UN report says Palestinian Authority ready for statehood
April 12th, 2011 - 10:58 pm ICT by BNO NewsUNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) — The Palestinian Authority is ready to govern a state, a United Nations report released on Tuesday said.
The report “Palestinian State-building: A Decisive Period,” which focuses on the progress made by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in building institutions, said that “in six areas where the UN is most engaged, government functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state”.
United Nations Special Coordinator Robert Serry, whose office UNSCO prepared the report, commended the achievements of President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. However, he said the Israeli occupation needs to end and Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations on a two-state solution must resume if the state-building process is due to be completed by September.
“This is a decisive period, as we approach the September 2011 target for the PA’s institutions to be ready for statehood,” he said. “It is also the target set by the parties to reach a negotiated permanent status agreement to create a Palestinian state at peace with Israel.”
The report says the socio-economic situation in Gaza needs to be more fully addressed and underlines the UN’s concerns about Gaza.
“Recent escalations have been very worrying and I appeal once again for all to observe calm so that civilians are protected. Rocket fire must stop and Israel must show maximum restraint. This is also essential in moving forward to help meet the needs in Gaza,” Serry said.
The report was prepared for the upcoming meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which seeks to promote dialogue between donors, the PA and the government of Israel, in Brussels scheduled for Wednesday. The 12-member committee is chaired by Norway and co-sponsored by the European Union and the United States. In addition, the UN participates together with the World Bank’s secretariat and the International Monetary Fund.
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