Bahrain, 2011

It gives us pleasure, at this international

forum, to greet our brothers and friends, the Heads of

State, Government and delegations represented in this

Hall. We hope that our meetings at the sixty-sixth

session of the General Assembly will be fruitful and

result in a concrete outcome commensurate with our

aspirations for a global environment of stability,

security and lasting peace, and for the good and well-

being of humanity at large.

We are pleased to see yet another diplomat from

the Gulf Cooperation Council presiding over the

General Assembly. We take this opportunity to offer

our sincere wishes of every success to Ambassador

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser in his international mission

and of further progress and advancement at all levels

for his country, the brotherly State of Qatar. We also

thank his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his able

conduct of and contributions to the work of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.

We would also like to express our deep

appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his

ceaseless efforts to strengthen the role of the United

Nations in maintaining international peace and security

and for his persistent endeavours to achieve the

prerequisites for stability in our world, namely,

development and collective international cooperation

for the benefit of the peoples of the world as a whole.

We also seize this opportunity to congratulate him on

his reappointment to a second term of office.

There is no doubt that the world has entered a

new era of important changes in which the growth of

modern means of communication has led to rapid and

unprecedented transformations in the world, such as

those that we are now experiencing in our Arab region.

More than a decade ago, we in the Kingdom of Bahrain

recognized the need to proceed towards greater reform,

improvement and advancement, bearing in mind the

supreme interest of our people, in order to satisfy their

demands for freedom and political participation — a

home-grown participation that is commensurate with

the heritage and history of each country and its level of

development. Reform was also aimed at providing

decent living conditions, security and tranquillity in a

society that enjoys peaceful coexistence, equality and

equal opportunities for empowerment to achieve justice

and sustainable development for all.

In all its modernization endeavours and

throughout its long history, the Kingdom of Bahrain

has persistently followed the approach of dialogue.

Building on the consensus of the people of Bahrain

around the provisions of the National Action Charter of

2001, we initiated a national dialogue process

involving all sectors and components of the population.

The aim was to absorb the requirements of modern

progress, guarantee the continuation of the reform

process, and fulfil the national aspiration to move

forward towards comprehensive modernization and the

enhancement of popular participation in decision-

11-50865 8

making within an all-inclusive national partnership. We

hereby reaffirm our support for the outcome of that

dialogue.

The achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain at

the national level are therefore an extension of a long

history dating back to the beginning of the last century,

in which we have worked to achieve a society based on

justice, equality, progress and openness. The

authenticity of our people, culture, free economy,

political development and firm commitment to the

universal principles of human rights, peaceful

coexistence and respect for the views of others

constitute the real wealth of our country, which we

seek to preserve and sustain for future generations.

Today more than ever, the international

community has a propitious opportunity to do justice to

the brotherly Palestinian people and to help them to

achieve their legitimate aspirations by recognizing an

independent Palestinian State on their own national

soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital. That would put

an end to an era of bitter Arab-Israeli conflict,

contingent on a complete Israeli withdrawal from all

occupied Arab territories to the lines of 4 June 1967 in

Palestine, the occupied Syrian Arab Golan and the

occupied territories in southern Lebanon, in accordance

with the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy

and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Committed to the security of the Arabian Gulf

region, we emphasize the need to resolve the issue of

the three occupied United Arab Emirates islands, either

through direct negotiations or by referral to the

International Court of Justice. With regard to

developments in the brotherly State of Yemen, the

Kingdom of Bahrain supports the Gulf Cooperation

Council initiative for maintaining the security, stability

and unity of that country and achieving the aspirations

of its people. In this connection, we further emphasize

the importance of preserving the unity of Moroccan

territory and of resolving the issue of the Moroccan

Sahara, in accordance with the relevant Security

Council resolutions.

Consistent with its commitment to concerted

international action and its role and responsibilities in

our region, the Kingdom of Bahrain has never hesitated

to contribute to and participate in the Contact Group on

Libya in order to help realize the aspirations of the

Libyan people and ensure the country’s unity and

territorial integrity.

Bahrain is also participating in the international

peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan in order to support

that country’s stability and security in every sphere —

political, economic and security — as well as in the

fight against international terrorism and piracy on the

high seas. Bahrain also shares in the friendly American

people’s heartfelt pain and grief over the reprehensible

terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. Their resilience

and determination, however, have helped to make their

country a safer place.

As a peace-loving nation, Bahrain will remain

faithful to this Organization for its historic role in

supporting our country’s sovereignty, and for the role

of its judiciary in ending inter-State disputes all over

the world, all in the interest of global stability and

development.

We believe that humankind in general and the

international community have much to gain at the

global level from the contributions of Arab-Islamic

civilization, as have other civilizations throughout

history. Arab Muslims, Christians, Jews and other

followers of other religions and beliefs can coexist

only in a state of civility based on tolerance. We speak

here in light of the experience of our country, Bahrain,

which, with its characteristic openness and civilization

deeply rooted in history, has from time immemorial

been a symbol of coexistence and interaction between

these human contributions. Hence its position since

early times as a cultural and spiritual centre in its

natural and human environment in the Arabian Gulf —

a position on which it has built a civil society and

fomented a modern renaissance in the areas of

administrative organization, economic activity, and an

educational and cultural enlightenment.

While Bahrain appreciates the support of the

United Nations and its specialized agencies for its

achievements, as evidenced by the numerous awards it

has won in various human and social fields, we stress

the great importance of the global issues discussed in

the Secretary-General’s annual report on the work of

the Organization (A/66/1). We are convinced that it is

imperative that all Member States cooperate on issues

such as climate change, international health, drought,

poverty alleviation, disarmament, the non-proliferation

of nuclear weapons and the fight against terrorism.

This is more urgent than ever before, given the scale of

the challenges and problems facing humankind, so that

we can create a new world of security, peace,

tranquillity and prosperity.

9 11-50865

In conclusion, we reaffirm our commitment to the

principles and purposes of the United Nations and its

constructive role in consolidating peace, love and

prosperity in the world.