NEW YORK, NOV. 19, 2006 (Zenit).- Peace in the Middle East not only calls for bilateral treaties between Palestinians and Israelis, but also for multilateral agreements, says the Holy See.

Calls for “All-embracing Vision” of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

NEW YORK, NOV. 19, 2006 (Zenit).- Peace in the Middle East not only calls for bilateral treaties between Palestinians and Israelis, but also for multilateral agreements, says the Holy See.

On Friday, when addressing the U.N. General Assembly gathered in special session, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, called for “a new and all-embracing vision that will usher in concrete plans for peace.”

“The only peace with a chance of lasting in the region will be a truly comprehensive one,” the prelate said. “It will involve all major players in the Middle East region and it will have to be based upon bilateral peace treaties and multilateral agreements on all questions of common concern, including water, environment and trade.

“To do so requires a new and all-embracing vision that will usher in concrete plans for peace.”

Archbishop Migliore continued: “While regretting a new toll of deaths and condemning the spiral of violence caused by both military operations and terrorist attacks, we cannot but note that these horrendous occurrences form part of a much larger issue which, as we all know, has festered far too long in the region.

“This is a time of both urgency and of opportunity: urgency, because the situation is not static, rather it is deteriorating by the minute, as this emergency special session testifies; opportunity, because besides some favorable elements in this political conjuncture, civilian populations everywhere have seen and suffered the devastations of the conflicts and are surely more willing than ever for an honorable peace.”

The Holy See representative said that his delegation expressed “its closeness to the civilian populations suffering the consequences of recent violence.”

The head of the Holy See delegation also invited the U.N. assembly to join Benedict XVI in his prayer “that God will enlighten the Israeli and Palestinian Authorities, as well as those nations that have a particular responsibility in the region, so that they may do all they can to put an end to the bloodshed, increase humanitarian aid initiatives and encourage the immediate resumption of direct, serious and concrete negotiations.”