Second annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Perez Center

Tel-Aviv, January 99

Michael Gorbachov: (speaking Russian, there is a translator)
Good evening dear friends, I am very glad that I am here tonight, which takes place in the framework in the second annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Perez Center, and the such wide presentation, and I would like to say also, they are the ones who can't solve anything, they criticize. I like the fact that during this evening, a nobel content that we witnessed during these days and will continue to take place tomorrow, they test upon that this is an important and very responsible event. Mark by search of peace during our difficult times. I would like to thank the President of Israel Mr. Weizman, the Mayor of Tel Aviv, Chairman Arafat, the speaker of the Palestinian Justical Counsel is also present tonight, for their contribution into efforts and making this evening possible. Therefore I agree, argue at this convention. For many reasons, and I would like to share this perception of mine with you, this meeting is unique and I mean not only tonight's evening, this meeting throughout the whole work through the second annual convention of the Board of Governors of the Perez Center.

Many countries and continents are represented here, a large group of the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, many outstanding political leaders among whom the President of Poland, Mr. Kravnefsky, many politicians, many politicians from the Arab world. This meeting is also unique because it takes place in the times when once again the solution by using force becomes dominate in the world arena in solution of conflicts of different shape and scale. And during these harsh times, our session, our coveysion puts in the heart and the core of the problems that search for peace, and finally it is also very important because of our symptoms of dimming of this process of the peace process in the Middle East. And I hope that this meeting by the standards set by the atmosphere of mutual respect that we witness here is also very important not only for the Middle East, but for the whole world and International community. I think that the politicians and the diplomats have much room for thoughts and have draught their lessons from what is going on here during this meeting. And tonight during all discussions were held, pronounce one common denominator, namely peace in the Middle East is possible

In the cause of achieving this peace so required by all the peoples living in this region, by the Palestinians and the Israelis first of all, but by the whole International community as well. In this cause, there are no winners and losers. This statement sounded throughout all our deliberations and it sounded again tonight in the statements in the guests who appeared on this stage. This meeting has become possible due to contribution of, due to personal contribution of Mr. Shimon Perez, and his center, his peace center, that he has established. In order to include the wide public into this process and I think that this should serve as an example for all of us throughout the world and example where wide public participates in the political processes and decides their fate. And if somebody tries to cast a shadow on this process, pretending that this is an expressional fear it's not quite so, this is a far sighted approach, a far sighted vision that leads Shimon Perez in this process.

With great intention and interest, I have listened to report of activities to past activities of the Shimon Perez center and the projects that are planned and will be implemented in the future, and I vote for these projects because they respond to the demands of the challenges that we will face in the next millenium. I would like to address and to appeal to my old Arab friends who are present from these countries, who are present in this audience, sorry, and to call upon them and urge them to participate more actively in this process, because this might fate quite a different atmosphere. Let's greet again Mr. Shimon Perez and his tremendous efforts. And the last point, you know about the attempt that was made in the Soviet Union to build communism in a separate country, in one single country, in a certain stage, there was an understanding that this module doesn't work. Then the attempt was made to make communism and socialism in separate or different specific sectors. Nothing seemed to work out as well. Because the initial module was wrong, it was apart from the international processes, it was counting on the teletarian approach and a teletarian system. Why am I recalling this example, it is because that I'm deeply convinced that trying to establish peace only on a bilateral or maybe other level involving only the countries of this region would be quite a difficult task or almost impossible task without involving the international community and the international world opinion.