Date: 18/11/2004
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Memorial service for late President Yasser Arafat
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA, AT THE OFFICIAL MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE LATE PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT OF PALESTINE, HOSTED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT, 18 November 2004
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
The Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Rev Mkhatshwa,
The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, His Excellency Dr Alzubeidi,
The Charge D'Affaires of Palestine to South Africa, Dr H Abu Ali and all representatives of foreign governments present,
Fellow South Africans,
It is an honour for me to address this memorial service, on behalf of the Government and the South African people, as we pay tribute to the icon of struggle, the late Yasser Arafat, former President of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Given the historic ties between our two countries and peoples, it is appropriate that we pay homage to this hero of the struggle for freedom, the one individual who captured and personified the burning desire of the Palestinian people to be free.
While paying tribute to President Arafat, we are also recommitting and rededicating ourselves to the cause he fought for, the freedom and self-determination of the Palestinian people, as well as the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East.
There can be no lasting peace in the world until the Middle East conflict is resolved.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are very few people in our time that we can call true revolutionary heroes. Yasser Arafat was one of them, a leader who led a nation that was powerless in terms of military might, but whose struggle, passion and determination to be free, inspired all oppressed people and freedom lovers worldwide.
For five decades, President Arafat fought for the freedom of the Palestinian people, and never gave up on the dream of freedom, even under the gravest of circumstances, and at immense personal cost and sacrifice. Like our own Madiba - yet in his own way, name and right, the struggle was his life.
He kept the Palestinian issue on the global agenda, highlighting their right to statehood, human dignity, sovereignty and the right of the four million refugees to return to their country of birth. His, was indeed a life of epic struggle, which personified human sacrifice and determination.
He was never intimidated, never surrendered, and stayed with his people to the very end, suffering severe harassment, including being confined to his compound for over three years.
Because of his sacrifice, he meant the world to his people, as evidenced by the outpouring of grief at his Ramallah compound last Friday, where security personnel battled to control a sea of grief stricken Palestinians as he was laid to rest.
His passing on 11 November was not only a blow and setback for the Palestinian people, but a devastating loss for all democrats and freedom lovers across the world.
Our gathering here today, so many miles away from his homeland is a demonstration of the manner in which Yasser Arafat made the struggle of the Palestinian people the struggle of all who seek justice and freedom in the world.
President Arafat never stopped hoping and believing that freedom and peace would be attained in his lifetime. His commitment to the quest for a solution earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, together with the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, with whom he had signed the Oslo Agreement. The event sent ripples of hope throughout the world.
In that same year, in which we won our freedom and South Africa held its first democratic elections, President Arafat returned to Gaza to establish a Palestinian state. But a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, was never signed into being. Indeed, even his dream of being buried in Jerusalem was itself never realised.
Compatriots, ladies and gentlemen, as said earlier, our tribute to President Arafat today is also a renewed call for peace and for the resolution of the conflict that pre-occupied his life.
As we pay our respects, we wish to remind the international community as a whole, that the world should not fail the people of Palestine, Iraq, Darfur, Cote d' Ivoire and all other parts of the world that are beset by conflict.
The passing of President Arafat is a reminder of the urgent need for the transformation of, and the strengthening of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, so that it can play its rightful role to maintain world order, and protect smaller and powerless nations, and oppressed peoples such as those of Palestine.
For us as South Africans, it is the knowledge of what it means to be free which makes us not forget that the Palestinian people are still yearning for their liberation.
Given this common history of struggle, it is only natural that throughout the past five decades we developed closer ties with the Palestinian people and their cause. We are greatly indebted to the PLO and the Palestinian people, and ultimately President Arafat himself, for the tireless support they gave to our liberation struggle, and the absolute loyalty to our cause.
We have always voiced our concurrence with United Nations on the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace.
We agree with the approach of the Non-Aligned Movement, which confirms, among others, that the Palestinians have:
* an inalienable right to independent statehood,
* To demand that Israel withdraws from the occupied territories,
* A fair and legal right to insist that Israel implement all UN Resolutions relating to this conflict.
The South African Government has also been one of the strongest voices calling for the immediate implementation of the "Road Map" without any preconditions.
We subscribe to the view that peace can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement that provides for a sovereign Palestinian State and Israeli State within secure borders.
We will continue working with both the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the international community, towards finding a solution that is mutually acceptable and beneficial, which will guarantee peace and security to ordinary citizens of Israel and Palestine, and provide a future filled with the promise of cooperation and prosperity for the entire region and the world.
President Mbeki's Presidential Peace Initiative is one example of our contribution. It has as its objective to support the creation of an environment that can lead towards the restarting of peace negotiations, to share our experience in negotiations, peacemaking and transition to democracy, and to support the strengthening of peace camps in Palestine and Israel.
Our involvement is not motivated by any self-interest or gain, but by the responsibility of working for peace, stability and harmony, to make the world a better place. We are also motivated by our own experiences, and the manner in which we succeeded against all odds, to usher in peace and harmony in our country.
That has convinced us that peace is an achievable goal anywhere in the world, if there is political will, determination and support from the international community.
Ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends, in this time of grave loss, we are hopeful that the Palestinian leadership will take up the legacy of President Arafat, and unite the Palestinian nation behind the peace process.
As the Palestinians prepare for the very important elections in January, we urge the Israelis and the international community to contribute to the creation of a climate that is conducive to the holding of peaceful, free and fair elections, to allow the Palestinians to freely choose their own leaders who will advance their interests.
It is our fervent hope that the new leadership will be guided by the Late President Arafat's search for a two state solution which calls for the creation of a sovereign and viable State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel within secure borders.
The Israeli and Palestinian leadership owe it to future generations to restart the peace process. Negotiations are never easy, and finding a peaceful negotiated settlement to a protracted conflict is not easy. But it can be done. It takes lots of patience, tolerance and sometimes making unpopular decisions and compromises.
We will continue to provide our support throughout the process.
On behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, we extend our deepest condolences to the Arafat family, the Palestinian National Authority, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the people of Palestine.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
18 November 2004
Source: SAPA
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Memorial service for late President Yasser Arafat
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA, AT THE OFFICIAL MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE LATE PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT OF PALESTINE, HOSTED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT, 18 November 2004
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
The Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Rev Mkhatshwa,
The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, His Excellency Dr Alzubeidi,
The Charge D'Affaires of Palestine to South Africa, Dr H Abu Ali and all representatives of foreign governments present,
Fellow South Africans,
It is an honour for me to address this memorial service, on behalf of the Government and the South African people, as we pay tribute to the icon of struggle, the late Yasser Arafat, former President of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Given the historic ties between our two countries and peoples, it is appropriate that we pay homage to this hero of the struggle for freedom, the one individual who captured and personified the burning desire of the Palestinian people to be free.
While paying tribute to President Arafat, we are also recommitting and rededicating ourselves to the cause he fought for, the freedom and self-determination of the Palestinian people, as well as the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East.
There can be no lasting peace in the world until the Middle East conflict is resolved.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are very few people in our time that we can call true revolutionary heroes. Yasser Arafat was one of them, a leader who led a nation that was powerless in terms of military might, but whose struggle, passion and determination to be free, inspired all oppressed people and freedom lovers worldwide.
For five decades, President Arafat fought for the freedom of the Palestinian people, and never gave up on the dream of freedom, even under the gravest of circumstances, and at immense personal cost and sacrifice. Like our own Madiba - yet in his own way, name and right, the struggle was his life.
He kept the Palestinian issue on the global agenda, highlighting their right to statehood, human dignity, sovereignty and the right of the four million refugees to return to their country of birth. His, was indeed a life of epic struggle, which personified human sacrifice and determination.
He was never intimidated, never surrendered, and stayed with his people to the very end, suffering severe harassment, including being confined to his compound for over three years.
Because of his sacrifice, he meant the world to his people, as evidenced by the outpouring of grief at his Ramallah compound last Friday, where security personnel battled to control a sea of grief stricken Palestinians as he was laid to rest.
His passing on 11 November was not only a blow and setback for the Palestinian people, but a devastating loss for all democrats and freedom lovers across the world.
Our gathering here today, so many miles away from his homeland is a demonstration of the manner in which Yasser Arafat made the struggle of the Palestinian people the struggle of all who seek justice and freedom in the world.
President Arafat never stopped hoping and believing that freedom and peace would be attained in his lifetime. His commitment to the quest for a solution earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, together with the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, with whom he had signed the Oslo Agreement. The event sent ripples of hope throughout the world.
In that same year, in which we won our freedom and South Africa held its first democratic elections, President Arafat returned to Gaza to establish a Palestinian state. But a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, was never signed into being. Indeed, even his dream of being buried in Jerusalem was itself never realised.
Compatriots, ladies and gentlemen, as said earlier, our tribute to President Arafat today is also a renewed call for peace and for the resolution of the conflict that pre-occupied his life.
As we pay our respects, we wish to remind the international community as a whole, that the world should not fail the people of Palestine, Iraq, Darfur, Cote d' Ivoire and all other parts of the world that are beset by conflict.
The passing of President Arafat is a reminder of the urgent need for the transformation of, and the strengthening of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, so that it can play its rightful role to maintain world order, and protect smaller and powerless nations, and oppressed peoples such as those of Palestine.
For us as South Africans, it is the knowledge of what it means to be free which makes us not forget that the Palestinian people are still yearning for their liberation.
Given this common history of struggle, it is only natural that throughout the past five decades we developed closer ties with the Palestinian people and their cause. We are greatly indebted to the PLO and the Palestinian people, and ultimately President Arafat himself, for the tireless support they gave to our liberation struggle, and the absolute loyalty to our cause.
We have always voiced our concurrence with United Nations on the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace.
We agree with the approach of the Non-Aligned Movement, which confirms, among others, that the Palestinians have:
* an inalienable right to independent statehood,
* To demand that Israel withdraws from the occupied territories,
* A fair and legal right to insist that Israel implement all UN Resolutions relating to this conflict.
The South African Government has also been one of the strongest voices calling for the immediate implementation of the "Road Map" without any preconditions.
We subscribe to the view that peace can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement that provides for a sovereign Palestinian State and Israeli State within secure borders.
We will continue working with both the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the international community, towards finding a solution that is mutually acceptable and beneficial, which will guarantee peace and security to ordinary citizens of Israel and Palestine, and provide a future filled with the promise of cooperation and prosperity for the entire region and the world.
President Mbeki's Presidential Peace Initiative is one example of our contribution. It has as its objective to support the creation of an environment that can lead towards the restarting of peace negotiations, to share our experience in negotiations, peacemaking and transition to democracy, and to support the strengthening of peace camps in Palestine and Israel.
Our involvement is not motivated by any self-interest or gain, but by the responsibility of working for peace, stability and harmony, to make the world a better place. We are also motivated by our own experiences, and the manner in which we succeeded against all odds, to usher in peace and harmony in our country.
That has convinced us that peace is an achievable goal anywhere in the world, if there is political will, determination and support from the international community.
Ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends, in this time of grave loss, we are hopeful that the Palestinian leadership will take up the legacy of President Arafat, and unite the Palestinian nation behind the peace process.
As the Palestinians prepare for the very important elections in January, we urge the Israelis and the international community to contribute to the creation of a climate that is conducive to the holding of peaceful, free and fair elections, to allow the Palestinians to freely choose their own leaders who will advance their interests.
It is our fervent hope that the new leadership will be guided by the Late President Arafat's search for a two state solution which calls for the creation of a sovereign and viable State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel within secure borders.
The Israeli and Palestinian leadership owe it to future generations to restart the peace process. Negotiations are never easy, and finding a peaceful negotiated settlement to a protracted conflict is not easy. But it can be done. It takes lots of patience, tolerance and sometimes making unpopular decisions and compromises.
We will continue to provide our support throughout the process.
On behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, we extend our deepest condolences to the Arafat family, the Palestinian National Authority, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the people of Palestine.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
18 November 2004
Source: SAPA
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