Bahrain, 2000

It is my

great pleasure to congratulate you, Mr. President, on

your election as President of the General Assembly at

its fifty-fifth session and to wish you every success in

your task. May I also assure you of my delegation's

cooperation in achieving the objectives we all desire. It

is also my pleasure to thank your predecessor,

Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, for his efforts in conducting the

proceedings of the fifty-fourth session, as well as the

proceedings of the special sessions held during the

same period.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to

express my deep appreciation for the valuable and

constant efforts that Secretary-General Kofi Annan has

made to enable the Organization to deliver its message

and to enhance its role in the maintenance of peace and

security throughout the world.

May I also extend my delegation's

congratulations to the Government and people of

Tuvalu on the occasion of its admission to membership

in the United Nations. Its admission is a further

demonstration of the universality of the Organization.

The fifty-fifth session is remarkable because it

also encompasses the work of the Millennium Summit,

which was attended by a large number of leaders of

Member States. The very presence of those leaders, and

the discussions and meetings they held, served to

underscore the importance they attach to the role and

responsibilities of the United Nations in the new

century. They also identified the changes and

challenges that will require joint international

cooperation on the basis of the lofty and noble

principles and purposes enshrined in the Organization's

Charter.

More than half a century after its establishment,

the world Organization must deal effectively with

political, economic, social and cultural changes and

take advantage of their positive impact. This is

particularly the case with regard to the ongoing and

accelerating revolution in the fields of

communications, modern technology and economic

globalization. In this regard, it is my pleasure to

commend the Secretary-General's report to the

Millennium Summit, entitled, “We the peoples: the role

of the United Nations in the twenty-first century”. That

report has shed light on the global issues of the years to

come and includes the positive aspects, misgivings and

apprehensions associated with those issues.

The State of Bahrain welcomes the United

Nations Millennium Declaration and the reaffirmation

by Member States of their faith in the Charter's

principles and the need to strengthen the role of the

Organization. We are confident that if we are

successful in giving effect to those principles, the

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Organization will be able to fulfil its political,

economic, social and human responsibilities. Foremost

among those responsibilities are the preservation of

international peace and security and combating disease,

poverty, ignorance, drugs, violence, terrorism and

crime. Those responsibilities also include preservation

of the environment and natural resources.

While the cold war era threatened the world with

the dangers and risks of war, the ultimate challenges

the world must face in the future include border

disputes, racial and ethnic conflict, globalization of the

international economy, development issues, and other

political, social and environmental challenges, as well

as issues related to weapons of mass destruction and

terrorism.

The State of Bahrain — whose full integration

and close association with the international community

was emphasized in the address to the Millennium

Summit by His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa

Al-Khalifa — is determined to continue to shoulder its

national, regional and international responsibilities

with a view to meeting the requirements of the new

century. Given its ancient civilization and the fact that

it is fully committed to the obligations associated with

membership in the United Nations and the international

community, Bahrain will deal positively and within the

framework of regional and international cooperation

with the changes dictated by the new era in such a

manner as to ensure justice, security, peace and

prosperity for all.

Since it attained political independence and began

to exercise full sovereignty over all its islands,

territories and territorial waters, in 1971, under the late

Emir, His Highness Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa,

the State of Bahrain has constantly sought to build a

modern State and a developed civil society by

preparing and training its people to deal with the

requirements of the modern age and to take a positive

role in the changes taking place currently and in the

future. Today, in its new era, the State of Bahrain

continues its strenuous efforts at modernization and

progress through domestic openness and by taking

progressive and measured steps in various fields. Those

steps include guaranteeing freedoms and ensuring the

rule of law and women's participation in all aspects of

national life, notably through membership in the

Consultative Council.

In the field of human rights, Bahrain continues to

take considerable steps by signing a number of

international conventions in recognition of the

importance of those rights. Those conventions have

made the resulting legal rights and obligations

absolutely clear, while at the same time they firmly

oppose the use of human rights as a pretext for

interfering in internal affairs or for undermining

religious beliefs, human values and cultural and social

characteristics of States.

Despite its continuous efforts and the admirable

standing it has achieved in the field of human

development, the State of Bahrain, like other

developing island States, faces a number of challenges

stemming from its limited size, high population density

and limited natural resources. As a result, Bahrain has

undertaken ambitious development projects with a

view to diversifying the sources of its national income.

Those projects include an open economic policy that

has made Bahrain an advanced regional and global

commercial and financial centre.

In the area of foreign relations and the fulfilment

of national and international obligations, the State of

Bahrain's contributions to the maintenance of

international peace and security are evidenced by the

close relations it maintains with brotherly and friendly

States on the basis of cooperation, mutual interests,

mutual respect and non-interference in the internal

affairs of other States. Driven by its firm belief in the

importance of regional and international security, the

maintenance of which is a joint responsibility, and in

the light of the serious and dangerous events witnessed

by the Gulf region over the last 20 years the effects and

ramifications of which continue to pose a threat to the

security and stability of the area, the State of Bahrain

will continue to call for adherence by all States to the

principles that contribute to the maintenance of

security and peace and the prevalence of stability,

progress and prosperity.

Among the most important of those principles are

respect for the status quo and the sanctity of existing

borders; establishment of relations among States on the

basis of the principles of good neighbourliness, mutual

respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of

other States; recognition of the national sovereignty of

each State; and settlement of disputes through peaceful

means and in accordance with the principles of

international law accepted by the parties to the dispute.

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On this basis, and given its commitment to the

maintenance of international peace and security,

especially in the strategically important Gulf region, in

which many States have vital interests, the State of

Bahrain reaffirms its principled and consistent

positions on current regional and international issues.

Accordingly, it renews its invitation to Iraq to

cooperate with the United Nations; to fully implement

relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly

those relating to weapons of mass destruction; and to

release prisoners and detainees of Kuwaiti and other

nationalities, as a means leading to the lifting of

sanctions and to an end to the suffering of the brotherly

Iraqi people. Meanwhile, it declares anew its call for

the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty

and territorial integrity and its objection to any

interference in Iraq's internal affairs.

With its deep interest and concern for a continued

spirit of cooperation and good-neighbourly relations

among the Gulf States, the State of Bahrain hopes that

the positive developments in relations between the

States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the

Islamic Republic of Iran will lead to a peaceful

resolution of the dispute over the three islands — Abu

Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb — which all

belong to the United Arab Emirates. It also reaffirms

its support for all efforts to that end and hopes that the

work of the tripartite ministerial committee established

by the Gulf Cooperation Council will succeed in

finding a solution aimed at ensuring the preservation of

the region's security and stability, in an atmosphere of

amicable and natural relations among all its States and

peoples.

The Middle East peace process has witnessed,

and continues to witness, developments, both

politically and on the ground, as evidenced by the

contacts and negotiations between the Palestinian

Authority and Israel, including, most importantly, the

Camp David summit, held recently under the auspices

of the United States of America, with a view to

reaching a final agreement between the two parties.

Further, the contacts that have taken place in

Washington in search of a possible resumption of

negotiations on the Syrian-Israeli track are among the

most significant developments in the peace process this

year, despite the failure of such efforts owing to

Israel's refusal to withdraw completely from the Syrian

Arab Golan to the borders of 4 June 1967.

Insofar as the situation on the ground is

concerned, the withdrawal from southern Lebanon,

which Israel was forced to carry out as a result of the

steadfast opposition and heroic resistance put up by the

brotherly Lebanese people against the occupation,

constitutes a significant turning point in the peace

process and demonstrates that occupation can in no

way ensure security.

The developments through which the peace

process has gone on all tracks and in all stages have

shown that the success of the process and the

achievement of the desired just, comprehensive and

durable peace are contingent upon the implementation

of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338

(1973) and of all relevant resolutions of international

legality, which call for the withdrawal of Israel from all

Arab territories occupied since 1967 and acknowledge

the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,

including the right to establish their own independent

state, with Jerusalem as its capital.

In accepting peace, with all the steps it entails, as

a strategic option, the Arab side had hoped that Israel

would implement all these resolutions and fulfil the

terms of all agreements and commitments, as well as

abide by the principles of the 1991 Madrid Conference,

notably the principle of land for peace.

We believe that a fully comprehensive solution is

a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of a

just, durable and comprehensive peace in a region

whose peoples have been beset by conflicts and

instability, which have drained their resources and

abilities in the context of a heated and futile arms race

that has deprived all parties of security. In order to save

the peace process from total collapse and failure, we

call upon the co-sponsors of the peace process and the

international community to redouble their efforts and

pressure Israel into meeting the requirements of peace

by fully implementing all resolutions of international

legality.

Despite the easing of global tensions with respect

to certain regional and international issues, there are

still issues in a number of different regions that give

rise to concern on the part of the international

community and that threaten security and stability, both

within those regions and beyond.

It is unfortunate that internal strife persists in

Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as

well as in other areas. We therefore call once again for

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the intensification of efforts to find solutions to such

conflicts and to encourage the parties to direct their

efforts and capacities towards the settlement of their

disputes and the development of their countries and

societies. We are pleased, in this connection, to

welcome the recent positive developments in Somalia,

which have led to the election of a President in that

country. We appreciate all the efforts that have been

exerted towards that outcome, which, we hope, will

bring about security and stability for Somalia and for

its brotherly people.

Furthermore, it is our pleasure to express our

satisfaction at the agreement reached in Algeria this

year between two neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, and

our appreciation for the efforts exerted in this direction

by the Organization of African Unity and the

constructive role played by President Abdelaziz

Bouteflika of the brotherly People's Democratic

Republic of Algeria.

It is perhaps true to say that the globalization of

the economy and the stunning developments in the

fields of information, communications and scientific

innovation — which have torn down the barriers to the

flow of international trade, facilitated the transfer of

capital across borders, made interaction among various

cultures inevitable and made every State in the world a

neighbour to all other States — have both pros and

cons and therefore constitute a great challenge for the

future.

The misgivings with regard to globalization have

been amply discussed and identified. Foremost among

these is the fear that it will weaken States' national

authority and their ability to act freely in determining

the levels of their own economic and social

development, which would have a serious effect on the

living standard of the peoples of those States. The

situation therefore requires a reform of the

international economic order so as to enable it to deal

with the financial, economic and social ramifications

and consequent difficulties of globalization, whose

primary victims are likely to be developing and poor

societies.

The process of economic globalization and

development has given rise to many challenges for the

world economy and the international community. The

positive aspects of globalization, as perceived by some,

such as the smooth transfer of products, goods and

services across borders and the immense advances in

information technology, should be coupled with a

balance between global and national economic policies.

Despite the benefits of globalization in the fields

of information technology, electronic commerce,

education, health, social development, access to

markets and consumer benefits through the ability to

compete, there is fear that globalization's adverse

aspects might affect numerous segments of developing

societies that might not have the ability to benefit from

the opportunities provided by globalization, given their

inability to compete — thereby increasing poverty and

the marginalization of vast sectors of the population.

It is in the interest of the international community

that the progress accompanying globalization be

utilized to achieve economic growth and integration, to

assist in the eradication of poverty and to achieve

social equality and development by way of directing

the process of globalization in a humane manner in

order to mitigate its adverse effects. We must deal with

this phenomenon in a manner conducive to the

establishment of a world where a balance of interests is

struck and where equality, mutual interest and an

honourable way of life are available to all, without

exception.

It is our pleasure to express, in this context, our

support for the decisions and recommendations of the

South Summit held in Havana and the Summit of the

Group of 15 held in Cairo in June 2000, and the

contents of the final document of the twenty-fourth

special session of the General Assembly, held in

Geneva last June, to follow up the implementation of

the Copenhagen World Summit for Social

Development in respect of the human dimension of

development.

Among the challenges that mankind and our

international Organization must address in the new

century is the conservation of the environment and the

mitigation of the adverse effects of economic,

industrial and technological developments in the world.

Such a task undoubtedly requires a global effort to be

made within the framework of the continuing

implementation of the world programme for the

protection of the environment set out in Agenda 21,

which was adopted at the United Nations Conference

on Environment and Development, by linking the

interests of the developed countries with those of

developing countries, while using all means and

machinery available to fight pollution for the sake of

5

safeguarding our children and grandchildren from the

dangers of a planet spoiled by human activity.

Another challenge is the military one posed by

the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and

nuclear capabilities and their means of transfer, which

have increased in many regions of the world in the past

few years. Given the threat to the world's future,

security and safety that such weapons pose, it is a

welcome sign for mankind as a whole that the States

Members of the United Nations have welcomed the

Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, held in New

York in April and May 2000, and that the nuclear

Powers have agreed on the total elimination of nuclear

weapons.

Aware of the dangers of the proliferation of

nuclear weapons, especially in the light of the wars and

conflicts that our region has witnessed in recent

decades, we in the Middle East, including the Gulf

region, have supported all initiatives aimed at freeing

the region from all weapons of mass destruction, in

particular nuclear weapons.

The gravity of the phenomenon of terrorism —

which has intensified in recent years, challenging the

will of the international community and posing a threat

to the security and stability of States and peoples — is

of concern to us all. In reaffirming our condemnation

of terrorism, regardless of its form, cause or origin, we

call for further measures to combat it, to punish its

perpetrators and to prevent them from practising their

activities by denying them shelter.

It is incumbent upon us to reaffirm and reactivate

the role of the United Nations in order to meet and

eliminate these challenges in the framework of the

collective partnership provided for in the Charter, one

of the most important objectives of which is to replace

war and confrontation with dialogue and cooperation.

We are convinced, however, that the momentum

generated by the Millennium Summit and by the

emphasis in its Declaration on support for the role of

the United Nations in promoting harmony in

international relations and maintaining world peace and

security can be exploited only through the

implementation of the essential reforms of the

Organization's organs and bodies, especially the

Security Council, by adhering to the principle of

equitable geographic representation and transparency,

which are among the most important elements that

enhance its role in the maintenance of international

peace and security.

The advent of the third millennium, with all the

hopes it inspires, requires us all to consider and

evaluate the action we should take to correct the

concepts and adjust the machinery through which we

hope to achieve peace, security, prosperity and well-

being for all in a framework of close international

solidarity on the basis of the oneness of the human race

and its mutual interests. The unique characteristics of

the cultures, civilizations, religious beliefs and social

traditions of various societies and peoples should be

used to promote understanding, rapprochement and

interaction among all States and peoples in a world of

tranquillity, justice, security and peace.

The millennium to which we look forward is one

in which we hope relations among peoples will be

enhanced and dialogue and cooperation will replace

war and conflict, which bring nothing but devastation

and destruction.