It gives me great
pleasure to deliver this statement on behalf of His
Excellency Ludwig Scotty, President of the Republic of
Nauru, who had to cancel his trip to New York at the
last minute due to pressing matters at home. President
Scotty has asked that I convey to the Assembly the
warm greetings and good wishes of the people and the
Government of Nauru, and his warmest congratulations
to you, Sir, on your assumption of the stewardship of
the Assembly. We assure you of Nauru’s fullest
cooperation in the deliberations that are ahead of us.
Through you, Mr. President, my delegation joins
previous speakers in congratulating Foreign Minister
Julian Hunte of Saint Lucia for a productive fifty-
eighth session of the General Assembly and for his
exemplary performance. As a member of the Alliance
of Small Island States (AOSIS), Nauru is extremely
proud to be associated with Saint Lucia and the
Caribbean Community, and it just goes to show that, as
is the case of our coconut trees, our potential is great.
However, a lack of resources has limited the capacity
to flourish of many more people like Julian Hunte from
the AOSIS region who are serving or have served in
international office.
We congratulate the Secretary-General for his
continued commitment to multilateralism as a means of
resolving our common problems and for his report on
the work of the Organization (A/59/1) over the past 12
months. However, it is discouraging to note that
peacekeeping activities have had to increase rather than
decrease. Human rights and humanitarian norms
continue to be violated as a result of armed conflict and
terrorism. Atrocious acts of terrorism against innocent
civilians, particularly women and children, continue to
tear the fabric of civility and the moral values on which
each and every society on this planet is founded.
Nauru sympathizes with those countries and
peoples who have suffered loss as a result of conflict
and terrorist acts. Nauru encourages peace in its Asia-
Pacific neighbourhood, and expresses the hope that,
whatever their differences, China and Taiwan can
resolve them peacefully for the sake of the region’s
continued peace, stability and prosperity.
We support the Secretary-General’s bold
statement of position with respect to the mitigation of
armed conflicts generally, and those on the African
continent and in the Middle East in particular. We are
pleased to hear that, for the remainder of his term in
22

office, he will be focusing mainly on strengthening the
rule of law and transitional justice. Nauru supports the
position the Secretary-General set out in his statement
last week at the 3rd meeting, when he said
“It is by reintroducing the rule of law, and
confidence in its impartial application, that we
can hope to resuscitate societies shattered by
conflict. It is the law, including Security Council
resolutions, which offers the best foundation for
resolving prolonged conflicts — in the Middle
East, in Iraq and around the world.”
The democratization of governance, the
application of accountability and transparency and the
protection of minorities and the vulnerable are
complementary elements of ruling under law.
Nauru, like other Member States, looks forward
with anticipation to the report of the Secretary-General
on the findings of the High-level Panel on Threats,
Challenges and Change to be finalized later this year.
The Panel has been charged with the task of reviewing
threats to peace and security, as well as other global
challenges, insofar as they may influence or connect
with those threats. Nauru continues to believe that
multilateralism is the key to resolving contemporary
problems in all of their complexity. Hence, it is
important that the recommendations of the High-level
Panel reinforce that point and that the proposals are
doable and add value to the reform programmes that
are already in the pipeline, including the revitalization
of the General Assembly.
My delegation has stated in previous debates that
it agrees fully with the reform of the Security Council.
The fresh approach initiated by the President of the
General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session has, to
some extent, injected life back into the debate by
focusing on key elements of the reform. It is our hope
that the Bureau will continue the push for the further
convergence of views by refining the choices that we
made during the fifty-eighth session. The formation of
an informal group of countries with aspirations to
permanent seats in an expanded Security Council is
interesting, and could prove to be a catalyst, expediting
the debate on expansion. Nauru can and will support
the aspirations of Germany, Japan and India to a
permanent seat in an expanded Security Council.
It is my delegation’s firm view, however, that
progress is being held hostage by those countries that
insist that the expansion should not be done without
either eliminating or modifying the veto power
accorded to permanent members of the Security
Council. Unless this difference in approach is
reconciled, time and energy spent on other elements of
the reform will be futile.
The revitalization of the General Assembly must
have at its heart the maximization of opportunity for
equitable representation by all Member States in the
major organs of the United Nations and its committees
and to ensure that their programme of work allows for
the full participation of members, particularly the small
States. In that regard, the proposal to split the work of
the Main Committees of the General Assembly into
two segments over a six-month period would allow
small States like Nauru, which has only two diplomatic
staff, to increase its participation. Nauru would
therefore support such a proposal when further
deliberations take place later in the session.
Nauru would note that its position is consistent
with the United Nations core principle of universality,
which calls on us all to be ever-mindful of the views of
those countries seeking expanded responsibilities in
international affairs. Countries that have sterling
records in democracy, human rights, peace and the
principle of freedom should have their achievements,
as well as their capacities, appropriately recognized.
As a small island developing State in the Pacific
Ocean, Nauru aligns itself with the interventions
already made by the leaders of countries of the
Alliance of Small Island States who have spoken
before me on the concerns and challenges that we, the
small-island big-ocean developing States, are facing.
Nauru bears all the unique characteristics of a small
island State: smallness in both land area and
population, lack of resources, remoteness and
vulnerability to exogenous forces, whether man-made
or natural.
The devastation of Niue by Cyclone Heta and the
disastrous hurricane destruction in Caribbean countries
this year are stark reminders of the vulnerability of
island States. Nauru joins others in expressing its
deepest sympathy for the loss of life and property in
the affected countries of the Caribbean and the
southern coastal states of the United States of America.
Against that background, my delegation would
like to focus on what it considers to be a spanner in the
wheel of negotiations on an outcome strategy paper for
the International Meeting to Review the
23

Implementation of the Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States, to be held in Mauritius. It appears to us that the
programme for political recognition of the special case
of small island developing States (SIDS), as outlined at
the Barbados Conference in 1994, and reinforced in
New York during the five-year review held in 1999, as
well as in chapter VII of the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation, has taken a backseat in the
negotiations to generic undertakings made at other
international conferences on development since
1999 — in particular, the Millennium Development
Goals of 2000 and the Monterrey Consensus of 2002.
Benchmarking the SIDS outcome strategy paper to the
latter agreed texts would be hypocrisy of a high order
insofar as political acceptance of SIDS as a special
case is concerned. Indeed, the slow progress in the
implementation by many small island developing
States of the measures called for in those texts is but a
true reflection that our problems are SIDS-specific and
go deeper than the generic issues of development.
Nauru is also concerned that some of the
development partners would skew the review into one
addressing SIDS-Millennium Development Goal
performance instead of SIDS performance on the
Barbados Programme of Action. I believe that our
concern has to an extent been warranted and therefore
my delegation would like to use this opportunity to
remind our partners that the review is about identifying
and solving the failure of small island developing
States to accomplish agreed development programmes
under the Barbados Plan of 1994; and it’s about how
you, our development partners, can help SIDS to attain
those goals. It is therefore our sincere hope that the
third and critical round of negotiations scheduled in
early October will be conducted in the right spirit and
with better understanding.
The Pacific Islands Forum continues to be the
vehicle for regional cooperation and collaboration
among the 16 Pacific Island countries of the Central
and Western Pacific. It approved the terms of reference
for the Pacific plan at the Apia Forum last month to
revitalize the Forum and to make it more effective in
its response to the needs of the peoples of the region.
Issues such as climate change, peace and security, the
economic and social development of our peoples and
the protection and sustainable use of the environment
and our natural resources are still the priorities of the
Forum.
Nauru welcomes the admission of the Kingdom
of Thailand as the thirteenth member of the Forum’s
dialogue partners. That group of countries, along with
the European Union, individual member countries of
the EU and the United Nations specialized agencies
and programmes, are critical to the development of the
region as they provide the necessary financial backing.
During the session, cooperation between the United
Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum will be
considered under item 56 (q) of the General
Assembly’s agenda. The Pacific Island Forum group at
the United Nations looks forward to working closely
with Member States to develop and expand the areas of
its cooperation with them, pursuant to a draft
resolution that will be presented to the Assembly in
due course.
Nauru, like the other low-lying small island
States, sees the Kyoto Protocol as its means of
salvation from the sea-level rise and climate change
that threaten to devastate its already fragile ecosystem,
so essential to the livelihood and culture of its people.
My delegation understands that the Russian Federation
stands between the Kyoto Protocol’s coming into force
and its continuing to linger in the wilderness. Nauru
welcomes the statement by the Foreign Minister of the
Russian Federation that President Putin has ordered
serious consideration of Russia’s ratification of the
Protocol. That is a step forward from last year.
A healthy Pacific Ocean and the sustainable use
of its natural resources, including the highly migratory
fish stocks, are also critical to our livelihood. We in the
Pacific have “walked the walk” on those issues by the
development of an ocean policy to guide us in the
management of our part of the Pacific Ocean and to
form the framework for future regional ocean-related
initiatives. The Convention on the Conservation and
Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific Ocean, which provides a
comprehensive regime for the management of the
region’s highly migratory fish stock both in our
exclusive economic zone and on the high seas, has
come into force. In addition, the trans-shipment of
nuclear waste through our waters is of great concern to
many of the island countries because of the damage it
could cause.
One of the positive outcomes of the Pacific
Islands Forum meeting last month was the decision of
the Forum leaders to intervene in the internal economic
crisis in Nauru at the request of our Government and
24

consistent with the terms of reference of the Forum’s
Biketawa Declaration of 2000. Our crisis lies largely in
the fact that two thirds of our workforce are in the
employ of the Government and its agencies. Those
employees have not been paid a regular salary for over
a year now. At irregular intervals either A$ 100 in food
vouchers or A$ 30 to A$ 50 in cash to purchase food
has been paid out, compared with the basic wage of
A$ 350 — or about US$ 250 — per fortnight. The
average family size on Nauru is around six people. A$
50 cash fortnightly is equivalent to US$ 0.42 per
family member per day and is well below the United
Nations-defined abject poverty level of US$ 1 a day.
The fact that many Nauruans can harvest food
from the sea and the land, however limited, coupled
with our culture and tradition of sharing, has meant
that despite the lack of cash our people eat at least once
a day. The real problem concerns the level of daily
nutritional intake, particularly for children, as one
cannot buy imported commodities such as fruits and
vegetables and hygienic supplies. The situation is
exacerbated by the fact that Nauru imports 90 per cent
of all food and other essential items. Accordingly, food
security in the medium to long term is a serious
concern as there is no form of agricultural activity on
Nauru.
Nauru’s recovery cannot be possible without the
establishment of reputable financial institutions on
Nauru and the lifting of the restrictions on financial
transactions between the international community and
Nauru. That will not happen if Nauru continues to be
subjected to countermeasures and blacklisting by the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Despite the
outlawing of the registration of foreign banks some 12
months ago, Nauru has not been successful in its
appeal no longer to be the subject of countermeasures
as a first step, although there has been incremental
progress towards that goal over the same period.
Following the visit by the International Monetary Fund
early this year, Nauru has, for the fourth time, passed
an anti-money-laundering law that now supersedes
previous laws. We have participated in FATF regional
reviews but, despite strong support provided by actions
taken on advice, we seem to have failed at the plenary
review.
As I speak, the Parliament of Nauru is
considering the passage of three bills addressing issues
raised by the FATF: the counter-terrorism and
transnational organized crime bill, the proceeds of
crime bill and the mutual assistance in criminal matters
bill. We are confident that the passage of those bills,
the prioritizing of related issues through the
appointment of an anti-money-laundering national
coordinating committee — which also comprises the
Australian official appointed as secretary for
finance — and the coordinating committee’s face-to-
face meeting with FATF’s Asia-Pacific Working Group
in Brunei next week will bring us closer to our
objective of being de-listed. We will persevere, as we
know that, in the end, we will prevail.
The intervention by the Pacific Islands Forum is
seen as pre-empting the possibility of the economic
crisis escalating into a security and safety issue for the
Nauruan people and for the region. Teams of regional
experts representing the Forum and Australia have
visited Nauru on a fact-finding mission, and we will be
reporting to the leaders in due course, which will
include recommendations on the type of assistance and
the manner in which it should be rendered. While the
proposal, which is to be formally known as Pacific
Regional Assistance to Nauru, is being finalized, the
Forum has agreed to provide, in the immediate future,
capacity-building assistance in the justice, judicial,
financial audit and national planning sectors, as well as
transportation for the health and education sectors and
a small cash grant to assist with public-sector wages.
That assistance is complementing the aid
provided separately by Australia, which has deployed
Australian finance and treasury officials to head the
Nauru Department of Finance, and the deployment,
next month, of Australian police to take command of
the Nauru Police Force. Indeed, as I speak, the
Parliament of Nauru is also considering a reform
budget designed with the assistance of Australian
finance and treasury officials. That budget includes
harsh but realistic measures as a preliminary but
decisive step towards stabilizing, and eventually
rebuilding, the economy and society of Nauru.
For the same reasons, the Government of Nauru
wrote to the Secretary-General in August of this year to
alert him of the looming crisis in Nauru and to request
assistance from the United Nations system to help to
alleviate the plight of the Nauruan people. President
Ludwig Scotty and Foreign Minister David Adeang
may be visiting New York in the latter part of October
to meet with the Secretary-General and relevant United
Nations bodies on this matter. My Government looks
forward to receiving a positive response from the
25

United Nations system, in the same manner as it did
from the Pacific Islands Forum.
In conclusion, the fifty-ninth session has critical
work ahead of it, such as the International Meeting for
the 10-year Review of the Barbados Programme of
Action, the introduction and deliberation on the
findings of the High-Level Panel constituted by the
Secretary-General, the review of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the
preparations for the 5-year review of the Millennium
Declaration and its Goals and the continuation of our
deliberations on the revitalization of the General
Assembly and of the reform of the Security Council, to
name but a few items.
As the Secretary-General has stated, the United
Nations is at a fork in the road in terms of its relevance
as an organization of nations seeking common
solutions to common problems. The next 12 months
will determine whether we, the united nations of the
world, continue on the road where “business as usual”
is the mode of operation or whether we follow the road
of multilateralism as the principal rule of our
engagement. The statements thus far indicate the latter,
but we have heard that before.


On behalf of the
delegation of Bhutan, allow me to congratulate you,
Sir, on your election to your important post. I assure
you of my delegation’s support and cooperation as you
guide the work of this important body for the year. We
are confident that, with your vast experience and able
leadership, our deliberations will be productive. May I
commend Mr. Julian R. Hunte for his stewardship and
contribution to the work of the fifty-eighth session of
the General Assembly.
The task before the fifty-ninth session of the
General Assembly is daunting, given the array of
issues and challenges facing the international
community. Among them is the issue of reform of the
United Nations. In that regard, the General Assembly’s
resolutions on the revitalization of its work and the
reform initiatives in other organs and agencies are
timely and welcome, as they will serve to ensure the
United Nations continued relevance and effectiveness
in a rapidly changing world. My delegation looks
forward to the recommendations of the High-level
Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change set up by the
Secretary-General to examine the current challenges to
peace and security.
Much of the ongoing debate on United Nations
reforms has justifiably centred on the reform of the
Security Council as the organ charged with the
9

maintenance of international peace and security. In a
world torn by old and new conflicts, the Security
Council must evolve in order to remain effective and to
enjoy the confidence of all member States. Its
composition must change to reflect the wider
membership of the United Nations and the new
geopolitical and economic realities of the present-day
world. Bhutan supports the call for an expanded
Security Council through increased membership of
both the permanent and non-permanent categories.
Among others, Bhutan strongly believes that India and
Japan, in view of the important roles they play in
international affairs, are pre-eminently qualified for
permanent membership in an expanded Council.
The toll of innocent human beings falling prey to
terrorism continues to mount by the day. Gruesome
acts of terrorism in different regions of the world,
including the recent brutal killing of schoolchildren in
Beslan and the cold-blooded murder of Nepalese and
other innocent people in Iraq and elsewhere, have
raised the level of horror to new heights. We strongly
condemn those senseless killings. Even my country has
not been spared the scourge. Having exhausted all
peaceful means to prevail upon the heavily armed
foreign militant groups from north-eastern India to
leave our territory, the Royal Government was
compelled to use force to remove them in mid-
December 2003. Most recently, two people were killed
and 27 injured by a bomb blast in a marketplace in a
border town in southern Bhutan.
There is an urgent need to take concerted action
to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Every nation gathered here, by having signed the
Charter of the United Nations, ascribes to the universal
code that the methods which terrorists employ to
achieve their aims, especially the targeting and killing
of innocent civilians, cannot be justified.
Conflicts and crisis situations continue to disrupt
the political stability, security and socio-economic
well-being of millions around the world. Many such
conflicts are fuelled by conditions of poverty and
underdevelopment. Recognizing that interrelationship,
the international community has taken numerous
initiatives in recent years. Several major conferences
have been convened, including the Millennium
Summit, that have provided a comprehensive set of
time-bound targets to be achieved in order to secure a
more peaceful, prosperous and just world.
However, those targets remain distant for many
and the gap between the rich and the poor is getting
wider among and within nations. The Global
Monitoring Report 2004 of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund indicates that economic
growth in many developing countries remains below
the level considered necessary to reach the Millennium
Development Goals. If the Goals are to be achieved by
the target date, the report states, all parties urgently
need to do much more. The Monterrey Consensus
reinforced the objectives of the Millennium
Development Goals and emphasized the roles of all
parties involved in the process of financing for
development. While developing countries have to
accelerate reforms, developed countries must provide
more aid, foreign direct investment, debt relief and
more open access to their markets.
It is against that background that my delegation
welcomes the 2005 high-level plenary meeting to
review the integrated follow-up and implementation of
the outcomes of the United Nations conferences and
summits. My delegation hopes that the review will lead
to further concrete action by all stakeholders.
Furthermore, as a landlocked, least developed country,
my delegation hopes to see the issues and challenges
identified in the Almaty and Brussels Programmes of
Action receive the highest priority during the review.
May I mention that the Royal Government of
Bhutan, under the leadership of His Majesty the King
and guided by the development philosophy of gross
national happiness, has been making concerted efforts
to ensure the all-round development of the country and
to realize the agreed goals of the various international
conferences, in particular the Millennium Summit. I
am pleased to report that, with the continued support of
our development partners, Bhutan is hopeful of
achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
In that regard, I take this opportunity to express the
deep appreciation of the Royal Government and people
of Bhutan to the United Nations and other donors for
their contributions to the development of my country.
As I conclude my statement, I would like to pay
tribute to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for
his strong leadership and relentless efforts to advance
the cause of peace, development and security. We will
continue to benefit from his vision and leadership for
the next two years. As he leaves his post at the end of
2006, our work to find a suitable replacement to lead
the United Nations has to begin soon and in earnest.
10

My delegation believes that, in keeping with the
principle of equitable geographical representation, and
in consideration of Asia’s being the most populous
continent with the largest regional grouping of 55
members in the United Nations, a Secretary-General
from Asia would be both timely and appropriate.


It is my special pleasure to
address the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly
of the United Nations. This universal forum has
enabled the peoples of the world to coordinate and
harmonize their efforts in preserving peace and
security, in achieving prosperity and upholding the
values of human civilization.
I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President,
on being elected to preside over this august body and
to express my confidence in your successful
leadership.
I would also like, on behalf of Albania, to convey
to the Secretary-General our highest appreciation for
his leading contribution to the fulfilment of the
historical mission of the United Nations and to the
aspirations of our peoples for a better world in which
only peace, democracy and economic prosperity reign.
This session of the General Assembly takes place
in a milestone year for Europe. Only a few months ago,
a historic event vitalized the dream of a more united
and stronger Europe. Ten European countries, sharing a
common aspiration for integration, were admitted into
the European Union.
The Albanian Government and society are
engaged in an all-round European integration process,
and they are carrying out necessary reforms with the
necessary political will and drive.
Albania is working to strengthen the democratic
institutions and capacities of its central and local
government with a view to bringing its legislation and
conditions into line with European Union standards,
progressively achieving concrete and measurable
results, as previously defined.
Determined to make our contribution to regional
and global security, the Albanian Government
considers the country's integration into NATO to be
one of its major objectives. The NATO Istanbul
Summit last June commended the progress made by my
country in this regard and encouraged the deepening of
reforms. It welcomed Albania's contribution to
regional stability and cooperation and committed to
assess our further progress at the next NATO summit,
which would hopefully mark the start of negotiations
for our full membership in the alliance. We believe that
the commitments set up in the framework of the
Adriatic Charter are also contributing to meet NATO
38

standards, to the benefit of regional stability and
security.
We remain truly convinced that the respect and
protection of human rights and freedoms are the main
pillars of a pluralist democratic society. The
Government of the Republic of Albania will continue
to constantly demonstrate its commitment to a full
implementation of the standards enshrined in the
United Nations and Council of Europe conventions, as
well as the relevant documents of regional
organizations, such as the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, in which we are playing a
very active role. We will continue to do so in the future
as well. By adopting contemporary legislation and by
becoming a party to other recently adopted
international instruments on human rights, Albania has
associated itself with countries that are enforcing a
number of national strategies and programmes focusing
on specific population groups, especially women,
children, persons in need and minorities, among others.
In recent years, the Albanian Government has
started to periodically submit reports to the committees
of the six main United Nations human rights treaties
and is taking their recommendations into serious
consideration. It is our belief that these international
mechanisms play a significant and important role as
guardians of the common human values we have
together adopted.
Albania, as one of the 191 signatory countries of
the Millennium Declaration, remains fully committed
to implementation of the Millennium Development
Goals, which have been properly reflected in a national
strategy for social and economic development. The
pattern of our sustained economic growth, which is at 6
to 7 per cent for the seventh consecutive year, is a good
support base for the whole society to maintain higher
standards of respect for human rights and to fight
poverty and crime. I would like to take this opportunity
to thank the United Nations specialized agencies for
their valuable assistance in support of the
implementation of these objectives nationwide and on
a central and local level.
The Albanian Government is pleased to note that
an ever-healthier climate of confidence and relations of
bilateral and multilateral cooperation are prevailing in
the South-Eastern European region. The countries of
the region are fully engaged in a process that will lead
us clearly toward Euro-Atlantic integration and at the
same time continually remove us from the extremist
tendencies that caused a number of conflicts in the last
decade. The regional policy of my Government is
guided by the motto: 'the more integrated in the
region, the more integrated in Europe.' In
implementing this policy, Albania is cooperating as
never before with all the countries of the region by
making borders less relevant, opening up to one
regional market the implementation of free trade
agreements and free movement corridors, and
stimulating foreign direct investment. We are
especially cooperating with the common fight against
organized crime and all kinds of illegal trafficking. In
the meantime, Albania is reinforcing its border
management and control, guided by the European
Union and NATO standards.
My country will hold general parliamentary
elections by the middle of next year. We are committed
to doing all that is required to ensure that the election
process is fully compatible with international standards
for free and fair elections. To that end, we are
committed to continuing to work with relevant
specialized institutions on elections by fully
implementing especially OSCE/Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
recommendations. For us, the process and standards
are more important than the results of the elections.
In the context of strengthening regional
cooperation, my country is committed to a more
enhanced partnership with all regional organizations
and initiatives that serve the promotion of good
neighbourly relations; the strengthening of regional
peace, security and stability; ensuring political support
for integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, and
attracting financing for national and regional projects
in priority fields such as energy, transportation and
telecommunications.
On its path towards European integration, the
South-East European region is still facing pending
challenges, such as the future of Kosovo. Albania
greatly appreciates the recent democratic and
integration developments in Kosovo, thanks to the
efforts of the respective peoples and the partnership of
its self-governing institutions with the United Nations
Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Allow me at this point to congratulate Mr. Soren
Jessen-Petersen, Special Representative for Kosovo of
the United Nations Secretary-General, in assuming this
very important duty.
39

The Albanian Government shares the view that
the time has come for a rapid and coherent
implementation of the policy of standards of a
multiethnic democracy and European status for
Kosovo. This would be the key to the solution of a
number of other issues. We truly hope that the question
of the final status of Kosovo will reach a final solution
soon, for the sake of the people of Kosovo and for the
enhancement of the Europeanization process of the
whole region.
In the meantime, we support all efforts to build a
democratic and multicultural society in Kosovo that is
governed by the rule of law, ethnic and religious
tolerance and cohabitation. Particularly helpful in this
regard would be the further energizing of UNMIKís
transfer of authority to the legitimate institutions of
Kosovo that are already being anchored to European
integration agendas.
We believe that in the upcoming October
parliamentary elections, the Albanian and other ethnic
communities of Kosovo will demonstrate their best
values, taking a major step toward the consolidation of
multiethnic democracy in the region. We also hope that
the Serbian minority in Kosovo will assume its
responsibilities and, through a free vote, make their
contribution to the European future of Kosovo. Their
participation in all levels of the democratic institutions
of Kosovo would further contribute to the
consolidation of peace, stability and the European
perspective in the whole region.
My Government supports a stimulation of direct
dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, both on
political and technical issues. This is fundamental in
resolving the pending problems and is in accordance
with the spirit of regional and European integration.
The tragic terrorist attack one year ago in
Baghdad, which took the lives of 22 people, including
United Nations Under-Secretary-General Sergio Vieira
de Mello, is still fresh in our memories. Such hideous
and punishable acts, which continued in the following
days and months there and in other countries of the
world, such as Turkey, Spain, Russia, Indonesia and
others, show that terrorism is today the biggest threat
to international peace and security, to stability and to
the values of world democracy and civilization.
In the global effort to combat terrorism, our
countries have already understood that, first of all, it
cannot be identified with one people, one religion, one
race or only certain groups of society. We believe that
the fight against terrorism will only be successful if we
join efforts. In that context, we support the
strengthening of international cooperation among
States and international organizations, in which the
United Nations has an irreplaceable role.
The Albanian Government has been consistently
committed to making its contribution as an active
member of the international coalition against terrorism.
We have peacekeeping troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We have signed, ratified and now are implementing 12
United Nations conventions and protocols against
terrorism. We are doing the same with the relevant
resolutions of the Security Council, cooperating with
and presenting regular reports to the Council. The
Albanian Government salutes the decision of the
Security Council to play a more active role in the fight
against threats stemming from the possession and
trafficking of weapons of mass destruction. We support
Security Council resolution 1540 (2004).
Albania has, on the other hand, taken all
measures for the implementation of the Code of
Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive
Sources of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), convinced that this international instrument is
extremely important to preventing threats stemming
from the misuse of radioactive materials. Albania has
already taken the decision and will soon sign the
Protocol Additional to the Safeguards Agreement of
the IAEA. This year, Albania also joined the
Proliferation Security Initiative, with its respective
commitments that will create benefits for all.
Peace and stability have not been fully
established in certain regions of the world. The United
Nations and the Security Council are the authorities
mandated by the Charter to preserve peace and security
globally. It is only natural that crisis-solving solutions
and initiatives in such hot spots around the globe as
Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Sudan and so on
remain high on their agenda. We believe that a more
active engagement of the international community is
required in finding the most suitable and lasting
solutions for those crisis situations, as is the further
enhancement of the role and effectiveness of the
United Nations structures.
In that regard, the Albanian Government
welcomed the unanimous adoption of Security Council
resolution 1546 (2004) of 8 June on Iraq, approving the
40

provisional Government of Iraq and transferring to it
authority and sovereignty, the independence and
territorial integrity of Iraq, Iraqi Government control of
the armed forces and, in particular, the holding of
democratic elections in early 2005. The progress made
in Iraq is due to the cooperation between the Iraqi
Government forces and those of the Coalition. We
would wish, however, to see a further lowering of
tensions and a full stop to violence. We would wish for
increased security, more stability and the establishment
of a democratic society.
That is why we strongly condemn the strategy of
violence and hostage-taking to achieve political goals,
sometimes cloaked under a religious veil, and we join
our voice to those of all the international actors that
have called for an immediate stop to those acts. The
Albanian Government supports the efforts of the
United Nations to provide the assistance necessary to
build national democratic institutions in Iraq and to the
holding of free and democratic elections early next
year.
My Government also follows with great concern
the developments in the Middle East. Like the whole
international community, we hope to see an end put to
the deterioration of the situation in the occupied
Palestinian territories, where violence towards the
civilian population is increasingly claiming innocent
lives, especially those of women and children. On the
other hand, we condemn any terrorist act against the
civilian population, irrespective of whose name it is
committed in.
The Albanian Government strongly believes that
peace can and should be achieved only through
dialogue and negotiation. We are convinced that the
Security Council, the Quartet and the international
community have the authority and the capacity to
establish a stable peace in Palestine and throughout the
Middle East based on the Security Councilís
resolutions and the road map. The international
community should continue to monitor closely the
implementation of the road map in order to avoid any
deviation from or change, misinterpretation or blocking
of it by the parties to the conflict.
Current developments and realities in the
international arena, and the acute problems and
challenges we are all facing ó such as preserving
peace and security, facing the threats and dangers of
terrorism, the fight against poverty and fatal diseases,
the effects of globalization and environmental
degradation ó have increasingly sharpened the need to
revitalize our Organization. The Albanian Government
is fully supportive of the efforts of the Secretary-
General to reform the Organization, in particular the
initiatives taken regarding the reform of the Security
Council. We join with the voices that call for a stronger
United Nations and for more efficient organs and
mechanisms engaged in monitoring the implementation
of obligations by United Nations Member States, in
particular those concerning global security.
We therefore think that the time has come to have
a more representative, more transparent and more
flexible Security Council that could better reflect
current realities. Its enlargement with permanent and
non-permanent members would increase the
possibilities for all States Members of the United
Nations to contribute to the preservation of
international peace and stability. It would be a
significant step towards the completion of United
Nations reform.
My country is willing to contribute further to the
activities of the United Nations, especially in the
global and regional agendas related to sustainable
economic and social development and the protection of
fundamental freedoms and human rights universally.
To that end, Albania has modestly presented for the
first time its candidacy to become a member of the
Economic and Social Council for the period
2005-2007. We hope we shall succeed.
A few weeks ago, the whole world witnessed the
successful conclusion of the Olympic Games in
Athens. Gathered around the Olympic torch, sportsmen
and women demonstrated how closely nations can
stand with one another and how we can get rid of
hatred and conflict from our midst. Let the symbol of
Olympic peace and fraternity help us to build a better,
more secure world for us and for generations to come.


Allow me to convey
to all members of the United Nations family the warm
greetings and best wishes of His Majesty
King Mswati III, Her Majesty the Indlovukazi, the
Government and, indeed, the entire Swazi nation.
The Kingdom of Swaziland congratulates you,
Sir, on your election to the presidency of this session.
We are especially proud that a fellow African has been
elected to that demanding position, and we are
confident that your diplomatic skill and experience will
help you to lead the Assembly towards a successful
conclusion of its deliberations.
In the aftermath of 11 September 2001, the world
is understandably preoccupied with the question of
security and the war on terror. The Kingdom of
Swaziland continues to condemn, in no uncertain
terms, terrorism which constantly threatens world
peace, security and stability. As part of our support for
the alliance against terrorism, the Government of
Swaziland is currently studying the United Nations
conventions that deal with terrorism, to ensure not only
the adaptation of such important conventions, but also
compliance with them. The Parliament of the Kingdom
of Swaziland will be debating, and will hopefully pass,
its long-awaited anti-terrorism bill during its next
session.
Future world stability is also threatened by the
continuing spread of weapons of mass destruction. Our
failure as an Organization in that regard thus far is due
to inability to agree on a time frame suitable to all
Members for arms control and nuclear disarmament.
The Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-
Ban Treaty (CTBT) were designed as an essential first
step towards a world free from the danger that such
weapons pose. We clearly need to find a way to
strengthen the non-proliferation regime and to prevent
the flow of conventional weapons and anti-personnel
landmines into zones of conflicts or into the hands of
terrorists. The Kingdom of Swaziland therefore calls
upon the Conference on Disarmament to implement the
proposal of the Non-Aligned Movement by
establishing, as its highest priority, an ad hoc
committee to begin negotiations on a programme for
the complete and time-bound elimination of nuclear
weapons from those countries that have them.
While the possibility of global conflict has
diminished since the end of the cold war era, it is a fact
that there has been a corresponding increase in the
incidence of internal conflicts and cross-border
disturbances, arising from a variety of causes,
including ethnic and religious confrontation.
The situation in the Middle East is inevitably at
the centre of the debate on peace and security. The
Kingdom of Swaziland pledges the continuation of our
support for all initiatives and efforts aimed at resolving
that situation and at bringing peace and stability to the
Middle East. We sincerely believe that the vital role of
the United Nations continues to be critical to the
resolution of the Middle East conflict.
The creation of the African Union and the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and
the great strides that have been taken in the past two
years, are a clear indication that we are moving in the
right direction. We are convinced that, with the support
of the international community and in the spirit of the
true partnership that is demonstrated by mutual respect,
we shall succeed in our objectives, initiatives and
efforts to raise the living standards of our peoples.
We have placed our trust in NEPAD to be the
vehicle for that shift away from the underdevelopment
and conflict of the past by addressing the fundamental
root causes of our problems. The ongoing integration
of our initiatives and programmes within the African
continent will make possible sustainability and true
growth in our economies. Together, in unity of
purpose, we shall succeed. In that regard, we welcome
the establishment by the Secretary-General of the
Advisory Panel on International Support for NEPAD,
which will, in our view, help us to be more effective in
our efforts to promote Africa’s development.
Our united effort is also addressing the conflicts
that continue to threaten peace, stability and security
on the African continent. We realize that, without those
elements, our development goals will continue to elude
us, especially because, apart from resources that are
wasted on arms, our people can be productive and be
able to trade among themselves and with the rest of the
22

world only under conditions of peace, stability and
security.
The establishment of the Peace and Security
Council of the African Union is a landmark event in
our efforts to manage our conflicts. In particular, allow
me to single out for commendation Secretary-General
Kofi Annan for his tireless efforts to highlight and
address African problems. We look forward to the
complete resolution of the dispute in Somalia, and in
particular to the resolution of the dispute in the Darfur
region of the Sudan.
The complex challenges facing the world today
lend greater significance and urgency to initiatives for
the reform of our Organization. The Kingdom of
Swaziland believes that those reforms are essential if
the United Nations is to retain the global credibility
and authority that are so necessary to its operations.
Our aim must be to transform the Organization into a
structure that is truly representative of all Members and
that is transparent and efficient in its operations, while
remaining consistent with the purposes and objectives
of our founding Charter. We believe that achieving
balanced representation in the principal organs of the
United Nations should be a priority.
In that regard, we support an increase in both
permanent and non-permanent seats in the Security
Council. The Security Council in particular requires
reform in order to strengthen its legitimacy. Its
composition must reflect the plurality and diversity of
the membership of the United Nations, to recognize the
profound geopolitical changes that have taken place in
recent history. However, due to a lack of political will
on the part of some Members to increase the
membership of the Security Council, progress in the
reform agenda remains unattainable.
Turning now to the question of development, we
believe that the Millennium Declaration marked a
turning point in carrying out the mission unanimously
entrusted to the United Nations in the area of
sustainable development. Indeed, for the first time,
heads of State or Government agreed on specific goals
and targets in the social, economic and educational
fields, up to the year 2015. In our view, the leaders
were correct to make the related topics of peace,
security, development and poverty eradication
priorities to be addressed, because future world
stability depends on the ability of national
Governments to increase the momentum for economic
development and their capacity to improve the delivery
of job creation and essential services such as health
and education.
Developing countries have been facing special
difficulties in responding to the challenges brought
about by globalization. As a result, many developing
countries, especially the least developed ones, have
remained marginalized in the globalizing world
economy. Consequently, the benefits of globalization
are unevenly distributed. In that regard, the Kingdom
of Swaziland believes that in order to maximize the
benefits of globalization, the process of integration into
the world economy should take into account the level
of economic development of each country and the
capacity of its institutions and enterprises. In
particular, specific national development potentials and
socio-economic circumstances, as well as differing
initial conditions relating to size, resource
endowments, economic structure and location, should
be considered. It is also necessary to take into account
the specific development, financial and trade needs of
developing countries, in view of the fact that there can
be no one-size-fits-all trade development strategy.
I believe that I speak on behalf of many from the
developing world when I say that small economies are
not receiving fair treatment in global trade. The
proposed removal of preferential terms for our
agricultural products and the continuation of subsidies
for such products from the developed world is bound to
deal a fatal blow to many of our weak economies. We
request understanding and appreciation of our situation
by our developed partners. We are asking for a
partnership that will take into account our unique
situations as developing economies so that we can
participate effectively in the global market. For our
part, as small economies, we pledge quality and high
standards for our products. Our farmers are more than
ready to deliver the best to international markets. It
should be noted that agricultural incomes are the
cornerstone of development for our rural communities.
For our part in the Kingdom of Swaziland,
poverty alleviation remains the number-one priority.
Sixty-six per cent of our people are living below the
internationally recognized poverty line, yet our
classification as a lower-middle-income country
prevents our access to many of the funds and resources
that are available to those in different categories. We
will be working with the United Nations to ensure that
this situation is corrected.
23

In the meantime, we are focusing our efforts and
available resources on programmes that meet the
challenges of poverty in a sustainable and equitable
manner. Our national development strategy, which is
the result of direct consultation with all stakeholders,
has incorporated all eight priority United Nations
Millennium Development Goals so as to provide us
with a blueprint for government action towards
achieving the vision of improving the livelihood of our
people by 2022.
Despite all our best efforts and our limited
success in many areas, we are restricted in our capacity
to meet our objectives due to a multitude of problems
that are affecting us simultaneously and that we cannot
overcome on our own. As is the case with all
developing countries, we are particularly at risk in
times of global economic difficulties and are
particularly vulnerable to disease and to the effects of
changing weather patterns.
Weakening our efforts to meet our development
challenges is the threat posed by multiple health
hazards, including malaria and tuberculosis, but
especially HIV/AIDS. AIDS continues to claim the
lives of many of our people. No sector of development
has been spared the ravaging impact of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, with enormous strain placed on our financial
and human resources as we make the required
interventions. We are attacking the enemy on various
fronts, with priority on prevention, care, counselling
and treatment. Our National Emergency Response
Committee has had some success with regard to home-
based and community-based care for those already ill
as a result of infection.
Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing an
exodus of qualified nurses, who are being employed in
the developed world. The exodus has adversely
affected our capacity-building efforts. That exodus,
together with other wider impacts of HIV/AIDS, has
dealt our economy a heavy blow.
The Kingdom of Swaziland continues to make the
welfare of children a priority in our development strategy.
In that regard, both the Government and the private
sector, including non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), have responded with zeal and determination
to the plight of orphans and other vulnerable children,
resulting from the effects of the pandemic. The
Government is providing bursaries for such children in
order to ensure that their education is not disrupted.
The Government and the business community, in
partnership with NGOs, are providing school feeding
schemes in order to improve their nutritional balance.
We are also using our traditional structures to cater for
their material and emotional needs; this includes the
provision of local reporting structures to prevent the
abuse of those children. The chiefdoms also provide
fields where communities grow food for orphans and
other vulnerable children.
Let me take this opportunity to express the most
profound gratitude of the entire Swazi nation to the
United Nations and to all our development partners for
the support we continue to receive as we face that
killer disease. The support we have received from the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
continues to prop up and sustain our programmes and
strategies in our fight against this scourge. Fellow
members, we shall be forever grateful to you all.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is fully committed to
the principles of good governance and the rule of law.
The nation has just completed debating the Kingdom’s
draft constitution, and the draft will soon be submitted
to Parliament for final consideration before the end of
this year.
For more than 30 years, the Kingdom of
Swaziland has been enjoying excellent relations with a
nation which, despite an outstanding record in
international development assistance and despite
fulfilling every requirement for membership in the
Organization, is nonetheless excluded from
participation in the activities of the United Nations. I
am referring here to the issue of the 23 million people
of the Republic of China on Taiwan, who are denied
the right to contribute to the global initiatives
undertaken by this world body. The Government and
the people of the Republic of China on Taiwan have
made enormous advances in economic, social and
political terms, and they have shown themselves ready
and able to share their experience and advice with all
the nations of the world. The Kingdom of Swaziland,
therefore, proposes to the Assembly that the time has
come to revisit this issue so as to ensure the inclusion
of the Republic of China on Taiwan in the activities of
the United Nations and its associated agencies.
In conclusion, I would like to take this
opportunity to express the deep gratitude of His
Majesty the King, the Indlovukazi, the Government
and the people of Swaziland to the United Nations and
24

its agencies for the many programmes of assistance
undertaken in the Kingdom of Swaziland since our
independence.
We believe that the United Nations, as the only
truly global Organization, remains the only hope for
overcoming the many complex challenges facing the
world today. Despite the setbacks, and despite the
obstacles to achieving our collective aims, there can be
no doubt that the world could be a more troubled place
without the combined efforts of all of us. The Kingdom
of Swaziland, therefore, takes great pride in
reaffirming our commitment to the principles and
ideals set out in the Charter, and we ask Almighty God
to watch over and guide us in the challenging times
ahead for our Organization.


On behalf of the
delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, I should like at the outset to congratulate you,
Mr. Ping, on your election as President of the General
Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. I believe that your
skilful leadership of this session will yield fruitful
results. I also appreciate the active efforts of the
Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, to ensure the
central role of the United Nations in addressing major
international issues.
Four years have passed since we marked the
beginning of the new century. However, humankind is
still confronted with grave challenges in its efforts to
realize the aspirations of peoples to build a peaceful
and prosperous world.
Unilateralism and high-handedness are becoming
increasingly evident, giving rise to aggression,
arbitrariness and instability in many parts of the world.
Consequently, the vicious circle in which the
sovereignty and interests of weak and small countries
are trampled for the sake of the exclusive interests of
certain other countries continues unabated.
Today, the main factors undermining international
peace and stability are unilateralism and high-handed
acts based on the logic of power. The challenges facing
humankind today require, more urgently than ever,
United Nations Member States to strengthen their joint
efforts to seek to ensure equitable international
relations based on multilateralism that fully observe
the universal principles of respect for sovereignty,
equality, territorial integrity and mutual benefit.
One of the regions where unilateralism and high-
handedness are most rampant is North-East Asia — to
be more specific, the Korean peninsula. On the Korean
peninsula, the national division forcibly brought about
by outside forces has continued for more than half a
century, and the danger of war is snowballing, owing to
extreme attempts by the United States to isolate and
stifle the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and
to threats of pre-emptive strikes against it.
At this very moment, all kinds of sophisticated
war equipment are being deployed in and around the
28

Korean peninsula, targeting the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea.
The acute political and military situation
prevailing in and around the Korean peninsula proves
clearly once again how right it was of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea to have built up its strong
self-defensive military power to prevent war and
ensure peace, upholding the Songun policy of the
respected General Kim Jong Il.
The more vicious the attempts of outside forces
to isolate and stifle the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea, the higher our army and people, firmly
united around their leader, hold up the banner of
Songun and push ahead with their struggle to build a
prosperous and powerful State, with hope for the future
and devotion to the socialist cause.
The Songun policy — the independent policy of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — serves
as a reliable deterrent to ensure peace and security, not
only on the Korean peninsula, but also in North-East
Asia and the rest of the world. We feel great pride and
self-confidence in that respect.
The reunification of the country is a prerequisite
for achieving a durable peace on the Korean peninsula,
and we are steadfast in our determination to achieve
national reunification, independently, on the basis of
the North-South Joint Declaration of 15 June.
That Joint Declaration is one of national
independence, as well as a milestone of reunification
indicating the path towards national reconciliation,
collaboration and reunification.
Various actions aimed at national co-prosperity
were begun in accordance with the lofty spirit of the
Joint Declaration. The connecting of railways and
roads has proceeded, linking up the once-severed main
artery of the country; contacts and mutual travel at all
levels increased; and inter-Korean economic
cooperation has been guaranteed at the institutional
level.
It is regrettable, however, that that tortuous
process of reconciliation and cooperation between the
north and the south of Korea was not sustained until
durable peace and reunification could be achieved.
That is because the process is unwelcome to the United
States, which is therefore dead-set against improved
relations and the ongoing cooperative activities, which
are taking place at all levels between the north and the
south of Korea.
The United States should no longer hamper the
efforts of the north and the south of Korea to achieve
national reconciliation, collaboration and reunification.
No matter how the situation may change in the
future, the Government of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea will continue to strive to overcome
all the challenges of the anti-reunification forces within
and without, and to open up a broad path leading to the
independent reunification of the country through
national cooperation, based on the great proposition,
“By our nation itself”.
I would like to take this opportunity to clarify
once again the principled stand of our Government
regarding the nuclear issue between the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea and the United States.
As I have made clear time and again from this
rostrum, the nuclear issue is the product of the deep-
rooted hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea pursued by the United States for
more than half a century. In other words, given the fact
that the current United States Administration, which is
accustomed to rejecting our system, has been
attempting to eliminate the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea by force, while designating it part of
an “axis of evil” and a target for pre-emptive nuclear
strikes, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has
been left with no other option than to possess a nuclear
deterrent.
Peace is very precious to our people, who have
been living for more than half a century with the
heartbreaking pain of national division, forcibly
brought about by outside forces, and under constant
threat from the world’s only super-Power.
Our people aspire to peace more than others, but
they never beg for peace. The peace that they want to
achieve is the peace of an independent life, not the
peace of slaves, deprived of freedom.
The confrontation on the Korean peninsula today
is, in essence, a confrontation between foreign forces
intruding into someone’s home and the owners of that
home struggling to defend it.
The nuclear deterrent capability of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea constitutes a
legitimate means of self-defence to counter the ever-
29

growing nuclear threat of the United States and its
aggression against the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea, as well as a reliable means to defend the
sovereignty, peace and security of the country.
The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is
our goal, and it is the consistent position of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to address
peacefully the nuclear issue between our country and
the United States through dialogue and negotiation.
If the United States were to renounce practically
its hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, including the cessation of its
nuclear threats, the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea would, accordingly, be willing to scrap its
nuclear deterrent.
On the basis of that position, the Government of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proposed a
package solution underpinned by the word-for-word
and action-for-action principle aimed at achieving a
peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue. As the first
step towards that end, we offered the flexible “reward
for freeze” proposal.
In this regard, at the third round of the six-party
talks last June, the countries concerned shared the view
that it was important that both sides adhere to the
word-for-word and action-for-action principle and the
“corresponding measures for freeze” approach, and
reached an agreement.
The “reward for freeze” proposal provides for the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to freeze all
nuclear-weapon-related facilities and the output from
their operations, on the condition that the United States
abandon its hostile policy, in particular its demands
relating to the complete, verifiable and irreversible
dismantlement of our nuclear programme and, at the
same time, that it lift its economic sanctions and
blockade against the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, remove the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea from its list of the sponsors of terrorism and
participate in an energy compensation scheme
involving two million kilowatts of capacity.
By offering this proposal, it is our intention, first,
to build mutual confidence, and, eventually, to resolve
the nuclear issue fundamentally by addressing each
other’s concerns and meeting respective demands step
by step, on the basis of simultaneous actions, given
that the current situation is characterized by hostile
relations between the two countries and extreme
distrust.
The proposed “reward for freeze” process would
be a confidence-building measure between the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United
States. Such confidence will be possible only when the
United States rewards us for imposing a freeze.
It is only natural that everything should have a
beginning and an order. From that point of view, our
freeze will be the first step towards the eventual
dismantling of our nuclear programme. Of course, the
freeze will be followed by objective verification.
In order to further clarify our will to dismantle
the nuclear deterrent, we had intended to include in our
freeze a halt to the manufacture, testing and transfer of
nuclear weapons. The United States, however,
disregarding the common understanding and agreement
reached at the third round of six-party talks, has further
intensified its hostile and increasingly overt acts
against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
even openly announcing that there would be no reward
for the freezing and dismantling of our nuclear
facilities. Most recently, the United States adopted a
bill on human rights in North Korea and thus made it
legal to provide financial and material support for
overthrowing our system and to force third countries to
do so.
The United States has gone so far as to slander
and debase the supreme leadership of its dialogue
partner. It also forces us to disarm ourselves like a
defeated nation, thus attempting to forcibly dismantle
our nuclear programme first and to overthrow our
system through complete, verifiable, irreversible
dismantlement. Consequently, the basis of negotiations,
which were hardly moving towards a resolution of the
nuclear issue, has been completely destroyed. If the
United States wishes to coexist peacefully with the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by abandoning
its hostile policy, the nuclear issue will be resolved
properly.
With regard to the six-party talks, the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea is willing to resume them.
Nevertheless, the increasingly hostile policy of the
United States and the clandestine nuclear-related
experiments recently revealed in South Korea are
major stumbling blocks to the continuation of the talks.
Given this serious situation, in which the basis of the
negotiations has been totally destroyed and the secret
30

nuclear-related experiments in South Korea have not
yet been clarified, we are unable to participate in the
talks aimed at discussing the nuclear-weapons
programme. Therefore, if the six-party talks are to be
resumed, the basis for the talks demolished by the
United States should be properly restored and the truth
of the secret nuclear experiments in South Korea
clarified completely.
I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to
the States Members of the United Nations for their
active support for and understanding of our principled
stand and hope that they will continue to contribute to
the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue between
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the
United States by maintaining their balanced approach.
If the United Nations is to fulfil its mission for
international peace and security and socio-economic
development, it should play a leading role in
addressing the major international issues in accordance
with the objectives and principles of its Charter. To that
end, the United Nations should no longer tolerate
unilateralism and high-handedness, which constitute a
serious violation of the Charter and existing
international law. Disputes should be resolved
peacefully through dialogue and negotiations, and there
is no justification whatsoever for the unilateral use of
force, such as the armed invasion of sovereign States.
Moreover, the Organization should be
democratized so that all international issues can be
resolved in the common interests of the Member States.
In that regard, our delegation is of the view that the
General Assembly should be empowered to review and
approve the resolutions of the Security Council relating
to sanctions and the use of force directly affecting
international peace and security.
The reform of the Security Council should be
undertaken in such a way as to enable it to ensure the
full representation and interests of the non-aligned and
other developing countries, which account for the
overwhelming majority of Member States and
contribute to a fair solution to disputes. In addition,
practical measures should be taken to actively assist
the developing countries in their efforts to achieve
sustainable development by strengthening the role of
the United Nations and its affiliated organs in the
socio-economic fields.
The Government of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea will in the future continue to regard
independence, peace and friendship as the main ideals
of its foreign policy and further strengthen its friendly
and cooperative relations with all States Members of
the United Nations that respect our sovereignty and
actively contribute to international efforts to establish a
just, equitable and new world order.


The agenda of this
session not only is full of importance and burning
issues but also brings great hopes and expectations. In
his statement, Mr. Bernard Bot, the Foreign Minister of
the Netherlands, presented the European Union’s
position on the most important problems. That
statement fully reflects our thinking and concerns. One
issue, however, that deserves our special attention
today is the reform of the United Nations.
The present session of the General Assembly
must be remembered as a session of reform. It should
lay the foundations for a profound and
consensus-based reflection on the relevance and the
effectiveness of the United Nations. This reflection
should result in bold and imaginative decisions
providing for a substantial overhaul of the
Organization. That is how we in Poland see the
preparations for the major event of 2005, which will
undertake a comprehensive review of the
implementation of the Millennium Declaration Goals
and mark the sixtieth anniversary of the United
Nations. As Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted, the
United Nations is at a fork in the road. It is time to act.
Every year, at the annual general debate of the
General Assembly, we take the floor to express our
views — sometimes very critical — on the work of the
Organization. However, there is little evidence that
these debates have had any significant impact on the
future of the United Nations. Indeed, over the past
years, the United Nations has seen many celebratory
and majestic gatherings. Unless we are able to build a
political consensus and work out efficient,
forward-looking and workable decisions, we should cut
down on high-level ceremonies.
46

Poland has frequently voiced its conviction that
we have to carry out a comprehensive, strategic review
of the role of the United Nations in both its normative
and institutional aspects. It was with this in mind that,
on behalf of my country two years ago, I had the
privilege of putting forward the idea of a new political
act for the United Nations. We are pleased to see that,
two years later, that belief and determination are
widely shared.
Bearing in mind the unique momentum for
reform, we look forward to the recommendations of the
High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.
They should provide the critical mass for the reform
efforts and form a solid basis for further actions.
In that context, I express my gratitude to the
members of the Panel, who came to Warsaw in May
this year to consult with representatives of our part of
Europe on the most important conceptual aspects of the
reform. The Warsaw Regional Conference was a
rewarding experience. The report issued following the
conference has been made available to all delegations
at the Assembly.
We have never had any problem with ideas,
excellent proposals and promising initiatives. The
biggest obstacle to reform, rather, has been the lack of
political consensus. The reform cannot be effective if it
reflects the ideas of small groups of specialists or
politicians alone. It must rely on a broad consensus and
reflect a shared community of values and a sense of
identity and purpose. Building that consensus is our
major, common task.
The reform of the United Nations has to go
beyond institutional aspects, but we recognize the fact
that institutions are important. Therefore, any reform
package lacking ideas for reforming the organs of the
United Nations would be considered inadequate by the
majority of Member States.
Poland shares the common opinion that it is hard
to imagine strengthening the role of the Security
Council without increasing its legitimacy. Today’s
discussions on Council reform are focused mainly on
expanding its membership. However, the key to a more
effective and legitimate Security Council does not lie
in the number of its members. A Council of
24 members would probably have no more powerful a
voice than a Council of 15. However, at the present
stage of discussions, we agree that the Security Council
has to be expanded.
One of the deficiencies of the United Nations, as
it transpires from the conceptual discussions, is that
there is too great a gap between the functions of
mandating and implementing. Therefore, we believe
that it is the responsibility of the members of the
Security Council to take the lead in providing political
and material support for implementation of Security
Council mandates. Security Council reform should be
based on the assumption that membership on the
Council not only confers additional privileges but also
brings additional responsibilities.
The reform should preserve the inherent balance
among the various organs of the United Nations. While
we support the tendency to expect more from the
Security Council, any reform should be accompanied
by a more effective role for the General Assembly. The
two bodies should be seen as mutually supportive and
reinforcing organs.
However, in order to use the potential of the
General Assembly effectively and optimize its
performance, we must profoundly change the way we
speak to one another in this forum. This must be a
forum of dialogue. Occasionally, one hears jokes along
the lines that the General Assembly is a place where
everybody speaks but nobody listens. We have to
change that. We must start talking to one another more
directly, more candidly. Let me assure the President, as
we congratulate him on the assumption of his post, that
Poland will support all his efforts in that regard.
We need to enhance the performance of the
bodies of the United Nations in social and economic
development and the environment, as well as in other,
related, no less pressing areas. There is a real danger
that the Millennium Development Goals will not be
fulfilled. That would deliver a serious blow to the
credibility of the United Nations. Given that the
distinction between socio-economic and political issues
is becoming increasingly blurred, we need a unified
approach.
However, the existing efforts are often too
fragmented, uncoordinated, and even contradictory and
self-paralytic. In this context, the role of the Economic
and Social Council and its reform should be strictly
linked with other United Nations bodies.
In order to be comprehensive, the reform cannot
stop at its institutional dimension. We need to revisit
the nature of current security challenges that expose
the deficiencies and shortcomings of our Organization
47

in the most systematic way. Predictable threats caused
in the past by wars between countries have been
replaced by indefinite and unpredictable threats caused
by international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction (WMDs), and an increasing
number of States in distress, whose Governments are
unable to exercise effective power over their territory
and population. As a consequence, we are facing an
unprecedented spread of terrorist acts and violence.
In this context, on behalf of the people of Poland
and myself, I express our deepest condolences to the
relatives of the victims of the recent events in Beslan.
We condemn this barbaric act and offer our solidarity
with the victims.
To cope properly and successfully with the new
nature of threats and challenges, it is necessary to use
this opportunity to examine the functional and
conceptual basis of the Organization. Therefore,
Poland advocates that the important part of the reform
should be re-examination of the conceptual foundations
of the United Nations.
In today’s world, new threats cast a new light on
the concepts that we use to regulate the international
order. Principles such as non-use of force, sovereignty,
legitimacy, accountability for both States and their
leaders, subsidiarity, complementarity, solidarity and
responsibility still occupy the highest level of
importance. What we need is their adjustment to the
current reality, new political guidelines on how we, and
how Security Council members in particular, should
translate them into action.
Among these concepts, the principle of solidarity,
is for us more than just assisting the poor and
underdeveloped. Solidarity is an operational principle
that should generate cooperative attitudes for countries
in need, including those plagued by terrorism, natural
and man-made disasters and calamities, weak State
structures, and so forth.
One of the most important issues, in the light of
the particularly threatening nexus of terrorism and
weapons of mass destruction, is the principle of the
non-use of force. The following aspects should be
examined: anticipatory self-defence, humanitarian
intervention and collective use of force with
authorization by the Security Council.
In this respect, we need a code of conduct that
will give us sufficient predictability as to how we, as
Members of the United Nations, will act on the
international scene when employing the United Nations
as our instrument of choice and how we will make the
best use of its potential.
We also hope that the reform will strengthen the
role of the United Nations as a community of values.
The United Nations was born to unite its Members
against threats and enemies. Today, it should unite us
for positive change in the consolidation of values, such
as human rights, democracy, social justice, and
development, which constitute the backbone and moral
foundation of humankind.
When preparing future decisions, we should
discuss not only the content but also the form. Poland
believes that the best approach to this is to have a
political document that would both spell out the
reinforced message about the role, principles and
values, and also contain the necessary institutional
adjustments. We most definitely regard this document
as something more than a set of amendments to the
United Nations Charter.
We have to completely change the way we
perceive the United Nations. For many years, most of
our countries have been asking themselves what they
can get from the Organization. Today, it is time for all
of us to secure the future of the United Nations.


I feel
especially proud as an African to see that Mr. Jean Ping
is presiding over this session of the General Assembly.
I believe that his qualities as a human being and his
vast experience are a valuable asset to the United
Nations at a difficult time in international relations,
when the Organization must play an even greater role
in accordance with its mission and the expectations of
the peoples of the world. In order to discharge fully its
responsibilities and the tasks entrusted to it, the United
Nations must now adjust and adapt, and must reform
the structures and machinery that will enable it to
strengthen its capacity for action.
There is still much tension in the international
situation; indeed, new sources of instability and
uncertainty are appearing. A comprehensive approach
is required, given the inextricable interdependence of
all those issues on all levels - political, economic,
social and cultural. Today more than ever, security is
one and indivisible. Security cannot even be conceived
of without a determined struggle against terrorism. It
cannot shirk the requirement that it step up efforts for
conflict settlement and prevention, nor can it disregard
the pressing need to encourage worldwide development
that is balanced, equitable and sustainable. It must be
based on genuine dialogue - a dialogue between
religions, cultures and civilizations.
There is no doubt at all that excellent work has
been done, since the struggle against terrorism became
the absolute priority of the international community.
Yet, despite the efforts made and resources put towards
that struggle, there remains much to be done. In
particular, it is essential that we reach agreement
quickly on a common definition of terrorism so that we
can be clear about the legitimacy of the struggle of
peoples against foreign occupation and can stop
accepting distorted, confused, ill-conceived viewpoints
that see terrorism as part of just one geographical
region, religion, culture or civilization. Drafting a
comprehensive convention against terrorism is more
urgent and important than ever before. It is something
we have been calling for now, for more than ten years.
Very close to Algeria, there is a conflict between
the Polisario Front and the Kingdom of Morocco that
has been going on for almost 30 years. It is a
decolonization issue that has not been resolved. The
United Nations has clearly established that Western
Sahara remains a non-self-governing territory under
Security Council resolution 1541 (2004). As in the case
of Brunei, Surinam, Belize and Timor-Leste, the peace
plan was unanimously accepted by the Security
Council and provides a just and definitive framework
for a settlement, through the Saharawi peopleís free
exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination.
In seeking a satisfactory solution, Algeria has
always supported the Secretary-General of the United
Nations and his personal envoy, Mr. James Baker, who
has truly earned the respect of our Organization for his
tireless efforts. Algeria will continue to support the
United Nations peace plan and remains fully available
to contribute towards the implementation of the plan,
in order to strengthen stability in our region and
solidarity among our peoples.
Here I would reiterate that Algeria cannot decide
the future of the Western Sahara for its people and does
not want to do so. Any attempt to address the issue of
the Western Sahara in a context other than that of
completing the decolonization process - part of the
responsibility of the United Nations - will result in
the failure of that process and will delay a final
settlement.
Intensive efforts are underway within the African
Union to ensure peace and security in Africa, efforts
that are leading to prospects for settlement of regional
conflicts. Those efforts reflect Africaís firm resolve to
become part of a new era of stability, security and
progress.
The conditions for establishing a genuinely
balanced and mutually beneficial partnership between
Africa and its partners through the New Partnership for
Africaís Development (NEPAD), have never been as
favourable as they are today. A promising change in
that relationship is now emerging and gaining
importance. For that reason it is extremely important to
continue encouraging Africa as it seeks to succeed in
its work towards peace, development and integration,
which it has firmly started.
31

In the occupied Palestinian territories the peace
process is deadlocked, more than ever before. It is now
more difficult to find a just and lasting solution to the
Arab-Israeli conflict because of the brutal repression of
Palestinian civilians; endless attacks against the
Palestinian Authority, its institutions and its leaders;
the continuation of a settlement policy; the building of
the separation wall, in violation of international law as
affirmed by the International Court of Justice; Israelís
rejection of obligations entered into in Oslo and its
manoeuvering to take everything of substance away
from the road map.
In that same region, the Iraqi people face a tragic
situation and many complex challenges that require the
support of the international community and the United
Nations.
At the dawn of the millennium, we all undertook
to take up the challenges that we wanted to face
together through a responsible global partnership. In all
sincerity, can we be content with the meager results
achieved to date? It is our hope that the summit in
2005, incidentally the sixtieth anniversary of the
United Nations, will be an opportunity for us to
confirm our commitments and to finally take the bold
steps that are needed to translate commitments into
action, to eradicate poverty, destitution and
deprivation, promote sustainable development and
ensure peace and stability for all peoples.


I
offer my warm congratulations to you, Sir, on your
election as President of the General Assembly at its
fifty-ninth session. I am confident that under your
presidency fruitful results will be achieved. I also wish
to pay a cordial tribute to Mr. Julian Robert Hunte,
President of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth
session, and to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The recent appalling terror in Beslan, Russia,
caused massive casualties, including many children.
On behalf of the Chinese Government, I strongly
condemn, once again, that inhuman act of terrorist
violence and extend our deep condolences to the
families of the victims.
Peace and development remain the dominant
themes in today’s world. Multipolarization and
economic globalization are moving forward in twists
and turns. Science and technology are advancing at a
dizzying speed. Forces that make for peace and factors
that lead to war are both on the rise. Human society is
moving in a bright, progressive and positive direction.
However, the light of peace has not fallen on
every corner of the globe, nor has development reached
every inch of the Earth. Threats to security, both
traditional and non-traditional, are intertwined. The
dark cloud of war remains menacing. Hot spots keep
springing up. Terrorist activities are raging, and cross-
border problems such as the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction, drug trafficking, transnational
crime and illegal immigration are erupting one after
another. Factors of uncertainty, instability and
unpredictability are increasing.
In the course of economic globalization, the gap
between the North and the South is widening.
Developing countries are confronting new difficulties
and challenges as a growing number of them are
further marginalized. Today, half the global population
lives on less than $2 a day, and of those, 1.2 billion live
on less than $1 a day. Much remains to be done to
implement the Millennium Development Goals.
Peace, development and cooperation are the
prerequisites for our times. People all over the world
are raising their voice in favour of peace, development
and cooperation and against war, poverty and
confrontation. Peace is the precondition for human
development and prosperity. Without a peaceful and
stable international environment, development is out of
the question for any country. A chaotic world benefits
no one. Having experienced the scourge of two world
wars, mankind would not tolerate any more war or
bloodshed. Thus it is the fervent aspiration of all
peoples to live and achieve development in a secure
and stable environment.
In tackling security issues, it is imperative to
foster a new security concept of mutual trust, mutual
benefit, equality and cooperation. This new concept
calls for nations to transcend their differences in
ideology and social systems, respect one another’s
security interests, promote greater democracy in
international relations and seek peaceful solutions to
disputes through dialogue.
Terrorism is the common enemy of the whole
world. China stands firmly opposed to terrorism in all
forms and manifestations. To prevent and fight
terrorism, we must intensify international cooperation
and address both the causes and symptoms of the
threat. Only when the root causes of terrorism are
eradicated can peoples live in peace and tranquillity
again.
The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
poses a threat to world peace and security. Non-
proliferation efforts therefore require the participation
of all members of the international community.
Likewise, it is important to discard unilateralism and
double standards and to give full credit and full latitude
to the role of the United Nations.
China takes an active part in multilateral non-
proliferation efforts and firmly defends the
international regime of arms control, disarmament and
non-proliferation treaties. China believes that
multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-
proliferation processes can be steadily promoted in
order to further improve the international non-
proliferation regime.
There is still a long way to go before peace and
reconstruction can be realized in Iraq. We support an
important role for the United Nations in Iraq’s political
process, helping that country achieve the smooth
holding of elections.
10

We appeal to Palestine and Israel to resume
dialogue as soon as possible and to start implementing
the Middle East road map faithfully. As always, China
will work to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean
Peninsula through dialogue and talks, in the interest of
peace and stability on the Peninsula.
Development is the foundation for human
progress. Lasting peace and stability throughout the
world depends on coordinated, balanced and universal
development. Development is of overriding
importance. Living in peace, abundance and harmony
between nations has been the dream of many
generations. Coordinated, balanced and sustainable
development serves the fundamental interests of all
peoples and works for their well-being.
In order to promote economic growth worldwide,
it is necessary for the international community to take
effective measures to put in place an open and fair
multilateral trading regime and gradually improve it. It
is also important to reform and improve the
international financial system.
The developed countries must honour their
commitments to debt reduction, technology transfer
and market access through concrete actions in order to
enable developing countries to really benefit from
globalization. The developing countries, for their part,
need to work together to attain development and take
part in a wide range of international efforts. They
should also deepen South-South cooperation.
We, the members of the international community,
should join hands in working for a just and equitable
new international economic order that meets the needs
of the growing economic globalization and serves the
common interests of all countries.
The Millennium Development Goals are our
solemn, collective pledge. The United Nations should
further mobilize resources, strengthen coordination and
increase its input to development activities in order to
help Member States achieve these important goals as
scheduled.
Cooperation is an effective way of dealing with
the collective challenges facing humankind. To
strengthen international cooperation, we must
champion multilateralism. The United Nations is the
centre of the international multilateral system and the
key platform for making multilateralism work. It is the
widespread desire of the international community to
adhere to the purposes and principles of the United
Nations Charter, take more collective actions,
strengthen the role of the United Nations and safeguard
its authority.
The threats and challenges we face make it
imperative to strengthen, rather than weaken, the role
of the United Nations. A stronger United Nations is
indispensable for maintaining global peace and
stability and promoting the common development of
humankind. All Member States should honour their
commitments to the Charter of the United Nations and
fulfil their international responsibilities and
obligations.
The world is eagerly looking forward to a
dynamic and action-oriented United Nations. China
supports necessary and rational reforms of the
Organization. Such reforms should aim at enhancing
the leading role of the United Nations in international
affairs, reinforcing its capacity to tackle new threats
and challenges, and ensuring that better reflects the
aspirations and needs of the vast majority of
developing countries.
China is in favour of expanding the Security
Council and of giving priority to greater representation
of the developing countries. China also supports the
work of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges
and Change, and it is looking forward to the Panel’s
report by the end of this year, so that it can be reviewed
by Member States.
China is a staunch force working for world peace,
common development and international cooperation.
After over half a century of strenuous efforts and more
than two decades of reform and opening up, China has
now entered a new stage of development aimed at
building a moderately prosperous society all-round.
However, China is still a developing country, and a
large population and inadequate economic
development remain its basic national conditions. It
has a long way to go before achieving its development
goals.
The Chinese Government will always place
development at the top of its agenda. The fact that
China — a large, developing country with 1.3 billion
people — runs its own affairs well is in itself a major
contribution to peace and to the development of
humanity.
11

China desires peace, development and
cooperation, and strives to win peace and development
through cooperation. It is working to promote
democracy in international relations, diversity in its
modes of development and richness in the world’s
civilizations. It advocates a new security concept and
facilitates the establishment of a fair and equitable new
international order.
China will pursue with determination an
independent foreign policy of peace, adhere to the five
principles for Peaceful Coexistence, and engage in
mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation with other
countries on an equal footing.
China will unswervingly safeguard its
sovereignty and territorial integrity, brook no
interference in its internal affairs by foreign forces and,
at the same time, respect other countries’ sovereignty
and territorial integrity.
China remains committed to the common
interests of humankind. China’s national interests, in
the final analysis, are consistent with the common
interests of all humankind. In handling State-to-State
relations, China will safeguard its own interests while
taking into account the interests of other countries.
China will adhere to the policy of opening up, and
develop economic relations and trade with all other
nations on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
China’s development stands in the way of no one,
nor does it pose any threat to others. China is following
the path of peaceful development, seeking an
international environment of peace and stability for its
own development and promoting world peace and
progress through its own prosperity.
China is working steadily to develop its relations
with the world’s major countries. It will stay
committed to the policy of building friendship and
partnership with its neighbours and combine stronger
bilateral friendships with enhanced regional
cooperation. It will strengthen solidarity and
cooperation with other developing countries and
support any justified demands or legitimate
propositions on their part in international affairs. It will
play a constructive role in the political, economic,
social, disarmament, arms control and other
multilateral fields; safeguard the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the
universally recognized norms governing international
relations; and support any consensus that serves the
common interests of all countries.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.
Safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity and realizing complete national reunification
at an early date is the common will and firm resolve of
the 1.3 billion Chinese people. Pursuing the policy of
“peaceful reunification and one country, two systems”,
the Chinese Government is ready to work tirelessly
towards a peaceful reunification with the utmost
sincerity. We, more than anyone else, want to see a
peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question. But we
will never tolerate Taiwan independence, nor will we
allow anyone to separate Taiwan from the rest of China
in any way.
We hope that the international community will
fully recognize the complex and sensitive nature of the
current situation across the Taiwan Strait and the
serious threat posed by the separatist activities of the
Taiwan authorities to the stability of the Taiwan Strait
and the peace of the Asia-Pacific region. We expect the
Assembly to continue supporting the Chinese
Government’s efforts for peaceful reunification and to
join us in containing pro-independence activities, in the
interest of stability in the Strait and of world peace.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the
Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. As the basic
guidelines for State-to-State relations, the Five
Principles have withstood the test of half a century and
remain an irrefutable truth. The Five Principles, which
include peace, development and cooperation, are
consistent with the purposes and principles of the
Charter of the United Nations. They provide guidance
for the establishment and development of relations
between countries with identical or different social
systems; point to the correct path towards the peaceful
settlement of outstanding issues between countries and
international disputes; firmly defend the interests of the
developing countries; and facilitate the improvement
and development of North-South relations. The Five
Principles present important ideas that must underpin
the establishment of a fair and equitable new
international order.
China not only initiated, but has faithfully
observed, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Given the new realities of today, we will continue to
champion those Principles and join all the peoples of
12

the world in advancing the lofty cause of peace,
development and cooperation.