A/RES/51/26 Page 2 Affirming once again the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders, Aware of the mutual recognition between the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, and the signing by the two parties of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements2 in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, as well as the subsequent implementation agreements, including the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip signed in Washington, D.C., on 28 September 1995, Noting with satisfaction the withdrawal of the Israeli army, which took place in the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area in accordance with the agreements reached by the parties, and the initiation of the Palestinian Authority in those areas, as well as the beginning of the redeployment of the Israeli army in the rest of the West Bank, Noting also with satisfaction the successful holding of the first Palestinian general elections, Aware that the United Nations has participated as a full, extraregional participant in the work of the multilateral working groups of the Middle East peace process, Noting the establishment of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories and its positive contribution, Welcoming the convening of the Conference to Support Middle East Peace in Washington, D.C., on 1 October 1993, and all follow-up meetings, Concerned over the serious difficulties facing the Middle East peace process and the deterioration of the socio-economic conditions of the Palestinian people as a result of the Israeli positions and measures, 1. Reaffirms the necessity of achieving a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in all its aspects; 2. Expresses its full support for the ongoing peace process which began in Madrid and the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements2 of 1993, as well as the subsequent implementation agreements, including the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, and expresses the hope that the process will lead to the establishment of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East; 3. Stresses the necessity for the immediate and scrupulous implementation of the agreements reached between the parties and the commencement of the negotiations on the final settlement; 4. Calls upon the concerned parties, the co-sponsors of the peace process and the entire international community to exert all the necessary efforts to ensure the success of the peace process; 2 A/48/486-S/26560, annex. /...