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UN chief voices concern over situation in Gaza

02 July 2012 23:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday voiced his concern over the situation in Gaza, stressing "the importance of sustained calm to be restored," Ban’s spokesman told reporters here, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The secretary-general made the statement as he was meeting with Ehud Barak, Israel’s deputy prime minister and minister of defence, at the UN Headquarters in New York.

During the meeting, "their discussion focused on regional developments, as well as the ongoing efforts toward the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian dialogue," the spokesman said.

Direct U.S.-mediated peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) broke down in October 2010, four weeks after they started due to Palestine’s strong opposition to the Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories. The Quartet, which groups the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States, wanted Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace negotiations before the deadline of Jan. 26. However, the talks are still not resumed between the Israelis and Palestinians.

"The secretary-general stressed in this regard the need for meaningful confidence-building measures," the spokesman said. "He expressed concern over the situation in Gaza, and stressed the importance for sustained calm to be restored."

In early February, the secretary-general traveled to the Gaza Strip, where he underlined his commitment to continue working for peace and stability in the Middle East, and voiced his concern about the need to increase humanitarian assistance for Palestinians.

In June, seven United Nations Agencies, along with a number of international charities, reported that more than 1.6 million people "have been under blockade, with more than half of them children."