Newspaper
La Capital
Mar
del Plata – Friday, January 21 of 2005
Declarations of the Palestine Ambassador, Suhail Hani Daher Akel
All of us have to fight against terrorism, but we do not have to face it by means of unilateral decisions (view)
During his visit to Mar del Plata, the Palestine Ambassador in Argentina talked about the condition of the Arab-Israeli conflict and he harshly criticized Premier Ariel Sharon.
Suhail Hani Daher Akel is the first Palestine Ambassador in Argentina. In 1996 he officially gave his letters of credence to the Argentine government. In 1999 he attended the inauguration ceremony of the Palestine Embassy. Since then, and long before, he augurs well and fights in order to make Palestine become a free state, without a territory usurpation. That is why we urge Israel to fulfil the international agreements and to take into account “we have to unite to fight against terrorism, without making unilateral decisions which mean a greater foreign territory usurpation, just as it is going on these days”.
During his visit to Mar del Plata, where he took part in an olive plantation ceremony –see article below-, Akel had a conversation with La Capital about the Palestine National Authority’s new government and George Bush’s desire that Palestine regains control of its territory.
-Does the new Palestinian government arouse expectations?
-I believe that the Palestinian people have given an example of maturity. We have lost our Homeland Father, Yasser Arafat, who has leaded the way towards independence. Now we are proving that we are highly organized. Before the loss of President Arafat and the semantics delivered by Israel with regard to the fact that the Palestinian people could not be able to overcome that situation, we have proven that our institutions really worked automatically.
The provisional President assumed power on the basis of the Palestinian Constitution and he called to elections. On January 9, presidential elections took place transparently, under the presence of 800 international observers –4 of them were Argentines. That is, the Palestinian people have supported the legacy of President Yasser Arafat and they have proven it since 62,6 % of votes favoured Mahmoud Abbas, supporting the management of the President of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
As soon as the President assumed power, he urged Israel to start the peace dialogue, respect the Road Map and put an end to occupation.
Unfortunately, that satisfaction which had been showed by the Israeli President Ariel Sharon eclipsed when he started saying that he was not going to have a dialogue with the Palestine Authority. Right there, Sharon started to convert Mahmoud Abbas into a devilish figure demanding some things of him.
We have great expectations with regard to the respect we have shown towards the situation which has been lived. We are sorry that Sharon’s government continues with this policy which deteriorates both Israeli and Palestinian people.
Augury
-Yesterday during his assumption speech, George Bush said that he expected Palestine regains control of its territory during his new mandate. Do you regard it as a good augury?
-We continue fighting for hope and freedom. But we long for the changing from diplomatic verbosity to the action diplomacy. That is, we long for the fulfillment of UN resolutions which call Israel occupant power and urge it to put an end to occupation.
We are pleased about President Bush’s words. But taking into account we are in 2005 and according to the road map which was designed by the four group in Madrid (United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia), there should not be Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian territory. However, at present there are the tanks and the Apartheid Wall which continues moving forward out territory. That is, Israel has infringed all our agreements and international and juridical laws. And we long for actions, not words; we want Israel to put an end to the territory occupation.
Both people cannot continue suffering. One of them lives in an independent and sovereign way, but it suffers; while the other one lives under the occupation and experiences a daily suffering. I believe that speeches must be put aside in order to give way to action.
While speeches continue, action does not take place and Ariel Sharon feels free to carry out this Apartheid Wall policy, everything is going to be difficult. Israel has the right to live in a kind of enclosure with regard to security. We do not like it, but open borders.
Therefore, we expect that Bush’s second mandate definitely makes him aware of this conflict. The truth is that both the Palestinian and Israeli people cannot continue waiting for results and witnessing the bloodshed as a result of the power decisions, expansionism and liberalism imposed by Sharon.
Interlocutor
-Do you believe that Bush could be a good interlocutor between these two countries in order for them to have a dialogue?
-It depends on his intellectual honesty. Words are not enough. I remember that at the beginning of Bush’s mandate he used to say that the Palestinian state recognition would be achieved within a four-year period. That time is over. At present, he is referring to the same thing. So I believe that we cannot continue waiting for results, we cannot continue living under this 37-year occupation which has achieved its highest point because Israel is carrying out an ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.
There is no time to wait, because when you continue giving such long wait, what you obtain is a greater violence from both sides.
All of us must fight against terrorism; we have to unite to fight against it, without making unilateral decisions which mean a greater foreign territory usurpation, just as it is going on these days.
Photo: The Palestine Ambassador, Suhail Hani Daher Akel, visited yesterday La Capital.
An olive tree which is a symbol of peace
As a symbol of peace, the Palestine Ambassador, Suhail Hani Daher Akel, yesterday took part in a ceremony where it was planted an olive tree and it was unveiled a commemorative plaque.
The ceremony took place at the San Martin Square which is surrounded by Luro street, Hipolito Irigoyen street, 25 de Mayo street and Mitre street, a few meters off the place where the Co-operation Monument is located.
As the City Mayor was not at the city, the President of the Deliberating Council, Mauricio Irigoin, attended the ceremony. Several members from the Council were also present at the ceremony.
After thanking the gesture of the people and government from Mar del Plata, the Ambassador thanked the Arab Social Center which continually makes Palestine be present in the city and he thanked the members from the Lebanese Social Centre for their efforts too.
Later on, he emphasized that “this is an emotive ceremony which highlights the wish and necessity of achieving peace between Palestinians and Israelis; likewise, the commitment to achieve the existence of peace and life in abundance in that Holy Land. We constantly raise this olive branch to permanently eradicate the violence which is destroying these two people. We trust its dignity and the restitution of the free and sovereign Palestine State, with Jerusalem as its capital city”.
Finally, he maintained that “the blow which today breaks Palestinian people’s back is what makes us continue in the way of peace, calm and liberation”.
Photo:The Palestine Ambassador was accompanied by the President of the Honorable Deliberating Council, Mauricio Irigoin, and by the President of the Arab Social Centre, Zulema Musse.