The 109th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions adopted at the 104th Conference, October 2000 (Jakarta), at the 106th Conference, September 2001 (Ouagadougou), and at the 107th Conference, March 2002 (Marrakech), which called for an end to the tension and violence in the Middle East,

Reiterating its support for a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the relevant United Nations resolutions,

Recognising the full acceptance by the Palestinian Authority of the road map for peace proposed by the Quartet (the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and the Russian Federation) and noting the subsequent conditional acceptance of it by Israel,

1. Strongly urges the international community to exert pressure on Israel to desist from any act aimed at the expulsion of President Yasser Arafat and to cease all threats to the safety of the legitimately elected head of the Palestinian Authority;

2. Urges Israel to halt the building of settlements in the occupied territories, which, along with the demolition of Palestinian homes and property, is in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the road map, to abandon its policy of erecting fences and imposing paralysing closures, and to stop using its regular army to police the civilian population and conduct extrajudicial killings in the occupied territories;

3. Demands that the Palestinian Authority take all necessary measures to put an end to the violent attacks that result in the deaths of large numbers of civilians and innocent people;

4. Urges Israel to withdraw completely from all the occupied territories in order to achieve a comprehensive peace process and justice in the Middle East in accordance with United Nations and IPU resolutions;

5. Calls on the UN Security Council and the Quartet to guarantee the full implementation of the road map, including by sending international observers to monitor the stage-by-stage implementation on the ground of the decisions contained in the road map;

6. Calls on both parties to return to the negotiating table and put an end to the cycle of violence in order to save lives on both sides, urges the parties to enact confidence-building measures, and encourages them to reach an accord through bilateral negotiations within the framework of the road map;

7. Calls also on both parties immediately to begin considering building a lasting peace through education for peaceful coexistence.

* The delegations of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Yemen expressed reservations on those parts of the text which might be construed to imply recognition of Israel. The delegation of Palestine expressed a reservation with respect to paragraph 3 stating that the text did not make it clear that the Palestinian Authority had started implementing the road map. The delegation of Israel expressed a reservation with respect to paragraph 4. A delegate of the United Kingdom expressed a personal reservation on paragraphs 2 and 4. A delegate of South Africa expressed a personal reservation on the entire resolution while the delegation as a whole stated that it wished to abstain from approving the resolution. The delegations of Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon also voiced comments on the resolution.

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