STA TEA MENT

Mr. President,

It gives me pleasure to congratulate you on your election as president of the 55^th session of the United Nations General Assembly. I am confident that your vast experience and unswerving efforts will guarantee the achievements of the best results in this session.

I would also like to thank your predecessor, H.E. Mr. Theo Ben Gurirab, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia for having wisely and successfully conducted the deliberations of the 54^th session of the General Assembly.

I shall be remiss if I fail to express to the Secretary‑General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan our thanks and appreciation for the efforts he has been making to preserve the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter in order to consolidate the prospects for peace and stability around the world.

Mr. President,

A new century was ushered in. Our peoples and countries believe in the United Nations, and in its ability to embrace new visions and concepts. They have high hopes that a reinvigorated organization will promote a New World Order forged in essence by the new forces at play. This will be a World Order capable of consolidating the prospects for international peace and security in different parts of the globe, and meeting the costs of development to which each and every individual is entitled. This can be done if we succeed in reactivating the central role of the United Nations. The primary organs of the Organization, namely the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council must be entrusted with containing and checking the dangers facing humanity and threatening its social and economic peace and security as well.

Mr. President,

I am pleased to announce that by the end of next year, Lebanon will be hosting the Summit of the Francophonie that will be held in the context of "Dialogue Among Civilizations". The Lebanese society's experience in coexistence, its pluralistic nature, and its openness to the world are in our view the best expressions of this dialogue.

Mr. President,

We all agree that the United Nations is an indispensable international institution, notwithstanding its inability to settle many disputes since its inception. At times it was lax in enforcing its own resolutions. At others it was influenced by the international balance of power which made it blind to the double standards at play. But what is indisputable is that the United Nations, its mandates and multi faceted activities around the world constitute a major human achievement and tradition. We must build upon this achievement by evincing the necessary will to lead the world towards reconciliation while striking the necessary balance among the collective interests of states, large and small. Our actions must be based on the principles of solidarity equality and justice that are enshrined in the United Nations Charter. This is of particular importance at this crucial juncture of our human existence. While vast regions of the world are plagued by poverty, deprivation and disease, others are enjoying a social and economic boom rarely matched in the history of mankind. It is therefore, particularly important to jump-start the different United Nations organs, programs and specialized agencies. They have already impressed us with a daily record of achievement that stands as a true measure of our collective spirit of solidarity. This solidarity must be the cornerstone of a new Humanitarian World Order capable of protecting the individual and respecting his rights in all their aspects.

In this context, we highly value the steps taken to restructure some of the development organs of the United Nations. Such steps have introduced into the methodology of their work programs the concept of cooperation with the institutions of civil society, and with the international financial institutions, the private sector and the donor community.

Mr. President,

In the second half of May of this year, Lebanon and the United Nations witnessed an historic event when my country recovered most of its occupied territories in the South and in the Western Beqa'a. Thanks to the resistance and steadfastness of the Lebanese people, and the support of the International Community, Israel bad to withdraw from these territories after a senseless occupation that lasted over twenty-two years. It left behind a trail of devastation and destruction in infrastructure, in private property and in the environment, as well as a collapse in the local production sectors.

Lebanon has dearly paid the price of its liberation. Thousands fell as martyrs on the road to victory, and thousands others were injured or disabled. Human and material losses were not confined to the areas that were immediately under occupation. For thirty years, the Israeli arm of aggression has stretched far to reach all of the Lebanese territories. Repeated Israeli strikes terrorized our civilian population, destroyed civilian and vital establishments, and wreaked havoc with our economic and service sectors.

The Israeli withdrawal came in the wake of twenty-two years of continued refusal to comply with Security Council Resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978) respectively. The two Resolutions called upon Israel to withdraw immediately and unconditionally from Southern Lebanon and the Western Beqa'a to the internationally recognized borders, with "strict respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon."

For the first time since 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was allowed to fulfill its mandate under Resolution 425 (1978). To do this the United Nations had to identify a line for the purpose of confirming the Israeli withdrawal. Regrettably, in three locations this line does not conform to the internationally recognized "Boundary Line" demarcated in 1923 between Palestine and Lebanon under the French and British Mandates. The United Nations border-line also leaves the Sheba'a Farmlands outside UNIFIL's area of operations in Southern Lebanon. Lebanon has seriously cooperated with the United Nations to fulfill the requirements conducive to the implementation of SC Resolutions 425 (1978). Despite Israel's repeated violations of the withdrawal line and its obstructive practices which hindered the deployment of the International Force for weeks, the force was at long last able to deploy accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces.

At this juncture, I see it fit to recall Lebanon's "civilized stance" and the wisdom and tolerance graciously shown by his valiant people in reaction to the new situation. The Lebanese people crowned their resistance of the occupation with a victory, bringing about the withdrawal of the Israeli forces. Contrary to dire predictions, no mayhem or acts of vengeance ensued. This has earned us the appreciation and admiration of the international community.

On this occasion, allow me to pay tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan, to his assistants and to the officers and soldiers of UNIFIL for the tireless and unswerving efforts they have been making in fulfillment of their noble task in compliance with the resolutions of international legitimacy.

In this context, I would like to underline the importance of the following points:

First: Lebanon insists that its internationally recognized borders are not negotiable. They are the borders demarcated in accordance with the 1923 Paulet- Newcomb maps, and reaffirmed later in the 1949 "Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement."

Second: Lebanon confirms its reservations on three locations on the blue line adopted by the United Nations as the withdrawal line. This reservation is included in the report submitted by the Secretary-General to the Security Council on June 16, 2000.

Third: Lebanon insists on its right to sovereignty over the Sheba'a Farmlands, which are an integral part of the Lebanese territories.

Fourth: Lebanon insists on its sovereignty and authority over the locations set by the United Nations inside the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) line in the Mount Hermon area.

Fifth: Lebanon demands the immediate release of all Lebanese detainees from Israeli prisons. They were kept as hostages in violation of the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, of the relevant Protocols and of the Hague Convention of 1907. Lebanon believes that the release of the detainees is a completion of the Israeli withdrawal and is therefore a fulfillment of Security Council Resolution 425 (1978).

Sixth: The Liberation of the Lebanese territories from Israeli Occupation shall remain compromised unless a just solution is found to the problem of the Palestinian refugees residing in Lebanon. The solution lies in allowing these refugees to return to their homeland as provided for in the resolutions of international legitimacy.

Mr. President,

Israel must compensate Lebanon for the human, material and economic losses sustained as a result of Israeli occupation and acts of aggression in accordance with the international and customary law, and with the principles of the UN Charter. In this regard, we recall Security Council Resolution 262 (1968), which recognized that Lebanon was entitled to appropriate redress for the destruction it had suffered when Israel attacked Beirut's International Airport in Late 1968. In this attack Israel destroyed thirteen Lebanese airplanes.

The Lebanese firmly believe in their right to receive adequate and fair reparations for the substantial losses and devastation inflicted upon them after years of occupation and repeated acts of aggression. Such acts were perpetrated in a stark defiance of the will of the United Nations since 1978.

Lebanon will therefore resort to the International Court of Justice, which is the proper organ to address its claims. We do hope that the ICJ will be able to endorse our request for adequate reparations, and appeal to the international community to support our just and fair demands.

Mr. President,

The question of reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Lebanese liberated territories is a high priority on the Lebanese agenda. It also enjoys a tangible international support. In this context, I would like to recall the preparatory meeting of donor community held in Beirut on the 27^th of July In cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the support of the World Bank and the Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan. The meeting was attended by representatives of 40 states and international financial institutions. The participants discussed the question of providing urgent financial assistance to help bring life back to normalcy in the liberated territories. The preliminary deliberations were promising. We hope to see them come to fruition in the donors' Conference to be held at the ministerial level in October.

The Lebanese feel that the international community did not exert adequate efforts to compel Israel to comply with SC Resolution 425 (1978) which called upon it to end its occupation a long while ago. Because of this delay, Lebanon had to suffer the dire consequences of occupation. Our resources plummeted, our economy crumbled, and our people endured untold suffering. From this rostrum, I appeal to the donor countries, the international financial institutions, and the United Nations specialized organs to provide sufficient assistance for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the South. This will be a token of solidarity by those able to give on behalf of the international community.

Mr. President,

We thought that the prospects for the realization of a just and comprehensive peace in the region were real following the recent rounds of negotiations that were held during the past few months. Regrettably, the results were disappointing. The negotiations for peace floundered and the process was derailed on all tracks. This was due to the fact that the Israeli leaders gave the logic of "No's" precedence over the principles of right and justice. That is particularly unfortunate in the light of the many achievements that were made bringing the negotiations so close to the optimal solution especially on the Syrian track.

The prerogatives of peace are not commensurate with the Israeli "No's". These "No's" run counter to the resolutions of international legitimacy that provided for the return to Syria of all of the Golan up to the line of June 4, 1967. These resolutions also recognized the need to enable to Palestinian people to recover their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination, to the establishment of their independent state on their own national soil, with Jerusalem as its capital and their right to return to their homeland in Palestine.

The liberation of most of the Lebanese territories form the Israeli occupation will not affect Lebanon's commitment to the process of the peaceful settlement of the Middle East question. Lebanon upholds its position with regard to the inseparability of the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. We believe that the opportunity for a just and comprehensive peace remains, provided that Israel commits to the resolutions of international legitimacy, and the Madrid terms of reference. Lebanon is of the view that Israel has forfeited the achievements made in its negotiations with the Arab side due to the conflicting agendas of the Israeli political groups. This will hinder the settlement process in the region, and further compromise our protracted pursuit of peace. Lebanon calls on the co-sponsors of the peace process, namely the United States and the Russian Federation, and on the European Union as well to renew their efforts to relaunch the peace process from the point where it was halted in 1996.

Lebanon cannot fail to stress once again from this international rostrum that to achieve a peaceful settlement, the Palestinian refugees, particularly those hosted by Lebanon must be enabled to return to their homeland. Ignoring their problem or attempting to resettle them in Lebanon will further exacerbate the tension and volatility of the region. This would in turn threaten the prospects of a just and comprehensive peace.

Mr. President,

More than ten years have passed on the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Nevertheless, the question of the release of the Kuwaiti detainees and prisoners of war still awaits a solution. We in Lebanon, have condemned this invasion. We believe that the release of prisoners, in addition to other measures required of Iraq will be an important step for the improvement of relations with it. Lebanon calls for lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq, alleviating the suffering of the brotherly Iraqi people and allowing them to restore their security, stability and prosperity.

There is a favorable trend in the relationship between Iran and the Gulf States. This trend must be an incentive to settle the dispute over the three decades over the three Islands between the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the context of good neighborliness and common interests promoted by the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Mr. President,

The Millennium Assembly was convened as part of a global effort to foster the credibility of the United Nations and its ability to seek solutions to the problems of our countries and peoples. Our international organization must be capable of keeping up with the demands and challenges of the new millennium whenever and wherever they arise.

The Millennium Assembly deliberations made it clear that what is at stake is the individual. Attempts are made to arrive at a global vision that may differ on details, but would definitely agree on substance.

The Millennium declaration embodied creative ideas and principles that must be embraced in a global blueprint then translated into a reality. Such a blueprint will inject the purposes and working methods of the United Nations with novel approaches. Lebanon concurs with the findings of the Summit. The main challenge we are facing today is to guarantee that the benefits of globalization will be shared by all the peoples of the world. The correct approach is for us to stand united so that globalization, its manifestations and results will have a "human face". Adequate controls must be developed to take into account the different cultures, traditions and real needs of the peoples of the world. The costs and benefits of globalization must be fairly and equally distributed.

Lebanon believes that the protection of our common environment represents a different kind of challenge. Careful strategies must be developed for water resource management, combating desertification, respect for and preservation of the ecosystems and combating environmental pollution. These strategies must be governed by new ethics.

God has privileged Lebanon with a scenic landscape and an optimal geographic location. Regrettably, we had our share of environmental degradation. We therefore attach an increasing importance to the environmental questions. Laws are being enacted for the preservation of the environment pursuant to the decisions of the relevant international Summit Conferences. We do need the support of the international community in our endeavors.

Mr. President,

Development has become the main preoccupation of the developing and least developed peoples. It must be linked to an open and just global trading system within an institutional framework that guarantees the unobstructed financial flows and investments as well as the transfer of technology. We must develop an international mechanism within the United Nations to address the indebtedness of the developing countries.

In our view, there is an inherent link between the achievements of international peace and security and the process of development and peace building. Hotbeds of tension and protracted armed conflicts in some regions of Africa, the Balkan and the Middle East impede the realization of integrated development. Our international organization must therefore dedicate more efforts to defuse the tension and resolve the crises by reforming its two primary organs, namely the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council and invigorating their role.

Mr. President,

Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations that contributed to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today Lebanon looks forward to playing a distinguished role on the regional and international arenas. We are anxious to reconstruct and rehabilitate our vital and civil institutions and productive sectors after the liberation of our land from the Israeli occupation. We in Lebanon strive for a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that would bring back stability to our region and allow us to play a role in building the world in which we aspire to live today.

Thank you Mr. President