UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A senior U.N. envoy to the Middle East says the way to peace is for Israelis and Palestinians to follow the diplomatic Quartet's "road map."
Alvaro de Soto, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, reinforced Friday in a monthly briefing to the Security Council steps outlined by the Quartet after a meeting earlier in the week at U.N. World Headquarters in New York.
"The objective benefits of the disengagement recently concluded are obvious," he said. "A basis has been laid for a true partnership, which should encourage each party to understand and address the other's legitimate needs and concerns."
However, he said, without the Quartet's "road map," which calls for parallel steps from both sides leading to two states living together in peace, there was no way to break out of the cycle of mutual distrust.
De Soto said all Palestinians have not renounced the use of violence and Israel's need for security led it to build its barrier, creating facts on the ground.
In this situation, he said, "it is unfortunately difficult to circumvent the classic chicken and egg conundrum: Israeli leaders demand an end to violence before addressing further Palestinian concerns."
At the same time, he said, Palestinian leaders "find it difficult to persuade extremists to restrain themselves and accept to work toward democracy if they are unable to point to a visible prospect of satisfaction of their legitimate goals on the horizon."
De Soto said only by taking mutual steps to restore good faith can they address each other's needs and concerns.
