STATEMENT BY H.E. Mr.
NOR NAMHONG
SENIOR MINISTER, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AT THE 57TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
NEW YORK, 18 SEPTEMBER, 2002
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Distinguished Delegates,
1. At the outset, I wish to join other distinguished delegates to congratulate
you, Mr. President, for being elected as the President of the 57th Session of
the UN General Assembly. With your able leadership, we are fully confident that
the work of this General Assembly will further advance the cause of international
cooperation in the interest of humanity.
2. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Swiss Confederation for
becoming the 190th member of our World Organization. I am also very pleased to
express our warm welcome to the Democratic Republic of East Timor which will very
soon join this global organization.
3. I believe that we are living in a fast-changing- and fragile world today, a
world of uncertainties and turbulences which has been seriously threatened by
terrorism, the negative sides of globalization, the rising effects of global warming
and the impact of drastic climatic change. The effects of these rising forces
underline our common vulnerability and a sense of urgency for a more effective
sustainable development in the world. Without a functional sustainable development
in the world, the survival of humanity will be at stake. Therefore, I believe
that the common challenge we face today is perhaps the lack of collective wisdom
and political will to make our world a better place for all, including the future
generations, living on this planet.
4. The recent World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg rightly
discussed the fundamental issue confronting humanity: climate change, global sustainable
development and poverty. The dramatic appeal made by many leaders of the world
during this meeting must be highly regarded as an important message of the Summit
to save the Earth from being further destroyed and also to reverse the global
trends of widening development gaps, increasing poverty and environmental destruction.
While key problems were discussed, the priority issues of poverty eradication
and environmental preservation were at the center of the Earth Summit. On the
environment, I believe that the entire humanity is now confronting serious global
warming, all-time floods, and the increasing disastrous effects of the greenhouse
gases. This is no longer just a scientific theory, but a living reality. For the
first time this year, we have experienced mega-floods and serious droughts across
continents, from Asia to Europe, from Africa to South America. This year's "floods
of the century" have far-reaching destruction, costing billions of dollars.
We must seek to reverse these negative trends forthe survival of humanity. In
this regard, I think that we all should welcome and strongly support the bold
message of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
5. I also wish to recall the Millennium Declaration in 2000 which centered on
fighting poverty, combating HIV/Aids, ensuring sustainable development, and forging
a common partnership for development. Both the Earth and the Millennium Summits
share the ultimate goal of securing the survival of humanity on the one hand and
fighting poverty and environmental destruction, on the other. In the same vein,
the UN Conference on "Financing Development" in Monterrey, Mexico, in
March this year called for more assistance for the least developing countries
(LDCs), which was a clear message to the developed nations. Without adequate resources,
it would be difficult for the LDCs to move out of the vicious cycles of poverty
and catch up with the current process of globalization. It is not a question of
generosity, but it is a question of sharing the wealth of the world, in which
we all are living, in the most equitable way.
Mr. President,
6. As the world continues to be shaped by the forces of globalization, we are
witnessing the growing disparities and development gaps between the haves and
have-hots. As a double-edged sword, globalization could either help propel the
whole humanity to greater prosperity or further marginalize the poor throughout
the world. I believe that reducing poverty could to some extent contribute to
the fight against terrorism and effectively manage the growth of transnational
issues, such as human trafficking and the prevalent HIV/Aids epidemic.
7. In this context, the Cambodian government under the leadership of Prime Minister
Samdech Hun Sen has set the fight against poverty as a top priority for the government's
strategy. In addition, human rights and democracy in Cambodia have been further
strengthened. In February this year, Cambodia for the first time organized free
and fair local elections as part of its decentralization policy and strengthening
grassroots democracy. Moreover, Cambodia remains committed to contribute actively
toward the realization of ASEAN integration, in order for ASEAN to move forward
in a collective spirit and to play its constructive role in deepening East Asia
cooperation as a whole. In this regard, the forthcoming Greater Mekong Subregion
(GMS) and ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh in early November this year will be an important
occasion for the ASEAN Leaders to further promote ASEAN integration and build
closer cooperation in East Asia.
8. On regional issues that concern the whole international community, I wish to
raise the Middle East conflict first. I believe that the international community
has to help find a viable solution which could bring about a lasting peace to
the region. Violence is not a solution in whatever form. On the contrary, violence
appeals more violence. The Palestinian people have an inalienable right to dispose
its own state living in peace with Israel. I think that both sides must have the
wisdom to understand that they are condemned to live side by side forever. Therefore,
it is better for both sides to remain at peace with each other than to engage
in war. Second, with regard to the Iraqi situation, Cambodia believes that the
acceptance by Iraq for the return of the UN weapons inspectors is an important
step which will certainly contribute to diffuse the situation in the region. Third,
on the Kashmir problem, I believe that we need to avoid the escalation of this
conflict. If not properly managed, the Kashmir conflict could seriously escalate
and thus threaten regional peace and security, not only in South Asia but also
in Southeast Asia. We must do what we can to ensure that the terrorists would
not seize the opportunity of this conflict to further complicate the present situation.
9. On a more optimistic note, I believe that the recent positive developments
in the Korean peninsula-especially the resumption of North-South dialogue and
the historic visit of Japanese PM Koizumi to Pyongyang-are considered to be a
significant milestone. The renewal of political dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang
and the landmark diplomatic breakthrough between Japan and North Korea are very
much encouraging for the region. In this context, Cambodia strongly supports the
resumption of North-South dialogue as a follow-up meeting to the Inter-Korea Summit
in 2000, as well as the normalization of bilateral relations between Tokyo and
Pyongyang, as a necessary step toward tension reduction, confidence building,
and moving ahead with the normalization of the situation in the Korean peninsula.
Mr. President,
10. As far as the fight against terrorism is concerned, Cambodia has signed and
is in the process of acceding to all conventions related to the combat against
terrorism. ASEAN, for its part, has been forceful and decisive in coming up with
a number of initiatives and measures. The ASEAN Leaders at their 7th Summit in
Brunei in November 2001 adopted the "ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to
Counter Terrorism." In addition, there have been a number of agreements and
specific action plans that ASEAN and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) have been
put in place in order to tackle the threats of terrorism in this region. Indonesia,
Malaysia and the Philippines, on the other hand, signed an agreement on sharing
information and intelligence to combat terrorism, in which Cambodia had acceded
to it. In July this year, ASEAN and the United States signed an anti-terrorism
declaration as a framework for more cooperation to prevent and combat global terrorism.
11. Now, I wish to share with you the issue reforming the United Nations, particularly
the UN Security Council, which I believe that we should not just ignore it or
take a status quo approach. I believe that the UN cannot continue to operate in
the current modus operandi, if we wanted to further improve this important global
institution in order to truly reflect the twenty-first century's needs and political
realities of the world today, which should be amended as early as possible. Any
attempt to further delay the UN reform, in my view, will only undermine the credibility
of this universal institution. Accordingly, I wish to reiterate Cambodia's call
for an expansion of the UN Security Council to include other new members. In this
regard, Cambodia would support Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany and India
as the new permanent members of the UN Security Council, taking into consideration
of the increasing political and economic role of these countries in world affairs.
Cambodia believes that the current members of the UN Security Council should be
more willing to compromise and support such a call as the only way to effectively
support the UN reform.
12. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that peace, stability and poverty
are all inter-related and affected all peoples and nations on this planet. In
this respect, it is essential that we must continue to work together in a spirit
of building a caring community of nations where the development gap between the
developed and developing countries is reduced, where the threat of terrorism is
totally eliminated, where the menace of HIV/AIDS pandemic is receded, where poverty
is being alleviated, and where global warming is kept in check. This can only
be made possible through building better cooperation and closer partnership; fostering
more mutual respect; cultivating greater tolerance; and enhancing a greater spirit
of a true United Nations for all. I strongly believe that we can do it through
the collective will and strong determination, as well as with greater ethics and
moral responsibility that would help us make a better world for all peoples in
the twenty-first century.