Middle East: Annan urges consolidation of fragile cease-fire

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Tuesday urged a consolidation of the "fragile" cease-fire in the Middle East, while calling for the adoption of measures aimed at bringing the parties back to the negotiating table.

"At this decisive point, the co-sponsors and other international parties should make a determined effort to prevent the unraveling of the peace process and bring the Israelis and the Palestinians together in order to reach an agreement that could bring demonstrable benefits to both sides," Annan said in a message to the UN International Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Madrid.

In the message which was delivered on his behalf by Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Annan pledged to "continue to do whatever it takes to contribute to these peace efforts."

He added that both sides must now make every effort to restore the cease-fire and move rapidly towards the implementation of the report produced by an international fact-finding committee headed by former United States Senator George Mitchell.

The Secretary-General also called attention to the toll which violence and closures have taken on the Palestinian economy. "The extent of the damage is enormous and is yet to be fully assessed," he said. With the Palestinian economy facing a "virtual collapse," he called for a massive assistance program to help the affected people rebuild their lives. In particular, he urged donors to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).