Madam President,

I wish to thank Mr. Robert Serry for his briefing. We have also listened attentively to the statements made by the observer of the Observer State of Palestine and the representative of Israel.

At present, the situation in the Middle East remains complex and fragile. The Palestinian-Israeli issue is at the core of concerns in the Middle East, bearing on the overall situation in the region, to which dialogue and negotiation represent the only viable solution. Recently, thanks to the efforts of all parties, a significant opportunity exists for direct talks between Palestine and Israel. China welcomes the prospects of a resumption of peace talks and appreciates the parties' efforts in that direction. It is our hope that Palestine and Israel will overcome difficulties, move closer towards each other and try to achieve substantive progress as soon as possible.

China has consistently maintained that, through peace talks between Palestine and Israel, an independent State of Palestine can be established with complete sovereignty, based on the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, whereby the two States, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security, can facilitate peace and stability in the Middle East. A step-by-step solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue is needed. The immediate priority is to take effective measures to halt all settlement activities, stop acts of violence targeting innocent civilians, lift the Gaza blockade and properly address the issue of Palestinian detainees.

Meanwhile, the international community needs to scale up its support for Palestine in order to facilitate its economic development and job creation. That will help ease the suffering of the Palestinian people and enhance their confidence in the peace process. China supports a greater role for the United Nations, especially the Security Council, in facilitating the unanimous support of the international community for the peace process in the Middle East.

China firmly supports the Palestinian people in their just cause for the restoration of their legitimate national rights and has been actively promoting the peace process. Last May, China invited leaders of both Palestine and Israel to visit China with a focus on peace facilitation. China put forward a four-point proposal on the solution to the question of Palestine, emphasizing: the need to maintain the right direction of independent statehood for Palestine, living side by side in peace with Israel; the need to regard peace negotiations as the only viable way out for peace; the need to adhere to the principle of land for peace; and the need for the international community to provide guarantees for taking the peace process forward.

To implement that four-point proposal, the Chinese Government hosted the United Nations International Meeting in Support of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process last year in Beijing, whereby the efforts of the international community to facilitate the peace process gathered momentum. China stands ready to continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the early achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

A political solution is the only way out of the Syrian conflict. China welcomes all initiatives and efforts that will help stop the violence in Syria and facilitate a political solution to the Syrian conflict. We call on the Syrian parties to implement the Geneva communiqué of the Action Group, achieve a ceasefire and halt violence without delay, actively respond to the initiative for a Geneva conference on Syria and start a political dialogue as soon as possible.

Thank you, Madam President.