Paris, October 13 {No.2000-101} - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today expressed indignation and alarm at events in the Middle East.

He made the following declaration to the Organization's Executive Board:

"In the face of what is happening before our eyes, in the Middle East, I cannot fail to express my indignation and alarm. Peace is imperilled.

"How can one be other than indignant before the spectacle of so many wasted human lives, those Palestinian children sacrificed, that horrible lynching, all those dead and wounded, the victims of blind violence and irresponsible provocations?.

"How can one be other than indignant in the face of this bloody and disproportionate confrontation that stifles the voice of dialogue and tolerance?.

"I cannot but condemn all the acts of violence and the excessive use of force, particularly against disarmed populations.

"I firmly support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, to avoid the irreparable.

"As Director-General of UNESCO, I appeal to the conscience of both leaders and citizens for an immediate end to this spiral of fear and hatred.

"Today especially, we must safeguard the future and see to it that the open wounds in the minds of young people do not for ever prevent them from learning to live together.

"Hope must not be killed!"