Jordan, 2005

Mr. President, allow me at the outset to congratulate

you warmly on your election to the presidency of the

General Assembly at its sixtieth session. I would also

like to express my confidence that your well-known

wisdom and competence will contribute to enriching

and focusing the deliberations of this Assembly.

Moreover, I would like to express my gratitude to your

predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, for the strenuous efforts he

exerted during the past session. I would especially like

to convey my appreciation to Secretary-General Kofi

Annan for his notable efforts in advancing the reform

process in the United Nations.

From this rostrum, allow me to convey my

country's solidarity with the people and Government of

the United States of America for the tragedy that was

inflicted on certain regions and cities by Hurricane

Katrina. I would like to extend our sincere condolences

to the families of the victims and our sympathy for the

destruction caused by the hurricane.

Tackling the reform of the United Nations

requires the objective recognition that the

Organization, since its establishment in 1945, has

achieved a large measure of success in the realization

of the purposes and principles of its Charter.

Objectivity further requires the admission that

substantive and concrete changes have affected the

core of the international order and the network of

international relations; this has made it imperative to

review the role of the United Nations as a matter of a

real and urgent international necessity. Such a review

should focus on a comprehensive revitalization of this

role in order to enable the Organization to respond to

such challenges and changes affecting the international

system.

The United Nations Charter is a document that is

capable of coping with international developments,

provided that Member States have the political will to

introduce the necessary reforms into the work of the

main organs of the Organization. The reforms should

ensure that these bodies are able to fulfil the ambitions

of member States and, at the same time, provide the

environment and mechanism necessary to guarantee the

faithful application of the Charter's provisions and the

implementation of resolutions adopted, particularly

Security Council resolutions, without discrimination.

In this context, we would like to welcome the

results of this year's world summit and the adoption of

the outcome document, even though more could have

been achieved in the document, particularly in relation

to the renewal of the international community's

commitment to the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs). Nevertheless, we hope that the document will

be a starting point to development and reform, which

we all hope to achieve, so that the United Nations

remains the cornerstone of the system of international

relations.

While emphasizing the principles of the non-use

of force in international relations and non-interference

in the internal affairs of States, we believe that the

Charter's provisions, if applied, would respond to the

new and unconventional challenges that constitute a

possible threat to international peace and security. The

Security Council can deal with such challenges

appropriately and in a timely manner, if the will exists

to do so, without exceeding its powers. This requires

that serious consideration be given to revitalizing the

Council's mechanisms in order to make them more

democratic, transparent and representative. That, in

turn, requires an expansion of both permanent and

non-permanent membership of the Council in a way

that reflects the current international situation and the

significant increase in United Nations membership.

In the context of reform, it is imperative to

strengthen the General Assembly and enhance its role,

which complements that of the Security Council in the

maintenance of international peace and security. The

role of the General Assembly is central, since it is the

organ in which all United Nations Member States are

represented. It is, therefore, capable of dealing

effectively with the requirements of enhanced

multilateral international cooperation and the

development of the policies necessary for such

cooperation.

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We support the development of the work of the

Economic and Social Council in order to resolve

emerging economic, social and development challenges

and problems. We would like to emphasize the

Council's leading role in coordinating and guiding the

international development process and promoting the

achievement of the MDGs, which Member States

pledged to implement and fulfil by the year 2015.

It is important to consider seriously the current

coordination mechanisms with other international

organizations involved in development and the

liberalization of world economy and trade. It is also

imperative to consider the reduction of the debt of

developing countries, in accordance with a

methodology that helps to achieve sustainable

development and bridge the widening gap between

developed and developing countries.

Moreover, this development methodology ought

to parallel commitments by States towards certain key

issues, such as the promotion of good governance,

respect for human rights and basic freedoms and the

combating of corruption. This is done through a reform

process that should take into consideration the

particular cultural specificities of each State.

Confronting the existing challenges and settling

conflicts requires us to emphasize the necessity to

respect the rule of law and human rights.

Combating international terrorism is a priority

that requires the close cooperation of all on the basis of

the principles mentioned earlier. The same can be said

of responses to acts of aggression against others, which

should accord with existing commitments under the

Charter, international law and Security Council

resolutions. To safeguard human rights, it is crucial to

revitalize human rights mechanisms, promote their

work and establish new machinery, including a Human

Rights Council. In the same context, respect for the

rule of law requires that we address more serious

crimes against the international community ó hence

the pivotal role of the International Criminal Court in

combating war crimes, genocide and crimes against

humanity. Moreover, the promotion of the rule of law

makes it imperative to resort to the International Court

of Justice to settle disputes between States and to

respect its decisions and advisory opinions.

My country is committed to reform and

development. We believe that the ideal paradigm for

reform is one that comes from within and aims to

enhance the protection of human rights and basic

freedoms, as well as expanding grass-roots

participation in national decision-making. Jordan is in

the process of launching a national agenda aimed at

formulating a comprehensive reform methodology in

the political, economic and social areas over the next

10 years. The agenda also aims to promote grass-roots

participation in political decision-making on the basis

of a solid democratic choice.

Any real reform and development in a State is

affected, positively or negatively, by the political and

geographical realities of the region. The pattern of

reform in Jordan and the Middle East will be more

sustainable and progressive if the political settlement

based on the international terms of reference of the

peace process, the road map and the Arab peace

initiative attains its goal of achieving a just, lasting and

comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

Jordan welcomes the Israeli withdrawal from the

Gaza Strip and certain settlements in the northern West

Bank. We stress that this withdrawal is not an

alternative to the road map but must be part of it, and

that both the Israeli and Palestinian sides must carry

out their respective obligations under the road map as

well as the recent Sharm el-Sheikh Understandings. In

that regard, we call upon Israel to withdraw its military

forces from the Palestinian towns reoccupied in

September 2000 and to cease all forms of settlement

activity in the occupied West Bank, including East

Jerusalem.

We also call upon Israel to cease the construction

of the separation wall in the occupied Palestinian

territories and to demolish the segments that have

already been built in those territories. We call on it to

return the property that was seized and to pay

compensation for the damage incurred. The

construction of the wall along its current route

constitutes a clear and continuous violation of the

established norms of international law, including the

right to self-determination, human rights principles and

the rules of international humanitarian law. That fact

was emphasized by the International Court of Justice in

its landmark advisory opinion on the subject.

We also urge support for the Palestinian National

Authority in its genuine efforts to preserve the truce

and to deal firmly with any violations of it or the

ceasefire. We call upon the international community

and the Quartet in particular to provide all possible

19

assistance to the Authority. We emphasize here that the

most important outcome of the road map is the

establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian

State that is geographically contiguous, with East

Jerusalem as its capital, whose borders are based on

those existing before 5 June 1967.

Moreover, we must create conditions conducive

to completing the peace process in order to achieve a

just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, on

the basis of full Israeli withdrawal from all the

occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan

Heights, and to reach an agreed solution on the issue of

the Palestinian refugees, based on General Assembly

resolution 194 (III). That should lead to the

establishment of normal relations between the Arab

States and Israel, in accordance with the Arab peace

initiative and the international terms of reference of the

peace process.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan rejects all

forms and manifestations of terrorism, regardless of

justifications. We stand together on the front lines, in

word and deed, to eradicate that scourge, which has

afflicted the entire international community and left no

one unscathed. My country also rejects all unjust and

suspicious attempts to tie that criminal phenomenon to

a specific religion, culture or geographical region, and

we stand firm against any such attempt to tie it to the

Islamic religion. Islam, in substance and practice, is

based on moderation and facilitation. It was a pioneer

in promoting the protection of human rights and

safeguarding the life, dignity and property of persons.

It rejects any infringement on these concepts, even in

time of war. In that context, the Amman message

would emphasize that this divine religion is beyond

any suspicion linking its teachings to incitement to

harm innocent human beings.

Jordan welcomes the adoption of the Convention

on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and

supports the efforts under way to ensure the adoption

of the comprehensive convention to combat terrorism.

We further endorse the proposal made by the Kingdom

of Saudi Arabia to establish an international centre to

combat terrorism, which was adopted by the Counter-

terrorism International Conference, held in Saudi

Arabia early this year.

Jordan will continue to assist Iraq in overcoming

its current crisis and in consolidating its safety and

security. We condemn all aspects and practices of

terrorism and extremism in the country, which daily

kills scores of innocent people. My country calls on all

groups and sectors of the Iraqi population to reach

consensus on the basic principles and elements

necessary to preserve the unity of Iraq and the

inviolability of its territory and to ensure that it

continues to belong to the Arab world. We also call for

the respect of religious, ethnic and sectarian diversity

in the framework of free democratic choice, without

prejudice to the rights of its minorities. We reiterate

our support for the political process in Iraq and call on

the international community to lend its support to

create the appropriate conditions for its success. We

call also on the United Nations to continue playing its

important role.

Let me now turn to an issue that is important to

Jordan: the drying out of the Dead Sea, and how to

pre-empt an ensuing environmental crisis through the

implementation of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal

Project. An agreement was reached recently by the

relevant parties and beneficiaries of the project, namely

Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority,

on a feasibility study for the construction of the canal.

We look forward to continued international support for

this project and the implementation of all its phases, in

accordance with the agreement mentioned earlier.

The future of the Middle East requires the

creation of strong civil societies enjoying decent lives

and deriving their guidance from their strong belief in

their heritage. We are endeavouring to achieve this

goal at the national level through effective reform

projects, whose benefits are beginning to be evident in

Jordan.

But stability, security and peace are essential to

creating a suitable environment for such societies.

Putting an end to the Israeli occupation of Arab

territories and reaching a just and comprehensive

solution will contribute to bringing about a bright

future.