Mideast situation – GA general debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-sixth session

45th plenary meeting

Saturday, 10 November 2001, 3 p.m.

New York

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

Address by General Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

The President: The Assembly will now hear an address by the President and Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

General Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, was escorted into the General Assembly Hall.

  The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency General Pervez Musharraf, President and Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

 President Musharraf (Pakistan): …

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  We need to ask ourselves what really causes these extreme acts around the world. To my mind, it is unresolved political disputes: disputes in Bosnia, Kosovo, Palestine, Kashmir and other places. Unfortunately, all these disputes involve Muslims and, what is more sad, Muslims happen to be the victims in all of them. This fact tends to give a religious tinge to these otherwise political disputes. The lack of progress in resolving them has created in Muslims a sense of deprivation, hopelessness and powerlessness.

  The frustration grows even worse when disputes like those relating to Kashmir and Palestine, which have been the subject of Security Council resolutions, remain unsettled. The question then becomes, are the people asking for their rights in accordance with United Nations resolutions to be called terrorists, or are the countries refusing to implement United Nations resolutions perpetrators of State terrorism? In Kashmir, Indian occupation forces have killed over 75,000 Kashmiris, attributing these killings to foreign terrorists. It is time that India stopped such deceit. United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir must be implemented.

  Media images of the Palestinian child, Mohammed Al-Durra, were etched into the hearts and minds of people all over the world. It is perverse to regard the rape of Kashmiri women as a punishment inflicted in the course of war. The images of those moments when the World Trade Centre towers came down will remain definitive for all the agony, disbelief and loss that people suffer from acts of terror all over the world. All forms of terror must be condemned, prevented and fought against, but in condemning them the world must not trample upon the genuine rights, aspirations and urges of the people who are fighting for their liberation and are subjected to State terrorism.

  To fight the extremist, deprive him of his motivation. The extremist survives in an environment where millions suffer injustice and indignity. Deprive him of his support by giving all the peoples of the world peace, security, justice and dignity, regardless of faith, religion or creed.

  A just and honourable solution for the people of Kashmir and an end to the miseries of the people of Palestine are the major burning issues that have to be addressed vigorously, boldly, imaginatively and urgently. We must get to the root causes; cosmetic solutions will only make matters worse. Consider the analogy of a tree: terrorists are like so many leaves — take out some, and there will be plenty more, an unending growth. Terrorist networks are branches: prune a few, and there will be others, and further growth. The only way to do deal with them is to go for the roots. Eliminate the roots, and there will be no tree. The roots are the causes, which need to be addressed, tackled and eliminated, fairly, justly and honourably, so as to give people back their dignity, self-respect and honour.

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 The Acting President : I have great pleasure in welcoming the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Jamaica, The Right Honourable Percival James Patterson, and inviting him to address the General Assembly.

 Mr. Patterson (Jamaica): …

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  Jamaica is deeply concerned about the continuing cycle of violence and reprisal in the Middle East. Efforts to achieve a durable ceasefire have been thwarted at every turn. Numerous resolutions of the Security Council have been ignored. We recognize the positive efforts of some permanent members to influence a return to the peace process, but the Security Council should not be marginalized in these initiatives. Jamaica again urges the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to spare no effort in complying with agreements already reached. We call on both parties to remain engaged in the quest for a durable peace.

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 The Acting President : I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Hubert Védrine, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France.

 Mr. Védrine (France) (spoke in French ): …

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  This should be one more pressing reason for us all to find a solution to regional crises, particularly in the Middle East. Since 1982, France has called for the creation of a Palestinian State. Naturally, it would have to be viable, democratic and peaceful, and it should give credible undertakings as regards Israel’s security. Guarantees will be needed, yet the Palestinian State is not the problem; it is the solution for reasons based on rights, humanity and security. Such is the EU’s common stance today. This morning, before the Assembly, President Bush himself has made this his objective. It is the path of reason — the only path that can halt the murderous spiral of conflict between the two peoples.

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  Admittedly, responsibility for a lasting peace agreement lies first and foremost with the protagonists. Unless they make the move, no one else will be able to overcome their fears and resentment and put an end to the suffering of these two peoples. Yet, the increasing threat that this conflict poses to international peace and security requires that those who have the will and the means join forces in a push for peace, given that the main players are evidently unable to do so unaided.

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 The Acting President : I now give the floor to His Excellency Juli Minoves-Triquell, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Andorra.

 Mr. Minoves-Triquell (Andorra)(spoke in French ): …

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  Let us therefore ask ourselves what it is these terrorists want. In the videotape he released the day the American bombing began, their leader announced the following goals: first, the removal of American troops from Saudi Arabia; secondly, an end to the bombing of Iraq; and, finally, a resolution of the Palestinian problem.

  It is worthwhile to note that both the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia and the bombing of Iraq are the direct result of prior aggression. The international community has for decades sought a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, but a solution, if one is to be found, must come first and foremost from within Israel and Palestine. Their peace, if it is to be reached, cannot be imposed from without.

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  The Acting President : I now give the floor to The Honourable John Manley, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada.

 Mr. Manley (Canada): …

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  Just a week ago, I ended a five-country visit to the Middle East. I was reassured by the commitments of my hosts to the fight against terrorism. As have others, I urged Israel and the Palestinians to put immediately into place measures that will bring them back to the negotiating table. That is their only way forward. The essential truth is that there is no alternative to peaceful coexistence. That conflict cannot go on forever and leaders must act now to bring it to an end. The international community must also increase its efforts to help bring about a just peace.

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  The Acting President: I call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe, His Excellency Mr. Stanislaus Mudenge.

 Mr. Mudenge (Zimbabwe): …

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  The situation in the Middle East demands urgent action and resolution on the basis of the long-standing Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). The question of a Palestinian State brooks no delay. Israel must bite the bullet and accept that until a Palestinian State becomes a reality, there can never be lasting peace in the Middle East.

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  The Acting President : I now give the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Honduras, His Excellency Mr. Roberto Flores Bermúdez.

  Mr. Flores Bermúdez (Honduras) (spoke in Spanish ): …

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  The Government of Honduras notes with deep concern the escalating violence in the Middle East. In the light of the circumstances at the time, we supported the establishment of the State of Israel. Today, we want to use this international forum, which plays a critical role in the search for a solution in the region, to reaffirm the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign, free and secure States. We also support recognition of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of a Palestinian State. We are convinced that that constitutes a suitable formula for real peace in the Middle East.

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The meeting rose at 7.20 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-178. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.