Speech His Excellency Dr. Salaheddin al-Bashir Minister of justice & Minister of Cabinet Affair Of The Presented in the Conference for the Signature Of the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption In the name of
God the Merciful the Compassionate Mr.
President, Excellencies, Ladies
and Gentlemen, At
the outset, Mr. President, let me congratulate you for being elected
as president of such a distinguished international conference. I am
confident that your wisdom, capabilities and experience will ensure
the success of this important conference. I would also like to thank
the Government of Mexico for hosting this conference and for all the
hospitality and kindness with which we have been met. As well, I cannot
but commend the hard work and perseverance of your government's delegation
to Thanks
and congratulations are also due to the Acting Chairman, deputy chairmen,
rapporteurs and members of the ad-hoc committee for all their
hard work. Let me pay a special tribute, to the late Chairman, Ambassador
Hector Samper of Columbia, for his memorable
wisdom and dedication. He is very sadly missed on this day. Mr.
President, I
am very pleased to witness this important milestone in the fight against
corruption. The scale and nature of this problem and its grave implications
for economic development, mandates the international community to marshal
joint efforts in its combat. Today signatories to the convention have
demonstrated a real will to hold hands jointly against one of the most
insidious international diseases. The efforts of the past two years
have yielded a high quality product, a convention that provides international
anti-corruption standards and measures and a framework for international
cooperation in this respect. The convention is effective without being
inconsistent with principles of national sovereignty. It provides measures
that are commensurate with the challenges of our global environment
with all the attendant risks of globalization of crime and cross border
flow of illicit activities. The Convention ultimately promotes good
governance and rule of law, which are cornerstones for sustainable development,
social peace and social justice. Mr.
President, Ladies
and Gentlemen, Corruption
is not specific to a culture, region or country. It is present in developed
and developing countries and among the different strata of society.
Yet its impact is most devastating upon those countries waging an uphill
struggle towards economic and social development. Corruption saps energies,
undermines morale, and deprives people of legitimate opportunities.
It is without exaggeration among the leading threats to reform agendas
in developing countries. Jordan
is honored to have played an active role in the process leading to the
signing of this convention, with our representative Ambassador Muhyieddeen
Touq serving as "Acting Chairman".
From the beginning, we have spared no effort on our part to ensure the
success of this critical initiative. And of course, today we stand committed
to speedy ratification and eventually effective cooperation in enforcement. This
commitment reflects our belief in the legitimacy and the vital importance
of international cooperation. It also speaks of our genuine desire to
stem the growth of corruption at home, a desire only matched by our
relentless drive towards economic, political and social reform. We understand
fully that corruption and good governance cannot coexist. We also understand
that the fight against corruption has to couple words and rules with
uncompromising action, and that leniency and oversight in handling corruption
perpetuates corruption. Our leadership has repeatedly sent an unmistakable
messages that when it comes to combating corruption, no one, no vested
interest, no group, is above the law. Jordan's
drive against corruption started in the mid nineties around the same
time the world started paying serious attention to this phenomenon.
At that time, the Ministry of Administrative conferences to raise awareness about corruption and
the measures to combat it. We have also established the Higher Anti-Corruption
Committee and the Anti-Corruption Department, to address this problem
systematically. It is a source of pride for us that international institutions
monitoring corruption around the world work freely in We
understand that the fight against corruption is a long process and that
the convention is just a beginning, albeit a very important one. Our
commitment to this process will have no limits, starting with cooperation
in enforcement through various measures to enhance awareness of corruption
and of its threats, and to strengthen institutional, legal, cultural
and societal barriers against this phenomenon. We believe that it is
not only possible to hit at the manifestations of corruption through
effective remedies, but also that we can cut through to the sources
and roots of this problem by means of comprehensive and systemic reforms
and not only token initiatives. Let
me end, by thanking you again Mr. President and thanking the government
and the people of Mexico. Thank
you very much. |