UN General Assembly
1987

We are fully aware of what is at stake in the Middle East, from the Mediterranean to the Gulf. We know of the many courageous efforts to initiate peace processes. We are also aware of the numerous resolutions adopted by this Assembly year after year. We have subscribed to all of them In the interest of peace, justice and international security. But we firmly believe that the United Nations must approach the Middle East conflicts as a whole - not just one particular aspect of the Middle East question, but all of them together. Peace in the Middle East is indivisible. Peace cannot survive in one place while a war is under way in another. Nor can we allow ourselves the illusion that containing conflicts on the borders of nations is synonymous with resolving them. Lebanon, again, is the typical and most tragic illustration of what I mean. Truce agreements and bilateral peace accords with Israel cannot solve the Palestinian problem so long as the fate of the Palestinians living in Lebanon has not been equitably determined. Similarly, Iran's war in Lebanon must be addressed and immediately resolved in order to attain peace in the Gulf.