Address by
Joschka Fischer
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany
57th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York, 14 September 2002
Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me first of all wish you every success, Mr. President, in your responsible
office. We are delighted, Foreign Minister Kavan, that, with you a representative
of our Czech neighbors will preside over the General Assembly this year. I also
express my sincere thanks to the outgoing President. I endorse the statement
of the Danish EU Presidency.
Mr. President,
Exactly one year ago, the world was shaken by the terror of 11 September, which
was disdainful of human life. Civilian aircraft were transformed into guided
missiles whose deployment was planned without any regard for human life. Their
devastating consequences destroyed families, shattered hopes, tore people apart,
regardless of their age, gender or religious affiliation. Three days ago we
remembered the victims in a moving ceremony here in New York. We have not forgotten
the images of 11 September. We have not recovered from the shock. Our solidarity
with the US is unbroken. We understand our American friends. Just like them,
we are not prepared to live under the Sword of Damocles that terrorism represents.
The murderous attack on the people and the Administration of the United States
was also an attack on all open societies. Countless states mourn countrymen
among the thousands of victims in the World Trade Center. The attack could have
struck any open society - but the terrorists consciously chose the US as a symbol
of freedom and democracy.
We know that the new totalitarian challenge is also directed at us all. Since
11 September 2001 the community of nations thus has to look at the question
of peace and security at the dawn of the 21st century from a whole new angle.
We will not be able to negotiate with terrorists like Osama bin Laden. His
aim is to kill as many innocent people as possible to thus create a maximum
degree of terror and fear. If these terrorists succeed in acquiring weapons
that are yet more horrific, they will deploy these against us all without hesitation.
Therefore we have to work together in the international coalition against terrorism
to overcome and destroy this international terrorist network. The highly dangerous
combination of religious hatred, smoldering regional conflicts, terrorist attacks
and the danger of the deployment of weapons of mass destruction has to be prevented
at any price.
But above all else we must not forget: on the one hand, terrorism has to be
resolutely fought by the military and police. On the other hand, we need to
solve the political and social conflicts quite rightly emphasized in the Millennium
Declaration as these form the breeding ground for the emergence of terrorism.
Opting for one approach and neglecting the other risks failure.
Our common goal is for the people in our countries to be able to live in safety,
freedom and without want. To achieve this, we need a system of global cooperative
security. A system that, unlike the former bipolarity of the Cold War, includes
all levels of global policy relevant to security: the relations between great
powers and their alliances, as well as the potential danger of regional crises
and the threat posed by asymmetric conflicts. For one thing is clearer than
ever after 11 September: terrorism threatens world peace just as much as civil
war and regional conflicts. Such a system must therefore not be "toothless"
but must function in all three fields through reliable verification systems
and enforceable sanctions mechanisms.
I am convinced that developing such a comprehensive system of global cooperative
security will be our central political task for the 21st century.
This problem can only be solved through multilateralism, that is, if nations
work together. Terrorism does not stop at these borders and shaping globalization
is a task that governments can no longer tackle alone. Thus the United Nations
has a major role to play in developing this security system. It is the most
important forum for establishing global rules. No other organization has a comparable
legitimacy and credibility. Decisively strengthening its ability to act by continuing
the reform course of the Secretary-General is therefore a central focus of German
foreign policy.
Mr. President,
The development in Iraq fills us with grave concern. Saddam Hussein's regime
is a brutal dictatorship. Under his leadership, Iraq has attacked its neighbors
Iran and Kuwait, fired missiles at Israel and used poison gas against Iran and
its own Kurd population. The regime is horrendous for the Iraqi people and a
risk for the region. For this reason an effective containment policy and reliable
military control of the no-fly zones have been implemented, and a strict sanctions
regime introduced against Iraq since the Gulf War.
The regime in Baghdad must not own or produce means of mass destruction and
delivery systems. Despite binding obligations from the Security Council, Saddam
Hussein refuses to provide credible and verifiable answers to the pressing questions
posed by the community of nations regarding his weapons of mass destruction.
Therefore the United Nations has to not only maintain the pressure on the Iraqi
Government, but also intensify it.
We welcome the fact that President Bush in his most recent speech, turned towards
the Security Council. Even if it becomes very difficult, we have to do everything
to find a diplomatic solution.
The Security Council and the member states have to make unequivocally clear
to Baghdad that the unrestricted and unconditioned re-admission of the weapons
inspectors in the only way to avert a great tragedy for Iraq and the whole region.
The Iraqi Government has to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions
in their entirety and without delay.
We do not want however any automatism leading to the use of military force.
The fight against international terrorism remains highly dangerous. We have
not yet managed to fully stabilize Afghanistan. Explosive regional conflicts
in Kashmir, in the Middle East and in the Caucasus have to be solved or at least
effectively contained.
The following central questions arise for us: have all economic and political
means of pressure been truly exhausted? To what consequences would military
intervention lead? What would this mean for regional stability? What effect
would it have on the Middle East conflict? Are there new and definite findings
and facts? Does the threat assessment justify taking a very high risk - namely,
the responsibility for peace and stability in the entire region, and what is
more for years or even decades? Would this meet with consent amongst the Arab
neighbors? What consequence would this have for the continuation of the global
coalition against terrorism? In the face of these open questions we are full
of deep skepticism regarding military action and therefore remain with our approach.
Allow me to pose the further question whether a peace solution in the Middle
East could not contribute considerably more to the establishment of regional
stability, to the successful fight against terrorism and to the effective control
and disarmament of weapons of mass destruction. And in this way would the regime
in Baghdad not be isolated much more effectually thus generating political pressure
for change? And would this cooperative approach to find a new order for the
region not be a more promising way to bring democracy to the Middle East, which
would be supported by the regional powers?
Mr. President,
Nowhere is the connection between terrorism and regional conflicts more obvious
than in the near and Middle East. The breakthrough to peace is therefore of
paramount importance in this region of the world. The consensus amongst the
international community of nations on the Middle East question is now greater
than ever. We must all pull together to achieve the goal envisaged by President
Bush for 2005, that two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine, can live
as neighbors within secure and recognized borders. The European Union has devised
a road map to achieve this goal. An early conference on the Middle East could
help to build bridges and accelerate the process. Together with our EU partners,
we are ready to make a considerable contribution here.
A comprehensive peace in the Middle East also has to include Lebanon and Syria.
Saudi Arabia's significant initiative contains the assurance, that the Arab
world is then also ready to fully normalize its relations with Israel.
Mr. President,
Without a just and lasting solution to the regional conflicts, we will not
dry up the recruitment base for terrorists and thus be able to successfully
counter the asymmetric threat. Afghanistan is an obvious example here. The Taliban
system has collapsed there and the al Qaida network has largely been destroyed.
We are still a long way from being able to call the situation in the country
stable and secure, but progress can be noted. The implementation of the Bonn
Conference began with the formation of a legitimized Interim Administration.
The process that was launched on the Petersburg was taken to the next level
with the Emergency Loya Jirga in June. For the first time in years, the Afghan
people have the chance to lead a life in human dignity based on self-determination.
However, the people in Afghanistan will only grow in courage when they see and
feel that the international community is also standing by its pledges for the
reconstruction of their country. The commitments of the donor countries have
to materialize as concrete projects.
Mr. President,
A system of global cooperative security has to be based on a comprehensive
security concept. This has to embrace not only military security but also the
economy, human rights, democracy and culture. "To achieve a safer world,
we must create a better world." This is how President Bush summed it up
in his impressive speech to the German Bundestag last May. Shaping cooperative
global security therefore also means shaping a new global economic order. It
has to take account of the needs of all - the developing and the developed world
alike. Resources have to be more fairly distributed; poorer countries have to
be able to participate in international trade and the opportunities of globalization.
This necessitates free market access for all as well as the realization of economic
and political freedoms and a just and reliable legal framework.
We must not close our eyes to the problems of Africa in particular. The food
situation in the south of the continent is a particular source of concern. Countless
people are going hungry. Comprehensive assistance is needed here. In Zimbabwe,
however, the former granary of Africa, a wholly irresponsible policy is the
reason for the difficult situation in the country. In Zimbabwe, hunger is not
only the result of failed harvests or droughts, but has been caused essentially
by self-destructive governance - a policy that is keeping a hold on power through
the suffering of its people and relies upon the fact that humanitarian conscience
and the readiness to assume responsibility of the international community will
reduce the consequences. We must hold this policy against the benchmarks defined
by Africa itself in the NEPAD framework.
Climate and energy policy is not least a key component of a new global economic
order. The Kyoto Protocol can be seen as a milestone in global climate protection.
I am delighted that several countries have recently announced plans to ratify
the Protocol and hope this happens as soon as possible so that it can enter
into force. In the long term, a sensible energy policy - and that means above
all the promotion of renewable energy sources and economical energy consumption
- is the best solution to the climate problem. Therefore work has to start today.
Let us not forget: difficult economic and ecological problems with their social
and humanitarian repercussions will increasingly endanger stability and security,
too.
Mr. President,
The realization of human rights has to be one of the pillars of a global security
system. All efforts to secure peace will fail if human rights are not protected
and made reality. We need a binding global set of values to prevent and overcome
conflicts that emerge through inequality, injustice and the deprivation of freedom.
Here, too, states are called upon to play a decisive, active role. Moreover
we have to be careful today that the basic human rights are not annulled under
the pretext of combating terrorism. No one has the right to anti-terrorism "bonus".
Mr. President,
Cooperative global security will have to measure up to the binding legal framework
in which it is embedded. It is imperative for the globalization processes to
be flanked by a growing set of international rules because international law
and the rule of law constitute the indispensable foundations for peaceful and
ordered coexistence. That is why the establishment of the International Criminal
Court is so important to us. Its Statute entered into force on 1 July; Germany,
along with all other members of the EU, is among the 79 states to have ratified
it. The Assembly of States Parties gave the green light this week for the establishment
of the Court. Next spring we will celebrate it's opening in The Hague. The Criminal
Court is now to start work as soon as possible and as efficiently as possible.
But it must not be weakened in its work from the outset.
Mr. President,
My country is applying for a non-permanent seat in the Security Council for
the period 2003/2004. Germany wants to play an active role in developing the
international security system within the United Nations that I have outlined.
I would ask you all for your vote in the election on 27 September.
Mr. President,
To close let me express my best wishes to the newest members of the UN family.
Since 10 September, our neighbor Switzerland has been a member state of this
organization. I am particularly delighted today to be able to welcome this old
European nation, which has long been associated with the United Nations in so
many ways as a full member of the General Assembly.
In a few days, the 191st member will join our ranks. East Timor is a young country,
which owes much to the United Nations. Its emergence is a success story for
our organization and shows just how effective global consensus can be in securing
peace and building state structures. We wish our friends in East Timor a successful
and happy future and look forward to working with them in the United Nations.
Thank you very much.