Jordan, 2001

Let

me express our deep sadness at the human loss

resulting from the crash this morning of an American

aircraft in a Queens neighbourhood and our

condolences to the families of the victims.

I wish to congratulate Mr. Han Seung-soo and his

friendly country on his election as President of the

fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Let me

also pay tribute to his predecessor for his able

stewardship of the last session.

Furthermore, I extend warm congratulations to

the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on his re-

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election for a second term of office, as well as on his

well-deserved award, jointly with the United Nations,

of the Nobel Peace Prize. That was an

acknowledgement of Mr. Annan’s remarkable track

record in serving the purposes and principles of the

Charter and a symbolic token of recognition of the

centrality and relevance of the vital role of the United

Nations in the world community.

This great city which hosts our world

Organization and the United States of America and its

people have been struck by a cowardly terrorist attack

that targeted innocent civilians. In truth, this act of

aggression was committed not just against the United

States but, in fact, against the entire international

community and humanity. For it seems that the larger

objective of the evil and dark forces that planned and

executed those atrocities was the terrorization and

intimidation of all of us and the precipitation of a

worldwide cultural and religious confrontation. Their

aim was to undermine and shatter our sense of common

confidence and the bonds that unite us by stripping us

of our own sense of security and driving us to deal with

each other in an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and

hatred.

One of the many painful impacts of those terrorist

attacks is the demonstration of the depth of

interdependence in our modern life. The repercussions

went beyond the United States. The victims belonged

to dozens of nations, including Jordan, and all of us

almost instantly felt the negative economic effects.

Thus the fight against terrorism should be

comprehensive. This means forging a unity of purpose

and determination to win this war on all fronts. It also

means exercising care and caution so that we do not

fall into the trap set by the terrorists. Indeed, our war

against terrorism is neither a religious war nor a clash

between one civilization and another — or even

between one nation and another.

Last 11 September, Jordan reaffirmed its long-

standing and clear position, which is anchored in its

firm policy of rejecting the use of terrorism in

international relations, irrespective of any argument

advanced, pretext invoked or label given. Thus, His

Majesty King Abdullah II declared Jordan’s categorical

condemnation of the terrorist attacks perpetrated

against the United States and Jordan’s support for the

international effort against terrorism. In the same vein,

His Majesty expressed resolve to safeguard the sanctity

of the Islamic faith from any abuse or distortion caused

by terrorism or terrorists, insisting that terrorists must

be deprived of any opportunity to hijack religion and to

misuse it to serve their purposes or advance their

agenda. In particular, terrorists must be barred from

provoking a confrontation between Islam and the rest

of the world.

The suppression and defeat of those pernicious

schemes require, among other things, the enhancement

of understanding among peoples and cultures. They

also demand a genuine respect for cultural diversity.

Human pluralism should, ideally, be a force of

enrichment and inspiration for the community of

nations. The world is perhaps pressed now more than

ever to launch a meaningful dialogue among

civilizations that highlights common denominators

with a view to promoting tolerance and reinforcing our

ability to coexist and interact in peace and harmony.

The United Nations system remains the appropriate

framework and venue for such a dialogue.

Islam and Muslims throughout history have

enriched human civilization. The contributions of

Muslim scholars in science, literature and culture in

general reached the heights they did due to a climate of

open-mindedness, tolerance and pluralism established

by Islam.

We in Jordan take pride in the true coexistence

and integration of our community life, which has been

fashioned over the past 14 centuries. Muslims and

Christians live side by side in national unity, where

religious pluralism is an enriching factor, making

Jordanian society a good example of social harmony

and interaction.

Terrorism will exploit political, economic and

social imbalances and the absence of justice to advance

its goals. Therefore, addressing the main causes of

despair, frustration and sense of injustice in a serious

manner is perhaps the most effective way to confront

terrorism and pre-empt its potential appeal and support.

We recognize that a truly effective international

effort to eradicate terrorism primarily requires, as far as

the Middle East region is concerned, a just and

acceptable resolution of the question of Palestine,

whose long-running implications on the ground remain

the chief source of pain and suffering across the region.

The current situation of constant killings and

destruction as a result of Israel’s practices of using

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force against the Palestinian people and the siege of

their towns and communities constitute a constant

incitement that feeds escalation in a way that endangers

security and stability throughout the whole region.

Jordan firmly believes that the resolution of this

conflict will not be possible by the use of force or by

security and coercive measures. There is really no

alternative before the two sides but to return to the

negotiating table as equal partners and to seek a

settlement that ensures their legitimate rights and their

future. This option will remain elusive until parallel

mutual steps are adopted on the basis of the accords

and obligations agreed upon by both the Palestinian

and Israeli sides.

His Majesty King Abdullah II has been engaged

in enormous efforts to help the region break out of the

vicious circle engulfing it because of the ongoing

confrontations between the two sides. King Abdullah

has contributed positively to the intense international

contacts and efforts to achieve that goal. Those

endeavours have indeed led to the building of a full

international consensus on the requirements needed to

break the current deadlock. Those requirements

include, in the first place, ending the use of the Israeli

military machine against the Palestinian people, lifting

the blockade imposed on them and abandoning the

policy of assassinations and incursions into areas under

the control of the Palestinian National Authority.

Implementing those steps would set out an

appropriate entry to start the implementation of the

recommendations of the Mitchell Commission, the

thrust of which is to create favourable conditions that

allow return to the negotiating table.

Ten years after the Madrid Peace Conference, the

region is seething with frustration over the failure to

reach the long-awaited peace. People there are no

longer satisfied by the mere existence of a peace

process. Therefore, the revival of the peace process in

itself is no longer tenable in the absence of a genuinely

meaningful effort that translates into concrete progress

on the road to peace.

Prolonged confrontations have resulted not only

in the failure to carry out several obligations agreed

upon, but also in retreating from undertakings that

were already in place. This demonstrates that phased

and interim agreements are inadequate and ineffective

to address the status quo. Therefore, starting the final

status negotiations has become now a pressing priority

in order to achieve the principal objective of the peace

process, namely, the fulfilment of the national rights of

the Palestinian people and the establishment of their

viable independent State in their homeland, as well as

the guaranteeing of the security of Israel.

Peace that can be acceptable to the peoples of the

region must be comprehensive in terms of resolving, on

the one hand, the whole array of major issues: the

occupied territories, Jerusalem, the refugees, security

and weapons of mass destruction, and economic

cooperation; and including on the other, all tracks and

the States concerned.

Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338

(1973) remain the basis of the peace process. Their

implementation requires putting in place the true

components of peace: primarily, the renunciation of the

settlement policy which contradicts the “land for

peace” principle and which is in itself a flagrant breach

of international law. Peace and settlements are

mutually exclusive.

Holy Jerusalem is key to peace. It is an occupied

Palestinian territory subject to the application of

resolution 242 (1967), which aims at achieving Israeli

withdrawal therefrom and from the rest of the

Palestinian territories — occupied in 1967 — so that

Jerusalem will become the capital of the State of

Palestine. In addition, an appropriate formula will have

to be worked out to ensure that the entire city of

Jerusalem will be open, freedom of worship for all will

be safeguarded and the city will be a factor of unity

and reconciliation among all believers in God.

The issue of refugees represents the worst form of

injustice and frustration in the conflict. Justice must be

secured for the Palestinian refugees in order to

eliminate the greatest source of frustration and

suffering in the region. Jordan, time and again, has

made clear its firm position in relation to the question

of refugees here in the Assembly. Let me emphasize

that Jordan will accept only a solution to the question

of refugees that takes fully into account its rights and

interests as a State, as well as the rights and interests of

its citizens, on the basis of international law and all

relevant United Nations resolutions.

Lack of trust between the two sides precludes

their ability to achieve any progress without an active

involvement by a third party. Jordan welcomes

President George W. Bush’s announcement endorsing a

solution that ensures the existence of two States,

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including the establishment of a Palestinian State on

the Palestinian territory currently occupied by Israel, in

accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.

This announcement completes the international

consensus on the fundamental requirement for

achieving peace in the region. It is our hope that the

United States efforts will continue with support from

the countries of the European Union, the Russian

Federation and the international community as a whole

in order to reach that goal.

A comprehensive peace must include Israeli

withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territories to the

border of 4 June 1967 and the completion of its

withdrawal from the remaining occupied Lebanese

territories on the basis of relevant Security Council

resolutions.

The suffering of Iraq and its people, due to the

international sanctions imposed against them for more

than 11 years, is yet another source of frustration and

tension in the region. Jordan once again stresses the

need to lift those sanctions and the importance of

creating conditions that will allow Iraq to reclaim its

active regional and international role. Jordan also

emphasizes the importance of completing the

implementation of relevant Security Council

resolutions, including those relating to Kuwaiti

prisoners and other missing persons.

We hope to see an end soon to the plight of the

people of Afghanistan so that that nation and its

political forces can agree on a form of government to

represent it. We also hope that the world community

will mount a genuine effort to assist the people of

Afghanistan in facing the tragic economic conditions

that have been afflicting them for many years.

At this juncture in human history, when we are

seeing a surge in global challenges, it becomes even

more imperative to rally around the United Nations and

to comply more faithfully with the purposes and

principles of its Charter, especially those relating to the

peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of

international law.

It is also important not to abandon our collective

goals in terms of promoting peace, economic

development and respect for human rights. This

trilateral platform of action represents Jordan’s

domestic and foreign agenda.

Our relentless pursuit of a just peace in our region

has not disrupted our determined efforts to seek

economic, social and political development. To the

contrary, Jordan is now poised to embark on a new,

integrated enterprise that seeks more economic growth

in order to improve the living conditions of its

population and to open up new vistas of hope and

promise for our future generations. Indeed, the dignity

and welfare of the individual must always remain the

noblest goal of our national and international

endeavours.