Greece, 2004

Mr. President, I would

like to begin by congratulating you upon your election

to your challenging office. Under your able guidance,

the Assembly will take forward its relentless pursuit of

peace, security and prosperity throughout the world. I

can assure you of Greece’s unwavering support in your

efforts. Our thanks go also to the outgoing president,

Mr. Julian Hunte, for his exemplary efforts and

achievements in revitalizing the work of the General

Assembly, as well as on many other issues.

The Greek Government fully subscribes to the

statement delivered two days ago by the Foreign

Minister of the Netherlands on behalf of the European

Union (EU) (see ), as well as to the EU

priorities presented to this General Assembly.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century,

events of great importance changed the world we live

in. From the most shocking tragedy of 11 September

2001 to the bombing attacks in Madrid and the recent

acts of unspeakable brutality in Beslan, a dark parade

of acts of blind violence has caused immense human

suffering.

This has increased our responsibility and cemented

our will to work in solidarity for a safer, fairer world.

Fighting international terrorism has become the most

pressing task among our priorities. In that fight, we

must prevail. Besides the scourge of terrorism,

however, there are many other challenges and grave

problems that afflict humanity. The proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction, human trafficking,

organized crime, failing States, environmental

catastrophes, social and economic crises, pandemic

diseases, large-scale humanitarian disasters, hunger

and poverty constitute the core problems we have to

face in solidarity regardless of our geography, culture

or religion.

Last year, the Secretary-General announced the

creation of a High-Level Panel of eminent persons to

assess the new threats and challenges and to suggest

ways to deal with them, including through reform of

the multilateral international system. We fully support

those efforts. We are eager to contribute constructively,

to the best of our ability, towards making the United

Nations as effective as possible for the twenty-first

century.

(spoke in French)

The major challenges and threats confronting us

are a source of profound concern — for us and for the

peoples we represent. Nonetheless, it is my conviction

that, at any cost, we must avoid being drawn into

pessimism and anxiety about the future. I share with

millions of people worldwide the hope, optimism and

determination that were recently seen during the

Olympic and Paralympic Games in Athens.

In Athens, athletes of the world devoted their

efforts to a noble cause and showed us that competition

does not necessarily mean tension, friction, crisis or

conflict. To the contrary, they proved that the

aspirations of all sides can not only coexist peacefully

but can also lead to a strengthening of friendship,

solidarity and cooperation among individuals and

nations.

The ancient ideal of the Olympic Truce embodies

modern humanity’s hope for the peaceful settlement of

the conflicts ravaging the world. The General

Assembly has, on many occasions, unanimously

endorsed the Olympic Truce and has appealed to

Member States to respect it during the Games. It is

now a question of transforming that appeal into a

tangible reality.

(spoke in English)

Multilateral cooperation is the safest way to a

better world. We all should contribute to the

enhancement and effectiveness of the international

multilateral system. In that context, Greece fully shares

the view of the Secretary-General that we have to

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move rapidly from the existing culture of reaction to

one of prevention.

The peaceful resolution of all disputes at an early

stage, on the basis of the United Nations Charter, is of

fundamental importance to my country. We strongly

believe that the United Nations system of conflict

prevention and its preventive potential should be

further enhanced to respond better to future challenges.

Peace and development are two mutually

reinforcing sides of the same coin. Persistent poverty

cheats nations out of progress and provides a breeding

ground for both internal and regional crises. Four years

ago, with the adoption of the Millennium Declaration,

a landmark decision was taken to embark upon long-

term global evolution. We committed ourselves to

achieve by the year 2015 the Goals that were set. It

would be a disgrace to mankind if we did not succeed

in bringing about stable and sustainable development

and in eradicating hunger and poverty.

However, there are growing indications that,

despite some progress, we are lagging in fulfilling

agreed targets. Collectively, we have to explore new,

innovative ways of financing development. Particular

attention should be paid to the development problems

of Africa and of small island States.

In line with the Millennium Declaration, and

despite the enormous outlay of resources necessary to

finance the Olympic Games and their security, Greece

has made a point of increasing its development

assistance.

In the context of that effort, Greece welcomes the

proposals to combat hunger and poverty made by the

President of Brazil and co-sponsored by France, Chile,

Argentina and Spain. We shall continue to work

towards a constructive and effective system that will

allow smooth cooperation between recipients and

donors and between developing and developed

countries.

A close look at Greece’s immediate

neighbourhood reveals that, despite the considerable

progress made over the last few years, the situation

still remains fragile in parts of the western Balkans.

Unemployment and the lack of economic prospects are

in some cases a social and political time bomb. The

situation in Kosovo remains a source of instability.

With the proactive support and involvement of

the international community, we are working hard to

transform the Balkans into a region of democracy, peace,

stability and prosperity, focused on a common European

future. We believe that genuinely regional initiatives

such as the South-East European Cooperation Process

constitute the appropriate vehicle to enable

participating countries to coordinate their efforts

towards reform, progress and good neighbourliness.

In recent years, the climate of our bilateral

relations with Turkey has been constantly improving.

Both the Greek and the Turkish Governments have

undertaken sincere efforts to set bilateral relations on a

new track. We note with satisfaction the progress

achieved so far in certain areas of our bilateral

cooperation and express our determination to expand it

further. It is in that spirit that we clearly support

Turkey’s European perspective.

In Cyprus, reunification remains our unwavering

goal through a mutually agreed, lasting, fair and

functional settlement, based on the relevant Security

Council resolutions and the plan of the Secretary-

General and compatible with the European Union

Community acquis and European Union principles.

During the last 30 years of military occupation of

more than one third of the territory of Cyprus, Greece

has strongly supported every attempt and initiative by

the United Nations, including the most recent one, for

the achievement of a just, viable and functional

solution of the Cyprus problem. Unfortunately, the last

round of talks did not lead to an agreed comprehensive

solution. In the referendum, which followed in April,

an overwhelming majority of Greek Cypriots rejected a

specific version of the Annan plan, but they still deeply

cherish the goal of a reunited island.

The international community can contribute

decisively in that direction by keeping the window for

a solution open and by avoiding any action which

could lead to the deepening of the division of the island

or could fail to provide incentives for its reunification.

The horizon over the Middle East remains dark.

The Greek Government is convinced that only the

implementation of the road map can lead to the two-

State solution: Israel and Palestine coexisting in peace

and security. Half measures can only complicate

matters and add new sources of tension. Essential

progress in the peace process cannot be achieved

without a comprehensive cessation of all kinds of

violence, especially violence directed against civilians.

Terrorism cannot be a weapon to achieve political

26

goals, and terrorist attacks cannot be justified by any

means.

As to Iraq, we are deeply committed to the

territorial integrity and unity of the country in a federal

system. We are deeply worried by the ongoing violence,

and we hope for progress in the political process, which

will lead to a stable and prosperous democratic

country, allowing all of its citizens to enjoy the fruits

of peace and exploit the country’s enormous potential.

(spoke in French)

In the light of the great challenges on the African

continent, we note with great satisfaction the

dedication shown and the results achieved by the

African Union, an organization that is only 3 years old.

Greece and its European partners want to help to improve

Africa’s prospects through development assistance,

humanitarian assistance and logistical support.

Moreover, we support the prospect of strengthened

political cooperation with African countries and with

the continent’s regional organizations.

I take this opportunity to express the

congratulations of my Government and of the Greek

people on the tenth anniversary of the establishment of

democracy in the Republic of South Africa, a historic

event of pan-African significance.

(spoke in English)

My country has applied for a non-permanent seat

on the Security Council for the period 2005-2006. I

wish to express our deep appreciation to the members

of the Group of Western European and other States for

their endorsement. Elections are taking place in a few

weeks’ time. We are asking for the support of the

Assembly, which we would greatly appreciate. Let me

assure Members that we shall respect its mandate and

that we remain strongly committed to contributing

constructively to the maintenance of peace and security

and to the preservation of the multilateral order.

Greece remains completely devoted to the

promotion of democratic principles of government, the

peaceful resolution of disputes, strict adherence to

international law and respect for human rights. We are

determined, should we be elected, to devote all our

efforts and all our capacity to fulfilling that

responsibility and honouring the trust of this Assembly

of all nations.