POPE SAYS JERUSALEM SOLUTION IS CRUCIAL TO MIDEAST PEACE
15-01-1996 20:15:00 | Armenia | World News
VATICAN CITY, Jan 15 (AFP -NT) - John Paul II on Saturday
warned that peace in the Middle East could prove ephermeral
unless a lasting solution was found for Jerusalem in
negotiations due later this year.
In a speech to diplomats gathered here for his annual New
Year's greetings, the pope praised the peace process which led
to the creation of a Palestinian representative office here last
year, as well as the resumption of diplomatic ties with Israel a
year ago.
Under the Israel-PLO self-rule accord, Jerusalem will be
discussed in the final stage of bilateral negotiations,
scheduled for 1996.
"The religious and universal dimension of the Holy City
demands a commitment on the part of the whole international
community, in order to ensure that the City preserves its
uniqueness and retains its living character."
He warned that the holy places "would lose much of their
significance if they were not permanently surrounded by active
communities of Jews, Christians, and Moslems, enjoying true
freedom of conscience and religion."
AFP /AA1234/131402 GMT JAN 96