Germany, 2012

Freedom,

dignity, self-determination and the hope of a better

life were the driving forces behind the movement for

change in the Arab world.

As Germans, we know from our own bitter

experience that freedom is not a gift. It has to be won

and constantly defended. Freedom is more than just

freedom of thought. It is freedom to express one’s own

opinion and to voice public criticism. For that reason

alone, freedom is not always comfortable. The first

article of the Basic Law, Germany’s Constitution,

states that human dignity shall be inviolable. That

applies to every single individual, regardless of their

origin, culture, creed or sex. As Germans, we have

experienced what it is to lack freedom in the course of

our own history. We will always stand by those who,

wherever they are in the world, call for freedom of

opinion, religion, the press and artistic freedom.

Freedom has a daughter; it is tolerance. And

freedom has a son; it is respect, respect for other people,

respect for what is important to others, respect for what

is sacred to others. Freedom therefore does not mean

freedom from responsibility. Freedom always means

freedom to shoulder responsibility.

We understand the many devout people who feel

wounded by the recent shameful anti-Islam video.

However, legitimate criticism and sincere indignation

cannot be used to justify acts of violence or destruction.

Some would have us believe that the burning of embassy

buildings are proof of a clash of civilizations. We must

not allow ourselves to be deluded by such arguments.

The vast majority of people oppose violence. The

people who have taken to the streets, as well as their

political representatives gathered here in New York

this week, have expressed that forcefully. It is not a

clash of civilizations. It is a clash within societies and

civilizations. It is also a struggle for the soul of the

movement for change in the Arab world.

It is a struggle between open and closed minds,

between moderates and radicals, between understanding

and hate. It is a clash between those seeking peace and

those prepared to resort to violence. The extremists

want to prevent the emergence of freedom by inciting

violence. They must not be allowed to succeed.

Germany has taken a stand in that struggle. We will

continue to expand our support for people in the Arab

world. We are not going to turn our backs on them, but

we will be open to them. Our values and our interests

compel us to take the side of those around the world who

are fighting peacefully for freedom, dignity and self-

determination. Education and work, investment and

growth — our offer of a transformational partnership

still stands.

I will never forget the Syrian father who held out

his emaciated son to me during my visit to the Zaatari

refugee camp in Jordan. Such suffering renders us

speechless, but it also impels us to act. To this very

day, the Security Council has failed to live up to its

responsibility for the people in Syria. I express that

criticism with great sadness. The deadlock in the

Security Council must not continue. Every day, the

violence perpetrated by the Bashar Al-Assad regime

is escalating. The risk of a conf lagration engulfing the

entire region is growing. Together with our partners and

the United Nations, we are helping the many refugees

in Syria itself and in neighbouring countries.

All Syrians who want their country to have a

democratic and pluralistic future based on the rule

of law must work together. We support the efforts of

Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special Representative of

the United Nations and the League of Arab States, to

find a political approach. Despite the escalating violence

and despite the deadlock in the Security Council, we

must not stop working on a political solution.

During the past 20 months, the Arab League

has demonstrated ever more clearly its adherence

to the values enshrined in the Charter of the United

Nations. We welcome that and we want to build on

it. At Germany’s initiative, during the last week in

September, the Security Council welcomed intensifying

cooperation between the United Nations and the

League of Arab States (see S/PRST/2012/20). That is

an acknowledgement of the Arab League’s constructive

and positive role.

We also pay tribute to the efforts to gain freedom in

other parts of the world. As a result of the remarkable

opening-up process under way in Myanmar, the country

is emerging from isolation and gradually leaving

repression behind.

We criticize and strongly condemn the ongoing

repression in our own neighbourhood, in Belarus.

In many other Asian and African countries, which

have struck out in a new direction, we are supporting

political transformation by providing assistance for

economic and social development. That is in the

common interest of the international community. For

there is one thing that becomes ever more apparent, and

that is that without development, there can be no security

and without security there can be no development. That

applies to our engagement in Afghanistan, which we

will continue after the withdrawal of combat troops in

2014. It also applies to the efforts to bring stability to

Somalia and Yemen, to the Great Lakes region and to

the countries of the Sahel.

We are very concerned by the still-unresolved

dispute about Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran has still

not produced evidence of the exclusively peaceful

nature of its nuclear programme. It has also failed to

date to provide the transparency that the International

Atomic Energy Agency has long demanded. So far, the

talks during the last few months have not made enough

progress towards reaching a solution. The European

Union’s three plus three group has put forward

proposals for a substantive negotiation process. We still

await a serious response from Iran. We want a political

and diplomatic solution. Time is short. Israel’s security

is at stake. Indeed, stability in the entire region is at

stake. However, that is also about averting the risk of

a nuclear arms race with unforeseeable consequences

for international security. I call on Iran to stop playing

for time. The situation is serious indeed, and time is

running out. We want a political solution, and we are

putting all our efforts into achieving that goal.

Those challenges must not lead us to lose sight of

the necessity of a negotiated peace settlement between

Israel and the Palestinians. There is a danger that the

goal of a two-State solution, the only solution that can

reconcile the legitimate interests of the two sides, will

slip away. The two sides must build new trust. At the

same time, they must refrain from doing anything that

might jeopardize a two-State solution.

Germany’s foreign policy is a policy for peace.

Germany’s foreign policy is anchored in Europe. Many

have been wondering whether Europe can successfully

manage its sovereign debt crisis and whether it will

continue to play a leading role in the world. The answer

is an emphatic yes. Europe has a great responsibility in

the world. And Germany is aware of its responsibility

for Europe. The way out of the debt crisis is difficult. It

requires spending discipline, solidarity and growth. We

will continue down that road. Europe is growing closer

together. Europe is consolidating. Europe will emerge

from the crisis stronger than ever before. Europe will

remain a force to be reckoned with as the world’s largest

donor of development assistance, as an inspiration for

peaceful regional cooperation, as a pioneer in climate

action and disarmament, as a champion of rules-based

globalization and as a driving force for United Nations

reform.

My country’s peaceful unification more than 20

years ago also signified the reunification of Europe.

Since then, the world has changed dramatically. Today,

we find ourselves on the threshold of a multipolar

world. The world with its interdependencies needs a

cooperative order. It needs strong and representative

institutions. We will weaken the Security Council if

we fail to adapt it to today’s world. Together with our

partners in the G-4 group, India, Brazil and Japan,

Germany is prepared to assume greater responsibility.

It cannot be that Latin America and Africa have

no permanent seats on the Security Council or that

dynamic Asia has only one. That does not reflect the realities of today’s world, and it definitely does not

reflect the realities of tomorrow.

The challenges are too great for us to simply

accept the status quo. The world is not only growing

together; the pace of change is increasing. We are

living in an age of breathtaking change. That change

brings with it risks and new dangers, as well as new

uncertainties. Above all, however, that change brings

with it great opportunities, especially for young people.

In this changing world we need a clear compass, and

our compass is freedom. The yearning for freedom is

rooted in people’s hearts all over the world. They are

our partners in building a better future.