Australia distances itself from Paris peace conference concluding statement

16/1/2017

(Translation of this article appears in Arabic section)

Australia has distanced itself from the concluding statement of the Middle East Peace conference in Paris, where more than 70 countries met to try to revive the stalled peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

The concluding communique of the Paris meeting, which took place overnight, reaffirmed that only a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians could resolve the conflict.

The statement also "welcomed" the adoption of the UN security council resolution that last month condemned Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

A spokesperson for the office of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the ABC that "while the Australian Government was represented at the Paris conference, this does not mean we agree with every element of the final statement".

"The most important priority must be a resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians for a two-state solution as soon as possible."

Australia was the only country to speak out publicly against the US-backed security council resolution on settlements last month, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calling it "one sided" and "deeply unsettling".

Washington effectively cleared the way for the resolution, which demanded an end to Israeli settlement building, prompting Israeli Government officials to direct harsh attacks against US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

Ms Bishop noted at the time that Australia was not currently a member of the Security Council and was not eligible to vote on the resolution, but indicated the Federal Government did not support the contentious move.