Permanent Mission of the
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
to the United Nations
New York
STATEMENT
By
H.E. Mr. Rashid Abdullah Al-Noaimi
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
of
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
In the General Debate
of the Fifty Fifth Session
of the United Nations
General Assembly
New York, 15 September 2000
In The Name of God,
the Most
Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Mr. President,
I have the honour to convey
to you, on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, our sincere congratulations and
regards on your election to the Presidency of the fifty-fifth session of
the General Assembly. We are confident that your experience in international
affairs will contribute to the success of its proceedings. We also thank your
predecessor, His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Namibia, for
the efficient manner in which he directed the work of the previous session.
I would also like to express
our appreciation to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his prudent leadership
and for the efforts he exerts to strengthen the role of the United Nations in
maintaining peace, security and stability in the world.
Mr. President,
The convening of the
Millennium Summit a few days ago in this world forum, was a very clear
embodiment of the political will of the leaders of the countries of the world
to effectively deal with the problems and challenges that face the
international community, such as the proliferation of proscribed weapons,
conflicts and the increasing situations of poverty and debt, as well as such
other attendant and cross-national boundary issues, as drugs, organized
crime, international terrorism, environmental pollution, persistent violations
of human rights and the disparities resulting from globalization and the information
technology.
Mr. President,
The consequences of these
prevailing conditions have, more than ever before, reinforced our awareness of
the importance of adherence to the principles embodied in the Charter of the
United Nations and of consolidating the rule of international law through the
settlement of disputes by peaceful means, respect for the principle of equality
and the right to self-determination, as well as strengthening the spirit
of cooperation and tolerance among the different cultures, beliefs and legacies
of the various civilizations, for achieving the desired security, stability and
human development.
Mr. President,
The United Arab Emirates,
reiterates its welcome of the border treaties concluded between our brethren in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on one side, and in the State of Kuwait and the
Republic of Yemen on the other, as an important political and historic event
that would promote confidence-building measures and good neighbourly
relations. At the same time, it calls upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to
follow the example of those fraternal States and to respond to our peaceful
initiatives that call for either entering into direct and serious bilateral
negotiations aimed at finding a peaceful solution for ending Iran's occupation
of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Moussa, the three islands pertaining to
the United Arab Emirates, or accepting to submit the dispute to the
International Court of Justice.
In this context, we would
like to reaffirm that all actions and measures that the Islamic Republic of
Iran had unilaterally taken in those three islands, and its continued
construction of military and civilian installations thereon, are illegal
measures considered null and void, and do not establish or entail any legal
rights, regardless of the duration of the occupation. In fact, they represent a
violation of the territorial sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates and
contravene the principles and objectives of the Charters of both the United
Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as the declared
Iranian peaceful intentions in the region.
It has been more than a year
since the Gulf Cooperation Council charged a tripartite Ministerial Committee,
composed of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman and the State of
Qatar with developing a mechanism for direct negotiations between the United
Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran. So far, Iran has not responded
to any of the endeavours of that Committee, thus preventing the completion of
the reinforcement of the foundations of peace and security in the Arab Gulf
region.
Mr. President,
Despite the fact that almost
ten years have elapsed since the end of the second Gulf war, the Arab Gulf
region is still experiencing the negative effects of that war. Consequently, it
is imperative that political and diplomatic efforts continue in order to find a
peaceful solution that leads to ending the human suffering of the Iraqi people.
At the same time, we invite the Iraqi Government to cooperate by completely
fulfilling its obligations, particularly those relating to the release of the
Kuwaitis and nationals of other countries who are held prisoners of war or
detained in Iraq and to the restitution of Kuwaiti property, in implementation
of the resolutions of the Security Council,
In this regard, we would
like to underline the importance of respecting the national sovereignty and
territorial integrity of both Iraq and Kuwait, and their respective political
independence and unity of soil, as well as refraining
from the threat or use of force, in order to ensure the entrenchment of
security and stability in the region.
Mr. President,
The Middle East peace
process witnessed important developments recently during which major efforts
were exerted with the objective of arriving at equitable and fair solutions
based on the resolutions of the United Nations and the principle of land for
peace. Yet, despite all those efforts and all the flexible and constructive
proposals put forward by the Palestinian side for finding a comprehensive and
just solution to the Palestine issue in all its aspects, the Israeli Government
persisted in its positions of procrastination, delay and stalling and not
abiding by its undertakings in the agreements it had concluded with the
Palestinian side.
Thus, in affirming our
position of solidarity with the fraternal Palestinian people and their
leadership, represented by the Palestinian Authority, we renew our call to the
co‑sponsors of the peace process and the other effective States, and in
particular the United States of America, to continue exerting the political and
diplomatic efforts that support and promote the negotiations between the
Palestinian and Israeli sides with the aim of finding a just and comprehensive
settlement of the Palestine issue, including in particular the questions of Al-Quds
Ash-Sharif (Jerusalem) and the refugees, on the basis of the resolutions
of the Security Council, especially resolutions 242(1967) and 338(1973). This should enable the
Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate and inalienable rights to
return to their homeland and establish their independent State, with Jerusalem
as its capital.
In this context also, we
reaffirm our unceasing support of the position of sisterly Syria in its efforts
to regain the territory of the Syrian Arab Golan up to the line existing on 4
June 1967. We call on the international
community to demand that Israel resume negotiations on the Syrian track on the
basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, in the interest of attaining
peace, stability and growth for all the States and peoples of the region.
Mr. President
The United Arab Emirates, in
welcoming once again the regaining by fraternal Lebanon of its territory,
expresses support for the efforts of the Lebanese Government to complete
extending its sovereignty over the whole of its national soil.
In the same vein, we support the demands of sisterly
Libya for lifting the economic sanctions imposed on it, particularly after it
had implemented the relevant Security Council resolutions. We also express our
satisfaction at the outcome of the recent Somali Reconciliation Conference
which was held in Djibouti, and invite all the Somali factions to reinforce the
national unity for the sake of restoring peace, stability and sustainable
development to Somalia and the rest of the region of the Horn of Africa.
Mr. President,
The growing number of
problems emanating from the continuation of wars, disputes and ethnic cleansing
in some parts of the African continent, the Balkans, east Asia, Afghanistan and
other places is a source of constant concern for the international community.
Consequently, we support all regional and international efforts aimed at dealing
with those issues by peaceful means and emphasize that their just and lasting
settlement cannot be attained until the parties concerned demonstrate the
necessary political will to achieve national reconciliation and their
commitment to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions.
Mr. President,
Despite the international
unanimity which was exemplified in the Disarmament Conference and other
international forums regarding the necessity of limiting the spread of weapons
of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, we remain concerned about the
slow pace of progress in this respect, especially at a time when some States
have been striving to outdo each other in stockpiling certain kinds of those
weapons, in particular nuclear arms and ballistic missiles, as a method for
settling their territorial disputes. Considering such actions as an escalation
and disruption of the strategic security balance, at both the regional and
international levels, we call upon the States concerned to review their
policies in this respect and promote the establishment of zones that are free
of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, especially in the
regions of the Middle East, the Arab Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Accordingly, we
urge the international community once again to demand that the Israeli Government
accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and subject its
nuclear facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
Mr. President,
Despite the multi‑dimensional
changes that the world economy is witnessing as a result of deregulation of
markets, globalization and modern technology, the economic and social gap
between the developed and developing States still exists, and is growing,
thereby exacerbating the situations of poverty and unemployment, environmental
degradation and debt accumulation. Thus, the convening of the Millennium Summit
and the declaration it issued highlight the great importance our countries
attach to those issues. This makes it incumbent upon all of us to work
assiduously on carrying out the commitments and undertakings contained therein
towards creating an environment that is favourable to development, the
elimination of poverty and free access for the exports of the developing
countries to the markets of the industrialized States. Therefore, I am confirming
the determination of the United Arab Emirates to support this plan and to work
towards making the gap between the rich and the poor less acute. The United
Arab Emirates is still persisting in its sustained efforts to support the
economic and social development projects in many countries of the world,
particularly in Africa and Asia, be it through direct participation in
financing such projects or by supporting the international and regional efforts
to attain those goals.
Mr. President,
Finally, the ever increasing burden of economic,
social and human development the first safeguard for the political
stability that we desire - demands that mechanisms for regional
and international cooperation, foremost among which is the United Nations, be
developed. Hence, we call for sustaining the efforts aimed at carrying out the
structural reform and development of the world Organization, in particular the
Security Council and the General Assembly, so that the Organization can be more
capable of keeping pace with the rapid changes in international relations.
Peace and the grace and
blessings of God be with you.