AT
THE 55TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Mr.
President, Excellency Harri Holkeri, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of
Finland,
I
offer your Excellency my sincere congratulations on your election as President
of the 55th Session of the United Nations Millennium Assembly. We are confident
that your expertise and Knowledge of international issues will be an
outstanding asset, it will enrich the deliberations of this session, and help
the Assembly reach a successful conclusion. We assure you of our delegation's
readiness to cooperate with your Excellency
to fulfill the objectives,
which we all aspire to.
I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to your predecessor, RE. Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Foreign Minister of the friendly Republic of Namibia, for the successful manner in which he steered the work in the previous session, which was marked by a genuine desire to enhance and reinvigorate the work of the General Assembly.
I
would also like to take this opportunity to express my warmest appreciation of
the work of RE. Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, for
his persistent efforts and commendable endeavors toward the promotion of the
role of the United Nations, and the development of its organs in order to
conform with the expectations in the third millennium.
The
Sultanate of Oman welcomes the accession of the Republic of Tuvalu to the
membership of the United Nations. We hope that its membership will enrich the
efforts of the international community, in reaching the noble goals of this
important international forum in order to achieve progress and prosperity for
all the people of the world
Mr. President,
Our
Heads of State have already considered our main concerns and preoccupations
during the Millennium Summit, and have identified a number of values and
principles, which shall guide present and future generations towards a secure
and stable livelihood, based on cooperation and peace. If this goal is to be
achieved we must remain fully committed to it.
As
we bid farewell to a century, which includes in its memory a host of calamities
and human sufferings, due both to natural and man‑made causes, we must also
remember that this century was also marked by many bold and visionary
initiatives that greatly benefited humanity.
At
the turn of the century, this stage of our history is characterized by great
technological progress, which widens the horizons for development and
prosperity. But the emerging international order commonly called
"globalisation", has created and increased economic, social and
political disparities, at both the international and national levels.
Globalisation presents many concerns and challenges to developing countries,
sometimes with outcomes which are unpredictable, and this will be a real
hindrance to the developing countries' development and progress, limiting the
effectiveness of economic integration in a globalised economy.
Mr. President,
We
in the Sultanate of Oman support globalisation. However, present indications,
stemming out of the World Trade Organization, do point towards wealthy
countries conglomerating with the aim of using this organization as a tool to
advance their own interests, to open the markets of developing countries for
their own trade, and to target developing countries' natural resources
regardless of any negative economic and social impacts.
The
most important factor that lead to the famous Seattle Conference not achieving
it's expected conclusion was the aggregation of about 20 countries within the
organization attempting to impose their philosophies upon the entire world.
This conduct is based on an old doctrine of discriminatory policies, which
insinuates the appearance of hidden disputes between various countries. If the
World Trade Organization is transformed into a wrestling arena then
globalisation and free trade will not be able to meet the needs of developing
countries. Furthermore if developing countries are to survive and uphold the
basic rights of their citizens, they must obtain their fair share of the fruits
of globalisation. It is necessary to enact laws, and regulations and honor
agreements in an equal manner that applies to all, because the dominance of a
minority is in contradiction with the principles of good governance. Therefore
it is incumbent upon us to devise new measures to assure the utilization of
technological progress, of which there will be a great deal in the new century,
to achieve prosperity and development for all.
Mr. President,
The
international economy continues to prosper after the setback of the 1997‑1998
recession, due to the economic crash of emerging markets. It is pressing need
that we redouble our efforts to avoid a recurrence of this. When the G8 met in
Okinawa, Japan, it was obliged to consider the problems of the developing
world. The financial assistance offered by the G8 was itself vivid proof that
advanced information technologies are designed in such a manner that they can
be monopolized by some, and not accessed by others except with great difficulty
and at colossal cost. However we still welcome some
decisions of the Okinawa Summit, particularly the assistance agreed to combat
certain debilitating diseases.
The decision of the G8 to invite the Group of 77, for the first time, to its deliberations was not merely a ceremonial event, it made the vast disparity that exists between developed and developing countries all the more tangible. The Summit addressed the problem of debt which we believe should be totally abolished, and reviewed the policies of the International Monetary Fund and international financial mechanisms. Of these, in particular, the fluctuation of international currencies has created difficult economic problems for advanced countries, let alone countries with small economies, which have to barter their resources with hard currency.
The stumble of the Asian economies occurred
because of the power of the market, largely because of currency instability.
The prosperity achieved by ASEAN through a decade of dedicated work evaporated.
Developing countries have therefore every right to take all necessary
precautions against the occurrence of a similar situation.
Mr. President,
In
view of the fact that the Indian Ocean countries enjoy natural resources and a
geographic location poised between three continents, and based on my country's
conviction of the importance of this region as a vital economic vein for all
its members and their people, the Sultanate of Oman, together with a number of
other countries, has played a constructive role to establish and activate the
Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation
The
launching of this newborn association, amongst the many regional economic
groupings that cluster throughout the world today, embodies the firm desire of
its member‑states to promote this new grouping, which enjoys huge
potential and looks forward to creating a huge market.
Based
on my country's belief in the importance of regional cooperation, as a means to
propel the wheels of development, and to exchange expertise in different
fields, we are working to present an agreement to establish a regional
Cooperation for Fisheries in the Indian Ocean. We hope this initiative will
soon see the light, bringing many benefits in the service of regional stability
and development. In this context, we look forward to a pragmatic translation of
the objectives of the General Assembly Declaration to make the Indian Ocean a
region of peace and security.
Mr. President,
In
the Sultanate of Oman, we have embraced peace and dialogue as a basic principle
since the dawn of the Blessed Omani renaissance on the 23rd of July 1970. We
are convinced that dialogue is the foundation on which all sorts of conflict
between states and peoples can be resolved. Throughout history, mankind has
aspired to enhance confidence on the basis of agreed creative ideas, which
deepen and widen common interests and mutual benefits. We believe that dialogue
will always remain the surest path to security and stability rather than
confrontation.
The
Tripartite Camp David Summit on the Peace Process in the Middle East was an
extremely important political step, and a display of unique courage by its
participants. The Summit imposed upon itself the task of discussing and
negotiating fundamental issues of the final settlement in an unprecedented and
distinguished manner; particularly so in relation to the future of the Holy
Quds. We express our admiration and appreciation of the historical role and
great efforts made by U. S. President Bill Clinton. Despite the fact that the
Summit did not produce a final agreement between Palestine and Israel, it has
opened the door for dialogue on the most complex issues, on which significant
progress has been achieved, and has established an important understanding of
the true
scope
of peace, and the spiritual and emotional sentiments attached to it. B is vital
to conclude an agreement, which will lay down the cornerstone for a lasting
peace. In our view, there is tangible and clear progress with regards to the
positions and claims of each party, as well as their capability to fulfill this
mission.
We are confident that the continuation of negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, and contacts on all levels, are the proper and responsible way to reach the desired objective of establishing a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. We confidently look forward to the second round of negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, with continued U. S. sponsorship. Time has bestowed to all parties an historic opportunity to put in place a solid foundation for peace.
We reaffirm our full support for the Palestinian
people for self‑determination on their land, and for the establishment of
an independent Palestinian state with the Holy Quds as its capital. There is no
sovereignty possible on the Holy Quds except that of the Palestinian State, in
order to solidify the pillars of peace and security in the region. We expect
the State of Israel to understand this fact, which means that the sovereignty
of Palestine on the Holy Quds would allow Israelis full freedom of access to
worship and conduct their rituals in peace.
We
strongly support the position of the Arab Republic of Syria concerning
restoration of its land to the line of June 4, 1967. We encourage Israel to
resume negotiations on this important track, in accordance with legitimate
international principles and resolutions, particularly Security Council
resolutions, 242 and 338, and the principle of land for peace. Israel should
not feel exposed to security threats in the future because with a peace, which
is based on these principles, whether it is with Syria, Palestine, Lebanon or
any other Arab neighbour shall build an effective relationship and partnership
serving mutual benefits and interests. This, by itself, is one of the most
important guarantees of security and stability, based on economic development
within the context of globalisation.
Mr. President,
Despite
all the serious international and regional efforts to alleviate the suffering
of the people of Iraq, the general situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate
as a result of the economic embargo imposed for the last 10 years. Therefore,
we cannot now but call for the establishment of a mechanism to end the siege
and to lift the embargo, which doubtlessly has done great harm to the people of
Iraq.
Despite
the fact that the regime of sanctions was intended as a political mechanism to
guarantee that governments implement their commitments in accordance with UN
resolutions, this mechanism has now became a weapon that has harmed the basic
rights of people and society. This no doubt contradicts the letter and spirit
of the International Declaration of Human Rights. We call on the Security
Council to adopt new policies and effective mechanisms that will relieve the
suffering imposed on states such as Iraq, Libya and the Sudan. The Security
Council with its responsibilities defined by the Charter, should without doubt
play a positive and unifying role, to maintain security and stability, under
international circumstances, which aim to develop a new vision for economic
globalisation.
The
mechanisms available to the Security Council with regard to Iraq are no longer
positive tools. UN inspectors have exerted substantial efforts to eliminate
weapons of mass destruction, and indeed destroyed known Iraqi weapons. This
could be sufficient to review once again how to end this
tragedy, and to establish new mechanisms to enable the Security Council to
continue monitoring Iraq's implementation of relevant UN resolutions, alongside
the lifting of economic sanctions. We do not believe it is justified to punish
a population on simply fear and suspicion. The Security Council should protect
the Iraqi people from the deterioration of the human environment. The United
Nations has an historical responsibility to cooperate with Iraq in order to minimise
the widespread suffering that may befall the people of Iraq in the future. We
look forward to Iraq cooperating in a positive manner to clarify the fate of
the Kuwaitis who remain captives of the unknown inside Iraq, and their fate
still undetermined.
Mr. President,
We
highly value the efforts of the Secretary General of the United Nations in
preparing his annual report. It is important to be willing to adopt a new
vision for the restructuring of the United Nations, particularly the Security
Council as its principal tool, with primary responsibility for maintaining
international peace and security. We should review the expansion of Security
Council membership to reflect a fair representation, as well as to review
United Nations activities in regions of conflict and tension; without interference
in internal affairs. We fear the United Nations may become a direct participant
in regional conflicts that will precipitate financial and moral obligations
that it would be unable to fulfill. We have emphasized in the past the
importance of the international collaboration which the Untied Nations can
foster in support of regional organizations, to achieve peace and development.
Mr. President,
The
problems of the African continent have been aggravated, and it has become
really important to search for the cause of these problems. It is incumbent
upon the international community to work together and redouble its efforts in a
positive and effective manner to confront the political, social and the
problems and the exacerbating health problems. The United Nations should put
forward a comprehensive plan, in which all states should participate and
contribute, for the development of Africa; instead of fighting over control of
its resources.
Mr. President,
We
are facing real challenges that we must be prepared to confront with courage,
if we were to focus on all aspects of development. We need a new century and
new millennium marked by a healthy balance between material values and
mankind's heritage of moral and spiritual values. We need a world where the
strong feels compassion for the weak. We need a working programme for the
betterment of living standards of all people in need, wherever they may be.
Thank you, Mr.
President.