Official Records
General Assembly
Fifty-fifth session
3rd plenary meeting
Wednesday, 6 September 2000, 9 a.m.
New York
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Co-Chairperson: Ms. Tarja Halonen ………………. Co-Chairperson: Mr. Sam Nujoma …………………. |
(President of the Republic of Finland) (President of the Republic of Namibia) |
The meeting was called to order at 9.25 a.m.
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Item 61 (b) of the provisional agenda*
The Millennium Assembly of the United Nations
The Millennium Summit of the United Nations
First meeting of the Summit
The Co-Chairperson (Finland): I declare open the Millennium Summit of the United Nations.
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Addresses on the occasion of the Summit
The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States of America.
President Clinton: Let me begin by saying it is a great honour to have this unprecedented gathering of world leaders in the United States. We come together not just at a remarkable moment on the calendar, but at the dawn of a new era in human affairs, when globalization and the revolution in information technology have brought us closer together than ever before. To an extent unimaginable just a few years ago, we reach across geographical and cultural divides. We know what is going on in each other’s countries. We share experiences, triumphs, tragedies, aspirations. Our growing interdependence includes the opportunity to explore and reap the benefits of the far frontiers of science and the increasingly interconnected economy. And as the Secretary-General just reminded us, it also includes shared responsibilities: to free humanity from poverty, disease, environmental destruction and war. That responsibility in turn requires us to make sure the United Nations is up to the job.
Fifty-five years ago the United Nations was formed “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. Today there are more people in this room with the power to achieve that goal than have ever been gathered in one place. We find today fewer wars between nations, but more wars within them. Such internal conflicts, often driven by ethnic and religious differences, took 5 million lives in the last decade — most of them completely innocent victims.
These conflicts present us with a stark challenge. Are they part of the scourge the United Nations was established to prevent? If so, we must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, but still find a way to protect people as well as borders.
The last century taught us that there are times when the international community must take a side — not merely stand between the sides or on the sidelines. We faced such a test — and met it — when Mr. Miloseviæ tried to close the last century with a final chapter of ethnic cleansing and slaughter. We have faced such a test for 10 years in Iraq, where the United Nations has approved a fair blueprint spelling out what must be done. It is consistent with our resolutions and our values, and it must be enforced. We face another test today in Burma, where — in defiance of repeated United Nations resolutions — a brave and popular leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, once again has been confined, with her supporters imprisoned and her country in distress.
But most conflicts and disputes are not so clear-cut. Legitimate grievances and aspirations are piled high on both sides. Here there is no alternative to principled compromise in giving up old grudges in order to get on with life.
Right now, from the Middle East to Burundi to the Congo to South Asia, leaders are facing this kind of choice between confrontation and compromise. Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Barak are with us here today. They have promised to resolve the final differences between them this year, finally completing the Oslo process embodied in the Declaration of Principles signed seven years ago this month at the White House.
To those who have supported the right of Israel to live in security and peace, and to those who have championed the Palestinian cause these many years — let me say to all of you, they need your support now more than ever to take the hard risks for peace. They have the chance to do it, but like all life’s chances, it is fleeting and about to pass. There is not a moment to lose.
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The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the Republic of Yemen.
President Saleh (spoke in Arabic): …
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International efforts must be coordinated to fight terrorism in all its forms and irrespective of its origins. Terrorism is an international phenomenon. However, we should distinguish between the legitimate struggle of peoples for their freedom and independence, since many peoples do not enjoy freedom and independence, such as the people of Palestine, who continue to suffer under Israeli occupation and despite the universal support for their legitimate cause. Just and comprehensive peace in our region is peace for all, and that cannot be achieved without complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories which were occupied in 1967 in the Syrian Golan and Palestine, and the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right to establish its independent State on its land with Al-Quds al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital according to the United Nations resolutions, especially Security Council resolution 242 (1967) and resolution 338 (1973). We must emphasize that the region of the Middle East must be free from weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons. While we respect the resolutions of international legitimacy, we call for putting an end to the disastrous situation of the Iraqi people and the need to expedite the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iraq for over 10 years. Those sanctions are now unwarranted.
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The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Acting Head of Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Crown Prince Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): …
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The Charter urges the practice of tolerance and coexistence as good neighbours, and I ask: How far are we from achieving these objectives? Tolerance cannot go hand in hand with aggression and occupation. There has been an ongoing conflict over the past 50 years, exemplified in the desire of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and to assure the return of the holy places in Al-Quds Al-Sharif to Palestinian sovereignty, which has been infringed upon and continues to be violated. This conflict began as a result of a decision by the United Nations, and it continues because of the failure to implement the resolutions of the Security Council.
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The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Ehud Barak, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the State of Israel.
Mr. Barak (Israel): Three millenniums ago in Jerusalem, the prophets Isaiah and Micah kindled the torch of harmony and justice among nations, and said:
Towards Jerusalem, abode of God’s temple, Jews around the world have turned in prayer three times each day for 2,000 years, repeating the vow of their exiled ancestors:
Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, now calls for a peace of honour, of courage and of brotherhood. We recognize that Jerusalem is also sacred to Muslims and Christians the world over and is cherished by our Palestinian neighbours. A true peace will reflect all these bonds. Jerusalem will remain united and open to all who love it.
The opportunity for peace in the Middle East is now at hand, and must not be missed. We envision a peace that will preserve the vital interests and the dignity of all sides. But no side can achieve 100 per cent of its dreams if we are to succeed. My Government has shown, in negotiations with Syria and with the Palestinians, as well as in our pullout from Lebanon, that it can make painful decisions for the sake of peace. It remains to be seen whether our counterparts are also capable of rising to the magnitude of the hour.
The States Members of the United Nations can lend a pivotal hand by encouraging the difficult process of reconciliation and by opposing any unilateral measures, which might well spark a renewed cycle of violence and obliterate the prospects of peace.
I call out to Chairman Arafat to join me in this historic passage. We are at the Rubicon, and no one of us can cross it alone. History will judge what we do in the next days and weeks. Were we courageous and wise enough to guide our region across the deep river of mistrust into a new land of reconciliation? Or did we shrink back at the water’s edge, resigned to lie in wait for the rising tide of bloodshed and grief?
Fifty years ago, it took the shock of a Second World War and the worst genocide to bring world leaders to form the United Nations. In the name of the State of Israel, I commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for so masterfully conceiving this Summit, which powerfully declares our potential for solidarity. More than ever, the borders of faith and culture have receded, showing us just how close we are in our hopes and fears, how little time each of us has on this planet, and how much we have yet to repair and heal. If we are brave enough to manifest the simple but profound truth that the plight of individuals anywhere is the responsibility of leaders everywhere, we will be much closer to fulfilling those prophetic visions proclaimed long ago in Jerusalem.
May this historic meeting be a harbinger of hope for all humanity. May we muster the inspiration and the fortitude to bequeath to our children a better world, a brighter future, a more secure life. It is in our hands.
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The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and elected President of the Palestinian Authority.
Mr. Arafat (Palestine) (spoke in Arabic): I am pleased and honoured to participate today as the representative of Palestine and of the Palestinian people on this great occasion of special importance for us, the Palestinians.
The end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third millennium, which we celebrate today, is marked by the birth of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago, in Bethlehem, Palestine.
We meet today at United Nations Headquarters to work to enhance the United Nations prestige. The United Nations has been a contemporary of the question of Palestine since its inception, and still remains responsible for shaping and achieving a just solution to that issue. In addition, the international community that you, leaders of the world, represent is still tenaciously holding onto its global vision for the future, which we shall elaborate together through this Summit. This vision relies on the specific just principle of asserting the right of peoples under foreign occupation to self-determination.
On this basis, Palestinian people everywhere look out to you from their homeland, from refugee camps and from the Diaspora to send out a collective cry from the depth of the pain and lengthy suffering that has lasted for 52 years. This takes place while we confront Israeli attempts at the Judaization of Jerusalem, land confiscation, the building of illegal Israeli settlements, the siege imposed upon Bethlehem, and the lack of honest and accurate implementation of the agreements signed by Israel.
Let the Millennium Summit be the beginning of the end of the gravest and most difficult refugee tragedy in the world. May it be the beginning of the end of the historical oppression that befell our people, and signal a new life for the Palestinian people. May the Summit prove to be a new beginning for all the peoples of the Middle East, so that a just and comprehensive peace may reign there. May it be a promising beacon of hope for the region, and especially for its children and coming generations.
The Palestinian people and its leadership have worked in earnest towards the fulfilment of the promise to achieve the peace of the brave. We have made a strategic decision to commit ourselves to the peace process and have made significant and painful concessions in order to arrive at a reasonable compromise acceptable to both sides. We have accepted a Palestinian State on less than a quarter of the historical territory of Palestine.
As for Holy Jerusalem, the cradle of Christianity and the site of Prophet Muhammad’s ascension to Heaven, we have agreed to share it and to eliminate barriers and borders there — which is in contrast to attempts at monopolizing it — as a response to exclusivity and rejection of our rights. At the same time, we remain committed to our national rights over East Jerusalem, the capital of our State and the shelter of our Sacred Sites, as well as our rights on the Christian and Islamic Holy Sites, while maintaining that the City should be accessible to all and open onto West Jerusalem.
We shall continue to do our utmost during the short upcoming period to arrive at a final settlement between Palestine and Israel. We invite the Israeli Government to do likewise. We shall cooperate fully with the two sponsors of the peace process — the United States and the Russian Federation — as well as with the Arab and European countries, the Islamic States, China, Japan, the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, and our other friends. We thank them all for the efforts they have exerted on all levels, and at the Camp David summit. We thank President Clinton for his good offices and highly appreciate his great efforts, and we are grateful for what is happening now in cooperation with President Mubarak, President Chirac and with friendly Arab and international leaders.
As you well know, the sides participating in the peace process have agreed to reach a final settlement by 13 September of this year. You are also well aware that the five-year interim period expired on 4 May 1999. World leaders then requested that we postpone any decision relating to a declaration of our statehood until the holding of Israeli elections. These facts oblige us to take certain steps to safeguard the rights of our people, while acting in accordance with the decisions taken by our leadership and our legal institutions concerning the need to create the State of Palestine by that September date.
At the same time, some of our friends and brothers consider that reaching a final settlement requires allowing an additional chance for these efforts to succeed, though this may prove to be the last chance for the present peace process. The Palestinian Central Council will decide on this matter within the next few days, taking into account United Nations resolutions and our people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of its independent State. We shall be cooperating with the United Nations and the other parties involved at present in the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. We are hopeful that we can obtain the collective positive support of the members of the Council and of the General Assembly for our cause, since you have already agreed to resolution 181 (1947) on two States, one State being Palestinian Arab, as well as for lifting the blockade imposed on the brotherly Iraqi people.
I would like sincerely to express my heartfelt thanks to you and to the Secretary-General, on behalf of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation, for your support and solidarity with us, a crucial factor for us as we approach the moment of freedom, justice and peace.
May peace be upon you all.
The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Farouk Al-Shara’, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Mr. Al-Shara’ (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): …
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On another front, this Millennium Summit cannot minimize the importance of two primordial issues. Without a solution to those two issues, no form of genuine peace can be realized. The first is the elimination of foreign occupation and the return of refugees to their homes, the rejection of any pretext under the banner of either religion or security to usurp the lands of others by force. That requires an end to Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan and Arab Jerusalem to the line of 4 June 1967.
The second issue is the eradication of nuclear weapons and the serious endeavour to realize the universality of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) without making an exception for any State. The foremost requirement in this regard is to transform the Middle East into a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons. The need of peoples everywhere for a world free of nuclear weapons is matched in importance only by their need for a world free of poverty, disease and violence. The role of the United Nations in all the fundamental issues faced by the Millennium Summit remains important, particularly if we succeed in comprehensively reforming its structure to render it more democratic and effective, and more able to implement its resolutions without double standards or twisted interpretations.
In this Millennium Summit, in confronting the myriad problems facing the international community in the new century, it is clear to us all that their solution cannot be achieved by unilateral efforts. That requires a collective effort where reason prevails over hotheadedness, where courage prevails over megalomania.
It is high time for us all to realize that the era of brute force is past, that injustice cannot solidify the rights of aggressors, however many years have passed. The experience of South Africa in ending apartheid some years ago and the experience in southern Lebanon in rolling back Israeli occupation some months ago unambiguously show that had reason prevailed from the beginning of the dispute, we would have reached the same result but with fewer victims, in a shorter time, and with less suffering for both sides. At any rate, our confidence in the abilities of peoples is great. We are confident that their aspiration to justice, peace and equality among all will usher in this new century the auspicious prospect of achieving the interests and security of all humankind.
May peace be with you.
The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Ali bin Faisal Al-Said, Minister of National Heritage and Culture, Special Representative of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman.
Mr. Al-Said (Oman) (spoke in Arabic): …
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Peace has been a deep-seated principle of the Sultanate of Oman since the very beginning of its current renaissance. The Sultanate believes in a comprehensive peace, and hopes that the time has now come for achieving peace and concord in the Middle East. Hence, we renew our appeal to the international community, particularly the two sponsors of the peace process and the European Union, to help all the parties and guide them in the right direction, taking advantage of the progress made thus far to bring about a lasting regional peace that future generations will be able to enjoy.
We welcome the fact that Israel has responded to the will of the international community by withdrawing from southern Lebanon. That was a significant step in the right direction. We hope that the Israeli Government will follow a similar line of action on the Palestinian and the Syrian tracks by meeting its obligations and implementing all the agreements reached at Madrid, in accordance with the principle of land for peace and with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), so that full rights can be restored to those who legitimately possess them, so that regional peace and stability can be attained, and so that hostilities between Israel and neighbouring Arab countries can vanish forever. The region could thus experience a new era of cooperation and coexistence instead of hostility and war, and future generations will be able to live in harmony and peace.
We appeal to all the world’s nations without exception to work together for peace and security everywhere in the world, to avoid disastrous wars and to make possible a future in which love and brotherhood prevail among all the peoples of the world, enabling them to devote their effort and their talent to developing their nations in an environment of peace and tranquillity free from fear of war and from destructive weapons.
The meeting rose at 2.20 p.m.
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*A/55/150.
Document Type: Meeting record
Document Sources: General Assembly
Subject: Golan Heights, Palestine question
Publication Date: 06/09/2000