I convey warm
congratulations to Mr. Jan Kavan on his unanimous
election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the
General Assembly. I am confident that, given his vast
experience and diplomatic skills, he will be able to
steer this session to a successful conclusion. In the
same vein, our congratulations and sincere appreciation
go to his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, for the
outstanding manner in which he conducted the work of
the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I wish
also to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the
illustrious son of Africa at the helm of the
Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has taken the
United Nations to greater heights.
We join other members of our family of nations
in welcoming the Swiss Confederation as the one
hundred and ninetieth Member of the United Nations.
We are confident that its membership will not only
formalize that resourceful country's long involvement
with the United Nations but contribute greatly to the
work of the Organization.
After a long and bitter liberation struggle, the
people of East Timor have finally realized their right to
self-determination and independence. We look forward
to welcoming the Democratic Republic of East Timor
as the one hundred and ninety first Member of the
United Nations. Just as the international community
stood by the people of East Timor in their darkest hour
of need, the United Nations must now assist them in
their efforts to rebuild their country.
The opening of this session of the General
Assembly coincided with the first anniversary of the 11
September terrorist attack on the United States of
America. That horrific attack met with vigorous
international condemnation and led to a concerted
campaign by countries throughout the world to eradicate
terrorism as a global scourge. All around the world,
19

countries, including my own, are continuing to take
domestic measures to combat international terrorism.
Last week the general debate in this hall was
overshadowed by an ominous and terrifying cloud —
the threat of war in Iraq. Indeed, most of us have been
filled with grave concern about that looming danger.
That concern has, however, been somewhat eased. The
focus now seems to have moved away from the
temptation to take unilateral military action towards the
multilateralism that is so vital for the maintenance of
world peace and security. In this regard, Namibia
welcomes the decision by Iraq to cooperate with the
Security Council.
Namibia is deeply concerned about the constantly
escalating violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The continuous wanton destruction of Palestinian
towns, the demolition of homes and institutions and,
above all, the unabating loss of life are all
manifestations of the tragic plight of the Palestinian
people. While rejecting all acts of violence against
innocent civilians, we recognize the urgent need for the
international community to address the root cause of
violence, namely, the continued occupation of
Palestinian territory by Israeli troops.
It is imperative for the international community
to act decisively and with a renewed sense of urgency
to stop the ongoing carnage and destruction in the
Middle East. We support the immediate establishment
of an independent Palestinian State, existing side by
side with Israel in peace and mutual security.
One of the factors which have militated against
development and progress in Africa has been the armed
conflicts in a number of countries on that continent.
Such conflicts have been responsible for the
aggravation of poverty and the spread of disease.
It is pleasing to note, however, that peace and
security in Africa have been increasing over the past
year or so. Developments in Angola since February this
year have filled us with hope and a sense of relief.
After more than two decades of destructive war,
Angola is firmly and irreversibly on the road to peace.
Concerted efforts by the international community are,
however, required to address the urgent and burning
humanitarian needs and to help Angola to maintain and
consolidate its hard-won peace.
There have been similar positive developments in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ceasefire
there has been holding. However, the aggressor
countries have still not withdrawn their troops from
that country in line with the Lusaka Ceasefire
Agreement, the Pretoria Agreement and the relevant
Security Council resolutions.
The United Nations has confirmed, through
various reports, that there continue to be large-scale
violations of human rights in the eastern part of that
country. This is unacceptable and should not be
allowed to continue with impunity. Similarly, the
plundering of the natural resources of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo should no longer be condoned.
Furthermore, in Sierra Leone the machine guns,
with their staccato sound, have fallen silent, thanks to
the intervention of the international community in the
conflict in that country. Successful elections were held
there this year, and the people of that country are now
busy with peace-building and the reconstruction of
their country. We call on the international community
to assist them in this regard.
In 1992, the General Assembly decided in favour
of a referendum in Western Sahara. Ten years later, the
people of Western Sahara continue to endure suffering,
waiting and hoping for the implementation of the
United Nations plan for the independence of their
country. The only hope they have is our Organization.
We, the Members of the United Nations, therefore have
a responsibility towards the people of Western Sahara
in their quest for self-determination. It is not a question
of our doing them a favour. Rather, we have an
obligation under the Charter of our Organization.
It is high time that the people of Western Sahara
exercise their right to self-determination and
independence through a free and fair referendum under
the supervision of the United Nations. The Secretary-
General should therefore continue to seek the
implementation of the United Nations independence
plan for Western Sahara.
The unilateral economic blockade against Cuba is
continuing to cause immense suffering to the people of
Cuba, who suffered with us and shared with us
selflessly, extending solidarity to our people during our
difficult struggle for independence. We reiterate our
call for the lifting of this embargo.
Just as the people of Africa have begun, in
earnest, to address the problem of armed conflict that
has hindered Africa's development and socio-economic
20

progress in the past, the continent must now grapple
with yet another menace that is ravaging its population,
namely, the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Its devastating
impact is now undermining economic growth and
development in sub-Saharan Africa, with millions
already infected and dying. Indeed, sub-Saharan Africa
is now facing a human crisis of monumental
proportions. Millions of AIDS orphans are screaming
out for help as a result of this rampaging disease.
We appeal for increased and generous
contributions to the Global Health Fund to enable us to
fight the scourge. In that connection, we would like to
emphasize that the allocation of the available funds
should be determined by the magnitude of the problem
in each country.
As part of our ongoing effort to fight the scourge
of HIV/AIDS, Namibia will be hosting the Second
Regional Conference on Orphans and Vulnerable
Children from 25 to 29 November, 2002. It is our
sincere hope that the Conference will further highlight
the fate of those children and galvanize the world's
further support to ease their truly difficult plight. We
are quite confident that the support of the international
community will enable us, indeed, humanity, and
Africa in particular, to conquer this ravaging pandemic.
The drought situation in Southern Africa places
more than 12 million people at risk of hunger and
destitution. We welcome the efforts of the Secretary-
General in that respect. We also welcome the efforts of
the donor community in mobilizing resources for relief.
Our sincere thanks and appreciation also go to all the
humanitarian agencies providing support. We
encourage them to continue to mobilize and to render
further support.
The fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly
has special significance for Africa, in the sense that
considerable attention is being paid to the continent's
problems. In the first instance, there is the tabling by the
Secretary-General of the report on the final review and
appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations
New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s.
This session also marks the end of the United Nations
Programme for the Second Industrial Development
Decade for Africa. The conclusions of the review are
sobering in the sense that both the New Agenda for the
Development of Africa in the 1990s and the
Programme for the Second Industrial Development
Decade for Africa have come to an end, but Africa
remains marginalized in the global economy.
Also significant for Africa at this session is the
fact that notwithstanding the continent's rather minimal
development performance during the periods just
referred to, Africa has come to the fifty-seventh session
of the General Assembly more determined then ever to
launch itself on a new path of economic growth and
development.
It was in the light of this determination that on
Monday, 16 September 2002 the General Assembly
devoted the whole day to exploring ways in which the
international community can support the African
Union's New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD), designed to rebuild and rejuvenate our
continent. What emerged from the Monday meeting on
Africa was a clear sense of purpose and direction such
that, while hoping for greater support from the
international community to implement its new
development initiative, Africa is seriously seeking to
lift itself up by its own bootstraps.
Indeed, the African leaders have reaffirmed their
commitment to the development goals of the United
Nations Millennium Summit Declaration for the
continent to achieve economic growth of 7 per cent by
the year 2015 and thus to be able to halve poverty on
the continent by that same year.
And while NEPAD is an African initiative, owned
and managed by the African Union, the continent still
needs unfettered market access for its goods, increased
foreign investment, the elimination of external debts
and, yes, more Official Development Assistance, as
well as a large infusion of technology and skills into its
production processes.
In conclusion, I would like to state Namibia's
position on the International Criminal Court (ICC). A
few individuals who commit heinous crimes against
humanity undermine international peace and security.
When those who commit serious crimes go unpunished,
murder and torture carry no risk. Rather, they
encourage even more crimes. The entry into force of
the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
on 1 July 2002 represents a historic day for
international justice.
As a State Party to the ICC, Namibia has noted
with great concern the adoption of Security Council
resolution 1422 (2002) under chapter VII of the United
21

Nations Charter, as if the ICC were a threat to peace or an
act of aggression. In this context, we call upon those
States that are not Parties to the Statute to become so now.
In the face of a growing tendency towards
unilateralism, the revitalization of the General
Assembly, which is the collective decision-making
body, is becoming even more important. In the same
vein, Namibia reaffirms its position on the need to
reform and democratize the United Nations Security
Council in order to ensure that the Council remains
responsible for the peace and security of all countries
in all regions.
From this very rostrum, it has been said time and
again that if the United Nations did not exist, it would
have to be created. Those are not empty words. Rather,
they express the deep aspirations and commitment of
humanity to the Organization, which has stood the test
of time and proven indispensable to the conduct of
relations among States. Let us not allow
multilateralism to be eroded.


I
would like at the outset to congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan
on his election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at its fifty-seventh session and to assure him
of the full support and cooperation of the delegation of
the Islamic Republic of Iran as he embarks on his
crucial task. I would also like to express my
appreciation to the President of Assembly at its fifty-
19

sixth session for his skilful leadership. I would also
like to welcome Switzerland to the United Nations, and
look forward also to welcoming the Democratic
Republic of Timor-Leste.
I would like to pay tribute to the Secretary-
General for his strong and compassionate leadership
and for the vision and wisdom that he expressed in his
statement before the Assembly.
The world today is characterized by great
diversity and emerging factors with a far-reaching
influence. In the light of advances in information
technology and of the new international information
order, current issues and problems are interrelated, like
the parts of an organism, and truly global. More than
ever before, we see that nations and States are seeking
to expand their options and ascertain the nature and the
extent of their contribution to, and participation in,
global affairs on the basis of not only their national
security and interests but also their regional
responsibilities, as well as international requirements
and norms. This trend towards the achievement of such
fundamental objectives points to the expansion of a
global, democratic and participatory process that will
endure in the long term and is thus sustainable.
Embracing diversity, questioning and critically
reviewing the past and seeking democratic
participation and action all teach us that the
fundamental universal human values of peace and
security, freedom and independence, and justice and
fairness must become the very centre of global
attention. Without continued, active cooperation to
draw our world closer to such fundamental values, we
will not successfully meet the current global
challenges. Without expanding the scope of peace and
security, neither freedom nor independence will be
achievable; without justice and fairness, neither peace
nor security will become accessible; and without
freedom and independence, both peace and security
will become impossible to attain. It is only through
such an approach that we will be able to work together,
think together and cooperate in a multilateral
framework so as to find answers to challenges we face
in common and to deal with regional crises.
The world is facing grave challenges today,
particularly in the aftermath of the tragic terror attacks
of 11 September 2001. Chief among these challenges
are terrorism and other forms of violence. Combating
the sinister phenomenon of terrorism is an urgent and
unavoidable imperative. A genuine and effective fight
against terrorism must include, on the one hand, an
attempt to identify the root causes of terrorism and, on
the other, a concerted effort by the international
community to address them. It goes without saying that
the perpetrators of acts of terrorism must be brought to
justice and given their just deserts. Calling for the root
causes of terrorism to be addressed should in no way
be construed as an attempt to justify terrorism or
detract from the gravity of terrorist acts or from the
severity of the punishments that terrorists deserve. It is
intended to pinpoint an effective and comprehensive
means of eliminating terrorism.
In this context, it appears that exploring problems
such as the worldwide increase in injustice and
discrimination, the marginalization of a large number
of people and occupation and the violation of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of others,
extremism, fanaticism, bigotry, poverty and
underdevelopment could prove helpful in identifying
the root causes of terrorism.
In our opinion, a wise and principled approach to
fighting terrorism would entail full international
cooperation, expressed at the highest political level in a
world summit that would seek, inter alia, to develop an
inclusive definition of terrorism that is generally
acceptable.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary-General
immediately after the disastrous attacks of 11
September, President Khatami called for such a world
summit to address this crucial issue and to encourage
international cooperation to fight terrorism under the
auspices of the United Nations.
There should be a worldwide campaign against
all forms and manifestations of terrorism and their
perpetrators, irrespective of the identity of the victims
or the objectives. Distinction must also be made
between acts of terrorism and the legitimate struggle of
peoples under foreign occupation or aggression, in
accordance with international law. Any campaign bent
on relating the inhuman phenomenon of terrorism to
divine religions that have always been the harbingers
of peace, love, amity and moral decency is a great and
unforgivable transgression against those religions and
their countless followers.
As a victim of the most brutal acts of terrorism,
the Islamic Republic of Iran regards fighting terrorism
in a genuine and comprehensive way as a top national
20

priority, and it is thus in the forefront of the
international coalition against terrorism. To help
promote regional and international peace and security,
my country has thus far signed bilateral agreements or
is in the process of finalizing such agreements with
more than 20 countries on the extradition of offenders
and on the provision of legal assistance for promoting
cooperation in the areas of fighting terrorism, drug
trafficking and other organized crimes, of the
extradition of criminals and of mutual legal assistance.
We are intent on further strengthening this policy of
enhanced cooperation. In that context, and in
accordance with Security Council resolutions 1373
(2001) and 1390 (2002), the Islamic Republic of Iran
has reported to the Security Council Counter-Terrorism
Committee regarding its counter-terrorism efforts in
general and about the measures it has adopted against
the Taliban and Al Qaeda in particular.
We are greatly concerned by the current trend of
international disarmament negotiations, which is
leading to the further vulnerability and fragility of
international security. Rejection of the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by a permanent
member of the Security Council and the holder of the
largest nuclear arsenal, and the withdrawal of that
member from negotiations on the CTBT on-site
inspection operational manual, point to that State's
policy of unilateralism. Further signs of such a policy
are its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Treaty, its blocking of the negotiations on a protocol
strengthening the implementation of the Biological
Weapons Convention and its going against the
judgement of the international community with respect
to the regulation of the trade and transfer of small arms
and light weapons.
It is only by developing a broader view of
multilateralism, international cooperation and respect
for the rule of law that we can guarantee progress and
success in the field of disarmament and international
security issues. Expansion of and deeper respect for
human rights throughout the world are a function of
their universality and indivisibility, on the one hand,
and of the recognition of national and regional
particularities and cultural backgrounds, on the other.
Rejecting the use of human rights for
political purposes, rejecting double standards and
discriminatory approaches, and promoting international
cooperation in that field for the sake of human rights
will definitely help promote respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms. Such an approach prevailed
at the fifty-eighth session of the Commission on
Human Rights, and my country thus received a
favourable decision. We are pleased that, with the
cooperation of other States, our draft resolutions on
developing international cooperation in the field of
human rights and on promoting cultural diversity were
adopted.
Globalization will yield fruitful results when
it is accompanied by a non-selective and non-
discriminatory approach: when it provides equal
opportunities for all within the framework of a global
partnership. If the developed countries fail to fulfil
their responsibilities, globalization can hardly be called
a success story. An open, equitable, law-based,
transparent and non-discriminatory international
trading system is a prerequisite for achieving the goals
of economic growth and sustainable development in
developing countries.
The continued brutalities in occupied Palestine
once again indicate that solutions not well grounded in
justice and realism will fail to bring about lasting peace
in the Middle East region. The Palestinian people have
the right, under international law, the Charter of the
United Nations and the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, to persist in their struggle to restore
their inalienable rights. Occupying other people's land
must be condemned, as must labelling as terrorist a
nation that is only fighting to liberate its homeland.
The way to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle
East is to guarantee to Palestinians the right to return to
their homeland and the right to self-determination,
leading to the formation — in a democratic process and
under the supervision of the United Nations — of a
Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
It is the Palestinian people's legitimate right to choose,
through democratic means, their future political system
and the manner in which they elect to establish their
civil and political order. We respect the choices that the
Palestinian people make.
The long-standing policy of the Islamic Republic
of Iran towards Afghanistan has been the rejection of
violence, the promotion of intra-Afghan dialogue and
the establishment of a representative Government by
democratic means. We are pleased that, as a result of
international efforts — particularly by the United
Nations — civil order is gradually being consolidated
by the Afghan people themselves through the
21

establishment of the Interim Administration, the
Emergency Loya Jirga and the Transitional
Government. Formulating Afghanistan's Constitution
on the basis of democratic principles, Afghan culture
and tradition, taking into account the views of all
ethnic groups, will be a major step in consolidating law
and order, in strengthening the political structure and in
achieving peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is continuing its
close cooperation with the Transitional Government of
Afghanistan, especially in the context of spending the
$50 million in assistance earmarked for small-scale
reconstruction projects in Afghanistan during the
Iranian fiscal year 1381, which began on 21 March
2002. Joint efforts that are moving forward include
providing custom facilities and preferential
arrangements in customs, transit, trade and scientific,
cultural and educational cooperation; combating drug
trafficking and terrorism; and helping Afghan refugees
to return to Afghanistan. The international community
is expected to make good on its pledges to Afghanistan
so as to begin to rebuild the economic infrastructure
there and to create conditions conducive to the
voluntary return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
Greater attention and resources must be invested —
particularly by the United Nations International
Drug Control Programme — in crop substitution
programmes in Afghanistan as an effective strategy to
fight narcotics trafficking.
Respect for the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Iraq and compliance by Iraq with relevant
Security Council resolutions — particularly those
concerning the return of the weapons inspectors to
Iraq — followed by the lifting of international
sanctions in the interest of the oppressed people of
Iraq, constitute the overall policy of the Islamic
Republic of Iran towards Iraq. We oppose any
unilateral measures or military intervention in Iraq, we
underline the central role of the United Nations in that
regard, and we hold that it is up to the people of Iraq to
determine their own future through democratic means.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is following the
situation between its two neighbours, Pakistan and
India, with much concern. As a neighbour, we wish to
stress the age-old wisdom of the subcontinent and to
impress upon the leadership in both countries the
importance of exercising self-restraint in both word
and deed and of keeping open the lines of
communication and dialogue with a view to resolving
the situation in accordance with the rules and principles
of international law and in the interests of both nations.
The current global trend towards participation in
collective efforts to face major international challenges
and resolve regional crises through democratic means
has raised a glimmer of hope for our world today. No
doubt, dialogue among civilizations has a special place
in charting the way and promoting understanding and
tolerance in these troubled times. Dialogue, as a
multifaceted and long-term process, teaches us to grow
out of the politics of domination that have created so
much agony and violence and gradually to opt for the
politics of interaction, tolerance and communication. In
this context, the United Nations, as a centre of
dialogue, international decision-making and
implementation, will increasingly gain in importance as
the international community resolves to strengthen
international peace, security and development.


My
delegation is particularly pleased to convey to Mr. Jan
Kavan its heartfelt congratulations and fervent hopes
for success in the lofty and important task ahead of
him. His well-deserved election to the presidency of
the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly is a
fitting tribute to the spirit of the Czech people as well
as to his outstanding intellectual and moral qualities.
I am pleased to take this opportunity to say how
much we appreciated the courtesy, the commitment and
the competence of his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo,
who guided our discussions in such an outstanding
manner. We express to him our sincere and deep
gratitude for his many relevant initiatives, including
working visits to West Africa, particularly to Senegal,
which are testimony of friendship for my country and
support for the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD).
I should like also like to express once again to
Secretary-General Kofi Annan our admiration for his
steadfast determination in serving the ideals and causes
of our Organization. Thanks to his wisdom and far-
sightedness, the United Nations has found new vigour
with which to meet the tremendous challenges
confronting humankind.
It is therefore fitting that our Organization
which more than ever needs the widest support for its
plans and projects for a better management of the
affairs of our globalized world  is gaining two new
Members: Switzerland and, soon, East Timor. To the
delegations of those two friendly countries, I would
like to express Senegal's warmest congratulations and
our conviction that their contribution will undoubtedly
be enriching for our Organization, whose universal
character will thereby be reinforced.
It is precisely in the name of the principle of the
universality of the United Nations that Senegal
reiterates its fervent wish to see the Republic of China
on Taiwan join the concert of nations and assume its
full responsibilities in our Organization and its
specialized agencies. Granting that request, following
the good precedent of the World Trade Organization,
would bring justice to the 23 million inhabitants of the
Republic of China on Taiwan, who through their
exemplary conduct on the world stage have already
given proof of Taipei's attachment to the noble
objectives of the San Francisco Charter.
Last week, the United Nations and the
international community commemorated the
anniversary of the tragic events of 11 September 2001.
We express once again our sincere sentiments of
sympathy and compassion to the thousands of
American and other families in mourning. Senegal, its
head of State and its Government strongly reiterate
their steadfast determination to fight against terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations, whatever its
motivations and whoever its perpetrators and sponsors.
Senegal proclaims loudly and clearly that there is no
reason or cause sufficiently just or sufficiently good
that it could justify an act of terrorism against pregnant
women and other innocent civilians.
23

The Dakar Declaration against Terrorism, adopted
on 17 October 2001 at the initiative of President
Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, gives full expression to
our fervent wish to strengthen regional and subregional
cooperation in order to dismantle the menace of
terrorist activities on our continent. Let us remember
the heinous and unrepentant terrorist strikes against the
African people in Kenya and Tanzania. Nor do we
forget the heroic daily resistance of the Algerian people
in the face of repeated assaults by killers blinded by
their hatred and not by their faith in God, at least not in
the God of love and compassion that we Muslims
proudly call Allah.
To that end, Senegal submitted some months ago
to the African Union a draft additional protocol to the
Convention on the Prevention and Combating of
Terrorism of the Organization of African Unity and the
African Union. The draft protocol aims to strengthen
the Algiers Convention and to adapt it to the post-11-
September context. Also, my delegation welcomes the
fine initiative of the Commission of the African Union,
which recently held in Algiers a high-level
intergovernmental meeting on terrorism in Africa. In
other words, we have the common responsibility to
maintain and to strengthen the international
mobilization against terrorist networks and their
financing.
My Government welcomes the excellent work
already carried out by the Security Council Counter-
Terrorism Committee pursuant to Security Council
resolution 1373 (2001). Senegal encourages the
Committee to pursue its efforts and requests the
Working Group of the General Assembly's Sixth
Committee to do everything to hasten the adoption of a
comprehensive international convention against
terrorism.
It is a truism that the fight against terrorism is a
part of the international community's struggle to
promote international peace and security. That is the
objective that over the past months has not escaped our
Organization, which has strived to find lasting
solutions to conflicts that destroy the social and
economic fabric of numerous countries, especially in
Africa.
In that regard, Senegal keenly appreciates the
determined commitment of the Security Council,
which, more conscious than ever of its role of
guarantor of international peace and security, has
devoted a large portion of its work this year to conflicts
and tensions afflicting the African continent. Among
the numerous praiseworthy initiatives of the Security
Council, I would like to mention the convening of
special meetings devoted to the situation of Africa,
brilliantly presided over by the Ministers for Foreign
Affairs of Mauritius and Singapore during their
respective presidencies.
On behalf of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), of which Senegal currently
holds the chairmanship, I would like to nurture the
hope that the United Nations will stay the course in
order to forever stave off violence and wars, which
take a serious financial toll on the future of many
African countries. I am thinking of Sierra Leone, where
the current exemplary normalization of the political
and economic situation has largely been facilitated by
the holding of free, transparent, democratic and
peaceful elections.
It is urgent that the bells of peace, which have
sounded in Freetown, also be heard in Monrovia, where
the absence of political dialogue led the way to grave
socio-economic instability, whose contagious effect
could turn out to be disastrous for the Mano River
Union area. Senegal, as Chairman of ECOWAS, is
working tirelessly and hopes to be able to report to the
Assembly on its many initiatives under way, which
could very shortly lay the foundations of peace in
Liberia.
In Sierra Leone and Liberia, as in Guinea-Bissau,
where the Government of President Kumba Yal· is
attempting with courage and abnegation to lift the
country out of a financial and economic crisis
following a trying civil war, the international
community has the duty to continue more steadfastly
its valuable assistance. In that regard, I welcome the
strong signal sent by the Security Council under the
United States presidency to financial backers with
respect to granting Guinea-Bissau substantial financial
aid so that it can firmly return to the path of peace and
prosperity.
The interest in that neighbour of Senegal and in
our subregion recalls the wise and timely decision to
establish at Dakar an Office of the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for West
Africa. That Office should promote better coordination
among the activities of the United Nations in our
subregion and their greater impact on the ground. I am
24

pleased to sincerely congratulate Secretary-General
Kofi Annan on that clear-sighted initiative. It goes
without saying that the Office will enjoy the
enthusiastic support and complete cooperation of the
Government of Senegal.
Allow me to recall the activities of President
Abdoulaye Wade in benefit of the great African people
of Madagascar. His personal and total involvement in
mediating a solution to the Madagascar crisis has, as a
great international statesman said, surely spared the
people of that great island a drift towards a civil war of
incalculable consequences. He and his African
colleagues who have taken up that issue have shown
the world that with the strong support of the
international community Africans will prove that they
are also and above all peacemakers.
Elsewhere, beyond the African continent but so
close to our hearts, we observe a growing danger in the
Middle East. This year again, the world has witnessed
unheard-of violence in the Palestinian territories, where
the occupying military Power, Israel, has decidedly
opted for State violence, which leads to concepts as
dangerous as the so-called targeted assassinations and
other preventive operations.
On the Palestinian side, that situation has caused
an increase in terrorist cells  specialists in suicide
belts  groups that we unequivocally and resolutely
condemn. That network has produced an erosion of
trust between Israelis and Palestinians  trust that
must be restored as swiftly as possible through frank
and constructive dialogue that leads to a just and
lasting solution.
In order to achieve that, it is imperative that Tel
Aviv comply with the relevant Security Council
resolutions  in particular resolutions 242 (1967), 338
(1973) and 1397 (2002)  and that it also adhere to the
peace plan proposed by Saudi Arabia and to the
initiatives of the Quartet, which set out the basic
principles of land for peace and withdrawal for
normalization. The international community, in
particular the Security Council and the Quartet, has the
critical duty to formulate a bold plan to realize the
vision of two States within the 1967 borders and to
hasten what Senegal has continued to call for in all
international forums: the immediate convening of an
international conference on Palestine, leading to a
specific mechanism that would address political,
economic and security issues and having as its starting
point the creation of a sovereign Palestinian State side
by side an Israeli State, living in peace and harmony
with its neighbours.
Over the past 12 months, the international scene
has been dominated by the holding of three major
conferences that were crucial events in humanity's
collective march towards a more just and more unified
world: the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World
Trade Organization, held at Doha, Qatar; the
International Conference on Financing for
Development, held at Monterrey, Mexico; and the
World Summit on Sustainable Development, held at
Johannesburg, South Africa. Those world conferences
and the strong alliances that they created will allow
humanity to enter the third millennium on a positive
note.
I should like to note here that, in the light of
those statements of good intentions, the time for action
has come. We must act swiftly so that globalization, a
phenomenon that affects us all, will ultimately benefit
us all. Up to now, despite its certain virtues,
globalization seems to have caused greater
marginalization of the vast majority of the peoples of
the South. As a consequence, it is urgent that we
identify innovative mechanisms of development
financing. In fact, even if official development
assistance is still valuable for the States of the South,
its effectiveness will be limited without the addition of
concrete measures such as access for products of the
South to markets of the North, an increase in foreign
direct investment flows to developing countries,
particularly those in Africa, and the initiating role that,
we must recognize, belongs to the international and
African private sectors. Indeed, Senegal is convinced
that no country in the world has ever developed
through official development assistance. The private
sector, infrastructure and education are universally
acknowledged as the tripod of genuine sustainable
development. It is no less urgent, following the much-
appreciated appointment of a High Representative of
the Secretary-General for the Least Developed
Countries, that we all commit ourselves to
implementing the Brussels Programme of Action, in
conformity with the consensus of the 12th Ministerial
Meeting of the Group of 49, held at Cotonou from 5 to
7 August 2002.
The success of such initiatives cannot depend on
Governments alone. We need to build firm partnerships
with local communities, with civil society actors, with
25

the private sector, with non-governmental
organizations and with international organizations. It is
fitting that humanity's oldest continent should be proud
of the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD), a double partnership
internal and international  and a linkage, on the one
hand, among Africans and, on the other, between
Africa and the rest of the international community,
which has already shown its full support for that new
initiative. As evidence, I cite the Group of Eight Africa
Action Plan and the holding of the high-level plenary
meeting of the General Assembly to consider how to
support NEPAD.
Through NEPAD, which has the merit of defining
the prerequisites for African development, of
identifying sectoral priorities and of developing a
resource mobilization strategy, African leaders
among them His Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Wade,
President of the Republic of Senegal  intend to
demonstrate that the responsibility for Africa's
development is essentially theirs. In that context, I
must mention the launching of the African Union in
July at Durban, South Africa. We hope that its Peace
and Security Council, coupled with NEPAD's Peer
Review Mechanism, will lead to strong commitments
by our heads of State, first for our people and then for
our partners, which are very concerned by the central
questions of good governance and conflict prevention
and resolution.
Our development concerns do not preclude our
demands for human rights. That is why my country
attaches great importance to the promotion and
protection of the rights of women and children. At the
initiative of the Government, a major programme is
under way to combat, in particular, violence against
women and the trafficking and exploitation of women
and children for commercial and sexual purposes. In
those areas, the strategy formulated and implemented
by Senegal is based on action plans adopted at the
special session of the General Assembly on Beijing +5
and on the follow-up to the World Summit on Children.
As is its custom, Senegal wishes to honour and
praise the great role of women in the world, in
particular their African sisters, as the foundation and
the powerful engine of African renewal. History will
take note that it is Senegal that, through its President,
has demanded and ensured that each of the five
subregions of Africa elect at least one woman in its
quota of two Commissioners to the Commission of the
African Union. Africa is thus teaching the rest of the
world a lesson in unprecedented parity, which is more
proof  if it were needed  that, if we seek competent
women, we will find them.
At the initiative of its President, Senegal will
organize, on 10 October at Dakar, a special summit of
heads of State or Government of ECOWAS to follow
up the results of the twenty-sixth special session of the
General Assembly, devoted to children.
The rights of women and children are integral
elements of human rights, and my country reaffirms its
attachment to the principles of the universality,
interdependence and indivisibility of human rights, of
good economic and political governance and of the rule
of law. It is that democratic imperative that has
prompted the head of State of Senegal to strengthen our
institutional arsenal by creating the position of
Commissioner of Human Rights, to which a woman
has been appointed.
As members are aware, Senegal was the first
country in the world to ratify the Rome Statute for the
establishment of the International Criminal Court
(ICC), whose entry into force on 1 July 2002 my
country welcomed. That commitment resulted in my
Government's decision to present a candidate for judge
on the ICC  one of our finest magistrates and a
specialist in criminal law.
In conclusion, I should like, in recalling the
urgency of confronting humanity's numerous
challenges, to express the earnest hope that the
Organization will bolster its ability to better serve the
legitimate hopes of the world's peoples. Undoubtedly,
that path will anchor the future of a world reconciled
with itself, where justice, freedom, peace and
prosperity will be jealously preserved in justice and
freedom, in peace and prosperity, and in the dignity of
human beings  all human beings.


The Commonwealth of
Dominica joins other delegations in congratulating you
on your election to chair the proceedings of the fifty-
seventh session of the United Nations General
Assembly. We are confident that you will preside over
this Assembly with the efficiency and dedication
required to take us through the agenda of the fifty-
seventh session.
We also take this opportunity to extend to your
predecessor our sincere appreciation for the excellent
manner in which he steered the work of the fifty-sixth
session of this General Assembly.
One year ago we convened in a city reeling from
a terrible tragedy which spurred the international
community to unite in the fight against international
terrorism. The world's response to the events of 11
September 2001 was one of total condemnation of
terrorism in all its forms and a firm undertaking to
uphold the principles of freedom and democracy
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
The United Nations Security Council was swift
and decisive in its adoption of a resolution focused on
suppressing the financing of terrorism and denying
terrorists any safe haven in which to operate. Sadly,
terrorism remains today one of the greatest threats to
human security. The Commonwealth of Dominica
therefore once again reaffirms its commitment to the
fight against international terrorism and to ensuring
that the channels for funding of terrorist-related
activities and international crime are permanently
disabled.
My Government is making every effort towards
the successful implementation of United Nations
Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) in spite of
limited human and financial resources. Legislative
measures which have been put in place include an
Exchange of Information Act, which addresses some of
the concerns of the international community as
expressed in resolution 1373 (2001). This Act was
passed in the Dominica Parliament in January 2002,
while a bill for the suppression of financing of
terrorism will be tabled before Parliament shortly.
My delegation wishes to take this opportunity to
express its appreciation for the initiatives taken by the
Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Commonwealth, the
European Union and other countries and organizations
to assist developing countries in their implementation
of resolution 1373 (2001).
The historic entry into force of the Rome Statute
of the International Criminal Court (ICC) takes us one
step further in the fight against impunity of war crimes
and crimes against humanity. The Commonwealth of
Dominica's accession to the Statute of the ICC in
January 2001 is indicative of our support for the
establishment of a permanent international court that
will bring the perpetrators of the most serious
international crimes to justice. In this regard, the ICC
must seek to prevent or penalize terrorist-related
crimes which may be localized in action, but may have
severe global consequences.
The international situation, notably developments
in the world economy, has not been favourable to the
growth prospects of small States such as the
Commonwealth of Dominica, which remains a small,
open and largely agriculture-based economy, extremely
vulnerable to external economic shocks. While the
events of 11 September 2001 are behind us, the
irreparable damage to the economies of small
Caribbean countries is still evident. Hardest hit was the
tourism sector, one of the areas with the greatest
potential to contribute to Dominica's social and
economic development.
32

The growth of our offshore financial sector,
another potential contributor to our economic
diversification, has been adversely affected by our
country's inclusion in the list of non-cooperative
countries and territories put out by the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s
Financial Action Task Force. All attempts thus far to
have our country removed from that list have proved
futile, in spite of the implementation of the measures
necessary to ensure best industry practices in the
financial services sector.
The Commonwealth of Dominica nevertheless
commits itself to the global combat against money-
laundering and stands ready to cooperate with the
international community in its anti-money-laundering
initiative. A number of new laws have been enacted by
Parliament to legislate its anti-money-laundering
policies. The Commonwealth of Dominica has also
established a Financial Intelligence Unit and a Money-
Laundering Supervisory Authority to ensure that our
financial-services sector remains free from money-
laundering.
As I address you, my country is facing one of the
most challenging periods in its history. The slowdown
in the global economy, the impact of the events of 11
September 2001 on an already deteriorating fiscal
situation, the continued difficulties of integrating into
the multilateral trading system in a globalized world
and the rapid decline in overseas development
assistance have undoubtedly affected our economic
performance in an appallingly negative way.
We have been left with no other option but to
pursue a stabilization and adjustment programme,
which, although approved by the International
Monetary Fund, has not succeeded in keeping
detractors, including the public service union, off the
streets.
The success of this programme should lay the
basis for sustained higher growth output and
employment, as well as poverty reduction. We
recognize, however, the attendant costs of
implementing this programme. The Dominican people
have been asked to make temporary, but heavy
sacrifices in order to place our country on the road to
recovery.
We wish to recognize, in this forum, the support
given in these difficult times to the Commonwealth of
Dominica at the Caribbean regional level, and look
forward to the timely support of the international
community.
Last year, as the world turned its attention to the
events of 11 September, the Secretary-General
reminded us that none of the issues that faced us on 10
September had become less urgent. Indeed, the United
Nations calendar for the past year has been crowded
with special conferences and summits, all convened to
address problems and issues of global concern that
affect the everyday lives of the peoples of the United
Nations. While it is true that those issues are current
and of interest to the smaller members of this body it is
unfortunate that many of us do not have the capacity or
wherewithal to ensure that they receive effective
representation, not only at the conferences but, more
significantly, in the preparatory committees that
precede the conferences. It is no accident, therefore,
that most often the States that least benefit are the
smallest and least influential.
The Second World Assembly on Ageing and the
special session on children attempted to deal with
issues which affect the most vulnerable members of our
societies. The World Assembly concluded in April with
a Plan of Action for implementation by the
international community. In small countries like the
Commonwealth of Dominica, this implementation
must, of necessity, include the recognition of older
persons as the pillars of our societies — people who
make a significant contribution to our economic
development.
My Government has developed a national policy
on ageing which seeks to ensure that older persons are
provided with protective care and given an opportunity
to continue to participate in the development of our
nation. A few weeks ago, we were privileged to host
the tenth annual regional meeting of HelpAge
International — a happy coincidence, given that among
our population of 75,000, we have 22 centenarians. I
want to make specific mention of the world's oldest
living person — a Dominican woman, Mrs. Elizabeth
Israel, affectionately known as Ma Pampo — who is
allegedly 127.
Civil society organizations like HelpAge must be
recognized for their vigorous attempts to deal with
issues affecting older persons. As a family of nations,
we established set goals, strategies and actions in
pursuit of a better life for children at the special
session of the General Assembly on children. As a
33

signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
the Commonwealth of Dominica remains committed to
ensuring that children's rights are protected and
respected. Children are one of our most valuable
resources.
The Monterrey Conference on Financing for
Development was convened in March this year, and
was hailed as a “turning point in the approach to
development cooperation” by the international
community. It was widely acknowledged at Monterrey
that, in order for development assistance to be
effective, both the donors and the recipients had to
share the same goals of sustainable development and
the alleviation and eventual eradication of poverty.
We applaud the commitment expressed by the
major donor Governments to the Monterrey Consensus.
What we desire, however, is an equitable distribution
of the increased official development assistance funds
pledged by the heads of State or Government of the
European Union in March 2002. The same can be said
of the “new compact for global development” proposed
by President George W. Bush on 14 March 2002, by
which the United States pledged to increase its core
assistance to developing countries by 50 per cent over
the next three years.
We are still confident that global conferences can
work, because it has been proved that they serve as
forums where new proposals can be debated and
consensus sought on topical issues. At the recently
concluded Johannesburg Summit, world Governments
agreed to halve by 2015 the number of people lacking
clean water and basic sanitation.
My Government was particularly pleased that at
the conclusion of the Johannesburg Summit the richer
countries stated their willingness to reach an
agreement, by January 2005, within the World Trade
Organization, for “substantial improvements in market
access” for food exports from developing countries.
The Johannesburg Summit underlined the
necessary linkage between environmental protection
and natural resources management and the issues of
poverty, underdevelopment and social justice. The
Summit demonstrated the interdependence of social,
environmental and economic factors, which must work
in unison if long-term sustainable development is to be
achieved. Empirical evidence exists to show that poor
and weak national economies impact negatively on the
environment, while environmental degradation and the
over-utilization of natural resources result in declining
economies and impoverished communities.
The Government of Dominica remains fully
committed to Agenda 21 and the Barbados Programme
of Action for Small Island Developing States. We
reiterate our unwavering support for the Johannesburg
Plan of Action and urge all Member States to make
good on their commitments for the successful
implementation of all sustainable development
conventions.
The increase in levels of official development
assistance, to which I alluded earlier, is essential when
viewed in the context of the implementation of
development strategies by small island developing
States. It is recognized that the small, open economies
of these small States require effective means, including
financial resources, to counteract the negative effects
of globalization and trade liberalization and to foster
sustainable development.
The Commonwealth of Dominica is acutely aware
of the magnitude of the challenges facing our pursuit of
sustainable development. Ours is a country with a
history of consistently seeking a national development
path guided by sustainable development. An integrated
development plan, undertaken with the participation of
a diversity of stakeholders and sectors, will shortly be
completed and will provide us with a framework within
which we can address physical, economic and social
vulnerabilities in an integrated manner.
At this time, my Government wishes to place on
record its appreciation of the continued commitment of
the Republic of China on Taiwan to the social,
economic and infrastructural development of small,
vulnerable economies very much like its own. As the
fourteenth largest economy in the world, the Republic
of China on Taiwan has demonstrated the benefits of
having a global perspective on development. We
welcomed the decision of the World Trade
Organization, in November 2001, to admit the Republic
of China on Taiwan as a full member of that
organization. We look forward to a similar occasion
when the Republic of China on Taiwan will take its
place in these halls as a full member of the United
Nations family.
The Commonwealth of Dominica joins other
delegations in congratulating the African nations for
two important developments. First, the transformation
of the Organization of African Unity into the African
34

Union, which we are confident will be a strong
institution committed to the promotion of peace and
stability, democracy and human rights, cooperation,
development, prosperity and human dignity. Second,
we have the programme for socio-economic
revitalization of the African continent, the New
Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The
United Nations has a central role to play in ensuring
the success of this bold initiative of the African States
to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment. These two
development provide great examples that our
Caribbean region can emulate.
In conclusion, I wish to reiterate the resolve of
the Millennium Declaration that
“the central challenge we face today is to ensure
that globalization becomes a positive force for all
the world's people.” (A/54/2000, para. 5)
We must ensure, through the global and regional
programmes, that globalization truly contributes to
sustainable development and prosperity for all. We
wish the 57th General Assembly every success in
advancing the goals of peace, democracy, prosperity
and sustainable development.


On behalf of the
Government and people of Nigeria, I join other
delegations in congratulating Mr. Kavan on his election
as president of the fifty-seventh session of the United
Nations General Assembly. I have no doubt that, under
his able leadership, the work of this session will be
guided to a successful conclusion. Let me also
acknowledge the work done by his predecessor, who
guided the affairs of the fifty-sixth session with great
skill and commitment.
The tireless efforts of our Secretary-General,
Mr. Kofi Annan, on behalf of our Organization must
not go unnoticed. He deserves our profuse
appreciation.
I welcome the newest member of our
organization, Switzerland. I have no doubt that this
nation will bring unique perspectives to the work of the
United Nations, which will enhance the attainment of
its objectives.
It is regrettable that international terrorism
continues to pose a threat to international peace and
security. There is a need for reviewed and concerted
efforts on our part to confront the menace until the
threat is halted. The various international instruments
aimed at combating terrorism deserve our full support.
Nigeria remains deeply committed to the fight against
terrorism. We are committed to the early elaboration of
a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
Despite the best intentions and efforts of the
international community, a scourge of a different nature
continues to threaten many parts of the world. I refer
here to the numerous theatres of conflict around the
world. People continue to expend valuable energies and
resources in fighting each other, often for causes that
are unproductive. The international community has a
responsibility, not only to design appropriate strategies
for a measured and early response to snuff out these
conflicts, but also to find ways and means of
2

addressing their root causes, and managing them to a
peaceful conclusion. Only then will true peace and
stability reign in the world.
While it is true that many of these conflicts have
their root causes in poverty, ignorance, real and
perceived injustice and the absence of basic freedoms,
it is equally evident that they are often exacerbated,
especially in the case of African conflicts, by the influx
of small arms into the continent. Illicit trade in small
arms and light weapons has continued unabated, with
disastrous consequences for many developing
countries. We are deeply concerned that manufacturing
countries are not doing enough to limit the
proliferation of these weapons through appropriate
safeguards. We, therefore, call on the international
community to consider elaborating a legally binding
international instrument to control the supply of these
weapons to non-State actors.
The United Nations peacekeeping role is an
invaluable one in the global effort to help contain and
resolve conflicts around the world. It deserves to be
sustained and strengthened. Nigeria is proud to be an
active participant in this peacekeeping and
peacemaking effort. We remain committed to this
responsibility in the conviction that we are our
brother's keeper and in the knowledge that there can be
no development without peace and stability.
The situation in the Middle East continues to pose
a serious threat to international peace and security. We
reaffirm our commitment to the right of the Palestinian
people to their own independence, as well as the right
of the State of Israel to exist within safe and secure
international borders, consistent with Security Council
resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). We therefore
welcome the vision and the engagement of the Quartet,
as well as other sponsors of the Middle East peace
process. I urge the parties in the Middle East conflict to
cooperate with the international community and give
the ongoing peace process a chance. That becomes
imperative because we cannot afford a situation of
protracted conflict in the subregion.
Nigeria notes with concern the threat that the
situation in Iraq poses to international peace and
security. We hold the view that any further escalation
of tension would lead to very serious consequences.
Nigeria, therefore, urges the parties concerned to
exercise caution and restraint and that the matter be
resolved in accordance with the provisions of the
Charter of the United Nations.
There is no shortage of international good will
and commitment to development. Various declarations
and programmes eloquently address the need for rapid,
durable and sustainable development, as well as the
desire for the equitable distribution of the world's
wealth. In spite of this good will and good intentions
on the part of the international community, more than
half of humanity lives in abject poverty and ignorance.
For many countries in Africa, hunger and disease
remain pervasive and deeply rooted. Human
development indices for some of the poorest countries
are, indeed, unflattering for a world that is so rich but
with resources so unevenly distributed.
It is our conviction that urgent, concrete action is
required, if the lofty goals we have set for ourselves in
the Millennium Declaration to make the world a better
place are to be realized. Many developing countries
require assistance from the international community in
the form of increased official development assistance
and foreign direct investment flows and efforts to
alleviate their excruciating debt burden and enable
them to develop their human and material resource
base.
Africa remains committed to the attainment of the
goals of the Millennium Declaration. In that regard, I
am pleased to state that Africa is seeking to lift itself
by its own bootstraps, through the New Partnership for
Africa's Development (NEPAD). As members are
aware, NEPAD is designed to address, in a sustained
and coordinated way, many of the developmental
problems associated with Africa's underdevelopment.
We are encouraged by the support that NEPAD
has so far received from the international community.
The latest evidence of this support is the outcome of
the recent meeting of the Group of 8 in Kananaskis,
Canada, towards the implementation of the Action
Plan. It is hoped that the United Nations high-level
segment on NEPAD would record greater successes in
the much expected endorsement of that initiative by the
international community.
This and other programmes designed to improve
the living conditions of the majority of humanity may
not yield the desired results if one of the greatest
dangers facing humanity today is not addressed with
the commitment and urgency it deserves. I am speaking
here of the HIV/AIDS pandemic that continues to bring
3

havoc, misery and hopelessness on humanity,
especially in Africa where the pandemic is threatening
to wipe out entire generations. For example, it is
estimated that out of the 36 million people living with
HIV/AIDS worldwide, 75 per cent of them are in sub-
Saharan Africa. The consequent toll on the human and
material resources of one of the most impoverished
regions of the world cannot be overemphasized. Not
only is the productive population of Africa being
systematically decimated by HIV/AIDS, but efforts to
combat this and other diseases, such as malaria,
tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, are also
diverting scarce resources away from development
programmes and projects. Massive assistance is
therefore required from the international community to
complement the efforts of individual countries.
Nigeria will spare no effort to combat these
scourges. While we are fully aware of the insidious
nature of all of these pestilences, the spread of HIV/
AIDS constitutes by far our greatest source of concern.
For that reason, Nigeria is active in contribution to and
management of the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS.
We have also established a national agency for
the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS to coordinate
the Government's multisectoral approach to the
prevention, control and management of the pandemic.
We pledge to continue to do our best in this human
struggle against this powerful, destructive force,
especially by generating awareness in the country
about its prevention and spread. We continue, however,
to count on the international community to find cures
for these diseases, as well as to give assistance to many
of our countries in these efforts. The leadership of the
United Nations is critical to the success of these
efforts.
I wish once again to draw the Assembly's
attention to the pernicious issue of corruption and its
manifestation at the international level. We have
always maintained that it takes two to tango and that
the instances of corruption in developing countries
have often been supported by encouragement, and
inducements and the provision of safe havens by the
industrialized countries. Thus, we are strongly
advocating that efforts to establish a convention against
corruption need to be expedited, so that we can have
global action against corruption.
There is no doubt that the United Nations has
served humanity well. It has come a long way since its
humble beginnings in 1945. It remains the only
organization to which all nations, in varying degrees
and ways, are associated and committed. Humanity is
the better for the existence of the United Nations. The
Organization provides the basis for our collective
security, international cooperation and solidarity, which
are essential for human coexistence. We must therefore
continue to fine-tune its implementations to make it
more responsive to the needs of the times and to
prepare it for the challenges of the future, some of
which could not have been envisaged by the founding
Members.
I am pleased to note that there is general
agreement among us on the need to reform the
Organization so as to make it more democratic in
structure, more efficient in management and more
manageable in size. Nigeria is a major proponent of the
envisaged reforms, especially those regarding the
structure and working methods of the Security Council.
Nigeria envisages a new Security Council in which it
will play the role destined by its geopolitical
circumstances and the challenges of the twenty-first
century. In this regard, we are willing to contribute to
efforts and stand ready to support others of like mind
and circumstances in this endeavour.


Mr. President, I would like, at
the outset, to congratulate you on your election to the
presidency of the General Assembly and would like to
express my appreciation of the United Nations
Secretary-General's eloquent statement at the opening
of this session, which gave good support to
multilateralism and international relations and exposed
the dangers of unilateralism and hegemony.
I also wish to congratulate the Swiss
Confederation on its membership and East Timor on its
prospective membership to the United Nations.
This session is held one year after the tragic
events of 11 September 2001, and I would like to
renew our condolences to the American people,
especially the families of the victims of this tragedy,
and express to them our deep sympathy.
It gives me pleasure to express my sincere
gratitude to the States of the international community
and to organizations for their substantive position
rejecting the United States Administration's threats
against Iraq and for the calls they made for a
comprehensive political solution to the impasse in the
relationship between Iraq and the Security Council.
In response to several appeals made by the United
Nations Secretary-General, peace-loving States and
regional organizations, my Government decided to
allow the return of United Nations weapons inspectors
without conditions as a first step towards a
comprehensive solution that includes the lifting of
sanctions imposed on Iraq and the timely
implementation of other provisions of relevant Security
Council resolutions, including resolution 687 (1991).
I was instructed by the President of the Republic
of Iraq, His Excellency Mr. Saddam Hussein, to convey
to you, in the allotted time, excerpts of a letter he has
addressed to the General Assembly, in which His
Excellency presents Iraq's position on the latest
developments in the relationship between Iraq and the
Security Council.
Following are excerpts from the letter:
“In his speech at the General Assembly that
was preceded and accompanied by noisy
propaganda and extensive preparation, the United
States President, instead of paying attention to
common issues of concern to humanity at large,
has presented the security problems of his own
country and the sacrifices it has suffered since the
events of September 11.
“It is a good sign that the United States
resorted, for the first time since the end of the
cold war, to the General Assembly to put forward
one of its problems, after years of disregard of the
weight, effect and opinion of others. Nevertheless,
the United States President revealed his basic
purpose when he jumped to the issue of Iraq without
any introduction or acceptable progression. He
portrayed that issue as if it were the most dangerous
situation, not only for the life, security and future of
the United States, but also for the life, future and
security of the whole world. Among his
generalizations, which included deliberate
insinuations, he presented extreme distortions of
the so-called nuclear, biological and chemical
threats, so as to make American citizens believe
the deliberate insinuation that Iraq was linked to
the American people's tragedy of 11 September.
“He seems to have assumed that the countries
of the world are unaware of the American
Administration and its methods, or of Iraq and its
high sense of responsibility toward humanity, its
desire for peace and stability, or of the fact that the
Iraqis are a creative people in work, production,
and innovation, in addition to being the heirs of
the most ancient human civilizations.
“The United States President talked about the
importance of the application of democracy on the
part of the Government of Iraq. He pretended to
care for the people of Iraq after he and other
Presidents before him have killed Iraqis by using
weapons such as depleted uranium, and by the
blockade, which is now more than twelve years old,
in which more than one million and seven hundred
thousand innocent Iraqis, out of a population of
twenty five million citizens, have died.
“So, after utilizing the American
propaganda machine for a long time and spouting
official statements full of lies, distortion, and
falsehood, the focus was basically turned on
25

inciting the American public against Iraq and
pushing it to believe the United States
Administration's schemes of aggression as a fait
accompli, as if it were the solution or the necessary
rescue that would allow American citizens to live
in security and stability, after what they had gone
through in the 11 September events.
“When the United States Administration
realized that it was necessary to have an
international cover for using force against Iraq
and that the world did not believe the lies it tried
to propagate to link Iraq to the September events,
it changed the issue and began to shed crocodile
tears about international law and the necessity to
comply with the resolutions of international
legitimacy, alleging that Iraq is not complying
with Security Council resolutions, especially with
regard to the United Nations inspectors. This
implied that Iraq had the intention to develop, or
that it already possesses, nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons. According to these allegations,
it might give such weapons to terrorist organizations
that pose a threat to world security.
“Now that Iraq has accepted the return of
the United Nations inspectors, we will all be able
to see how they work. In our past experience with
these inspectors (1991-1998), Iraq used to ask the
inspection teams to do their job in accordance
with the declared goals of the Security Council.
However, some of the inspectors went on doing
intelligence and espionage work that had nothing
to do with the official mandate of the inspection
teams. Some of those inspectors have publicly
admitted this; some, including an American, are
still publicly talking about it. Even Mr. Rolf
Ekeus, the former chief of the United Nations
Special Commission (UNSCOM), has recently
stated that the inspectors overstepped the limits of
their defined duties by spying on the Iraqi
leadership. I quote: ‘The United States and other
Powers exploited the inspection teams for their
own political ends, including monitoring
President Saddam Hussein's whereabouts.' He
also said that the inspection teams deliberately
created problems to prepare the ground for
possible military attacks.
“Iraq has always defended the principles
and values that you have willingly set down in
the United Nations Charter and the purposes for
which the Security Council was created, which
are to preserve security and to establish peace.
Therefore, by confronting evil for twelve years
now, Iraq has not only been defending its own
patriotism, but rather it has acted as if it were
defending your own patriotism. It has been acting
on your behalf without being assigned to do so. In
targeting Iraq, the United States Administration is
acting on behalf of Zionism, which has been
killing the heroic people of Palestine, destroying
their property, murdering their children, and
seeking to impose their domination on the whole
world, not only militarily, but also economically
and politically.
“The United States Administration wants to
destroy Iraq in order to control Middle East oil,
and consequently control the politics as well as
the oil and economic policies of the whole world.
If it succeeds in that, God forbid, it would dictate
for each country what it needs for its economic
development, what quantities of oil it is allowed to
buy, at what prices, along with other conditions.
“Briefly, what Iraq wants is the respect of
the principles of the United Nations Charter and
international law, whether regarding its own
interests and sovereignty or those of the other
Member States of the United Nations. On this
basis, Iraq was, and still is, ready to cooperate
with the Security Council and international
organizations. However, Iraq rejects anyone's
transgression of its rights, sovereignty, security
and independence. That would be in contradiction
with the principles of the Charter and
international law.
“Hence, Iraq has not rejected the relevant
resolutions of the Security Council, even though
those that relate to Iraq are unjust and at odds
with the United Nations Charter and international
law. Iraq rather calls on members of the Security
Council, and on the United States Administration
in particular, to respect their own obligations
under the Charter, under international law and the
relevant Security Council resolutions. Iraq
demands that its inalienable rights, stipulated in
those very resolutions, be met, including respect
of its sovereignty and security, lifting the
blockade imposed on it, and applying paragraph
14 of Resolution 687 (1991) to the Zionist entity,
26

as stipulated in the text and in the same manner as
it was applied to Iraq.
“I hereby declare before you that Iraq is
totally clear of all nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons. If there are anyone amongst
you who might still worry that the fabrications
announced by American officials about Iraq may
possibly be true, our country is ready to receive
any scientific experts accompanied by politicians
you choose to represent any one of your countries
to tell us which places and scientific and
industrial installations they would wish to see,
particularly those about which the American
officials have been fabricating false stories,
alleging that they contain prohibited materials or
activities. If such experts and politicians visit
Iraq, we shall provide them with all the facilities
they need to achieve their objective, that is, to see
the true facts as they are.
“As what matters for us basically is that our
rights, sovereignty and security be respected in
accordance with international law, we have
accepted the return of the inspection teams to
Iraq, taking into consideration the arrangements
that should safeguard these principles and
achieve, with transparency, the goal of making
sure that Iraq no longer possesses nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons of mass
destruction. Along with you, we are waiting to see.
“The blockade imposed upon Iraq has been
in place for more than 12 years now, during
which time our assets and oil revenues have been
frozen and we have been unable to use them
except through an inefficient United Nations-run
system that has already proven to be unfeasible.
Substantial amounts of our revenues have been
illegitimately seized in a manner tantamount to
looting and contrary to the principles enshrined in
the United Nations Charter.
“We therefore call for a discussion of the
issue of the inspection teams in accordance with
international law. That should be done on a
comprehensive basis with a discussion of Iraq's
obligations, including the issue of the inspection
teams as well as the obligations of the Security
Council towards Iraq, as stated in the resolutions
themselves, particularly resolution 687 (1991).
Reciprocal obligations exist of which the Security
Council has implemented nothing, including the
obligation to respect Iraq's sovereignty, which is
being violated by America and Britain on a daily
basis through their ongoing aggression and the
artificially drawn parallel latitude lines over
northern and southern Iraq.
“You may notice how the policy of the
Zionist entity, which has usurped Palestine and
other Arab territories since 1948, and afterwards,
has now become as one with the policies and
capabilities of the United States.
“The United States Administration has been
making up problems with Iraq in order to derail
the application of paragraph 14 of resolution 687
(1991) and to prevent the Security Council from
lifting the blockade imposed on Iraq. The reason
lies in the fact that the counter-obligations under
relevant resolutions of the Security Council,
including resolution 687 (1991) of 3 April 1991,
contain a clear paragraph demanding that the
Middle East be made a zone free from weapons of
mass destruction. Thus the American
Administration does not want to embarrass the
Zionist entity or deprive it of the nuclear,
chemical and biological weapons it actually
possesses. It is also because the United States
Administration is aware that Iraq has indeed
honoured all its obligations and is demanding,
along with other Arab countries, that paragraph
14 be applied to the Zionist entity.
“Iraq has been keen to see the inspection
issue discussed between the Security Council and
Iraq, through the United Nations Secretary-
General and the representatives of Iraq, with a
view to reaching a balanced formula based on the
principles of the Charter and the relevant
resolutions of the Security Council, and within a
comprehensive solution which should bring to an
end the cyclone of American accusations and
fabricated crises against Iraq. At the same time,
this would reassure Iraq with regard to its
security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and its
right to choose its own way without interference,
in accordance with the rules established in the
Charter of the United Nations.
“The United States President said in his
speech that Iraq is providing financial support to
the Palestinian people. My comment is that this is
27

correct. Yet we feel that the support we have
extended has not been as great as we would have
hoped, because of the circumstances which have
curtailed our means. In extending this support, we
act in accordance with the United Nations Charter
and the resolutions of the Assembly, in which the
national struggle of peoples against occupation
and colonialism is considered to be an inalienable
national right.
“But what grounds does America and its
Presidents have to support the Zionist entity,
which has been occupying Palestine and other
Arab territories and committing its criminal
policy of killing Palestinians, destroying their
property and encroaching upon, and destroying,
the holy places of Muslims and Christians there?
What principles and what laws does the American
President rely on in killing Iraqis, blockading
their country, destroying their property and
interfering in their internal affairs?”


Allow me to begin by offering
Mr. Jan Kavan my Government's warm congratulations
as he assumes the presidency of the General Assembly.
He has served the Czech Republic so well as Foreign
Minister, and I have full faith in his ability to meet the
numerous challenges that the fifty-seventh session of
the General Assembly will no doubt present. I assure
him of my delegation's full support in the execution of
his duties.
Allow me also to take this opportunity to express
my appreciation to Mr. Han Seung-soo for the skill and
dedication with which he served this body during the
session that has just come to a close.
It gives the Government of Malta great pleasure
to welcome the recent admission of the Swiss
Confederation to our family of nations. We look
forward to also welcoming among us the Democratic
Republic of East Timor. Their addition serves to further
strengthen the trust and belief of all our nations that
dialogue within a multilateral context is both
worthwhile and irreplaceable.
Over the past couple of weeks the international
community has been seized of the issue of sustainable
development. Malta participated actively in the World
Summit on Sustainable Development, held in South
Africa, and although the Summit's very ambitious
objectives could not all be reached, we are satisfied
that a plan of action — the Plan of Implementation —
with specific targets to tackle key development
problems has been adopted. Throughout the
negotiations, Malta worked closely with the European
Union to include concrete plans and targets in the plan
of action. As a result, the Summit agreed on a series of
commitments in priority areas such as water and
sanitation, desertification, energy and biodiversity. It is
our hope that the plan of action will attract the
necessary additional resources that will make its
implementation possible, thereby making sustainable
development a reality for an ever-increasing proportion
of humanity.
When I had the honour to address the Assembly
at the last general debate, in November 2001, I pledged
my Government's full support for the Franco-German
initiative against the reproductive cloning of human
beings. As a sponsor of resolution 56/93, which
established the relevant Ad Hoc Committee, we have
carefully followed the deliberations within the
Committee on the philosophical, medical, legal and
ethical considerations associated with this pressing
issue. This was a necessary debate which brought to
the fore the consensus that exists on the need to
12

respond to the challenges posed by scientists who are
unable or unwilling to recognize the deep moral
implications of their actions, as well as the dangers that
they may pose to mankind. The convergence of
political will has now been manifested. The time is
therefore ripe for the Ad Hoc Committee to be given a
clear mandate to negotiate a convention on this matter.
My Government will strive for the timely conclusion of
negotiations in this regard, preferably before the end of
2003. However, whether or not the international
community concludes such a convention before
attempts at reproductive human cloning actually
materialize, it is imperative that, through international
action and national legislation, Member States deny
safe haven to those scientists willing to defy the
international community.
Before this year is out we shall be
commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the
opening for signature of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea. When, as a newly
independent State, Malta called for the commencement
of negotiations on such a convention, it was concerned
with the numerous unresolved issues of the rights and
obligations of States with regard to seas and oceans,
and with the seeds of countless conflicts that they
might sow. It is today impossible to speculate on the
number of occasions on which the legal certainties that
the Convention brought about have helped to defuse,
dissipate or prevent altogether the scourge of conflict
and war. It is the curse of international law in our times
to make the news headlines only when it fails, while
passing unnoticed and unsung when it succeeds.
We would do well to remain conscious of the role
that international law, based on the multilateral
process, plays in the prevention of conflict and the
avoidance of threats to international security. That is to
say, we would do well to remember the role it plays in
upholding the central mandate of the United Nations
itself. The role of the instruments of international law,
and in particular those such as the Convention on the
Law of the Sea, should be recognized for the
contribution they provide in that regard.
United Nations Headquarters has just played host
to the historic first session of the Assembly of States
Parties to the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court. The complex changes to national
legislation necessary to allow for Malta's ratification of
the Rome Statute have now reached an advanced stage
and are expected to be presented to Parliament in the
coming days, thus enabling Malta to formally deposit
its instrument of ratification very soon.
The new International Criminal Court (ICC) has
its roots in the atrocities carried out during the last
century — not least those addressed at the Nuremberg
trials. The ICC is thus a product of the lessons learned
over time and of the widespread political will that has
led to the creation of a credible deterrent to the would-
be perpetrators of the most heinous crimes. The ICC
thus provides an effective, competent and fair forum
where those individuals may be tried. The
establishment of the Court also represents a major
breakthrough in international law and one which has
become more — and not less — crucial now that
terrorism has imposed itself high on our international
agenda.
The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 still
loom large in our memories. The anniversary of that
tragedy has again filled our television screens with
horrific scenes of suffering and death. It has served to
remind us of the resolve which is necessary in the face
of such horror. My Government has taken part in the
fight against international terrorism with full
determination, and will continue to do so. This is
evidenced not only by our thorough implementation of
the international conventions on terrorism and the
ongoing process towards the implementation of
Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) but also by
ever-tighter controls and scrutiny at our ports. We
undertake further to intensify our efforts in this field in
order to assist in the permanent eradication of terrorism
in whatever shape or form.
The continued turbulence in the Middle East also
continues to be a source of great concern to my
Government. The cycle of violence that continues to
engulf the region provides a confirmation, if ever one
were needed, that there is no purely military solution to
the conflict. The extrajudicial killings of Palestinians,
the deliberate destruction of the property and
livelihoods of innocent civilians and the subjection of
the entire Palestinian population to collective
punishment does not dim the wholly legitimate
aspirations of the Palestinian people to a State of their
own.
Likewise, the targeting of Israeli civilians in
suicide bombings and other forms of destruction of the
lives and property of innocent civilians does untold
13

harm to the cause the perpetrators of those crimes
claim to support.
No cause, no argument and no justification can
legitimize these abhorrent acts by either party to the
conflict.
My Government looks on in anguish as a fence,
reminiscent of the Berlin wall, that most shameful of
symbols of the twentieth century, slowly takes shape. It
is a harrowing reminder of how little mankind has
learned from the past, particularly if we look back to
the outbreak of violence in the region since September
2000.
Unjustified preconditions to the start of political
negotiations further hinder any progress in the
discussions on a two-State solution to the conflict.
Negotiations, which must start without further delay,
must be built on the clear and plain language of
Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338
(1973) and the principle of land for peace. The recent
initiative by the States members of the European Union
in presenting a road map for the Middle East which
outlines a three-stage process leading to the creation of
a Palestinian State by 2005 provides a genuine basis
for taking negotiations forward. The international
community looks to the Quartet to advance in that
direction with urgency.
An issue which continues to persist in the
Mediterranean is the situation in Cyprus, which has
remained a cause of concern for more than 25 years.
We earnestly hope that an early settlement of the
Cyprus question will be found and reiterate our full
support for efforts to find a solution on the basis of the
relevant Security Council resolutions. The imminent
accession of Cyprus to the European Union should
provide the necessary impetus for the resolution of this
long-standing problem.
Malta is encouraged by the efforts of the
Secretary-General to engage the Organization in the
quest to achieve a resolution to the situation with
regard to Iraq before it deteriorates any further. My
Government calls upon the Iraqi Government to
comply with all its obligations under all the provisions
of relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular
those concerning disarmament with respect to weapons
of mass destruction. Iraq must meet its commitments
and allow the re-entry of United Nations inspectors
into its territory without any preconditions and as
stipulated by the Security Council.
The international community should spare no
effort in exploring all political and diplomatic options
that would or could assist in resolving the issue. Malta
is in agreement with the Secretary-General that if Iraq
fails to meet its obligations, the Security Council, as
the organ entrusted with the primary responsibility for
the maintenance of international peace and security,
must shoulder its responsibilities. The Security Council
has to ensure compliance with its own resolutions in
the interest of the international rule of law.
Malta's location at the centre of the
Mediterranean has provided us with opportunities for
trade and development, which we have been relatively
successful at exploiting in the interest of our island,
which is otherwise bereft of natural resources. Our
strategic location is, however, now also the scene of
another socio-economic phenomenon of a much less
encouraging nature. I speak here of the poverty divide
that cuts across the Mediterranean Sea.
The countries of the Mediterranean littoral share
much in terms of history, culture and way of life.
However the ever more apparent disparities of wealth
continue to fuel the movement of thousands of people
from the southern Mediterranean and further afield to
entrust their lives and hopes into the hands of
unscrupulous individuals. These traffickers of human
beings, willing to exploit misery and desperation, have
little respect for human life and often abandon the
would-be immigrants to the elements once they have
secured their ill-gotten gains. My Government has
increased the punishment meted out to those found
guilty of such heinous acts. We have also bolstered our
surveillance and rescue capability within our territorial
waters and are simultaneously seeking to provide
treatment that is as humane as possible to the victims
that land on our shores. These efforts have been made,
however, in the full knowledge that they deal more
with the symptoms of the phenomenon of human
trafficking than with its root causes.
The imperative of narrowing the wealth divide
across the Mediterranean is one of the philosophical
cornerstones of the Euro-Med process, which exists to
bring the European Union and 12 Mediterranean States
together on a number of issues of common concern.
Malta has been an avid supporter of the process since
its inception and looks forward to developing its role
further within this forum as a member of the European
Union in the near future.
14

My Government believes that the accession of
Malta to the European Union will serve to further
enhance our capability to promote peace and prosperity
within the Mediterranean, given our reputation as an
honest broker that can identify with both sides of the
Mediterranean.
Inasmuch as this is the case, we also believe that
membership in the Union will also serve to strengthen
our own internal workings at all levels of society,
bringing prosperity to the Maltese both now and for the
years to come. Indeed, we believe that membership in
the European Union constitutes a natural progression
for Malta, given our long-standing historical, cultural
and political ties with the Union.
The negotiations concerning membership that are
currently under way are nearing completion, and we
look forward to joining this union of like-minded
States at its next enlargement, in line with the timelines
established at the Nice meeting of the European
Council.
Malta has always played a role on the
international scene far in excess of its size. This we
intend to continue, and I anticipate that all our efforts
will combine with those of the other nations of the
world to bring about improvements in all the areas that
urgently call for our immediate attention. This
unswerving determination will guide our efforts in the
various forums of which we form part and in the
activities we undertake, as together we strive to make a
better and secure world for this and future generations.
I wish the President every success in his
endeavours in presiding over the General Assembly.