PERVASIVE THREATS TO PEACE, DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTED BY SPEAKERS AS ASSEMBLY CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Plenary

13^th Meeting (PM)

PERVASIVE THREATS TO PEACE, DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTED BY SPEAKERS

AS ASSEMBLY CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE

As the General Assembly continued its general debate this afternoon, speakers highlighted the various obstacles threatening the achievement of peace and development, including foreign occupation, conflicts, trade imbalances and HIV/AIDS.

Africa, noted President Festus Mogae of Botswana, continued to experience high levels of poverty, aggravated by such factors as the unfavourable global economic environment and conflicts.  Those challenges were further compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  However, the existence of problems did not mean that the future was entirely bleak.  There were positive developments that gave reason to hope for the realization of the aspirations of Africans. 

Africa had committed itself to creating an environment conducive to economic growth and development, he added.  It had taken the first step through the establishment of the African Union and the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  Central to the achievement of Africa’s development objectives was a commitment by the international community to implement the decisions of United Nations conferences.  With the continued assistance of the United Nations and the rest of the international community, he added, there was reason to be optimistic that Africa would soon find peace.

Didier Opertti, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, said that his country had opted a decade ago for an ambitious policy of trade liberalization characterized by transparency.  It was hoped that other trading blocs in the developed world would apply the same principles and avoid the duplicity inherent in promoting free trade on the one hand while protecting their own markets with discriminatory practices on the other.  That was why Uruguay was now facing increasing difficulty in achieving its development goals. 

Developing countries needed more foreign direct investment, particularly in areas that would promote the sustainable use of the environment and sustained growth, said the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Blas F. Ople.  Many developing countries had also to compete in areas where their comparative advantage was great, such as agriculture.  However, developing countries did not have the resources to match the annual subsidies which agricultural producers received in rich countries.

Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, Senegalese Minister for Foreign Affairs, the African Union and Senegalese living abroad, emphasized that no country in the world had ever developed thanks to official development assistance (ODA).  So, while ODA was still necessary to poor States, its effectiveness would remain limited unless accompanied by increased market access and foreign direct investment. 

Noting that the development of the private sector, infrastructure and education were the basis for truly sustainable development, he added that governments alone could not guarantee successful development.  They needed to maintain solid partnerships with local communities, civil society actors, the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

The observer of Palestine, Farouk Kaddoumi, said that as a result of Israeli practices, agricultural production in the Palestinian territories had decreased by 80 per cent; unemployment had reached 65 per cent; and a large portion of the population was living in poverty.  Israel had destroyed institutions, ports, homes and businesses, and halted trade as well as the free movement of people and goods. 

Statements were also made by the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belize and the Crown Prince of Monaco, as well as the Foreign Ministers of the United Republic of Tanzania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Comoros.  The Vice Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also spoke. 

In addition, the representatives of the United Kingdom and Argentina spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 18 September to continue its general debate.

Background

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its general debate.

Statements

FESTUS G. MOGAE, President of Botswana, said that no one country could hope to successfully confront today’s global challenges on its own, whether on development, poverty or threats to peace.  Those were challenges that required global solutions and the participation of all global stakeholders to confront them.  The United Nations remained an important unifying institution for all of humanity.  It was the only institution that could play the important role of fostering partnership, cooperation and multilateralism. 

Africa continued to experience high levels of poverty, aggravated, among other things, by the unfavourable global economic environment and conflicts.  Those challenges were further compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  However, the existence of problems did not mean that the future was entirely bleak.  There were positive developments that gave reason to hope for the realization of the aspirations of Africans.  Africa had committed itself to creating an environment conducive to economic growth and development.  It had taken the first step through the establishment of the African Union and the adoption of the New Partnerhip for Africa's Development (NEPAD). 

Central to the achievement of Africa’s development objectives was a commitment by the international community to implement the decisions of United Nations conferences, he said.  The Monterrey Consensus, which identified sources that could be used to finance development goals, must be implemented.  The international community also had a responsibility to ensure that developing countries could participate in world trade.  HIV/AIDS remained, undoubtedly, the most serious threat to economic and social progress in the world.  To conquer the pandemic, a strategy that combined efforts on a broad front was required.

He said that with the continued assistance of the United Nations and the rest of the international community, there was reason to be optimistic that Africa would soon find peace.  He called on all parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to demonstrate greater determination and a sense of urgency in the search for a peaceful resolution to the conflict there.  He also commended the historic step taken by Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, (UNITA) in signing the Memorandum of Understanding. 

ALLAN KEMAKEZA, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, reaffirmed his country’s full cooperation in all efforts to counter the scourge of terrorism.  Solomon Islands was moving to enact legislation that would discourage and counter domestic terrorist activities.  It was also taking steps to accede to a number of international counter-terrorist conventions and had communicated those important measures to the United Nations.  Solomon Islands sought the assistance of the United Nations and members of the international community to enhance its efforts. 

He said the worldwide increase in armed conflicts and the illegal trade in small arms were directly linked, and were fueled mainly by the illegal manufacture and official sale and/or supply of small arms, which had resulted in the loss of countless innocent lives.  Those same arms found their way into Solomon Islands, and were used in the three-year conflict which had adversely affected the socio-cultural cohesiveness and good governance of the country.  It had also crippled the economy.

Despite the successful outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which included promises of economic growth and protection of the environment, Solomon Islands remained sceptical about the practical impact of the Action Plan on developing and least developed countries.  “We have committed ourselves to similar action plans for sustainable development in the past”, he said.  “Agenda 21 of 1992, and the Barbados Programme of Action for small island developing States among others, are valid policy blueprints for sustainable development.  Unfortunately, we have not lived up to our commitments.  We all have failed.”

That, he said, was why world leaders had once again assembled in South Africa to take stock of those failures and make new commitments.  Now was the time to test the pledges made in Johannesburg, and Solomon Islands could only hope that this time around there was the will to work towards the goals and objectives set at that Summit.  He also called for the readmission of "the Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan)” as a full and equal member of the United Nations.

Prince ALBERT of Monaco said that Monaco had signed the Convention on international organized crime and had enacted additional legislation to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism.  In spite of the continued menace of terrorism, the origins and forms of terror were now better understood and controlled. 

Thanks to a prompt and effective international reaction, he said, democratic governance had been restored to Afghanistan.  The nuclear disarmament treaty reached between the United States and the Russian Federation was also encouraging. Progress had been made in the conflicts in Sierra Leone, Angola, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the African Union poised to play an invaluable role in facilitating understanding among the peoples of Africa.  The economic and financial situation had also improved in Latin America, while in Asia tensions were down in Kashmir and Sri Lanka and East Timor had acceded successfully to independence.

Monaco planned to increase its contributions to United Nations programmes for development and environmental protection, he said, concentrating its efforts on specific areas such as the Mediterranean region and the fight against marine pollution.  Stable and balanced development depended on a real will to protect the environment and the natural resources of the planet.

There must be more vigorous implementation of the decisions taken at United Nations summits, he said.  In particular, the value of human resources -- including health and the education of girls -- should be stressed.  Successful globalization needed to take into account fundamental human rights, justice, morality and equity.  In that spirit, Monaco had decided to make a substantial, exceptional, contribution to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) this year, and for the two years to come.

JOHN BRICEÑO, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Natural Resources, the Environment, Trade and Industry of Belize, called for higher standards, rather than the mere recycling of ideas and visions, to give effect to the many commitments of the Millennium Declaration.  He said such implementation could only be accomplished through the effective participation and cooperation of all the relevant stakeholders.

Belize, he said, had hosted the first-ever Dominican Republic Summit of Caribbean and Central American States.  The meeting had produced a declaration calling for collaboration of the Caribbean and Central America in areas such as education, health, poverty elimination, environment, trade and investment.  There would soon be a plan of action to achieve that goal.

Noting that conflict hindered development, he expressed his country’s grave concern over the deterioration of relations in the Middle East, especially with respect to the Palestinian people.  The solution to that problem resided in Security Council resolution 1379 (2002) which endorsed the vision of two States -– Israel and Palestine -– living side by side in peace.  He encouraged efforts to peacefully resolve the Western Sahara question.

He shared with delegates the good news that Belize and Guatemala had come closer to resolving their differences, based on peace proposals put forward by two specially appointed facilitators, one from each side.  The peace proposals would become treaties of settlement, only after they won popular support through referendums in their respective countries.

BLAS F. OPLE, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, said that Iraq had taken a step in the right direction yesterday by agreeing to the unconditional return of United Nations weapons inspectors.  But the immediate challenge facing the Organization and the world was the confrontation that might materialize over the need for Iraq to comply, totally and unconditionally, with the relevant Security Council resolutions.

He believed, however, that a true resolution of that issue still lay in the future, and he urged vigilance and faith in the Security Council.  “We believe that the Council will act in accord with the imperatives of world peace and security and will find the most expeditious and effective way to serve these imperatives”, he noted.  Consistent with its national interests and in accordance with its constitution, the Philippines was prepared to extend political, security and humanitarian cooperation to the United States and the international community in the pursuit of their vital interests -- which coincided with his own country’s vital interests. 

He said that developing countries needed more foreign direct investment, particularly in areas that would promote the sustainable use of the environment and sustained growth.  Many developing countries must also compete in areas where their comparative advantage was great, such as agriculture.  However, he noted, developing countries did not have the resources to match the annual subsidies which agricultural producers received in rich countries.

JAKAYA KIKWETE, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, said the developing world was aware that good governance and the rule of law were needed in order to create conditions conducive for investment flows and trade -- but there was little international appreciation for its efforts so far.  He looked forward to the developed countries playing their part in the war against poverty and the attainment of sustainable development, as detailed by such mechanisms as the Millennium Development Goals, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Action.  He called on those countries to increase official development assistance (ODA), which now stood far below the established target.  There should also be debt relief, which would release funds for development purposes, and greater market access for goods, including agricultural goods, from the developing world.

Also of concern to Tanzania, he said, were the conflicts in Africa and the Middle East.  For lasting peace in the Middle East, the security concerns of Israel had to be anchored in a settlement that would lead to the creation of a viable Palestinian State.  On developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, he urged implementation of the recent agreement between the Democratic Republic, Rwanda and Uganda, and called for a ceasefire agreement to benefit the people of Burundi.  Peace in Burundi would bring an end to the flow of refugees into Tanzania, a burden it could not carry.  Indeed, the time had come to adjust the 1951 Convention on refugees because it tended to concentrate more on the responsibilities of the receiving countries than on those of refugee-generating States.  Welcoming the end of the war in Angola, he looked forward to action on the referendum that would allow Western Sahara to exercise the right to self-determination.   

SLOBODAN CASULE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, praised the promptness with which the world had reacted -– putting together the broadest possible coalition ever against terrorism -- and the solidarity it expressed after last year's terrorist attacks on the United States.

He said his country, itself a victim of terrorist aggression, had joined the international coalition and was contributing to it.  The recent history of crisis had shown more than ever the importance of cooperation and solidarity and of developing regional collective security.  There were still many challenges ahead in his region, and no amount of goodwill or efforts to provide sustainable stability would succeed unless the real problems facing the region as a result of 10 years of wars and instability were addressed.

But the struggle against terrorism should not distract the international community's attention from other important issues on the United Nations agenda. Globalization remained one of the most important issues on that agenda.  It was crucial in the new millennium for the international community to address development in a more comprehensive way, at the same time as protection and respect for other fundamental human rights and freedoms.

On United Nations reform, he said that strengthening the role and relevance of the Organization should remain a priority issue.  Additional efforts should be made to strengthen the United Nations preventive and peacekeeping capacities.  Of no less importance, he said, was making progress on the issues of equitable representation and reform of the Security Council.

“We are looking forward to deliberations this year within the open-ended working group, hoping to produce meaningful progress in making the Security Council more representative and more transparent, while preserving and improving its effectiveness for the maintenance of international peace and stability”, he said.

DIDIER OPERTTI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, highlighted two positive developments which indicated that the international community was moving in the right direction in the face of today’s challenges.  First was the establishment of the International Criminal Court.  Second, the world had this year laid the groundwork for management of the broad spectrum of positive and negative impacts of globalization.  The recent World Summit on Sustainable Development represented the culmination of a process that complemented the results of the Monterrey Conference on development financing and the Doha World Trade Organization (WTO) Conference, which would permit the international community to coordinate its efforts to eradicate poverty and promote global development by increasing development assistance and liberalizing trade in a sustainable manner. 

Uruguay, as a member of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), had opted a decade ago for an ambitious policy of trade liberalization characterized by transparency.  He hoped that other trading blocs in the developed world would apply the same principles and avoid the duplicity inherent in advocating free trade on the one hand while protecting their own markets with discriminatory practices on the other.  He asked for reciprocity from trading partners.  That was why Uruguay was now facing increasing difficulty in achieving its development goals.  It was experiencing an unavoidable economic and financial crisis as a result of the severe impact of regional and extra-regional factors. 

The phenomenon of globalization had been the cause of many problems, he noted.  It was within the United Nations that countries must continue to explore solutions to the common problems faced.  On the one hand, the United Nations was the natural body to manage the impacts of globalization.  At the same time, it must recall the true purpose and meaning of international economic cooperation.  All of which required the introduction of changes in the organs and procedures of the Organization in order to secure better representation in its structures and enhance its efficiency.  Reform of the Security Council and revitalization of the Assembly were tasks that must continue to be pursued. 

CHEIKH TIDIANE GADIO, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal, reiterated the desire, based on the principle of universality, to see representation at the United Nations granted to the Republic of China (Taiwan).  Turning to the issue of terrorism, he said there was no justification for acts such as those of

11 September; they had not been done for the glory of Allah.  The international community had a joint responsibility to maintain the struggle against terrorist organizations and their financing, including through the adoption of a global convention against terrorism.

The Security Council had spent much of its time in the past year working for the resolution of conflicts in Africa, he said.  The success experienced in Sierra Leone –- where peaceful and transparent elections had helped normalize the political and economic situation -- needed to be brought to Liberia.  As President Abdoulaye Wade’s tireless work on the Madagascar crisis had shown, with the support of the international community, Africans would show the world that they too were peacemakers. 

In relation to other areas of conflict, he noted that the situation in the Middle East had worsened.  Israel’s policy of State-sponsored violence had led to an upsurge in Palestinian terrorist activity.  There had been an erosion of trust between Palestinians and Israelis, which needed to be restored as quickly as possible through a frank and constructive dialogue leading to a just and durable peace. 

No country in the world had ever developed thanks to ODA, he said.  So, while ODA was still necessary for poor States, its effectiveness would be limited unless accompanied by increased market access and foreign direct investment.  Noting that the development of the private sector, infrastructure and education was the basis for truly sustainable development, he said that governments alone could not guarantee successful development; they needed to maintain solid partnerships with local communities, civil society actors, the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

On respect for human rights, he said Senegal accorded much importance to the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children.  The role of women, who in Africa were a fundamental and powerful motor of the African renaissance, should be amplified.  Senegal -– which was the first country to ratify the Rome Statute -– planned to nominate one of its best specialists in penal law as a candidate for a judgeship at the International Criminal Court.

SOUEF MOHAMED EL-AMINE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Comoros, said that the United Nations must be the true guarantor of the hopes of present and future generations.  That required awareness of the universality of the Organization, and must include reform of its organs so they could adapt to new realities.  It must also go hand in hand with a new development strategy that took into account the various specificities of the countries of the world.  The extreme poverty of the South, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis were all offences to humanity.  The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) had been developed to address economic and social inequalities, but to succeed it required the assistance of the international community.  He placed his hopes in the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit, and hoped to see poverty halved by 2015. 

The time had come, he said, for countries to save their peoples from the many pains of war, and to put an end to the unprecedented economic losses caused by military expenditures.  It was important to ensure that future generations were not sacrificed.  War's only objective was to prove its capacity to destroy.  From that standpoint, it could only be nefarious.  That conviction led Comorians to avoid war at all costs. 

By the end of the year, he said, the Comoros would hold legislative elections in the hope of setting up a parliament.  Commissions would be established to examine the modalities for the transfer of power to the authorities of the autonomous islands.  It was hoped that with the establishment of the parliament misunderstandings would be allayed, leading to the harmony needed for the management of the autonomous islands and the union.  In addition, he appealed to France to facilitate a dialogue on the Comorian island of Mayotte.  

CHOE SU HON, Vice Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, said he would focus on the situation in the Korean peninsula, which remained a major international security concern.  For his country, reunification stood as the supreme national task, but that goal would only be attained through dialogue and negotiation between the north and south of Korea.  Until his death, President Kim Il Sung had advocated and made proposals for unity, rooted in a system of federation.  Because of his efforts, the historic inter-Korean summit of June 2000 had taken place.

“The June 15 North-South Joint Declaration is a declaration of national independence and peaceful reunification, calling for opposing foreign interference and achieving reunification by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation”, he said.  External forces had interfered with those positive developments in inter-Korean relations.  But efforts for reunification had resumed.

For Korea to reunite, the United States had to abandon its hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea because it espoused different values and ideals.  The United Nations also had to play its part for the peace and security of the peninsula.  In contrast with the United States, he pointed to improvements in relations with the Russian Federation and Japan.  In fact, Japan’s Prime Minister had met with General Kim Jong Il on 17 September.  The DPRK was determined to defend its system of socialism, and demanded equal respect for the sovereignty and equality of all countries.

FAROUK KADDOUMI, observer of Palestine, began by recalling the events leading up to the present stage in Israeli-Palestinian relations.  The stubbornness of Israel emphasized its determination to continue its occupation of Palestinian territories.  Palestinian agricultural production had decreased by

80 per cent.  Unemployment had reached 65 per cent and a large portion of the population was living in poverty.  Israel had destroyed institutions, ports, homes and businesses in the occupied territories.  The taxes Israel collected, which should have been given to the Palestinian Authority, had been kept by the Israelis.  The occupied territories had been divided into separate cantons.  Trade was halted and measures had been taken to stop the free movement of people and goods.  In addition, Israel had imposed house arrest on President Arafat.

The United States, he noted, was a great Power and shouldered a great responsibility in the maintenance of international peace and security as well as regional peace in the Middle East.  Resorting to force to solve problems did not help reinforce the purposes and aims of the United Nations.  It only inspired fear and doubt among Member States.  The people of the world were hoping that the United States would play a positive and neutral role in international relations and be a source of technical and economic assistance. 

Why was the United States threatening the use of force against Iraq?  Why did the United States not talk about eliminating the weapons of mass destruction possessed by Israel, which threatened Arab countries of the region?  In its fight against terrorism, he was surprised that the United States had closed its eyes to the State terrorism practised by the Sharon Government.

The Palestinians could not agree to any temporary borders, he said:  they wanted a lasting settlement.  He appreciated the role the Quartet was playing in the peace process.  The Israeli forces must be called on to revise their strategy, put an end to the massacres and attacks on citizens and refrain from using collective economic sanctions.  Israel must also withdraw from the occupied territories and lift its siege against the Palestinians.  There must be international presence to protect the lives of the Palestinian people. 

Right of Reply

Speaking in right of reply, the representative of the United Kingdom addressed the statement made by Spain this morning, saying that the British Government would continue to stand by the commitment made to the people of Gibraltar, set out in the Preamble to the 1969 Constitution of Gibraltar.  It enshrined the principle of consent of the people of Gibraltar to any change in

sovereignty.  The United Kingdom -- whose aim was to build a better future for the people of Gibraltar -- shared Spain’s view that issues relating to Gibraltar could only be resolved through the kind of dialogue that was resumed last year.

In reply to this morning's statement by Argentina, he said that the British Government shared Argentina’s resolve to engage in bilateral exchanges concerning political cooperation in the South Atlantic.  Such exchanges contributed to the furtherance of the 1999 Anglo-Argentine Joint Statement.  However, it should be recalled that nothing in the Joint Statement compromised the position of the United Kingdom in relation to its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. 

The elected representatives of the Islands had once again expressed their own views clearly when they visited the United Nations for this year’s debate in the United Nations Committee of 24 on 19 June.  Fully aware of their right to self-determination, those elected representatives said that the people of the Falkland Islands did not wish for any change in the status of the islands.  There would be no change in the sovereignty of the Falklands Islands, he said, unless the islanders wished it. 

Commemorating this year the twentieth anniversary of the South Atlantic conflict, the Government of the United Kingdom expressed confidence that its relations with Argentina would continue to develop in the spirit of reconciliation which marked the occasion.

Speaking in right of reply, the representative of Argentina said that, having listened attentively to the statement made by the representative of the United Kingdom, he wished to ratify the statements made earlier today by his Foreign Minister.

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