Bahrain, 2010

First of all, it gives me pleasure to convey to the

Assembly the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad

bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, and His Majesty’s best

wishes for every success. I also congratulate Mr. Deiss

on his election to the presidency of the General

Assembly and thank His Excellency Ali Abdussalam

Treki, President at the previous session, for his skilful

management of its deliberations. I also commend

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for his efforts and

contributions to international issues.

We all know that since its inception the United

Nations has scored many successes in promoting

collective international action. It has undertaken a

great many initiatives and conceived many ideas

beneficial to humanity, including the innovative

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Today, we

view those Goals as the principal topic on which we all

agree.

As the representative of my country, I shall touch

on the challenges facing humanity in various fields,

whether they concern solutions to problems between

nations or realization of peoples’ ambitions,

highlighting some of the achievements that, taken

together, can serve the common good.

The most important challenge facing our world

today is achieving the MDGs by 2015. We know that

many States have made huge and outstanding efforts to

that end. In this context, the Kingdom of Bahrain holds

a leading and positive position, particularly in the field

of social welfare, free, quality basic education, health

care, improvement of child and maternal health, the

empowerment of women, gender equality, the

10-55122 44

expansion of the social security net for the poorest of

the population, our unemployment insurance scheme,

and expansion of the scope of vocational training to

enhance Bahrain’s human resources.

I am honoured to stand before the Assembly as

representative of a country actively pursuing its

international responsibilities. When we refer to the

notion of a modern State as the most important

political, social, cultural and economic product of the

modern history of the Kingdom of Bahrain, it is

because whatever achievements have been realized can

be attributed to good governance — governance that

has encouraged and supported initiatives and political

and organizational visions aimed at building the

institutions and capacities that can enhance the

principles of a modern, organized society. Such a

society is faithful to its values in every area, based on

State institutions that guarantee all talented citizens the

opportunity to create and innovate and to be an active

participant in our contemporary world.

The Economic Vision 2030 for Bahrain, launched

by His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa on

23 October 2008, is an historic turning point and a

gateway to economic reform, and a completion of

political reform. It lays down a long-term vision of the

future tracks of the national economy up to 2030. It

aims to ensure the transformation of the current

economy from one based on oil revenues into an

internationally competitive and productive system,

planned by the Government but led by a vibrant private

sector. The outcome will be a growing Bahraini middle

class enjoying a high standard of living, due to

increased productivity and well-paid jobs. This Vision

aims to establish a society based on the principles of

sustainability, competitiveness and justice.

The financial crisis that has affected the

international economy since 2008 and the ensuing

sovereign debt crisis in Europe, austerity measures,

reform and restructuring of the banking system,

increased State intervention in matters of banking and

economy in various countries — all this has led to a

prominent role for the Group of 20 (G-20) in

responding to financial and economic crises, due to the

fact that it represents some 90 per cent of the world

economy. Consequently, the time has come for the

G-20, and other blocs such as 3-G, to play a leading

role in developing and enhancing a common action

from within the United Nations and its various

institutions and organs by setting up plans for

collective action aimed at enhancing countries’

capacity to address future crises and to achieve an open

and integrated economy. That is in line with the

constructive thoughts of the President of the General

Assembly in this regard.

The settlement of conflicts and disputes between

States, conflicts that we ourselves created, is a daily

concern for all of us. Those conflicts are either of an

ideological or ethnic nature, or are caused by people

occupying the land of other peoples and evicting them

from their homes and homelands. The conflicts divert

our attention from more important concerns, including

addressing poverty, ignorance, epidemics and natural

disasters, which take a heavy toll and impede human

creativity. Limited national interests of one State or

another that completely avoid considering the common

global good are largely responsible for this state of

affairs.

One of the most important among these issues is

the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is located in our

region. We have been at an impasse for decades, as

failure has followed hopeful efforts and our optimism

has been clouded by frustration because of the

continued backtracking of the peace process. Yet we

persevere and cherish the hope of achieving a just,

permanent and comprehensive peace that will restore

rights to legitimate owners and open doors for mutual

acceptance of others as neighbours, friends and

partners fully sharing the respect and commitment

required.

In this connection, we value the historic

commitment and tireless efforts of President Barack

Obama of the United States of America and his

Administration to give a strong impetus to the peace

process in the Middle East and to renew hope by

relaunching direct negotiations between Palestine and

Israel with a view to settling this chronic conflict.

These precious efforts, however, require the

continued support of all parties concerned and their

unwavering commitment to take the necessary steps to

achieve coexistence through enhanced communication

and outreach. There should be an opportunity for each

party to convince the other to coexist as a neighbour

and a partner in the region, and not an ill-intentioned or

treacherous enemy. Our commitment to the Arab Peace

Initiative is one clear example. We are committed to

that Initiative and all its provisions aimed at achieving

a genuine peace.

45 10-55122

One of the basic tenets of our foreign policy is

our determination to see security, stability and

development prevail. In that respect we look forward to

a safe and prosperous Iraq that is able to check any

foreign intervention in its domestic affairs, an Iraq

faithful to its Arab-Islamic identity and inclusive of all

its ethnic and cultural affiliations.

As regards the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are

keenly interested in its stability and its people’s

prosperity. We look forward to it playing a vital role in

order to eliminate the ghost of discord around its

nuclear programme. We welcome its commitment to a

peaceful nuclear programme and stress the need for

total transparency and full compliance with the

requirements of the International Atomic Energy

Agency and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons.

On the other hand, with regard to the sisterly

United Arab Emirates islands occupied by Iran,

settlement of the question through direct negotiations

or referral to the International Court of Justice would

constitute a vital step and a foundation for regional

cohesion and understanding that would generate the

stability necessary for development, which would be in

the interest of all the peoples of the region.

As for Yemen, its stability is a pillar for the

stability of the region as a whole. The Kingdom of

Bahrain therefore reaffirms its full support to the

Republic of Yemen in all its efforts to combat terrorism

and protect its national security. Bahrain calls on the

international community to provide support and

assistance to that brotherly country, either through

bilateral channels or through the group of Friends of

Yemen.

Regarding the situation in the Sudan, we

welcome the agreement signed by the Government of

the Sudan and the concerned Sudanese parties, and we

commend the sisterly State of Qatar for its

considerable efforts in that matter. We look forward to

completion of the current negotiations on Darfur within

the framework of the agreement signed to preserve the

unity of brotherly Sudan.

Resolving those disputes will enable us to address

the real challenges to which we should devote our

common attention: challenges of security and terrorism

and challenges of devastating natural disasters, such as

the tragic ordeals which affected the sisterly Islamic

Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Haiti —

respectively, the unprecedented catastrophic floods and

the devastating earthquake. We express our solidarity

with those countries and hope they will overcome their

adversity with assistance and support from the

international community commensurate with the

enormity of the disasters.

Terrorism is a multifaceted global phenomenon

that affects the entire world through criminal terrorist

acts perpetrated against many countries. It exploits

discourse to stir up violence and to divide countries

and communities, thus contradicting its original

mission of providing spiritual counsel and guidance. It

utilizes mass media for the same purpose. The best way

to combat terrorism is to monitor and expose its

funding sources. That requires global consensus on a

transparent international financial system to regulate

the transfer of those funds.

For the international community to address these

serious challenges and threats, States must be in a

position to play their role fully through strengthened

concepts of political participation, democratic

practices, human rights, rule of law, judicial and

institutional reform, including freedom of opinion and

expression, and involving society in sharing

responsibilities.

In concluding, I would like to state that

restructuring international relations and forming more

inclusive alliances requires a higher degree of respect

for the opinions and values of others. That is consistent

with our commitment to pursue the noble purposes and

principles embodied in the Charter: peace, security,

friendly relations and international cooperation among

nations and peoples. My country reaffirms before the

Assembly its resolve to play its role as an effective

member of the international community and to actively

participate and take initiatives in efforts for the good

and prosperity of all.