BEIRUT, 27 November 2004 — The future of the Middle East looks bleak if the warring factions do not seize the current opening for peace, United Nations special envoy to the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen warned yesterday during a farewell tour of the region.
Speaking in Beirut, Roed-Larsen said circumstances including Yasser Arafat’s death had created a “unique constellation” in the region, and said he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for peace.
“I would say that some very important momentum has been created,” he told a new conference in Beirut.
“The parties need to work hard and shoulder their respective responsibilities in order to build on this momentum. ...If not it could turn into a fleeting but passing moment,” he said.
Larsen said he would not be “very optimistic for the future” if the warring parties in the Middle East fail to take advantage of the opportunity for peace, adding that “without change we might face a dark future.”
Larsen, a Norwegian who played a key role in hammering out the 1993 Oslo Accord, is due to take a new position as head of the New York-based International Peace Academy on Jan. 1.
Palestinian Violence Down Sharply Since Arafat’s Death
Violent acts by Palestinians have plummeted in the aftermath of the death of Yasser Arafat, an Israeli military official said yesterday.
Attacks and shootings have declined 70 percent in the past two weeks, said the official. “There is a calm. But it is too early to talk about a fundamental change in the situation,” said the official.
Israeli forces have exercised caution during patrols to avoid an incident that could upset a possible shift toward a more moderate approach to peace following the death of Arafat, who symbolized the Palestinian cause for more than three decades.
