(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, July 28 (KUNA) -- The High-Level United Nations International Conference for the Peaceful settlement of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State Solution kicked off on Monday, under the joint leadership of Saudi Arabia and France at the United Nations headquarters.
The two-day conference aims to reaffirm international support for the two-state solution and to coordinate its implementation, in addition to assisting in ending the occupation, and establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
During the conference, three roundtable discussions will be held, one of which will address the humanitarian aid and reconstruction, with more than 120 officials and delegates scheduled to speak at the conference.
At the outset of the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed in his speech that the two-state solution is the only path supported by the international community, and is a reliable way to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
He called for greater efforts to achieving the two-state solution, considering the conference a "rare and indispensable opportunity" that should be a "decisive turning point" that stimulates progress towards ending the occupation.
Guterres warned that a breaking point has been reached, highlighting the tragic situation in the region, including 'the starvation of the population, the killing of tens of thousands, and the fragmentation of the occupied Palestinian territory.
He emphasized that the "total destruction of Gaza" is intolerable and must stop, additionally addressing the Israeli occupation parliament's (Knesset) decision to annex the occupied West Bank, stating that "the creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal and must cease."
He added that these events are not isolated, but rather 'part of a systematic reality that works to dismantle the peace in the Middle East." (end)
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