Bahrain, 2013

It gives me great pleasure at the outset

to congratulate Mr. Ashe on his election to preside

over the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session

and to pay tribute to his friendly country, Antigua

and Barbuda. I am confident that his vast diplomatic

experience, with which I am personally familiar,

and thorough knowledge of international affairs will

guarantee the smooth conduct and success of our work

at this session.

I express my gratitude and appreciation to his

predecessor, Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for his skilful and

judicious management of the sixty-seventh session of

the General Assembly. I would like also to strongly

commend Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his

tireless efforts to strengthen the United Nations and

uphold its principles despite formidable difficulties

and increasing challenges. We pledge our full support

to him in his endeavours to enhance the role of the

Organization and its peacebuilding capacities in the

face of such major challenges.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the people

and the friendly Government of Pakistan for the loss

of hundreds of lives as a result of the earthquake that

hit south-western Pakistan. We pray for their souls and

extend our sympathy to their families. We condemn

the terrorist act that targeted a commercial centre in

Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and deeply regret the scores

of innocent victims who lost their lives as a result of

that cowardly act.

The Kingdom of Bahrain firmly believes that it is

imperative to link peace to development. That concept

has been acknowledged in and by all United Nations

bodies for decades, and must now be enhanced and

implemented at all levels. That is why the Kingdom

of Bahrain is working to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals by 2015, as a top priority of its

development programme.

The most recent report of the Secretary-General on

the work of the Organization (A/68/1) presents us with

an accurate and concrete portrait of global problems in

all their complexity. Those problems require effective

solutions, particularly as we approach the 2015 deadline.

In our view, therefore, the President’s choice for the

theme of this session, “The post-2015 development

agenda: setting the stage”, is apt and well considered,

calling as it does for a collective effort to attain the

goals we seek, based on the recommendations contained

in the report of the High-level Panel of Eminent

Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, A New

Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform

Economies through Sustainable Development, in order

to ensure sustainable development. It also suggests the

creation of a monitoring mechanism, under the auspices

of the Economic and Social Council, to follow up on

all recommendations made by relevant conferences

on issues related to sustainable development, for the

benefit of future generations.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is located in the

Arabian Gulf, a region of vital strategic importance

that has been a crossroads of world civilizations

since time immemorial. The countries of the region

are experiencing one of the most prosperous eras

in their history, building a society based on justice

and development in every dimension — political,

economic, social and cultural. As successive United

Nations Development Programme annual reports have

reflected, the region ranks high on the indices of human

development. In that regard, we reaffirm our keen desire

to continue making steady progress in development for

the benefit of the peoples of our region, harnessing the

formidable progress that has been made in information

and communication technologies, as well as in dealing

with issues pertaining to security, environment, natural

resources and population.

As a vital part of the world, our region seeks to

consolidate a new concept of regional security that

emphasizes the region’s geopolitical situation and

considers security in relation to humanitarian needs,

food and water. It also considers security in the context

of existing coalitions that link the region to friendly

countries through strategic and historic agreements

that emphasize human, food and water security and that

are designed to reinforce stability, enhance dialogue

and promote a culture of peace, friendship and mutual

respect.

We in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the other

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have

designated three important strategic pillars that guide

our interaction with one another and help us to make

progress, build healthy and sustainable relations with

our neighbours, engage with the world at large and

respond to new developments and challenges. Those

pillars are axes for the world politics of today on a planet

characterized by globalization and fruitful cooperation

between its nations. In our view, therefore, the first

pillar is regional partnership in the field of security,

among ourselves and with our world partners. We

in the GCC system work together to preserve our

shared stability and security within a framework of

coordination, cooperation and complementarity that

results in the unity we seek. Our partnerships extend

across the Arab and Islamic world. Here in the United

Nations we continue to pursue such partnerships in

the cause of maintaining world peace and security. We

find political and economic solutions to many global

problems within a multilateral cooperative framework

that encompasses other strategic partnerships through

dialogue with political Powers and economic groups

such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the

European Union, the Russian Federation, China, Japan,

India and the member States of the Association of

Southeast Asian Nations, with a view to playing an active

role in consolidating the principles of international

cooperation and friendly relations between nations and

peoples.

In that context, our principal goal is to spare

humankind the scourges of war, conflict and disasters.

We therefore call for the establishment in the Middle

East, including the Arabian Gulf region, of a zone free

of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear

weapons, and for compliance with the criteria and

safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency,

especially those related to nuclear safety. In that regard,

we support the efforts of the five permanent members

of the Security Council and Germany to work with the

Islamic Republic of Iran to reach a swift settlement

of the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme issue,

in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty on

the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while

guaranteeing the right of all States to enjoy the fruits

of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. We

reiterate the importance of convening an international

conference on establishing a zone free of weapons

of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons,

in the Middle East, originally proposed for 2012, in

accordance with the resolution adopted at the May 2010

Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Consistent with the principles and purposes we all

endeavour to uphold in the context of our cooperation

with the United Nations in order to improve stability

in sensitive regions, we reaffirm our utter rejection

of terrorism, extremism and violence in all their

manifestations and forms, irrespective of their reasons,

motives, justifications or sources. We also condemn

all terrorist acts that threaten regional peace and

stability, and noted the need to add groups such as the

Lebanese Hizbullah to the list of international terrorist

organizations, in view of their criminal acts aimed at

terrorizing peaceful civilians and creating instability

and chaos.

We are committed to seeking peace, cooperation and

security for our countries, within the framework of both

international and regional structures and organizations

by cooperating with our allies from other friendly

countries to ensure freedom of maritime navigation

in the Arabian Gulf and to protect commercial vessels

from piracy off the coast of Somalia and the Horn of

Africa and in the Gulf of Aden. We also contribute to

peacekeeping and stabilization efforts in Afghanistan.

We stand by the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt

and support its efforts to achieve stability and security,

rightfully defend its vital interests, implement a road

map that can lead it to safety and propose clear steps to

meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people and restore

Egypt’s leading role in the Middle East.

We also reiterate our principled position of

unwavering support for and solidarity with the sisterly

Kingdom of Morocco regarding its territorial integrity

and a settlement of the Western Sahara problem,

in accordance with the relevant Security Council

resolutions.

The second of our three strategic pillars encompasses

support for the principles of good-neighbourliness,

non-intervention in the internal affairs of others,

abiding by the provisions of international law and its

instruments and peaceful coexistence. We are also

eager to take advantage of opportunities to put those

principles into practice, in responding to the challenges

we face and transforming them into opportunities to

protect the region from tensions, threats and instability.

The first of those challenges is the important task

of putting an end to Iranian intervention in the internal

affairs of the countries of the region and to its occupation

of the three Emirates islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser

Tunb and Abu Musa. We ask that the repeated calls of

the sisterly United Arab Emirates for a just solution to

that question be heeded, either through serious direct

negotiations between the two countries or by referral

to the International Court of Justice for arbitration, in

conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and

the provisions of international law. In the face of that

challenge, we look forward to new, clear and positive

statements and initiatives from the Islamic Republic of

Iran that can help to end the tensions and instability

in the region and contribute to confidence-building,

cooperation and the establishment of friendly relations

based on good-neighbourliness and mutual interests.

The second challenge concerns the Palestinian

question, and the need to arrive at a just, permanent and

comprehensive solution that guarantees the legitimate

rights of the Palestinian people. That challenge has led

to an important opportunity, the Arab Peace Initiative,

launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,

King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi

Arabia, and endorsed at the Arab Summit in Beirut in

2002. We still believe that that initiative presents an

important opportunity to secure peace, security and

a bright future for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples

on the basis of coexistence, cooperation and good

neighbourliness between the Arab States and Israel.

We look forward to overcoming wars and

animosity. For centuries Arabs, Muslims, Christians

and Jews lived side by side in the region and forged

their common history in a framework of coexistence

and tolerance based on mutual respect for each other’s

beliefs, culture and religion. The Arab Peace Initiative

stipulates that the Palestinian people must enjoy all

the full and legitimate rights enjoyed by other peoples

of the world. It reaches out to the Israeli people with

guarantees of security designed to reassure them

against any threat or danger to their existence. In that

respect, we fully support President Mahmoud Abbas in

his sincere endeavours to achieve the aspirations of his

people. He is one of the best leaders ever born in the

land of Palestine and deserves our support in each of

his steps toward the attainment of the desired peace.

Today, we reaffirm our support for the tireless and

sincere efforts of United States Secretary of State John

Kerry to relaunch the peace process between Israel and

Palestine in order to reach a permanent solution on the

basis of international law, the relevant United Nations

resolutions, the two-State solution, the creation of an

independent Palestinian State on the basis of the 4 June

1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and

any agreed swaps of territory between the two parties.

We look forward to seeing an end to the oppression of

Palestinians, the lifting of the Gaza blockade and to

a halt in the building of settlements. We welcome the

correct stance of the European Union whereby it refuses

to acknowledge the legitimacy of Israeli settlements

built on Palestinian territory and suspends all financial

dealings with such settlements.

The third pillar is the need to attain the aspirations of

our peoples. Foremost among these are the need to raise

living standards, to bring about peace and stability, and

to ensure respect for human rights through pluralism,

democracy and the participation of all in a continued

dialogue that takes into account the cultural values of a

society and the levels of political, economic, social and

cultural development of its peoples.

Throughout the modern history and for over

two centuries, the Kingdom of Bahrain has been

eager to interact with its people and to engage in a

dialogue with them based on full transparency and

commitment. Ever since His Majesty King Hamad bin

Issa Al-Khalifa assumed the leadership of the country,

the Kingdom has pursued a steadfast policy of laying

the foundations of a modern, independent, sovereign

State based on sustainability, competitiveness, justice

and a commitment to constitutional and legislative

reforms. Such reforms have encompassed every aspect

of political, economic, social and cultural life, as well

as human rights and an enhanced role for women

in building a society faithful to its values, culture,

accomplishments and heritage.

The King’s achievements are attributable to

good governance and to his support for intellectual,

political and organizational efforts to create

democratic institutions that give everyone a chance

to use their talents and creativity as active citizens of

the contemporary world. That has made our country

immune to the sectarian tensions and conflicts

witnessed in many other countries of the region,

notwithstanding the acts of violence perpetrated by

some extremist and terrorist groups targeting security

officers, residents and expatriates in their quest to

spread terror and discord and to sabotage the national

economy and development efforts. Such acts are being

dealt with according to the law and justice system in a

manner that protects the rights of all.

Convinced that Bahraini citizens have a role to play

in building and developing their society, we seek to

cooperate closely with national and international civil

society and human rights organizations in an ongoing

dialogue based on an exchange of experiences and

opinions and in a spirit of cooperation, not confrontation.

We are all parties to the same cause in which we all

believe — support and respect for and protection of

human rights. In that context, the Kingdom of Bahrain

has achieved concrete results in the field of enhancing

human rights, notably through the establishment of

a commission for prisoners and detainees, a national

fund to compensate those affected by events, and a

general secretariat for grievances within the Ministry

of Interior.

In that spirit, a historic initiative proposed the

creation of an Arab human rights court that was

endorsed at the meeting of the League of Arab States

held in Qatar in March in response to the aspirations of

the Arab peoples. This initiative represents a qualitative

stride for the region and conforms to the rule of law

and similar practices in other parts of the world. For

the first time in modern Arab history, we will have a

court to establish a solid foundation for the protection

of human rights in the Arab world.

Our national fund will compensate those affected

by events, and the general secretariat will address

grievances within the Ministry of Interior operating as

an autonomous body within the framework of national

laws and professional policing standards, as stipulated

in the police code of conduct.

In response to the aspirations of the Arab peoples,

the GCC countries have spared no effort to achieve

peace and security and to restore stability in some

Arab countries facing serious challenges of late. In that

respect, in Yemen a GCC initiative led to the national

consensus dialogue towards a peaceful settlement of

the crisis, in line with the aspirations and expectations

of the brotherly Yemeni people to achieve security and

stability in their land.

Eager to see stability restored in the Syrian Arab

Republic, and cognizant of the right of the Syrian

people to choose their own political system, we support

the current diplomatic steps towards destroying the

Syrian chemical arsenal and the agreement reached

in Geneva between the United States and the Russian

Federation. We welcome Security Council resolution

2118 (2013) of 27 September, which calls on all parties

concerned to take serious and concrete steps to address

the Syrian crisis and its repercussions, particularly

paragraphs 16 and 17 related to the transitional period

and the implementation of the Geneva communiqué

(S/2012/523, annex).

All of these efforts should be complemented

by an integrated political process so as to meet the

aspirations of the Syrian people to democracy and

political pluralism. We call on the United Nations

and the international community to shoulder their

responsibilities by taking the appropriate deterrent

measures to halt the serious violations of human rights

to which the Syrian people have been subject, and to put

an end to the crimes of genocide being perpetrated with

all kinds of lethal weapons, which have claimed more

than 100,000 martyrs, injured many more, and created

millions of refugees and internally displaced persons.

I will not speak at further length, but I would like

to assure the Assembly that the Kingdom of Bahrain,

out of a sense of international responsibility and in

all honesty and sincerity, wishes to play an active role

in promoting international cooperation and strategic

partnerships with the international community. Bahrain

looks forward to a better and brighter tomorrow in

which individual dignity and fundamental freedoms are

a reality, and an individual’s just and legitimate rights

are protected. Bahrain rejects conflicts and wars and

seeks to maintain friendly relations with all countries of

the world within the framework of respect for national

sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, as

stipulated by the principles and purposes of the Charter

of the United Nations.