Kuwait, 2005

A few days ago,

this Hall was the venue of an unprecedented landmark,

a historic gathering of a large number of heads of State

or Government who converged to review and assess

implementation of the Millennium Development Goals,

to renew their commitment to the United Nations and

the principles of its Charter and to underline their faith

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and conviction in the valuable contribution of the

international Organization which, by promoting the

principles of peace, security and prosperity, is building

a better world — a world free of the problems and

challenges currently afflicting the international

community and forming a threat to world peace and

security. Those problems and challenges include

terrorism, poverty, hunger, the proliferation of weapons

of mass destruction, the spread of contagious diseases,

environmental degradation and the persistent and

flagrant violation of human rights. The international

gathering was an acknowledgement that multilateralism

is the only viable option for addressing those issues

and challenges, whose implications and dangers

transcend geographical borders. Therefore, because of

their nature, no country can confront them alone.

Although Kuwait welcomes the adoption of the

outcome document (resolution 60/1) of the High-level

Plenary Meeting, we express our disappointment that it

did not include the issues of disarmament and non-

proliferation. We hope that the international community

will reach a consensus regarding the importance of full

and non-selective implementation of all disarmament

treaties, particularly the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons, whose three main pillars are nuclear

disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of

nuclear energy. The international community must

redouble its efforts to totally eliminate all weapons of

mass destruction. We hope that the commitments and

obligations agreed upon will be duly implemented.

Kuwait, for its part, will fulfil its obligations and

comply with all relevant international conventions,

treaties and United Nations resolutions. We hope that

the next few years will see significant strides in the

efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals

by 2015 and that our joint efforts will result in the

streamlining of international cooperation and

coordination mechanisms.

In that context, Kuwait wishes to commend the

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his efforts and

initiatives to reform the Secretariat with a view to

enhancing its accountability and transparency and

improving the performance of United Nations staff in

order to meet the demands of the constantly changing

international environment. Kuwait is actively

participating in the ongoing consultations on the reform

of United Nations organs such as the General Assembly,

the Economic and Social Council and the Security

Council.

We hope that a consensus will eventually be

reached on Security Council reform that will achieve

our common goal: improving the Council's role and

effectiveness, so that it can fulfil its Charter mandate,

which is the maintenance of international peace and

security. Council reform should also ensure broader

representation of regional groups, including in

particular Arab and Islamic representation, which

would make Council resolutions more transparent and

effective.

The phenomenon of terrorism has become a

direct and immediate threat to international peace and

security. Its dangers have spread to affect many

countries throughout the world. The 11 September

2001 attacks in the United States of America, the

events currently unfolding in Iraq and the recent

bombings in London and Sharm el-Sheikh have

provided indisputable proof that terrorism neither is

associated with, nor specifically targets, a particular

race, religion or culture. Therefore, the responsibility

for combating terrorism is collective and must be

shouldered by all Member States without exception.

While the State of Kuwait reaffirms its principled

position rejecting terrorism in all its forms and

manifestations, we wish to emphasize the need to

combat terrorism within a framework of international

legitimacy that recognizes the legitimate rights of

peoples and brings about justice and stability. We also

stress the importance of commitment and adherence by

Member States to the 12 international conventions on

terrorism, as well as to the International Convention

for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism,

which Kuwait signed last Friday. We believe that that

is the ideal way to eliminate this phenomenon, to curb

its effects and to tackle its root causes.

In that regard, the State of Kuwait reaffirms its

support for the proposal put forward by the Custodian

of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin

Abdulaziz Al-Saud of the fraternal Kingdom of Saudi

Arabia, to establish an international centre to fight

terrorism. We believe that such a centre would put in

place an effective mechanism for collecting and

exchanging information on this phenomenon.

Iraq continues to find itself in a critically difficult

situation of instability and insecurity because of the

almost daily terrorist attacks mounted by terrorist

groups, including the vanquished fleeing remnants

loyal to the former Iraqi regime. Those terrorist attacks

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largely impede the efforts of the Iraqi Government to

rebuild in the wake of the devastation left by the

former regime as a result of its hostile policies towards

its own people and neighbouring countries.

The State of Kuwait continues to lend support to

our brothers in Iraq with a view to rehabilitating and

rebuilding their country. Our approach stems from our

belief that stability in Iraq is ultimately in the interest

of stability in this vital region of the world and would

have positive implications for its security and progress.

We are fully confident that the fraternal people of Iraq

will eventually overcome this difficult period in their

history and that they will persist in building democratic

institutions, in adopting the text of their new

constitution and in laying the ground for the

forthcoming legislative elections.

In the same vein, we wish to stress Kuwait's

commitment to the unity, sovereignty and political

independence of Iraq. The State of Kuwait looks

forward to establishing solid fraternal relations with

the new Iraq on the basis of mutual respect, good-

neighbourliness and adherence to bilateral agreements,

to the relevant United Nations resolutions and to the

resolutions of international legitimacy, as they

constitute the fundamental pillars of the new and future

relationship between the two brotherly countries.

Furthermore, we welcome the Iraqi Government's

determination to try the leaders of the former regime

for all the crimes against humanity that they have

committed against the people of Iraq. The trials should

also cover the crimes committed against the Kuwaiti

people, including the invasion of the State of Kuwait

and the killing of Kuwaiti prisoners and third-country

nationals.

Kuwait reaffirms its full support for the struggle

of the Palestinian people to attain all their legitimate

political rights. Kuwait demands that Israel move

forward in fulfilling all its commitments and

obligations under the relevant United Nations

resolutions, primarily Security Council resolutions 242

(1967), 338 (1973) and 1515 (2003), in accordance

with the principle of land for peace and the provisions

of the Arab peace initiative, the bilateral accords it

signed with the Palestinian Authority within the

framework of the peace process, and the road map,

with all its provisions and obligations. Israel must also

end its policy of oppressing the Palestinian people,

dismantle the separation wall and release all

Palestinian detainees.

The State of Kuwait views the Israeli withdrawal

from the Gaza Strip as a first step to be followed by

additional measures to be taken by Israel to end the

occupation, in compliance with the relevant United

Nations resolutions and in preparation for the

establishment of an independent Palestinian State on

Palestinian national soil, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its

capital. Kuwait hopes that the Israeli withdrawal will

lead to the resumption of peace efforts in the region to

ensure full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian

Arab Golan to the borderline of 4 June 1967 and its

withdrawal from the rest of the Arab territory in

southern Lebanon. Thereafter, a settlement should be

reached through negotiations among all parties

concerned to establish a just, comprehensive and

lasting peace in the region — a peace that would be

enhanced by making the Middle East region, including

the Gulf region, a zone free of weapons of mass

destruction.

In view of Kuwait's keen interest in the

maintenance of security and stability in the Gulf region

and given our close ties with the brotherly United Arab

Emirates and with the friendly Islamic Republic of

Iran, we support the position of the member States of

the Gulf Cooperation Council regarding the three

islands of the United Arab Emirates. It is our hope that

the two countries will agree on a negotiation

mechanism to resolve their dispute over the three

islands, in accordance with the principles and norms of

international law and good neighbourly relations.

It is our sincere hope that the resolutions on the

promotion of sustainable development adopted at

numerous international meetings and conferences

convened by the United Nations and other

organizations, as well as those goals in the High-level

Plenary Meeting's outcome document, will lay the

groundwork for a new partnership between the

developed and the developing nations, thus

contributing to the stability and the growth of

economic relations among those States. We also hope

that those resolutions will help create a balanced and

fair international trading system in which each party

assumes its responsibilities.

To create that kind of partnership, the economic

structures of the developing countries need to be

strengthened and the developed countries should fulfil

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their pledges to provide financial and technical

assistance and alleviate and cancel the debts of the

poorest countries. They should also remove trade

restrictions and tariffs on products made in poor

countries and give those countries access to

technology, enabling them to fully participate in the

new economic system. All these measures would help

put their peoples on the right track to development and

prosperity.

In that context, the State of Kuwait is proud to

have honoured all its international obligations. It will

continue to support economic development

programmes in developing countries through the

Kuwait Fund for Economic Development. For the

record, the Fund has so far extended $12 billion in

development assistance to more than 100 countries in

various regions of the world. Kuwait will also strive to

ensure the stability of global oil markets, with a view

to maintaining the pace of development and economic

growth for all.

As we observe the sixtieth anniversary of the

establishment of the United Nations, Kuwait remains

hopeful, confident and optimistic about the role of the

United Nations and its capability to deal with

international issues that pose a threat to world peace

and security.

To that noble end, the international community

must rally behind the United Nations and forge ahead

at an even faster pace. We look forward to sincere and

meaningful cooperation and partnership to tackle the

current challenges. Furthermore, we must strive to

create a future characterized by the values and ideals of

freedom, justice and equality which, together, underpin

security and stability across the world.