DRAFT
OF THE SPEECH OF THE It is a great honor for me to address the 58th General Assembly of the United Nations, presided over by the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs of Santa Lucia, Mr. Julian Robert Hunte, whom I congratulate on his election. I speak to you
today as the Prime Minister of a democratic, free and prosperous
country. For Spaniards, liberty and the rule of law are two precious
achievements, allowing us to make progress. With our efforts, we
have become a prosperous, stable and reliable country. These achievements
define our framework of harmonious coexistence, in which there is
space for all of us; we always bear in mind that the rights of the
individual can never be sacrificed to the rights of groups. Hence our commitment
to security, the reconstruction of Iraq and giving sovereignty back
to its people. Let us not waste our efforts, nor revisit past disputes.
The success of these tasks in Iraq will be a success for the whole
international community. A second and subsequent agreement on civilian administration of Iraqi resources and public services to the population would thus be easy to obtain. I mean a civilian and joint Administration, run by the UN co-shared with the new leaders representing the peaceful and pluralist Iraq. Mr. President, Terrorists and states violating international law threaten that which we hold dearest: our lives and our liberty. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction may make them even more lethal. I firmly believe
that the commitment and true cooperation of all States will bring
us victory over terror. - We must continue to work to produce a general list of terrorist organizations. We must call a spade a spade, and not provide moral alibis to killers. - We must work hard in our priority areas. Let us block the terrorists' sources of financing, and prevent their access to weapons of mass destruction. The nuclear, chemical and biological disarmament treaties must be put to use for this purpose. To prevent and intercept illegal trafficking in these weapons, a group of countries has implemented the Counter- Proliferation Security Initiative. Our first meeting was held in Madrid last June. You are invited to join us. - We must lend an ear to the victims of terrorism. Three reasons make it imperative to do so: to restore the truth, to reinstate dignity and to pay tribute to the memory of the deceased. Terrorists have sometimes made use of public platforms, therefore we are morally obliged to provide victims with an institutional forum where they may speak out. Let us unmask the terrorists, and listen to their victims. Mr. President, It has been rightly said that the United Nations was not founded to lead the world to paradise but to prevent it from falling into the abyss. There is no such thing as paradise on earth. It is our efforts for the sake of a safer and freer world that keep us from the abyss and enable this Organization to bring to life its high ideals. Let us not spare those efforts. Thank you very
much. |