UN General Assembly
1993

solution acceptable to its people weakens the credibility of many international policies and developments. The only positive development in this regard may be the establishment of the International Tribunal for the prosecution of war criminals who have practiced ethnic cleansing. These prosecutions should target those who advocate or condone such practices that bespeak cultural decadence and criminality in those who perpetrate or advocate them. The issue of human rights is one of the major questions that face us. We in Egypt believe that the human rights issue is universal both in content and nature. When we deal with this issue in Egypt, we look at it through the perspective of the cultural and historical heritage which is part of our national identity. We view it through our deep-rooted history extending through the millennia; through our ancient Egyptian civilization; through our Islamic civilization, which is deeply impressed upon our consciousness; through our interaction with the Mediterranean civilizations; and through the legacy of the ages of renaissance and enlightenment in contemporary Europe, which have had their effect on philosophy and