Iran, 2004

An

overall and realistic review of the current developments

in international relations reveals that our world today

faces the formidable challenge of extremism.

Extremism has two distinct and yet

interconnected faces: the violence and terrorism of

non-State actors and the unbridled militarism of States.

The former leads to increasing insecurity and the latter

to increasing lawlessness. Insecurity is manifested in

horrendous acts of extreme violence and terrorism,

whether it is in Iraq, Afghanistan or Russia.

Lawlessness is manifested in acting outside of

international law and the United Nations Charter and

relying on the glorification of force and the blatant use

of military might. Lawless militarism of the powerful

has given rise to increasing violence and terrorism and

is also marketed as their panacea. We must be

relentless against the former in a truly collective and

all-inclusive manner, and we will muster the courage

and national discipline to guard against the latter and

remain within the confines of international law.

The increasing insecurity and escalation of acts

of violence and terrorism in different parts of the world

are a matter of serious concern to all of us. The recent

tragic incidents in Iraq, in the school in Beslan in the

Russian Federation’s North Ossetia, and State terrorism

in occupied Palestine have shocked and outraged all

peoples worldwide. No rationale can justify the killing

of children and the innocent.

As terrorism has become an international

challenge, an effective fight against it requires a global

approach based on collective cooperation under the

provisions of the United Nations Charter as well as the

principles of international law. We must rise above

business-as-usual politics and avoid discrimination,

double standards and selectivity in our approach to

fighting this global menace. As a victim of terrorism,

the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns

terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and we

have demonstrated our strong commitment to fighting

terrorism by the arrest and handover of the greatest

number of Al Qaeda members apprehended by any

single State to date. Our commitment fighting terrorism

is unwavering. However, the prevailing international

approach, which is primarily a law and order approach,

is clearly failing to curb terrorism. We need to revisit our

premises and try to develop a genuinely collective,

inclusive, well-rounded and multidisciplinary approach,

if we are serious about this fight. No State can even

come close to doing it alone.

The increasing lawless militarism, the second

face of the challenge we encounter, is the use of brute

and unsanctioned military force to achieve some

political goals, albeit desirable goals. A clear example

of this lawlessness is the attack against Iraq. The attack

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against Iraq was illegal. I wish to thank our

distinguished Secretary-General for making this

statement a few days ego and courageously defending

the Charter of the United Nations and the rule of law. If

we, in this body, do not collectively defend the rule of

law, we have helped to send the United Nations Charter

to oblivion, thereby serving domination and militarism.

We in Iran benefited greatly by the removal of

Saddam Hussein. Many in Iran are joyous to see the

murderer of their sons behind bars. However, as a

matter of principle, and as a principle of the United

Nations Charter, this cannot be regarded as anything

but the fruit of the forbidden tree. The international

community has demonstrated that it will not celebrate

achieving this desirable goal through the illegal means

of glorifying military power and rushing to use force

without the approval of the United Nations.

The increasing lawlessness of States constitutes

even a greater danger to our security. It undermines our

collective ability to contain terrorism and violence. It

offsets our efforts to promote justice, equality,

freedom, dignity and prosperity for all, because, if

continued, it will lower everyone’s quality of life and

devalue our humanity. The prevailing world realities

illustrate that unbridled militarism and blind terrorism

are mutually reinforcing. The international community

must work together to find a way to liberate itself from

this vicious cycle.

In this context, one particular area that requires

resolute action by the international community is the

existence and proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction. As the only victim of the unbridled use of

these weapons in recent years, Iran feels very strongly

about the absolute imperative of a collective and rule-

based multilateral campaign to eradicate all such

weapons and to prevent the proliferation of nuclear

weapons as an interim measure. This must be done by

the universal application of disarmament and non-

proliferation instruments in a comprehensive and non-

discriminatory manner. The relevant multilateral

instruments must become truly universal and the rights

and obligations of all must be scrupulously enforced.

Access to technology for peaceful purposes is the only

true incentive for the universality of those instruments.

At the same time, the legitimate disarmament and non-

proliferation concerns of the international community

must be addressed through transparency and the

vigorous application of monitoring mechanisms. Iran

has always been prepared to contribute actively to that

global effort. While we insist on our right to

technology for peaceful purposes, we have left — and

will leave — no stone unturned in order to provide

assurances of our peaceful intentions.

Iran has been in the forefront of efforts to

establish a zone free from weapons of mass destruction

in the Middle East. This initiative, which has received

the repeated approval of this Assembly and the Security

Council, has been systematically obstructed by Israel’s

intransigence and its rejection — regrettably, with

impunity — of all multilateral instruments. All countries

of the region and beyond are unanimous in considering

the Israeli arsenal, including its weapons of mass

destruction, combined with its policy and record of

aggression and State terrorism, as the single greatest

threat to regional and global peace and security. Israel

cannot hide these facts behind smoke screens. It is time

for the international community to show its resolve to

maintain the credibility of multilateral disarmament

instruments by taking action to compel Israel to

comply.

Next year will mark the sixtieth anniversary of

the entry into force of the United Nations Charter. The

next General Assembly will receive the report of the

High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.

Now in the final stages of preparing its report, the

Panel would be well-advised to go beyond the

generally advertised perceptions of threats and

challenges, and to address the more fundamental

malady of our age — that is, violence and the

glorification of military might. Obviously, the

prescription that the Panel will provide will very much

depend on its own perception of threats.

In that context, the paradigm of Dialogue among

Civilizations, presented by President Khatami of the

Islamic Republic of Iran and warmly received by the

international community, continues to provide the only

vehicle to help promote mutual understanding and

facilitate cooperation among States in the pursuit of

peace, tolerance, freedom and prosperity.

In 2005, coinciding with the sixtieth anniversary

of the adoption of the United Nations Charter, the

implementation of the Global Agenda for Dialogue

among Civilizations will be reviewed. Based on the

international experience gained in the period from

2001 through 2005, such a review can help the

international community to further advance that

paradigm as a long-term process towards promoting

34

peace, democracy and development — the real principles

and objectives of the United Nations Charter.

We condemn all acts of violence and terrorism in

Iraq. We stress the need for promoting security and

preserving the unity, territorial integrity and political

independence of Iraq, promoting democracy through

drafting a new constitution, holding free and fair

elections as scheduled and accelerating the

reconstruction of Iraq, as well as the speedy

withdrawal of foreign forces from that country.

We welcomed the formation and supported the

operation of the Iraqi transitional government as a

positive step towards the restoration of the Iraqi

people’s sovereignty. We emphasize that the United

Nations has a pivotal role to play and substantial

responsibilities to discharge in the transitional period.

We also welcome the position of the United

Nations Secretary-General on the important role that

the neighbouring countries to Iraq can play in the

restoration of peace and stability in Iraq and in its

reconstruction.

In the Palestinian lands, the world is witnessing,

with much regret and concern, the continued gross

violation of human rights and the Israeli policy of

occupation and repression against the oppressed

Palestinian people.

A durable peace in Palestine will only be possible

if it is based on justice and guarantees an end to the

occupation of the Palestinian lands, restoration of the

inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, return of

the people of the Palestinian diaspora to their

homeland, participation of all in a democratic process

and the establishment of a Palestinian State with Al-

Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

We are of the view that the enlightened

Palestinian people are capable of independently

deciding their political and social affairs and we

respect their free decisions on the future of Palestine.

We welcome the valuable efforts by the

Government of Afghanistan to consolidate peace,

security and stability in the country. In addition,

holding fair and free presidential and legislative

elections and establishing a broad-based representative

and multi-ethnic government, will be vital steps in the

process of democratization and reconstruction in

Afghanistan.

Realization of the Millennium Development

Goals is inseparable from viable international peace

and security. Otherwise the political, social, economic

and cultural problems of our world will continue to

increase cumulatively, leaving us in a more desperate

situation. In our view, the only option available to us is

to foster closer international cooperation under

internationally recognized rules and instruments in the

light of dialogue, justice and democracy.