its occupation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The Undersecretary General also expressed concern over recent statements by leaders of the militant Hamas faction that they will carry their resistance to the West Bank.

"Violence as a means to achieve any objective should be rejected," he said, "but at the same time, it would be unwise to lose sight of the concern of mainstream Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank that their legitimate aspirations may be put off indefinitely."

Ambassador Kenzo Oshima of Japan, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for August, said in a press statement that the members appreciated the coordination between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority before and during the engagement.

He also reiterated their call on both parties, in close cooperation with the Quartet, to ensure continued progress in the full implementation of the Roadmap and relevant Council resolutions. END