UN General Assembly
2002

﻿Let me begin by congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President. All speakers in this debate have reflected on the year that has passed since 11 September 2001. It has been a very dramatic year, and it is time for the international community to draw some conclusions from it. One thing is clear: the United Nations responded quickly and resolutely to the terrorist acts against the United States. The United Nations acted with speed and determination to counter that threat to global security. For me, that is yet further proof that the United Nations is, indeed, indispensable. We all know what the terrorists want: to hurt open societies, to replace cooperation with confrontation and to bring down democracy. But we can never let the terrorists prevail in their ambition. Nor can we tolerate the suppression of political opposition or the persecution of religious or ethnic minorities under the guise of combating terrorism. In fact, it is by ensuring global respect for international law, human rights and social justice that we take away much of the fertile ground of terrorism.