UN General Assembly
2008

May I, at the outset, convey my heartfelt congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session and assure you of the commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain and its delegation to working closely with you towards achieving our shared objectives. I have no doubt that your experience and abilities will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of this session. I also want to take this opportunity to thank your predecessor, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, for his leadership of the General Assembly at its previous session and to express our continued and deep appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his ongoing, unflinching dedication and initiative in addressing the many challenges facing the United Nations and the world. These General Assembly meetings provide a valuable opportunity for all of us in the international community to reflect on the challenges, problems and issues facing us all in order to form a more comprehensive view of the issues, to understand their causes, be it through success or failure, and to work