AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you Special Coordinator Mladenov for your briefing. Thank you for your tireless efforts on this portfolio. As Special Coordinator Mladenov mentioned, the United States in partnership with Bahrain will be hosting the “peace to prosperity” economic workshop in Manama next week.

The workshop is a pivotal opportunity to convene government, civil society, and business leaders to share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement. The workshop will facilitate discussions on an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for Palestinians, including enhancements to economic governance, development of human capital, and facilitation of rapid private-sector growth. We’ve been very clear that our full plan will address all final status issues – the economic plan is a complement to the political plan. We understand that only through a solution to the final status issues will the economic vision be possible.

Sustainable Palestinian economic growth is not achievable in the current environment. The economic vision is a roadmap, which includes detailed portfolio of real projects and capacity building programs which has the potential to unleash sustainable, private sector-driven growth – if and when there is peace. We want to underscore that this is why it is so important that everyone keep an open mind.

The Council meets here month after month, many in this room use the same talking points to describe situations that have not changed. What actions have positively changed the reality on the ground? The United States encourages all to keep an open mind, read through these ideas and then make suggestions.

All of us here today care deeply, and want to see peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. We hope all of you here will remain constructively engaged us moving forward.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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