Norway Foreign Minister says consensus growing on need for a Palestinian state

(28 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York - 27 September 2024
1. Wide of Norwegian FM Espen Barth Eide walking down hallway
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Foreign Minister:
"There's a growing consensus in the international community from Western countries, from Arab countries, from the Global South, that we need to establish a Palestinian Authority, but a Palestinian government that a Palestinian state, and the Palestinian state has to be recognized."
++BLACK FRAMES
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Foreign Minister:
"We also need to carter to the security interests of Israel, as well as the Palestinians, and the idea of developing a roadmap for normalization, for recognition, for security guarantees, for demobilization of Hamas as a military group for all these things. These are pieces of a bigger puzzle. And you can't just come in there with one of these pieces, because it only works if all the pieces are laid in place. So what we do with some European countries, many Arab and some OIC Islamic Cooperation countries is to work on developing that concept. In traditional times, that would be something that maybe an American president would do. Right now, that's difficult. The US, in the midst of an election campaign and the world is not the same as it was in the 90s. So we are convinced that somebody needs to do that work."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Foreign Minister:
"I think that the solution has to be emerging from the region. And for many, many years we had the Arab Peace Initiative. It's it's basically built on the same idea, but updated to today's realities. So we don't pretend to be in the lead as such. But we are co-leading this with some like minded countries also from the Middle East."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Foreign Minister:
"Because the building of the institutions of the Palestinian state, the PA, as we call it, the Palestinian Authority has been going on for many years. It's difficult. Their hands are tied in many ways. We're seeing, increasing amount of illegal settlements and settler violence and, and there's been internal issues to their capacity, and they need reforms. And there are many things to be said about this. And they lost control over Gaza because Hamas took over. But still, there is an embryonic institution there that we have to strengthen."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Foreign Minister:
"So out of the 193 members of this organization, the UN, 149 has recognized and counting and more will come. And again, these are pieces of this bigger puzzle. None of these tools will solve the problem on their own. And we never pretended that. But we're trying to build the body of instruments that will take us forward to a peaceful settlement, and I remain quite convinced that it will happen here."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
European, Arab and Islamic nations have launched an initiative to strengthen support for a Palestinian state and its institutions, and prepare for a future after the war in Gaza and escalating conflict in Lebanon, Norway’s foreign minister said Friday.

Espen Barth Eide told The Associated Press that “there is a growing consensus in the international community from Western countries, from Arab countries, from the Global South, that we need to establish a Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian government, a Palestinian state — and the Palestinian state has to be recognized.”




















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