UN General Assembly
2003

Our position is that we understood the concerns, which led the United States to act in the way it did over Iraq. The date of 11 September 2001 was a shattering ordeal. It changed history and it changed America. That said, Fiji declares an unwavering commitment to the concept of the world community working together, seeking the common path forward. We stand by the ideals of a multilateral, cooperative approach among nations. We welcome the decision by the United States to now seek United Nations involvement in Iraq’s reconstruction. In the Pacific, the Nasonini Declaration on regional security, adopted last year in Fiji, is a keystone of joint strategy. It followed the earlier Honiara Declaration on Law Enforcement Cooperation, aimed at countering transnational and organized crime. The Forum countries will give higher priority to implementing legislative provisions to improve our 18 capacity for dealing with law enforcement and security challenges. Underpinning this is an Australian commitment, also approved by the Forum, to spend approximately $15 million over three years, to strengthen regional police forces. New Zealand has,