Kuwait, 1996

On behalf of the State of Kuwait, it gives me

great pleasure to extend to Mr. Razali our sincere

congratulations on his election as President of the General

Assembly at its fifty-first session.

Given his personal experience and wisdom, we

believe that he will be able to guide our discussions

efficiently towards a successful conclusion. Since he

represents a sister Muslim country, I am particularly

pleased to take this opportunity to underscore the firm

bonds of brotherhood in Islam between Malaysia and

Kuwait.

I am pleased to use this occasion also, to pay tribute

to the President of the previous session of the Assembly

for his outstanding efforts and contributions during that

historic session.

Kuwait views with pride and acknowledgement the

impressive performance of the Secretary-General, His

Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, especially his

leading role in and commitment to the enhancement of

the functioning of the world Organization in the areas of

global peace, security and development. Mr. Boutros-

Ghali has consistently worked to restructure the United

Nations to bring it more into line with the aspirations and

expectations attached to it. I want to make special

mention of the concrete steps the Secretary-General has

taken to curb and rationalize expenditures, to streamline

the administrative structure, and to reorganize the

Secretariat in order to reflect current realities in the global

arena. Hence, Kuwait subscribes to the position adopted

by the League of Arab States and the Organization of

African Unity (OAU) in supporting the Secretary-

General’s bid to remain on board in order to pursue his

reform programme for the revitalization of the United

Nations.

19

Last year, the family of nations observed the fiftieth

anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations

against a backdrop of universal recognition of the

wonderful achievements of the United Nations system. The

record includes, to cite only a few areas: assistance in the

attainment of national independence by many States; the

establishment of the principles contained in the Charter,

including the right to self-determination; the consolidation

of codes of civilized conduct among States; the upholding

of justice and equality; and the promotion of economic and

social development. Perhaps the most shining success of the

United Nations is the peacekeeping operations it carries out

in many volatile regions of the world. Such operations have

recently assumed a new humanitarian dimension in the

form of relief efforts in cases of natural disasters and civil

war, and election monitoring.

We view the United Nations as a forum for debating

the future of humankind among nations, with a view to

promoting the well-being, dignity and basic freedoms of the

human person. The ever-increasing complexity of

contemporary life in this global village and the ever-

changing set of common and pressing issues which continue

to emerge require a concerted international effort through

the United Nations. By the same token, we must admit that

there are gargantuan challenges that continue to face the

United Nations, most poignantly the ethnic and regional

conflicts that endanger regional stability and the

international security system. Other pressing issues include

the population explosion, environmental degradation, the

water shortage, desertification, the food deficit, the growing

gap between the North and the South, the regional arms

race, the threat posed by nuclear weapons, the proliferation

of weapons of mass destruction, development concerns,

barriers to economic and trade cooperation, the removal of

restrictions on free trade and, last but not least, human

rights.

To rally all States members of the world community

round ways to deal with the fundamental transformations

that face the world, we must: believe in the energy,

potential and mechanisms of the United nations system to

be able to address global concerns in a multilateral fashion;

provide enthusiastic financial, political and moral support

for the United Nations and identify with its principles and

purposes; fully pay assessed contributions to the United

Nations budget; and actively pursue a genuinely peaceful

policy that recognizes and respects the rights and legitimate

concerns of other Member States, with a view to building

up a regional order in line with the norms of international

behaviour. Accordingly, regional arrangements should be

anchored in the established codes of justice and rules of

international law and treaties. Here we must ensure

respect for human rights, and protect human dignity and

the freedom of choice. In this context, human

development without discrimination is essential for the

overall economic and social development of society. Top

priority should be given to this goal rather than to

squandering national resources on weaponry. We must

face up to terrorism and muster the national will to work

collectively on a global level to stamp out the root causes

of this plague which afflicts both the weak and the strong,

the poor and the rich, for, in the final analysis, terrorism

is not susceptible to reason; it stems from bigotry,

traumatizes the innocent, resorts to violence and seeks no

dialogue.

Against this backdrop, the indisputable fact remains

that today’s world is interdependent in its security as well

as in its general concerns. The affluent few may not be

able to live in exclusive comfort while a majority of

humankind is marginalized in deprivation and poverty.

Here emerges the stark need for a collective conceptual

and material effort to develop a common agenda for the

benefit of all human beings.

It is from this perspective that we view the

significance of the revitalization and refashioning of

United Nations organs to keep abreast of the rapid

development of international relations. In this context,

Kuwait is following closely the ongoing discussions in the

Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable

Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the

Security Council. We had hoped that consensus would

have been reached on the restructuring and reform of the

Security Council to coincide with the celebration of the

fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations last year.

Failure to attain that goal so far should not dampen our

hopes. Rather, we should redouble our efforts towards

that end. Our aim should be a Security Council whose

work and procedures are more transparent. Its resolutions

should reflect more faithfully the will of the universal

membership of the United Nations. Its composition should

be expanded to reflect the recent increase in membership,

sovereign equality among States and the equitable

geographical distribution of seats among the various

regional groups.

Any reform of the Security Council must in the end

ensure collective efforts by both members of the Council

and other members of the international community to

respect and implement its resolutions. The Council should

be able to demonstrate its firm resolve against any regime

that does not comply with Council resolutions.

20

A textbook case in point is the just position towards

the Iraqi regime adopted by the Council and supported by

the international community as a whole. As recently as

23 June 1996, leaders of Arab States, in the final statement

issued at the end of the extraordinary Arab Summit in

Cairo, urged the Iraqi Government:

“not to embark on any aggressive policies aimed at

provoking its Arab neighbours and to implement in

full all the relevant Security Council resolutions and

especially those requiring it to take the necessary

measures to release all Kuwaiti and third-country

prisoners and detainees, to return the property seized

and to comply with the compensation mechanism.

They regard this as the right way to ensure that the

sanctions imposed on Iraq are lifted and the

appropriate conditions created for Iraq to resume its

role in the inter-Arab regional order.” (A/50/986,

appendix, p. 7)

This statement shows a recognition by the Arab

leaders of the nature of the Iraqi regime and their

appreciation for the importance of the full implementation

of all relevant Security Council resolutions. Hence, Iraq

must cooperate sincerely with the International Committee

of the Red Cross in order to account for all Kuwaiti and

third-country prisoners and detainees, so that the chapter on

this human tragedy can be closed. We must note with regret

here that the Tripartite Commission, which meets every

three months in Geneva, and its Technical Subcommittee,

which meets monthly on issues relating to the border

between Iraq and Kuwait, have so far gotten nowhere. In

point of fact, the Iraqi regime exploits such meetings for

propaganda purposes.

I must reiterate here that this question of prisoners and

hostages remains a human tragedy precipitated by the Iraqi

regime. And it remains a top-priority humanitarian issue for

the people and Government of Kuwait.

The Iraqi regime is legally bound to cooperate with

the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) in

eliminating its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.

UNSCOM's bitter experience shows that the Iraqi regime

will not pass up any opportunity to use it for deception,

misinformation and the concealment of required data. It

even went so far as to block repeatedly the work of

UNSCOM inspectors as recently as March, June and

August of this year, thus prompting the Security Council to

adopt resolution 1060 (1996) in addition to presidential

statements issued by way of warning to the Iraqi regime.

Kuwait, keen as it is on ensuring the safety and

stability of the region, supports UNSCOM efforts. Indeed,

we commend UNSCOM for its resolve and its insistence

on the absolute necessity of implementing all provisions

relating to the liquidation of Iraq’s weapons of mass

destruction.

Given the human suffering of the brotherly people of

Iraq emanating from the policies of the ruling regime,

Kuwait continues to provide humanitarian relief assistance

in kind to the Iraqi refugees. We also welcomed the

accord reached between Iraq and the United Nations on

the implementation of Security Council resolution 986

(1995) as a step forward towards alleviating the suffering

of the Iraqi people.

Let me take this occasion to reiterate Kuwait’s

position that Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity must be

preserved. In the meantime, we understand — indeed

appreciate — all measures taken by the Coalition States

in order to ensure the full implementation by Iraq of all

relevant Security Council resolutions. The essence and

thrust of these resolutions is the evolution of a regional

order anchored in the established principles of justice and

stability, the rule of law, observance of the norms of

international behaviour, and respect for international

treaties, at the core of which is the Charter of the United

Nations.

In view of Kuwait’s concern for peace and security

in the Arabian Gulf region, and by virtue of our close

relations with our sister State, the United Arab Emirates,

and with our friendly neighbour, the Islamic Republic of

Iran, Kuwait associates itself with the position of the Gulf

Cooperation Council (GCC) regarding the issue of the

islands. Kuwait calls upon the two parties to continue

their negotiations in a bid to reach a just and peaceful

settlement through dialogue.

On another regional matter, Kuwait fully supports

the sister State of Bahrain in the recent measures it took

to combat terrorism with a view to consolidating its

security and stability. Our position is in harmony with the

principle that the GCC member States have a common

destiny, and their security and stability are therefore

indivisible.

Kuwait has been following with grave concern the

stalling of the Middle East peace process following the

election of a new Government in Israel, which adopted a

series of positions that contradict the arrangements

worked out in Madrid, primarily the land-for-peace

21

formula and the implementation of Security Council

resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) towards a

comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

The recent Cairo summit document underscored the

adherence by the Arab States to the peace process, in order

to achieve the ultimate goal of a just and comprehensive

peace, as a strategic option under the umbrella of

international law. The Arab position requires a matching

commitment by Israel to work in a sincere and forthright

fashion all the way through until the overall peace process

is completed. This must include the restoration of rights and

the return of occupied territories, as well as ensuring

security and a strategic balance of all States of the region,

in accordance with the principles laid down in Madrid.

For the record, let me recall in this context that

Kuwait put the question of Palestine among its top

concerns. In point of fact, that issue has been central to our

relations with other members of the international

community. We have channelled enormous effort and

resources into this cause, since Kuwait has always believed

that Israel has not recognized the legitimate rights of the

Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood — let

alone the fact that it has seized Palestinian territory in total

disregard of United Nations resolutions and by using force

as a means of imposing faits accomplis. We demand that

the Israeli Government stop its settlement activities in the

Palestinian territories, especially in the Holy City of

Jerusalem, and that it cease forthwith all changes to its

Arab character and legal status. The refugee problem must

also be resolved according to United Nations resolutions.

Finally, a Palestinian state must be established with

Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the will of the

Palestinian people.

In this context, we condemn the steps taken by Israel

in commissioning and excavating a tunnel under the

western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This constitutes a

desecration of that holy site and is a provocation to the

people of Palestine — indeed to all Arabs and Muslims

throughout the world. The use of great force and violence

by Israel has left many people dead or wounded. We

demand that Israel put an immediate end to these practices

and that it fulfil its obligations to preserve the Arabic and

Islamic character of these holy places.

Lasting and comprehensive peace requires mutual

accommodation of the parties’ rights, compliance with

accords concluded, action in good faith, avoidance of

provocative acts, and long-term vision — all with a view

not to inflict injury on any major party to the peace

equation.

Withdrawal by Israel from the Golan is a litmus test

of its good intentions to achieve a just and balanced

peace. Therefore, Kuwait supports Syria’s position that

negotiations should resume from the point at which they

ceased, in view of the fact that the peace process is a

continuum that should not stop before reaching its

ultimate destination.

Kuwait also supports Lebanon in its legitimate

insistence that Israel must fulfil all provisions of Security

Council resolution 425 (1978), under which Israel must

withdraw fully and unconditionally from all Lebanese

territory under occupation.

We believe that, in the final analysis, world peace is

indivisible and that consequently, the question of global

security has worldwide ramifications. Hence we think that

the issues of ethnic strife and civil war should remain on

the international agenda. Thus, we welcome the peaceful

measures taken thus far in the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina with a view to bringing that tragedy to an

end while ensuring that the people of that Republic are

accorded their legitimate rights. We also welcome the

outcome of the recently held elections there and

congratulate President Alija Izetbegovic´ on the well-

deserved confidence placed in him.

We also call upon the international community to

pursue its efforts towards ending the current tragedies that

afflict Somalia, Afghanistan and Burundi. In the same

vein, we hope that the peoples of those countries will be

responsive to the efforts of the international community.

Kuwait notes with satisfaction the success of the

United Nations earlier this month in the adoption of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which

is the culmination of a long-standing universal effort and

of hopes for a safer world. Indeed, the CTBT represents

an essential step forward on the path towards the

elimination of nuclear weapons.

Cooperation among member States of the

international community in the economic and trade

spheres has engendered a welcome openness following

the conclusion of the world free trade agreement. We

hope that this accord will expand the volume of the

developing countries’ exports to the world markets.

Kuwait was in the vanguard of advocating the removal of

trade barriers simply because we believe that, in the

22

context of an interdependent globe, collective political

security cannot be isolated from the economic concerns of

nations. Against this background, we welcome the steps

already taken by some developing countries to readjust their

economic approaches towards genuine openness and the

adoption of free-market policies. In our view, this type of

restructuring will help attract foreign investments and

accelerate the transfer of technology, which, in the end, will

foster international economic relations in terms of

generating a freer cash flow, a better investment

environment and an increase in joint ventures.

Kuwait believes in the need to harness human energies

to narrow the gaps that exist among nations, based on a

common understanding of the tenets that underpin world

security and economic well-being. We also believe that

dialogue and the tolerant exchange of views, coupled with

sincere and determined joint action, will lay a solid

foundation for improved international relations. Under this

scenario, the good forces will combine to neutralize the evil

ones; the “haves” and the “have-nots” might stand a better

chance of interacting beneficially; reason and prudence will

reign supreme, while the outlaws, saboteurs and vicious

tyrants will continue to lose ground. In the end, living

conditions will improve under a new world order based on

the principles of justice, which promote peace and security

for all.