I would like to congratulate
Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa on her election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first
session. I am confident that her efforts will ensure a
successful outcome of this session. I would also like to
take this opportunity to thank the outgoing President,
His Excellency Jan Eliasson, with whom the Assembly
worked over the past 12 months on the successful
implementation of many of the major reform tasks
agreed upon at the Summit last year.
 The theme chosen by the President for this year’s
session — “Implementing a global partnership for
development” — strikes at the heart of the challenges
facing mankind today. It also reflects the Summit’s
emphasis on the interlinked and mutually reinforcing
nature of development, peace and security and human
rights. Sustainable development in the economic,
social and environmental sphere constitutes a key
element of the overarching framework of United
Nations activities. We support that approach and,
convinced of the ripple effect of development policies
that benefit all mankind, urge the General Assembly to
increase its focus on development issues.
 Poverty eradication and the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the
priorities for this decade. In this regard, the Millennium
Development Goals Report 2006 indicates that certain
regions of the world have made much less progress
than others. Extreme poverty remains a daily reality for
the more than 1 billion people who subsist on less than
one dollar a day. Whereas Asia leads the way in
reducing poverty rates, the number of poor people in
Africa is rising. In terms of per capita income, 18 of
the 20 poorest countries in the world are in Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest poverty rate in the
world, and the situation of chronic food insecurity has
not improved over the past decade. Four fifths of
armed conflicts occur in Africa and Asia. Clearly, there
can be no development without security and no
security without development.
 The realities of poverty, conflict and insecurity
are at the root of the phenomenon of mass migration
from Africa to Europe along the major routes — into
the Canary Islands and mainland Spain in the eastern
Mediterranean, and into Malta and Italy in the central
Mediterranean.
 Lack of development, security and good
governance has a direct effect on a country such as
mine, which, with 1,200 persons per square kilometre,
is already one of the most densely populated countries
in the world. In addition, it is a small island State with
a small population of 400,000.
 The burden of underdevelopment and lack of
security in Africa, in particular sub-Saharan Africa, is
therefore inordinately borne by my country, which is
suffering real hardship as thousands of illegal migrants
reach our shores. The 2005 statistics of the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) rank Malta as the country with the second-
highest number of asylum applications, in contrast to a
15.6 per cent decrease in asylum applications across
the rest of the European Union.
 We urge the United Nations and its agencies to
address the issue of mass illegal immigration
holistically and with vigour and urgency. In that
endeavour, all the countries of world are called upon to
combat criminal organizations that, across frontiers,
are taking advantage of the aspirations of human
beings who have nearly lost all hope. The rule of law

06-53329 30

must be respected. International obligations undertaken
by countries in accordance with public international
law must be honoured. Ignoring or insufficiently
addressing the phenomenon of illegal immigration puts
at risk the hard-won rights of genuine refugees and
persons who must be protected with humanitarian
status under international law.
 I therefore call on the General Assembly and the
United Nations as a whole — but in particular the
UNHCR — to lend their full support to those countries
that, like Malta, have an inherent fragility arising from
density of population and smallness of territorial size
in their efforts to combat illegal immigration and
address the hardships that they experience as countries
of destination.
 Malta needs support — including from the
UNHCR — in the resettlement of refugees and persons
with humanitarian status. It needs support in
shouldering the financial burden that it assumes in
providing for the basic needs of the illegal immigrants
on its soil. It needs international support in combating
the criminal organizations that are benefiting
financially from illegal immigration while putting the
lives of immigrants at risk.
 No country can tackle such an overwhelming
phenomenon on its own. Illegal immigration requires a
holistic international approach that includes combating
criminal organizations — particularly in the countries
of origin and transit — and strengthening border
control; promoting good governance, economic
development and the rule of law; resettling refugees
and persons with humanitarian status; and returning
illegal immigrants to their countries of origin and
transit and reintegrating them into society. As part of
such a holistic approach, we must take into
consideration the special characteristics of a number of
particularly vulnerable countries on the routes of
migration between Africa and Europe, which, as
countries of destination, are carrying a burden far
greater than they can bear.
 This issue was also examined in detail during the
High-level Dialogue on International Migration and
Development, which took place last week. Malta,
which took an active part in the Dialogue, looks
forward to greater engagement on the part of countries
of origin, transit and destination. In particular, we look
forward to the high-level conference on migration of
the European Union and the African Union, scheduled
to be held in Tripoli, Libya, before the end of this year.
Such engagement, which should have the active
support of international organizations operating in this
field, would continue the process of “trialogue”, which
was successfully undertaken at the Rabat Conference
last July. It could also serve as effective follow-up to
the recent United Nations Dialogue.
 In focusing on development issues, we must
emphasize that development needs to be sustainable, to
respect the environment and to take into account the
rights of future generations, children, young people and
those yet unborn. Development does not mean a free-
for-all attitude towards the exploitation of the Earth’s
bountiful resources. There must be sustainable
development that allows our forests to regenerate, our
air to be pure and our seas to be free of pollution.
 Climate change and global warming are not
issues that can be relegated to intellectual exercises.
Positive political action is required to address the
problems related to global warming and to prevent an
exacerbation of the consequences of lack of care for
the environment. As a number of dramatic experiences
have already shown, the consequences of lack of
respect for the planet and its environmental balances
have been borne in particular by the world’s poor,
whether in developing or developed economies. A
concerted effort by all mankind is therefore required in
this area. The United Nations is the appropriate forum
for addressing these issues, which affect all countries.
The fragility of our planet and its ecosystem means that
all of us have a greater responsibility to act rapidly and
together.
 A global partnership for development needs to be
carried out in peace and stability. However, in today’s
world, global peace and security are constantly
threatened by destructive and violent events. In that
regard, we must pay particular attention to the
prolonged impasse that has thwarted the work of the
Conference on Disarmament. That impasse is
endangering the very multilateral mechanisms that
were created to foster peace, security and cooperation.
States members of the Conference have a grave
responsibility towards all United Nations Member
States in helping humanity to address the challenges of
non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control. As
the Secretary-General stated in his address to the
Conference on Disarmament last June, “With political
will, this Conference can reclaim its former mantle and
generate tangible benefits that could shape the course

31 06-53329

of history” (CD/PV.1028, p. 5). That is a challenge for
us all.
 Another challenge for us all is to persevere in all
our efforts to resolve conflicts, even if they seem to
persist over long periods of time and regardless of the
number of peace initiatives undertaken by the
international community.
 The recent conflict in Lebanon was a tragic
reminder of how easily a population can slide quickly
back into a conflict situation. Today, the clouds have
lifted a little so that new rays of hope can break
through. We wish that country well. We believe that it
could serve as a unique laboratory for democratic and
cultural pluralism within a peaceful society in the
Middle East.
 In the same region, a resolution of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict remains elusive. Fatalism is not an
option. The international community, through the
United Nations and other mechanisms such as the
Quartet, must maintain its concerted and determined
efforts to find a comprehensive, just and lasting
solution to this long-festering conflict, which has a
bearing on all other issues in the Middle East and,
indeed, in the wider global context. We welcome the
intense and frank debate that took place last week in
the Security Council on this issue (see S/PV.5530).
 The President returned to the Chair.
 Malta respects and supports the aspirations of the
Palestinian people to nationhood and dignity, and in
equal measure respects and supports the aspirations of
the Israeli people to live in peace within secure
borders. Those two aspirations are mutually compatible
and achievable through peaceful and just means. A
solution can be achieved only through strict and
abiding respect for the rules and norms of international
law, including humanitarian law.
 On the ground, the continuing and increasingly
deteriorating humanitarian situation of the Palestinian
people is an intolerable burden on the international
conscience. We must acknowledge and applaud the
sterling work being carried out by the Commissioner-
General of the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA), Ms. Karen AbuZayd, and all of the
Agency’s dedicated staff to assist the refugee
population in no fewer than 58 refugee camps in Gaza,
the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, where one
third of Palestinian refugees live.
 The international community needs to continue to
strengthen its tools for addressing natural emergencies
wherever in the world they occur, in a spirit of
solidarity with nations and human beings. In that
regard, the decision taken earlier this year — as a
follow-up to the Summit — on the revitalization and
upgrading of the Central Emergency Revolving
Fund — now the Central Emergency Response Fund —
is an important step forward. In that context, the role of
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, under the able leadership of
Under-Secretary-General Jan Egeland, continues to be
a crucial mechanism for dealing with the coordination
needed to strengthen humanitarian responses to natural
disasters and complex emergencies.
 The tragic experience of the December 2004
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami galvanized
efforts to plot the outlines of an international early
warning system across all oceans. That experience and
its aftermath, however, show that much still remains to
be done to respond more rapidly, efficiently and
effectively to natural disasters and other humanitarian
emergencies.
 In this context, I note with great interest the
valuable work done to date by the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission’s Intergovernmental
Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning
and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic,
the Mediterranean and Connected Seas. Located at the
centre of the Mediterranean and fully aware of the
havoc that a tsunami could cause in the basin, Malta
calls for speeding up the implementation of a
Mediterranean tsunami early warning and mitigation
system. This goal needs to be achieved as soon as
possible. We are prepared to play a proactive role
together with other States in the region in establishing
a fully functioning tsunami warning system.
 In such phenomena, not just regional but full
global coverage is essential to the success of the
system. The Assembly should examine what needs to
be done to achieve this in the shortest time possible. In
particular, recent tsunami phenomena which were
smaller but which also claimed lives have shown that
while it is important for countries to have early
warning systems that are interlinked, it is equally
crucial to transmit the early warning received by a

06-53329 32

country immediately to people on the beaches and in
the most vulnerable coastal areas and to have in place
crisis management mechanisms that can accelerate
evacuation to safety. This requires the setting of
international warning-transmission standards across the
globe, which, if effectively implemented, can save
lives.
 Malta believes that this should be a joint task for
the international community as a whole and calls on
the international community to consider immediately
the best means to respond to tsunami experiences with
appropriate legal and other instruments that address the
need for standards of transmission of early warnings to
population in the most vulnerable areas in all the
countries of the world. The setting of international
standards for preparing for phenomena such as
tsunamis can provide countries with an appropriate up-
to-date measuring stick and continuously upgraded
preparation.
 The international community needs
multilateralism. The process of institutional reform is
another necessary and important component of efforts
to enhance effective multilateralism. Over the past
months, some slow progress has been made in
following up the decisions taken at last year’s World
Summit in this regard. We are all conscious of the
efforts that need to continue at this session of the
General Assembly on various aspects of institutional
reform, including the most sensitive one, relating to the
enlargement and reform of the Security Council. That
matter has gained in urgency; the impasse should be
broken by flexibility and openness to a search for
common ground.
 A new Secretary-General will be taking the reins
of this Organization in the new year. The person
elected will need all our encouragement and support to

fulfil the vital and demanding tasks of that unique
office. To the outgoing Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi
Annan, we express our immense sense of gratitude and
admiration for the way in which he has conducted his
work over the past 10 years and for his total dedication
to the cause of peace and the international rule of law.
 The cause of peace and the international rule of
law are threatened daily by cultural and religious
incomprehension. An alliance of civilizations, mutual
respect and tolerance, acceptance of the other and of
diversity, peaceful coexistence and cooperation and
dialogue and education are the means which the
international community has at its disposal to
counteract the ugly phenomena of extremism and
fanaticism. We cannot ignore this threat to peace and
stability, a threat that is compounded by poverty and
mass migration. We must further strengthen
multilateralism as a means of world governance.
 In this context, we need to keep in mind the
general without losing sight of the specific. The United
Nations must remain the focus of the debate on this
issue and needs to continue to engage with the world
media to spread the message and spirit of fraternity in a
world where large or small does not count. Equally,
experience has amply illustrated that small countries,
just as large ones, are essential to global security,
cultural interchange and respect and tolerance for
diversity.
 As a Mediterranean State, as a member of the
European Union, as current Chair-in-Office of the
Commonwealth and, generally, as a member of the
international community of States, Malta is determined
to continue to make a contribution in all those
forums — and in this forum — towards the interests of
peace, justice and the rule of international law in the
world today and in the future.


It gives me great pleasure
to know that a sister from fraternal Bahrain is presiding
over this important session of the General Assembly.
Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa’s leadership will certainly
contribute to promoting dialogue and harmony in the
midst of the spread of conflicts throughout the different
corners of the world. We are confident that she will
successfully guide the deliberations of the Assembly.
 Let me also take this opportunity to pay special
tribute to her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for his
commitment and diplomatic skill, which enabled him
to effectively manage the deliberations of the
Assembly. We likewise wish to recognize Secretary-
General Kofi Annan for the immense efforts
undertaken and the commendable services rendered
during his tenure in promoting the maintenance of
peace and security and international cooperation.
 I wish at the outset to brief this Assembly in some
detail on the current situation in Somalia. The
establishment of the Transitional Federal Government
of Somalia was the result of the successful peace and
reconciliation process held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2004,
and created a unique opportunity for ending the Somali
political crisis. The Somali people were overjoyed that
a comprehensive settlement of the conflict had finally
been reached.
 The advancement and consolidation of peace and
stability requires the unwavering commitment of the
international community to reinforce the Transitional
Federal Government’s national efforts in nation-
building. Regrettably, owing to circumstances not fully
understood by us, the international community failed to
act in a timely fashion to support the new Government
in facing the enormous challenges it confronted.
Consequently, a window of opportunity has been lost,
which has led to continued violence and conflict.
 Ironically, the international community’s failure
to act also paved the way for the warlords and other
armed groups to take advantage of a political vacuum,
as they asserted and consolidated their power and clan-
based authority in the capital city, Mogadishu, and its
environs.
 Although they had the privilege of holding
important ministerial portfolios in the new
Government, the warlords pursued their hidden agenda
to promote their personal interests and political
ambitions by maintaining the chaotic status quo in
Somalia.
 It is noteworthy to bear in mind that the warlords
and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) had initially
combined their forces and political rhetoric as an
opposition alliance group against the Transitional
Federal Government. Both groups were encouraged by
the reluctance of the international community to come
quickly to the aid of the new Somali Government and
by the continuation of the United Nations arms
embargo against Somalia. However, the ICU soon
realized that the warlords were losing popularity
among mainstream Somalis.
 At this juncture, the Transitional Federal
Government, though sceptical, responded positively to
the initiative undertaken by the League of Arab States
to convene peace talks and settle the differences
between the parties. The first and second rounds of
those peace talks have successfully taken place in
Khartoum, and both sides have agreed on general
principles and some preliminary issues for the next
round of talks scheduled to be held in Khartoum in
October 2006.
 However, as the Islamic Courts Union continued
to rush to consolidate their grip, their concealed
intentions are fast becoming evident to the Somali
people and to the international community. In this
connection, it will be recalled that the ICU continued
with impunity to expand and attack other districts
outside Mogadishu including Jowhar, Balad, and other
adjacent areas. The latest development of the ICU’s
territorial expansion was the ill-advised armed attack
and seizure of the city of Kismayo, in flagrant violation
of the Khartoum Peace Agreement.

29 06-53615

 It should also be noted that the President of the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Mr.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, survived a targeted
assassination attempt on 18 September 2006. My
Government firmly believes that this heinous crime is
an act of terrorism aimed at undermining and
sabotaging the peace process in Somalia and should be
condemned in the strongest terms. This heinous attack
resulted in the death of several people, including the
brother of the President. We wish to express our
appreciation to all those delegations and organizations
that expressed their sympathy and condemned this act.
 These developments are all disquieting and
disturbing, and the situation is deteriorating to an
alarming degree and at a rapid pace. It continues to
pose a serious threat to the peace that has been
achieved, which has serious implications for the
security and stability of the region.
 Despite all these violations of the Peace
Agreement, the Transitional Federal Government
remains committed to the path of dialogue and
negotiation with the ICU and relevant civil society
organizations. But this positive attitude will not
continue if the ICU persists in its aggressive policies of
attacks and territorial expansion.
 As I stated earlier, the absence of law and order,
the escalation of violence and the ensuing collapse of
central authority were the major causes for the chaos
and anarchy in Somalia. The main goal of the
Transitional Federal Government is therefore to engage
in an effective, focused plan for the re-establishment of
institutions for peace and good governance in order to
restore normalcy and stability in the country. We
therefore strongly appeal to the international
community to demonstrate a political will and a
commitment to redouble its efforts to provide political,
financial and technical support to the Transitional
Federal Government during this challenging
transitional period.
 It goes without saying that the absence of
effective, functioning government institutions capable
of enforcing law and order has been the underlying
cause of the Somali conflict for the past 14 years. At
this crucial juncture, what Somalia urgently needs is
immediate and substantial support for the creation of
an environment conducive to peace and security which
in essence is the key requirement for reconstruction
and economic recovery.
 The economic challenges facing the Transitional
Federal Government of Somalia are formidable. The
collapse of the Somali State in 1991 resulted in
extensive destruction of governing and management
institutions which are now being re-established by the
Transitional Federal Government in its post-conflict
reconstruction programmes.
 It is deeply disturbing to note that over half a
million children under the age of five die each year
from preventable diseases, malaria being the biggest
killer. Moreover, over 100,000 women die each year
from complications in pregnancy and childbirth.
Despite all these hardships, the Transitional Federal
Government’s economic and social recovery
programmes have received virtually no assistance from
international donors and certainly none commensurate
with the massive needs of the Somali people. For far
too long, Somalia was allowed to struggle alone and
the negative consequences have been monumental.
 Somalia can aspire to establish the sufficient
conditions for sustained economic growth by
leveraging its energetic human and social capital.
However, a successful and sustainable reconstruction
and development programme requires the international
community’s support of the Transitional Federal
Government’s determined efforts to wield
administrative authority and develop competence at the
federal, regional and district levels. This situation calls
for a broad-based participatory partnership approach
from the family of nations and for the provision of
technical assistance in the building of efficient
institutions that leverage the resiliency and potential of
the Somali people.
 In terms of required relief assistance, it is to be
noted that approximately 1.8 million Somalis are still
in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and
livelihood support. In view of the magnitude of this
challenge, my delegation appeals to the world body
and the donor community to respond positively,
generously and, above all, concertedly in order to meet
Somalia’s humanitarian needs and avert a catastrophe
of major proportions.
 In an effort to stabilize Somalia and overcome the
sources of insecurity, the Government has put in place
a well-marshalled National Security and Stabilization
Plan. Both in concept and execution, the plan takes a
holistic approach to the nature and scope of insecurity
in the country. For its implementation, the plan takes

06-53615 30

into consideration local, regional and international
dimensions. Accordingly, it envisions the combined
and concerted local, regional and international efforts
in its execution. However, the realization of this plan
remains elusive insofar as the Government is fragile
and incapable of enforcing the policies and laws of the
land pursuant to the Transitional Federal Charter.
 The Transitional Federal Government welcomes
all efforts now being undertaken by the international
community in addressing the new problems and
realities of Somalia. It is important to note that the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
and the African Union have now finalized the details
and salient elements of the IGAD Peace Support
Mission in Somalia. At the international level, it is also
gratifying that the International Contact Group on
Somalia, which was recently established, convened its
second meeting in Brussels to find ways and means to
streamline the international engagement and support
for Somalia. Moreover, on its part, the United Nations
Security Council is in the process of considering
Somalia’s security problems, in particular the lifting of
the United Nations arms embargo and the deployment
of IGASOM to Somalia.
 All these combined activities at the regional and
international levels demonstrate the heightened interest
and attention given to Somalia. However, it remains to
be seen whether all these initiatives can be properly
coordinated and directed towards substantially
assisting the Transitional Federal Government in its
daunting task of stabilizing the country. To be
meaningful and effective, the contributions of the
international community must focus, as a matter of
priority, on the fundamental issue of capacity-building
for the Transitional Federal Government institutions,
particularly in the security sector.
 It is imperative that the following specific
measures be taken as a matter of urgency:
 First, the United Nations arms embargo must be
favourably reviewed and lifted by the Security
Council. Secondly, the IGAD Peace Support Mission
should be deployed as mandated by the African Union
and IGAD. Thirdly, the National Security Forces must
be institutionalized, trained and equipped. Fourthly, the
Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration
Programme must be undertaken throughout Somalia.
 It is also of paramount importance that a solid
basis for the Somali public administration be
established and that a modest and lean civil service be
recruited and trained for the various public sector
organs of the State. Regional administrations should be
put in place and federal restructuring drawn and
implemented in conformity with the Transitional
Federal Charter. Finally, immediate efforts should be
exerted for the drafting of the permanent federal
constitution of Somalia so as to pave the way for free
and fair elections after the completion of the
transitional period.
 These proposals are aimed at restoring peace and
stability in order to assist the Transitional Federal
Government in establishing functioning and effective
institutions capable of providing essential basic
services to the people. Failure to do so would once
again relegate Somalia to yet another cycle of violence
and anarchy.
 We share the desire expressed by many
delegations in this forum to see the United Nations
reinvigorate its role and strengthen its capabilities with
a view to becoming more active and effective. It could
then guarantee the fulfilment of the objectives and
principles that are enshrined in the Charter, so as to
ensure that peace on earth and international
cooperation will continue to prevail for the welfare of
mankind.


At the
outset, I would like to congratulate the President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-first session on her
election. It is a source of pride for us that an Arab
woman from brotherly Bahrain is presiding over the
session. I would also like to thank Mr. Jan Eliasson,
President of the Assembly at its sixtieth session, for his
valuable and tireless efforts in the conduct of our work
and for the positive results he has achieved for our
Organization, particularly with regard to United
Nations reform. I would also like to warmly welcome

51 06-52885

the Republic of Montenegro as the 192nd Member of
our international family.
 I am pleased that this meeting coincides with a
new democratic achievement in my country, Yemen.
Today, 20 September, the second direct presidential
election and elections for local councils have taken
place competitively in a free and fair atmosphere. This
democratic exercise demonstrates the maturity of the
people of Yemen and reflects our country’s
commitment to democracy as a peaceful means of
sharing power and popular participation in
development and economic and social reform.
 The recent developments in Lebanon and
Palestine include the destruction of Lebanon’s
infrastructure owing to aggression by the Israeli war
machine — which has caused the deaths of countless
innocent civilians, mainly women, children and the
elderly — threats to murder or assassinate the
leadership of Lebanon and Palestine, extrajudicial and
other practices. These all run counter to the United
Nations Charter, the rules of international law and
international agreements, including the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva
Convention. The massacres committed by the Israeli
war machine against Lebanese and Palestinian
civilians — particularly the Qana II massacre, whose
victims were mostly children under the age of 12 and
which was witnessed by the entire world — have
evoked feelings of denunciation and condemnation by
all people. This requires a firmer stance in the face of
Israeli policies based on violence and State terrorism.
 It is even more regrettable that the United
Nations stands by and watches helplessly while the
Lebanese people are subjected to devastation and
destruction caused by Israeli aggression over 34 days.
We would like to reiterate that the implementation of
Security Council 1701 (2006) should not undermine
the territorial integrity of Lebanon and should not lead
to sectarian divisions among the people of that country.
It should also mandate that Israel compensate Lebanon
for all the destruction.
 Israeli practices, such as assassinations of
Palestinian individuals, detention of the President of
the Palestinian Parliament, the Deputy Prime Minister
or other Ministers, are a perfect example of Israel’s
total disregard for international law, human rights, or
agreements signed with the Palestinian Authority. This
makes it incumbent upon the Security Council to
firmly deal with such Israeli aggression, to demand the
release of all Palestinian leaders under detention and in
Israeli prisons, and to deal with the Arab-Israeli
conflict neutrally and responsibly. It is only thus that
the Middle East can enjoy stability and Israel can enjoy
security.
 In order to achieve a just and comprehensive
peace, Arab countries have requested that the Security
Council consider the Arab-Israeli conflict file
responsibly and fairly in order to put an end to the
conflict and to spare the region further wars and
conflicts. If the Security Council fails to do that, then it
will bear the responsibility for continuing the conflict
in the region, with the attendant suffering and dire
consequences for all parties concerned.
 From this rostrum, we call upon the international
community to stand beside the elected Iraqi
Government, to help it spread its authority over its
territory, to put an end to violence and interference by
external parties in the internal affairs of Iraq, to respect
the territorial integrity of Iraq and to put an end to its
occupation.
 With regard to the Sudan, we reiterate our
support for the efforts by the Sudanese Government to
bring peace to Darfur, in accordance with the security
plan presented to the Security Council. The decision to
extend the mandate of the African Union forces until
the end of December of this year is welcome. Provision
of adequate logistics and increasing the number of
these peacekeeping forces will enable them to play
their role. The dispatch of any international forces
without the agreement of the Government of the Sudan
constitutes a violation of the principles of the United
Nations Charter.
 With regard to Somalia, Yemen would like to
commend the Arab-African efforts for conciliation
between the Transitional Somali Government and the
Union of Islamic Shariah Courts, and the outcome of
the talks held at Khartoum under the sponsorship of the
League of Arab States from 1 to 5 September. We call
upon all international parties to provide support to the
Somali Government so as to enable it to reconstruct the
country and re-establish State institutions. Yemen has
always been a partner in the conciliation process and
supports all efforts by all parties. Yemen emphasizes
that any external interference in Somalia’s affairs could
lead to violence and confrontation in the Horn of
Africa.

06-52885 52

 Yemen underlines the right of all countries to
possess nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. We
have reiterated our commitment to the General
Assembly declaration to make the Middle East a region
free of all weapons of mass destruction, including
nuclear weapons, and to compel Israel to comply with
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in order to
guarantee stability in the region and to avoid a nuclear
race.
 Given our concern for the promotion of trust
among all countries seeking to develop their nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes, we call upon all to
cooperate in the creation of a joint entity for nuclear
research for peaceful purposes, in cooperation with the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
 Yemen has reiterated its condemnation of
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We
believe that this phenomenon, which is alien to our
societies and to the religion of Islam, can be attributed
to many factors, including a feeling of lack of
international justice, the spread of misleading
judgements and decrees, and misconceptions of others
based on race or religion. Such factors have
undermined trust among people and have led to the
spread of extremism and terrorism.
 An international conference should be convened
to reach an agreement on an accurate definition of
terrorism and to deal with its root causes, such as
poverty, unemployment, lack of education and the
absence of international justice. A distinction should
also be made between terror against innocent civilians
and the legitimate right of people to resist foreign
occupation.
 The Republic of Yemen would like to reiterate its
commitment to the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) adopted in 2000 and to the Monterrey
Consensus. We are convinced that the mobilization of
financial resources for development and their effective
use in developing countries and in countries with
economies in transition are essential for the realization
of a genuine global partnership for development.
 We would like to stress here the need to grant
developing countries greater freedom in the
development and management of their development
programmes, in accordance with their national
priorities and their special situations, in conformity
with international strategies for development.
 Based on our belief that the individual should be
the focus of development and its ultimate objective, we
have given utmost priority to the MDGs and have
mainstreamed them in our policies and five-year
development plan, 2006-2010, as well as integrated
them into the economic, environmental and social
aspects of our plans.
 We have thus adopted a series of measures and
actions for reform in the financial, administrative and
judicial fields, the most recent of which is the total
separation of the judiciary power from the executive
power and the appointment of an independent chief
judge of the country’s judicial authority. We have also
involved civil society organizations, which are key
partners in economic and political development and
progress, and have cooperated with donor countries,
specialized agencies and international organizations in
the implementation of our second five-year plan for the
alleviation of poverty. That plan is based on small
projects and on the expansion of technical education,
the provision of basic services, the promotion of good
governance and the fight against corruption. It is an
ambitious plan that we believe requires international
support in order to achieve its objective and result in a
qualitative leap in human development in Yemen.
 At the beginning of the twenty-first century, we
must review the system of international relations to
base it more on trust, dialogue and cooperation. We all
are in agreement that democracy and the enjoyment of
freedoms are at the core of desired reform, and here I
should like to stress that the reform of national and of
international policies are two sides of the same coin.
 Democracy in international relations helps to
promote democracy in national policies and is a
genuine motive for it. That requires that the United
Nations itself be an example to follow in terms of the
exercise of democracy. Thus reform and restructuring
of the United Nations is required, as well as its
revitalization and the restoration of its international
standing and prestige, including through the expansion
of the membership of the Security Council to include
representation by all continents. That should be done in
an equitable manner that guarantees representation by
all cultures and civilizations and also assigns a more
prominent role to the Economic and Social Council in
elaborating international policies relating to economic
and social issues and in the follow-up of their
implementation. It should be done also in a manner
that promotes international efforts to move

53 06-52885

development forward and assist developing countries
to realize the MDGs.
 In conclusion, and on behalf of the Government
of the Republic of Yemen, I should like to extend our
thanks and deep appreciation to Secretary-General Kofi
Annan for his tireless and dedicated efforts in the
conduct of the Organization during his two terms of
office, working, patiently and diligently, in the service
of humanity. I would like to wish him every success in
his future endeavours.


It is an honour for me to
address the General Assembly at its sixty-first session
on behalf of my country, Jamaica.
 I would like to congratulate Ms. Haya Rashed
Al-Khalifa on her election as President of the
Assembly. It is a particular pleasure for me today to
acknowledge that achievement, as she is one of only
three women in the history of the General Assembly to
have occupied that post, and — significantly — the
first since 1969, nearly 40 years ago.
 I would also take this opportunity to express deep
appreciation for the work carried out during the sixtieth
session of the Assembly by Mr. Jan Eliasson, under
whose leadership so much was accomplished in an
extraordinarily challenging year, notably the adoption
of the World Summit Outcome Document.
 As we begin this new United Nations year, we
ask ourselves, “What is the state of our world?” We ask
this particularly in the context of the determination and
resolution of our leaders in 2005 to urgently address
the issue of the storm clouds which were threatening
the vast majority of humankind, particularly in the
developing world. We see a continued challenging time
ahead for development, for peace and security, for
democracy and social institutions and for
multilateralism. We see an environment in which the
credibility of the international system to deliver fairly
and equitably is being increasingly questioned.
 These were the very issues and circumstances
which world leaders sought to address at the beginning
of the sixtieth session in 2005. Their Summit Outcome
Document contained a raft of resolutions, commitments
and recommendations to deal with fundamental issues
and constraints, and was intended to give political
momentum to achieving the commonly agreed
development goals, including the Millennium
Development Goals. The leaders, while recognizing
that development, peace and security and human rights
are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, reaffirmed
that development is a central goal in and of itself.
 Jamaica remains deeply committed to the three
pillars of the United Nations, but considers
development to be at the very core. For this reason,
Jamaica is concerned about the fact that we have not
discerned any significant focus on implementation in
the area of development over the past year — a year
dedicated to implementation. The implementation gap
has been greater in this area than in either of the other
two areas.
 Increased, albeit still insufficient, attention is
being accorded to those who live in extreme poverty —
those living on less than $1 per day. The Secretary-
General cited some startling statistics in his report on

06-53615 22

the work of the Organization. I would like to refer to
two examples: 10 million children die before their fifth
birthday, and women in developing countries are 45
times more likely to die during pregnancy than women
in developed countries. That is irrefutable evidence
that the situation remains in absolute and comparative
terms, deeply unsatisfactory and unsustainable in an
interdependent world.
 Jamaica and other developing countries
consistently argued in all the debates leading up to and
during the 2005 Summit that, in addition to the poorest
countries, the situation of vulnerable middle- and
lower- middle-income countries, especially small
island and highly externally dependent economies,
needed to be addressed. A number of potentially very
useful provisions were incorporated into the Summit
Outcome document to address their particular
circumstances. But, frankly, Jamaica has seen little
resolve on the part of the international community to
implement those commitments. We have seen no work,
for example, to implement the commitment to support
the development efforts of middle-income developing
countries to help them meet, among other things, their
financial, technical and technological requirements.
Nor have we seen any effort to develop a framework
for providing significant debt relief or restructuring for
middle-income developing countries with
unsustainable debt burdens that are not part of the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative, or to
comprehensively address the debt problems of those
countries. Thirdly, there has been no effort to
implement the development dimension of the Doha
Work Programme, in particular the World Trade
Organization’s Work Programme on Small Economies.
 We recognize that there was a welcome increase
in official development assistance from $69 million in
2003 to $106 million in 2005. Much of the additional
funding was targeted to a small number of admittedly
very deserving countries — mainly for debt relief —
and to peacekeeping. There was little new money for
investment in development projects, even in the
poorest countries.
 It has always been recognized that many of the
resources for financing development must come from
trade. That was clearly stated in the Monterrey
Consensus (A/CONF.198/11) and repeated in the 2005
Summit Outcome Document (resolution 60/1). In the
Outcome Document, leaders of developed and
developing countries committed to work expeditiously
towards implementing the development dimensions of
the Doha Work Programme. They also emphasized the
need to address weak and volatile commodity prices
and to support the efforts of commodity-dependent
countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the
competitiveness of their commodity sectors.
 Instead of expedition and facilitation, we have
seen stalemate and breakdown in the Doha round of
negotiations. Perhaps even more significant is the fact
that, in the negotiations that did take place, the
development dimension — especially as it relates to
small and vulnerable economies such as that of
Jamaica — was conspicuously absent from the debate.
These issues must be addressed in any effort to restart
the negotiations.
 Jamaica strongly supports the view that
fundamental to a viable and equitable trade regime is
the need to take account of the wide disparity in
structural characteristics and approaches to economic
policy among the many members of the World Trade
Organization, and the consequent need for flexibility.
We would add, for clarity, the need to include the
differences in levels of development among economies
and the asymmetries existing between developed and
developing countries.
 As a small country with a debt burden of more
than 125 per cent of its gross domestic product; a
country whose exports have been falling in value and
whose markets are threatened by the current uncritical
approach to globalization and trade liberalization; a
country dependent on imported petroleum for more
than 90 per cent of its commercial energy and whose
energy bill was more than $1 billion in 2005; an island
vulnerable to a range of natural hazards and still
working to recover from major hurricanes and droughts
in 2004 and 2005; and a country whose skilled
professionals — doctors, nurses, teachers and scientists
in particular — are targeted by some major developed
countries, Jamaica understands the need for a
collaborative and facilitative international environment
and for coherence in policies. Successful
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals
cannot be assured in the face of those challenges.
 Jamaica recognizes that there can be no sustained
development, no poverty eradication and no lasting
peace without the advancement, equality and
empowerment of women. Women’s advancement is a

23 06-53615

priority of our national policy, and we support all
international initiatives to that end.
 We are encouraged by action aimed at
implementing some of the mandates agreed at the 2005
Summit. In the area of international peace and security,
the Peacebuilding Commission has been established,
with an emphasis on addressing post-conflict
situations. Jamaica has the honour to be a founding
member of that body and will be actively involved in
the achievement of its objectives. With regard to
human rights, the Human Rights Council has been
established. In the field of humanitarian affairs, the
Central Emergency Response Fund has been
established, and an agreement has been reached on the
protection of humanitarian personnel. We welcome the
finalization of the draft Comprehensive and Integral
International Convention on Protection and Promotion
of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
and look forward to its formal adoption later this year.
We welcome also the 2006 Political Declaration on
HIV/AIDS (resolution 60/262), adopted at the High-
level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. We urge the full
implementation of those decisions to comprehensively
tackle this scourge in the most seriously affected
countries and regions. For the Caribbean region,
HIV/AIDS is a major human, social and economic
challenge.
 The recent High-level Dialogue on International
Migration and Development, convened in keeping with
the mandate of the 2005 World Summit, and the
publication of the United Nations Population Fund’s
2006 State of World Population report have been very
timely. They highlighted, among other things, the
multidimensional nature of international migration, its
importance in the globalization process and the
potential for further widening of the development gap
between rich and poor countries. They raised a number
of critical issues for the attention of the international
community.
 Jamaica is particularly concerned about the
selectivity in the policies of developed countries, their
deliberate targeting of critical skilled professionals of
developing countries, accompanied by the tightening of
their general immigration laws against the unskilled
and the young, and their systematic and wholesale
repatriation of those who run into difficulty with their
laws — especially hardened criminals, many of whom
have little or no connection, if they ever did, with the
receiving developing country. Those policies are
inconsistent, counterproductive and, with all due
respect, frankly wrong. They demand the urgent
attention of the international community. We look
forward to these issues being studied and given the
required attention at the follow-up meeting to be held
in Belgium in March 2007.
 We note the continued emphasis on the
strengthening of the United Nations and the adoption
of reform measures aimed at improving accountability
and transparency and at enhancing the effectiveness
and efficiency of the work of the Secretariat in
implementing the programmes mandated by Member
States. We stress that reform should ensure the
strengthening of the United Nations. That should be
our motivation. We should never allow reform to erode
the fundamental institutional framework of the United
Nations or the right of each Member State to be fully
involved in the Organization’s decision-making
processes and to contribute to advancing its goals and
ideals. That right has been the fundamental strength of
the United Nations and what sets it apart from many
other multilateral institutions. It is and should remain
the standard.
 Geopolitical realities have changed significantly
since the establishment of the United Nations. It is
therefore logical that the Security Council should be
reflective of the contemporary international community
as a whole, on the basis of equitable geographical
representation and greater representation of developing
countries. How can it be that less than 5 per cent of the
membership of the Organization continues to wield
inordinate power over the rest of us? That is
undemocratic and, ultimately, unsustainable. It is on
that basis that Jamaica supports expansion in both
categories of Council membership, with increased
representation for all regional groups.
 Jamaica underscores the vital importance of
coherence in policy action and advice among the
United Nations and other international institutions,
including the international financial institutions, as
well as regional organizations, in the effort to facilitate
and encourage development, especially that of the
small, vulnerable and otherwise disadvantaged
countries.
 Over the years, Jamaica has experienced more
than its fair share in terms of the adverse impact of
incoherent international policies and advice. I will
provide just three examples. First, Jamaica has been

06-53615 24

forced to hold a large fund of international reserves in
developed countries. At the end of August 2006,
Jamaica’s net international reserves stood at
approximately $2.2 billion, or 18 weeks of imported
goods and services, while the country needs foreign
exchange to facilitate investment projects.
 Secondly, Jamaica has entered into international
commitments under the Millennium Development
Goals, inter alia to expand education and health care,
to enhance environmental protection, to strengthen
rural development and to improve housing and
sanitation. These are all labour-intensive activities. The
International Monetary Fund, without providing any
analysis, is giving advice and insisting that Jamaica
reduce its public service drastically.
 Thirdly, Jamaica is forced to compete with the
salaries being offered by developed countries such as
Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States to
large categories of employees, including teachers and
nurses, while seeking to reduce its fiscal deficit. This is
one of the major difficulties that the Government is
facing in its current wage negotiations with the
members of some of these categories, with a view to
completing its second memorandum of understanding
with public sector workers.
 The United Nations has a major responsibility to
lead in the quest for coherence in international
economic programmes and policies. Jamaica believes
that a fortified United Nations, in particular a
strengthened Economic and Social Council, is vital if
that role is to be effective.
 We continue to live in very turbulent times.
Global peace, security and stability continue to be
elusive. All the multilateral gains that we have made in
recent years will come to little if existing conflict
situations are not resolved and if new military
interventions, acts of terrorism and other debilitating
threats to peace, security and development arise.
 We must continue to emphasize the critical
importance of multilateral diplomacy, even-handedness
and maximum restraint. We must reinforce the
mutually beneficial relationships among us as a
community of nations. We must equip the United
Nations to act, and act decisively, when necessary. In
that regard, we welcome Security Council resolution
1701 (2006) and look forward to every effort being
made to build on this new platform to secure a lasting
peace in the Middle East.
 We cannot remain indifferent to the tragic plight
of the people of Darfur, the Sudan. History has
repeatedly demonstrated that indifference emboldens
those who seek to act with impunity, resulting in even
greater atrocities and humanitarian crises. The
international community must act urgently to promote
human security and to protect the lives of innocent
civilians.
 Disarmament and non-proliferation go hand in
hand. It is only through the total elimination of nuclear
weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that
international peace and security can be assured.
Jamaica is therefore disheartened that the international
community failed to seize the opportunities provided
by the 2005 Review Conference of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and by the
World Summit to make significant progress on this
issue.
 Jamaica and other countries in the Caribbean
region have to confront major security concerns as a
result of the ease of access to illicit small arms and
ammunition and the linkages to transnational organized
crime, including drug trafficking. Jamaica feels a deep
sense of disappointment that the 2006 Conference to
Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the
Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and
Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
Weapons in All Its Aspects failed to conclude an
outcome document which would have introduced
improvements in the implementation of the Programme
of Action. Jamaica will continue to advocate for the
creation of a legally binding instrument which more
strictly controls the illegal trade in small arms and light
weapons and ammunition.
 The recent adoption of the United Nations Global
Counter-Terrorism Strategy (resolution 60/288) is a
very clear demonstration that the international
community can come together to confront major threats
to civility, the rule of law and international peace and
security. This should be our modus operandi.
 We have been particularly encouraged by
developments in Haiti, which have led to the
democratic election of the Government of President
René Préval. In July, Haiti was able to again take its
rightful place in CARICOM. Coupled with the renewal
of the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization
Mission in Haiti until February 2007, attention can
now be focused on institution- and capacity-building,

25 06-53615

as well as on reconstruction and other initiatives for
economic and social development in that country.
 The bicentenary of the abolition of the trans-
Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire will be
marked in 2007. For all CARICOM countries this is a
special anniversary based on shared history. To
symbolize the occasion, CARICOM members will be
introducing a draft resolution at this session of the
General Assembly with the expectation that the
Assembly will appropriately recognize the event. We
look forward to the support of all delegations.
 Jamaica strongly reaffirms its commitment to the
United Nations and the multilateral process. Our
continued commitment at all levels, including our
support for the work of the International Seabed
Authority, remains firm.
 Before closing, I would like to take this
opportunity to pay special tribute to the Secretary-
General for his outstanding leadership in guiding the
work of the Organization over the past 10 years. He
has faced the challenges of our times. He has re-
engineered the position of Secretary-General to
become the face, voice and conscience of the
international community. He has brought civil society,
non-governmental organizations and the private sector
into the United Nations. He has leveraged and brought
into international service high achievers in a range of
disciplines. And he has increased opportunities for
consultation and dialogue. We wish him the very best.
 Jamaica looks forward to a transparent and
inclusive process to provide our Organization with a
new Secretary-General who enjoys the confidence of
the full membership.


Allow me first to warmly congratulate the
President on her election. We firmly believe that her
experience will guarantee an excellent grasp of all the
issues and that she will carry out her task with wisdom
and skill.
 I take this opportunity to pay tribute to her
predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for his admirable and
tireless efforts in the reform process of the United
Nations and moving it forward.
 I also thank and congratulate Mr. Kofi Annan, the
Secretary-General, and his team for their untiring
contribution to improving the work methods of the
Organization in order to achieve its objectives in all
areas.
 I also take the opportunity to welcome the
Republic of Montenegro as a new Member of the
United Nations.
 We particularly pay tribute to the important
resolutions dealing with the creation of the Human
Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.
Without a doubt, those two new bodies will contribute
to improving the Organization’s activities to find

29 06-52988

solutions to two of the main concerns of the peoples
and Member Governments of the United Nations,
namely, conflicts and wars, and the impact that they
have on the rights and dignity of individuals and
communities. We are all aware of the direct impact of
those issues on peace, security, development, justice
and democracy throughout the world.
 We wish to stress the resolutions and the
important work of the United Nations between the two
sessions, namely conferences and summits dealing with
the information society and the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
as well as meetings on development, alleviating
poverty, protecting the environment, promoting the
advancement of women, and dealing with
unemployment and the issues of migration.
 How we meet the need for development, security
and peace throughout the world will depend on how we
deal with the issues of violence and terrorism. Since
the phenomenon of terrorism is universal in nature, the
solution to it must also be found through a global
vision that is anchored in understanding and dialogue
between civilizations and nations, a vision that rejects
confrontation and conflict and seeks to overcome
poverty, illiteracy and social, scientific and technical
underdevelopment.
 In Mauritania we reject terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations. We remain faithful to our Islamic
values of solidarity, understanding and tolerance,
which reject violence and extremism.
 My country, Mauritania, reiterates its support for
peace and for relaunching the negotiation process on
all tracks. That is the only way to put an end to the
conflict in the Middle East, on the basis of
international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and
the Road Map, which will guarantee the Israeli
withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories in
Palestine, Syria and Lebanon and allow the Palestinian
people to restore its legitimate rights and establish an
independent State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
 With regard to Western Sahara, Mauritania
supports the measures taken by the United Nations and
its Secretary-General to find a lasting solution that
guarantees stability in that region and enjoys the
support of all stakeholders.
 Concerning Iraq, we are following very closely
the changing political, security and humanitarian
situation in that fraternal country. We note with
satisfaction the success achieved by the Iraqi
Government in rebuilding State institutions. We
reaffirm our support for the unity of Iraq, its territorial
integrity and independence and for non-interference in
its internal affairs.
 After the changes of 3 August 2005, the Islamic
Republic of Mauritania ushered in a new era in its
political history. The new era started with the creation
of a pluralist, democratic system based on the
guarantee of equality and justice for all. It enshrines
the peaceful assumption of authority and transparency
in management and administrative reform, while firmly
establishing the mechanisms of good governance.
 These choices have been implemented on the
basis of a sound experiment carried out throughout the
country using all the active forces of our people,
including civil institutions, political parties, trade
unions and the transition Government, through a
programme of action for justice and democracy that
has been implemented with the informed and effective
participation of all stakeholders. It includes
constitutional reform, reform of the administration of
justice, administrative reform to combat corruption,
and reform of the electoral system by creating an
independent national electoral commission on the basis
of transparency and by encouraging the participation of
women.
 In order to ensure total neutrality in the elections,
the Military Council for Justice and Democracy has
decreed that the President, members of the Military
Council, the Prime Minister and members of the
civilian transition Government are ineligible to take
part in future municipal, legislative and presidential
elections.
 The absence of real democracy, free choice and
fair elections led the Military Council for Justice and
Democracy to intervene to end the political stalemate
that the country was experiencing before 3 August
2005.
 Here, on behalf of the Mauritanian people, I
would like to thank sincerely all fraternal and friendly
countries and international organizations and bodies
that have supported our reform process and helped and
supported us through its various stages.
 Mauritania is keen to contribute to strengthening
the links of fraternity, cooperation and solidarity in its
region, in line with the common aspirations of our

06-52988 30

peoples. Within this framework, we affirm our
unswerving faith in building an Arab Maghreb as a
strategic, non-negotiable choice.
 We are also profoundly attached to the spirit of
fraternity and solidarity on our African continent and to
the close relations that link our country to all fraternal
African countries. Our country will continue to be
faithful to strengthening the basis for dialogue,
exchange and understanding between peoples and
civilizations, particularly within the 5+5 forum and the
Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean process.
 The major changes that have taken place on the
international scene in recent years require a review and
reform of the organs and method of work of the United
Nations — in particular, by revitalizing the role of the
General Assembly and ensuring respect for its
resolutions, by reactivating the Economic and Social
Council and by making the Security Council more
representative. All this should aim to take account not
only of important regions in the world, such as Africa
and Latin America, or important regional groups, but
also of industrialized countries that make major
contributions to the United Nations, such as Germany
and Japan.
 We also believe that the Security Council today
must improve its methods of work so that it can fulfill
its task of maintaining international peace and security.
 In closing, I would like to express the wish that
the work of this session will be crowned with success.


It is indeed a great pleasure to address this
General Assembly on the International Day of Peace,
in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation. The Government of Spain calls for a
vigorous United Nations system that can guarantee
international peace and security in a world that is
global, complex and full of uncertainty.
 I should like to congratulate our President on her
election as the first Arab woman to lead the
Assembly — a task in which, I predict, she will have
great success. She can count on the full commitment
and cooperation of Spain. I also wish to express my
gratitude and congratulations to Mr. Jan Eliasson,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden and President
of the General Assembly at its most recent session. His
leadership and negotiating skills contributed to the
adoption of far-reaching political agreements aimed at
the implementation of the 2005 World Summit
Outcome (resolution 60/1).
 Understanding and cooperation among countries
will clear up the unanswered questions of the twenty-
first century — a century characterized by
globalization, which has spread throughout the world,
pervading areas of daily life and causing
transformations in the power of States and the system
of international relations.
 In their analysis of that complex and uncertain
reality, political theoreticians sometimes turn to
scientific knowledge, but its formulations fail to
provide concrete measures to deal effectively with the
political and institutional challenges of the twenty-first
century. New times call for new politics that cannot be
influenced in any way by fear, distrust or suspicion in
the international community. The factors and events
that shape today’s international relations must not
distract or hold back the innovative spirit of political
action.
 Today, we know that technology alone does not
lead to progress with regard to security and social and
economic growth. Globalization has great individual
and collective benefits. It is a mixture of contradictory
trends — hope and despair, humanism and barbarity —
in which we find serious imbalances that must be
addressed with political courage and confidence.
 This new era has not resolved old conflicts that
are eroding international peace and security. The
situation in the Middle East is the present-day version
of a historical conflict that has challenged the
international community. The adoption of Security
Council resolution 1701 (2006) and the cessation of
hostilities open the way for hope that the necessary
conditions will be created for a lasting peace. We have
already endured more than five decades of suffering
and despair. We have already endured five decades of
appealing in this forum for a definitive solution. We
have endured five decades of the international
community’s impotence.
 From this rostrum, I call for a coalition for peace.
This is not about rediscovering the Mediterranean; it is
about commitment. We must say “yes” to the creation
of a democratic, viable and peaceful Palestinian State
that lives in peace and security with the State of Israel;
“yes” to full support for President Mahmoud Abbas;
“yes” to ending the violence and terror against Israel;
“yes” to reactivating the Madrid Process, which began
15 years ago; “yes” to a global peace that includes
Syria and Lebanon; and, finally, “yes” to an end to this
tragedy.
 The only possible way to find a solution is
political and diplomatic action, not military action. We
must rebuild a dynamic of negotiation to permanently
eradicate violence from this region, which is bleeding
to death as a result of misunderstanding and pain.

39 06-53005

 My Government hopes that all actors involved in
the region commit themselves to implementing
resolution 1701 (2006) and to the tasks in southern
Lebanon that have been entrusted to the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon, in which Spanish troops are
participating. We must give peace and dialogue another
chance.
 From the eastern Mediterranean, I now turn to the
western Mediterranean. Spain pays particular attention
to its neighbourly relations with the Maghreb, a region
with regard to which we maintain an active and
comprehensive policy that strengthens our friendship
and cooperation. That is why we attach importance to
the relaunching of the process of building a united
Maghreb.
 To accelerate the pace of that project, we will
need to find a negotiated and effective solution to the
conflict in Western Sahara, which has lasted for more
than 30 years and urgently calls for an atmosphere
conducive to breaking the current deadlock. The
international community must create such an
atmosphere to ensure a just and lasting political
agreement that respects the principle of self-
determination, within the United Nations framework.
 The will to engage in dialogue and compromise
could clear up this old conflict, as was the case with
Gibraltar. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that the
Tripartite Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar, which met
last Monday in Cordoba, has already adopted its first
agreements, which reflect the spirit of the relevant
United Nations resolutions. Those agreements in no
way mean that my Government renounces its
sovereignty over Gibraltar.
 Relations with Ibero-America are a constant
priority of the Government of Spain in its foreign
policy. We are committed to promoting the cohesion,
growth and visibility of the Ibero-American
community, with which we maintain historic ties and
share new strategies and objectives. The Ibero-
American Secretariat, which is participating here for
the first time as an observer, strengthens our
community through dialogue and coordination. The
forthcoming summit to be held in Uruguay will assess
ongoing activities and propose measures to begin anew
the social, economic, cultural and political progress
demanded by the civil societies of the Ibero-American
community.
 The President returned to the Chair.
 Cooperation and understanding also guide our
trans-Atlantic relations and, in a very special way, our
relations with the United States. In a constructive
spirit, we discuss concerns and long-term projects that
strengthen the international community.
 As multilateral actors, we know that many of our
difficulties and problems will not be resolved through
voluntarism or national action. Our action must be on a
global scale if we are to effectively address them in all
their complexity — particularly the new challenges
facing the international community that hinder the
promotion of a more just and equitable globalization.
 A sense of political responsibility leads us to
resolve urgent global problems such as security and
terrorism, to fight hunger and poverty and to manage
migratory flows. Through the coordination of the
United Nations, the world must promote the causes of
sustainable development, security and human rights.
We cannot have security without development, there
can be no development without security, and we will
not attain those objectives if human rights are not
respected.
 We cannot accept terrorism, regardless of its
origin. Our acceptance would transform it into terror
and would unleash a spiral of fear in which freedoms
would suffer. We must not let down our guard against
terrorism; neither must we let down our guard against
the erosion of freedoms. The Government of Spain
welcomes the adoption of the Global Counter-
Terrorism Strategy, which does not overlook victims
and their families.
 Situations of extreme poverty and humanitarian
catastrophes are inconceivable at the beginning of the
twenty-first century. We must deepen our sincere
commitment to the Millennium Development Goals
and to the fight against hunger and poverty in order to
alleviate the uncertainty, hardship and despair that
affect millions of citizens throughout the world.
 The traditional areas of Spanish action have been
broadened and reinforced through the progressive
consolidation of an advanced cooperation policy. Spain
has increased the quality and quantity of its Official
Development Assistance (ODA), which will reach 0.5
per cent of our gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008.
Spain’s contribution to international organizations and
trust funds has increased this year by more than 400
per cent.

06-53005 40

 Spain’s development aid has been expanded in
the Mediterranean countries and the African continent,
where planning has played an important role. The plan
for Africa has required a major effort of cooperation
and commitment to deal with dramatic situations of
poverty and sickness, which jeopardize the well-being
of African societies.
 Future programs, such as the one proposed by
President Wade of Senegal, merit all our consideration
and support. Poverty has brought us a new global
challenge, namely, the management of migration flows,
since hunger and need know no borders. Inequalities in
the distribution of wealth, unemployment, the lack of
future prospects, political instability, inadequate
respect for human rights and intolerable life conditions
push more than 200 million people in the whole world
to migrate. The demographic impacts of these flows are
perceived not just in countries of origin, but also those
of transit and destination. Therefore, immigration is
one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first
century and Spain is on the frontline. We must confront
it in all its aspects, both internal and external, with
measures for development assistance and border
controls.
 Migrations, exchanges and communications
technologies have given birth to a multicultural society
that is not without tensions. This emerging reality
stimulates the appearance of challenges that demand a
critical analysis in order to build solid bridges between
East and West.
 The initiative of the Alliance of Civilizations,
sponsored by Spain and Turkey, belongs today to the
international community and the United Nations and
seeks to provide answers to these challenges. The
management of cultural relations can only be achieved
from the perspective of security, education, promotion
of culture and interreligious dialogue. This respect
amongst the different cultures and creeds must
encourage the reduction of frictions that could inspire
violence and terror. The cartoon crisis and the effects
and wrong interpretations of the words of His Holiness
the Pope urgently demand the implementation of the
Alliance of Civilizations.
 The twenty-first century will be the time when we
are called upon to resolve old conflicts and confront
new global challenges effectively. For that, a reform is
needed in the United Nations. The Government of
Spain is satisfied with the reform process in the areas
of peace and security, development and human rights.
The Peacebuilding Commission, the Human Rights
Council, the United Nations Democracy Fund, the
Global Strategy against Terrorism and the Central
Emergency Relief Fund are new instruments that have
a bearing on the challenges facing the international
community.
 Allow me to conclude with a few verses of the
universal Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, from his
book “Poet in New York”,
 “If hope is extinguished and the Babel of
incomprehension begins, what torch will light the
paths of the Earth?”
Let us not give up the dream of peace. Let us work
together to achieve it.


I am
honoured to address the Assembly on behalf of the
Government and people of Haiti. Allow me, first, to
offer my heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Haya Rashed
Al-Khalifa on her election to the presidency of the
General Assembly in its sixty-first session. I am
convinced that her wealth of legal training, her
profound knowledge of public affairs, her national and
international career and her keen negotiating skills
mean that this session will be a success. Allow me to
reiterate to the President the full support of my country
and of the Haitian delegation in discharging her lofty
tasks.
 I wish also to congratulate Ambassador Jan
Eliasson, whose practical spirit, his sense of
compromise and great know-how, meant that the
sixtieth session was a successful one. I wish him every
success in his new job as his country’s Minister for
Foreign Affairs.
 I wish to convey to the Secretary-General, His
Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, sincere thanks for the skill
with which he has conducted the Organization over the
past 10 years. I congratulate him also on his continued
commitment to my country. The people of Haiti is
profoundly grateful to him for his subtlety and
determination demonstrated in the quest for viable
lasting solutions to the long crisis that has beset my
country in recent years. Mr. Annan deserves the full
appreciation of the international community for his
laudable, indefatigable efforts for peace, justice, human
rights, democracy and development.
 On 3 July 2006, the Republic of Haiti regained its
seat in the Caribbean Community and Common Market
(CARICOM), thus putting an end to an absence of two
long years. We recognize that during this period our
brothers and sisters in the Caribbean never lost interest
in Haiti’s affairs. Quite the contrary: they were
strongly committed to finding appropriate solutions,
which have allowed my country today to have the
honour to participate side by side with them in the
great debates concerning the region. On 11 September,
Haiti finally rejoined the great family of the
Non-Aligned Movement, whose purpose is to
strengthen South-South cooperation. This was most
welcome. Those two events clearly show that we want
to be open to the world.
 I would like to take this opportunity to welcome
the accession of the Republic of Montenegro to
political sovereignty and to the great family of our
Organization.
 Today, more than ever before, our world is facing
manifold threats that imperil its very existence. Despite
the Organization’s intensive efforts to make the world
more human and more liveable, the spectre of major
pandemics, poverty, hunger, organized crime,
terrorism, armed conflict, civil war and natural
disasters continues to haunt us. We therefore need to
redouble our efforts to refine our diplomatic
approaches and to give priority to dialogue, honest,
open negotiations, flexibility and compromise. Those
principles lie at the very basis of the creation of the
United Nations and reaffirm its strength and its raison
d’être. Our Organization remains the ideal forum, the
reference point for finding appropriate solutions to the
problems that beset our world. Nothing should make us
abandon that spirit.
 The Republic of Haiti unreservedly supports all
of the international community’s initiatives to resolve
conflicts in Africa, in East Asia and in the Middle East
by finding peaceful negotiated solutions respectful of
the sovereignty of States.

06-53958 6

 Terrorism is today assuming apocalyptic
proportions. The attacks of 11 September 2001 against
targets in the United States and subsequent attacks
elsewhere in the world were wake-up calls to us,
forcing us to silence our petty interests in order to face
this scourge which, unless it is swiftly curbed, will lead
to catastrophes with untold consequences. We cannot
make mistakes and we cannot hesitate. Recently, we
have been impotent, as we witness an infernal cycle of
violence, massive destruction of innocent human lives
and property. We are seeing attempts to annihilate our
institutions and our society. The very future of
humanity seems to be taken hostage by unbridled
groups that stop at nothing to destroy wherever they
can. The Republic of Haiti reaffirms once more its
resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms, using the few
resources that it has. It supports the preventive
measures taken against terrorism, measures taken in a
legal context. We encourage States to agree on a global
convention on terrorism based on a clear definition
acceptable to all.
 Haiti welcomes the major steps taken to reform
the United Nations at the previous session. We are still
far from our goals, but some very significant progress
has, nonetheless, been made. We hope that the changes
decided on will continue to give our Organization the
resources it needs to carry out its global vocation. We
must adapt to new requirements, as we reaffirmed at
the World Summit of 2005. Accordingly, I applaud the
creation of the Peacebuilding Commission. It should
play an important part and its purpose is political
stability, creating sustainable foundations for
socioeconomic development in post-conflict situations,
as well as to help strengthen democratic institutions
and make them effective in a constitutional framework
and under the rule of law.
 Similarly, I also welcome General Assembly
resolution 60/251, which created the Human Rights
Council. I congratulate the 47 members of the Council,
who were elected in May in order to put their
experience to use in promoting and protecting human
rights. I hope that this new body will, in many respects,
help to develop our society, to make it more open to
dialogue, understanding, mutual respect, social justice
and tolerance.
 Haiti also welcomes the creation of the Central
Emergency Relief Fund. It will provide upfront
resources to enable the United Nations to finance
humanitarian relief operations, as soon as a catastrophe
occurs, in other words, to do more, faster.
 My Government agrees with the idea of
revitalizing the Economic and Social Council. As one
of the main organs of the Organization, it should be
more involved in development activities in countries
that have been sidelined by history, especially the least
developed countries (LDCs). It should provide greater
cohesion in adopting the best approach for attaining the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The question
of harmonizing strategies and actions among the
entities of the United Nations system that work in the
area of development is, for us, a crucial one.
 Through the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti of
the Economic and Social Council, my country enjoys
the support of the Council and, recently, at the high-
level substantive meeting held in Geneva last July, the
Council extended the mandate of that group through
July 2007, with the possibility of being renewed once
more. I welcome the idea that this extension will
enable various sectors involved in the sustained
development of Haiti to achieve tangible results for my
country.
 Since 1945, date of the creation of the United
Nations, of which my country was a founding Member,
the international landscape has undergone profound
change. However, after more than sixty years, the
institutional framework of the Security Council has
remained the same. Any reform of the Organization
would, therefore, be incomplete were it not to include a
reorganization of the Security Council. The
composition of the Security Council must, therefore,
reflect the realities of the twenty-first century and
include Member States that are capable of shouldering
responsibilities of area of the maintenance of
international peace and security. In this new desirable
configuration, it is crucial that developing countries
from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean
enjoy equitable representation.
 In February 2006, Haiti held historic, fair and
democratic elections. This process will be completed at
the end of the year by municipal elections and
territorial elections, which will help restore democracy
and open the way to political stability. The people of
Haiti as a whole decided in favour of change capable of
giving it security and improved living conditions. I
welcome the activities of the international community
for the support and assistance it gave and has continued

7 06-53958

to give to Haiti. I salute the Group of Friends of Haiti
and all Members of the Organization that have spared
no effort or sacrifice to support the United Nations
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) by
providing it with military or police personnel.
 I also welcome the adoption of Security Council
resolution 1702 (2006) of 15 August 2006, which
renewed the mandate of MINUSTAH. I hope that this
mission, which is doing a very difficult job —
sometimes a dangerous, but noble job — will, together
with the national police of Haiti and the Government,
manage to control the wanton insecurity that is
besetting Haitian society. I therefore call upon the
mission to work closely with the Haitian authorities to
make the necessary changes depending on the priorities
of the moment.
 I hope that international assistance will also focus
on reforming the judicial system, on the
professionalization of the police and on strengthening
democratic institutions, such as the parliament,
municipal bodies and the territorial collectives.
 To the parents, friends and colleagues of
peaceworkers who died in Haiti in the line of duty, I
would like to reiterate the pain and sorrow of our
Government and the Haitian people, who recognize the
importance of the United Nations presence in Haiti, the
ultimate goal of which is to help the country to recover
its stability.
 The new team that the head of State of Haiti,
Mr. René Garcia Préval, has the privilege of leading
since he assumed office in May, has embarked on the
long-term task of rebuilding the country. The task is to
restore security, to build a modern State, to strengthen
democratic institutions and to offer favourable
conditions for investment in order to create wealth that
benefits everybody. In order to attract investors and
create conditions that favour sustainable development,
the implementation of basic infrastructure projects is
imperative, e.g., the building of roads, ports, airports,
providing electricity to the main towns of the country,
improving telecommunications networks, all of which
requires the support of the international community.
 Lack of security is a fertile ground for all kinds
of temptation. It favours destabilizing elements that
exploit the subhuman conditions under which a large
number of our poor live, by arming them to sow death
and destruction in the Haitian family, thus imperilling
the very future of our Republic. Attacking this lack of
security and the climate of violence marked by
dramatic kidnappings and deadly clashes between
armed gangs and the police is one of the top priorities
of my Government. Dialogue, on the one hand, and
toughness, on the other hand, are necessary in finding a
viable solution to banditry, which in recent times has
been spreading in the country, causing a flight of
capital as well as a brain drain. Accordingly, the
technical and financial support of the international
community is therefore essential in the effective
implementation of the disarmament, demobilization
and reintegration programme. We are aware that Haiti
is not a classic case, but that does not mean that we
should do nothing.
 In order to provide speedy relief to the sufferings
of the masses and to reduce, even eliminate, the
sources of gang recruitment, my Government has
launched a social pacification programme. This
programme provides for the establishment of a
database of more than 300 projects and actions in
various sectors of our national life and throughout the
territory. It will help create labour-intensive jobs and
will enable the State to reduce unemployment, to
guarantee some relief and thereby to reduce
wrongdoing.
 Moreover, in order to create a climate conducive
to good governance our head of State initiated an open,
honest dialogue with all political sectors upon his
election to the presidency. They understood the
urgency and responded positively to the invitation by
agreeing to participate in the current outward-looking
Government, which includes members of various
political parties, which are also represented in
parliament. The point is to achieve social cohesion and
political reconciliation, which are essential for
stability, security, economic recovery and the
rebuilding of an inclusive society.
 The international conference for the economic
and social development of Haiti, which was held in
Port-au-Prince on 25 July 2006, produced promises of
financial commitment by the international community.
My Government intends to carry out a long-term
development plan. That attests to our strong
commitment to take control of the destiny of the
country, and that of our international partners to
respect the priorities defined by the Government.
 In order to facilitate the task of the Government
to create the necessary conditions for true economic

06-53958 8

and social development, I call upon donors to live up to
their promises and to support Haiti in the long term.
Financial aid from the international community will
facilitate the consolidation of democracy and will help
us to establish the basis for sustainable development.
In order to attain those results and to strengthen its
credibility, the Government is determined to comply
with the requirements of good governance, to ease the
poverty of the disadvantaged and to continue the
ceaseless fight against insecurity and corruption in
order to facilitate private national and foreign
investment.
 In conclusion, I would note that the Government
of Haiti is counting on the active cooperation of the
international community to assist it in its quest for
peace and socio-economic development. Throughout
the general debate and listening to the statements made
by our many friends from CARICOM, the Americas
and all over the world, Haiti has been aware of the
keen desire of our partners to work side by side with
Haiti in order to meet the challenges faced by our
Government. Here, I wish to express the gratitude of
the Government of Haiti. Haiti is faced with a daunting
challenge, but there is no lack of political will. My
country will — with our Organization and with all of
us working together — attain our goals.