Vietnam urges Israel to cease illegal settlements activities

New York (VNA) - " Israel 's settlement activities will only deepen
the enmity and confrontation between Israel and the Palestinian people,
thus failing to ensure Israel's long-term security interests. We join the
Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, the Quartet in urging Israel to
put an immediate end to settlement activities," stated a Vietnamese
diplomat.

At a debate in New York, on Sept. 26 on the issue of Israel settlement in
the Palestinian occupied territories, Representative to the UN Security
Council Ambassador Le Luong Minh shared the deep concerns voiced by both
Council Members and the Arab League regarding the illegal settlements
activities of Israel in the Palestinian occupied territories, especially the
West Bank and East Jerusalem.

" Israel 's continued settlement activities run counter to the Fourth
Geneva Convention and the very commitment it has made in accordance with the
Road Map and the Annapolis process," Minh said.

Those activities have not only posed a serious obstacle to the effective
conduct of Israel-Palestine peace talks but also grossly violated the
land-for-peace principle, one of the cornerstones of the Middle East peace
process, Minh stressed.

Noting that the Middle East peace process is now standing at the
crossroads, the Vietnamese ambassador called upon Israel and Palestine
to work together and take reciprocal steps to resolve the issue of
settlement in accordance with the Road Map, the Annapolis process and
relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly.

" Vietnam will continue to support the efforts of the international
community, the regional stakeholders and the Quartet to facilitate the
search for a satisfactory solution to the issue," Minh affirmed.