Lebanon, 2012

At the

outset, allow me to congratulate Mr. Jeremić on his

election as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-seventh session. I am confident that the Assembly’s

work will be crowned with success, thanks to his rich

diplomatic experience and expertise. I assure him of

Lebanon’s full support in his efforts. I would also like to

thank His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser,

President of the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session,

for his tireless efforts and remarkable achievements. I

also extend my gratitude to the Secretary-General, His

Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his keen concern

over critical global issues, especially those related to

the Middle East, in particular my country, Lebanon,

which was mentioned in his annual report (A/67/1).

Lebanon, a founding State Member of the United

Nations, reiterates its commitment to the noble

principles and human values that make up the founding

pillars of the Organization. Those standards enable it

to act globally for justice, freedom, prosperity and

peace and to shoulder its responsibility to address the

world’s ongoing challenges. Those challenges test the

international Organization’s credibility, efficiency,

status, and role in ensuring social freedom, political

stability and economic independence for all peoples of

the world, free from hegemony, polarization, fear and

double standards.

In the light of the major developments and changes

that have occurred since the Second World War, it

has become necessary to strengthen the role of the

General Assembly as a universal organ. That should

preclude the Security Council privileges, which are

currently restricted to a limited number of countries

that control crucial decisions, in particular those

related to war and peace. In that regard, in order to

ensure greater justice and democracy, the structure,

privileges and expansion of the Security Council

should be reconsidered. The new global political,

economic and social realities should be taken into

account by extending the membership so as to enable

smaller countries to have greater representation. That

would fulfil the United Nations principles of equality

and justice among peoples.

Our meeting today takes place at a time of major

global developments and changes, in particular for

Arab nations. Political reform had therefore become

inevitable in order to achieve democracy and to lay the

foundations for freedom and respect for human rights.

However, those legitimate demands can be attained

solely through a peaceful transition and dialogue, not

violence and foreign intervention, which will lead

only to more chaos, injustice and division, increasing

the number of refugees and exacerbating related

humanitarian consequences. Therefore, with regard

to the Syrian crisis, Lebanon reaffirms its policy of

disassociation at the political and the security levels in

order to maintain its stability and balance of powers and

in order to avoid unnecessary repercussions and risks.

Lebanon has not refrained from providing

humanitarian support to the displaced Syrians in

Lebanon, in an effort to alleviate their suffering.

However, Lebanon alone cannot deal with the

increasing number of displaced Syrians and their

humanitarian needs. We have provided assistance, but

the number of displaced persons has risen and exceeded

our capacities. We can no longer absorb them on our

own. More assistance by relevant international bodies

is needed to help us in that regard.

The security repercussions of the Syrian crisis

threaten civic peace and stability at the local level

and in the Middle East. The international community

must make greater efforts to reach a political solution

between the parties in Syria, in order to put an end to

the violence that is claiming hundreds of innocent lives

every day.

As we support the freedom and legitimate rights

of all people, we need to raise a crucial issue, namely,

the right of the fraternal Palestinian people to return

to their homeland and to establish an independent

Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital. The

recognition of the Palestinian State and its acceptance

as a full Member of this international Organization and

its affiliated agencies should pave the way for a just

political solution to the Palestinian question and correct

the ongoing historical injustice that has been inf licted

on the Palestinian people since 1948.

Lebanon is committed to maintaining stability

and security in southern Lebanon, and we reaffirm

our commitment to Security Council resolution 1701

(2006). However, the continuous Israeli violations of

Lebanese sovereignty by air, land and sea — in excess

of 9,000 violations since 2006 — are limiting the

freedom of action of the United Nations Interim Force

in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and threatening the security

of its members, once again violating international

resolutions, specifically resolution 1701 (2006).

We appeal to the international community to

pressure Israel to respect international resolutions

and international law, to immediately withdraw from

occupied North Ghajar, the Shaba’a farmlands and the

Kfar Shouba hills, and to bring to an end the continuous

threats to Lebanon’s security. Lebanon values

UNIFIL’s role and its sacrifices, as well as its ongoing

cooperation and coordination with the Lebanese army,

and we express our gratitude to all participating and

supporting countries.

Lebanon calls for the full implementation of

resolution 66/192, of 22 December 2011, regarding the

oil slick on its shores during the Israeli 2006 war on

Lebanon, and demands compensation, in application of

paragraph 4 of that resolution.

We reiterate our commitment to defend our

exclusive economic area and our maritime borders as

set by international law and in accordance with the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,

which affirms our right to exploit our wealth and

natural resources.

Lebanon, a vital crossroads of religions, beliefs,

cultures and civilizations, is a country committed

to divine and human values. We are fully aware that

diversity and difference are an integral part of life in

our region and throughout the world. We reiterate our

commitment to freedom of expression, tolerance and

dialogue. In the words of Pope John Paul II, Lebanon

is not merely a country, it is a message. We consider

prejudice towards all religions and prophets a clear

aggression against the dignity, values and feelings of

all believers, for it can only instigate conflict, violence

and reactions that we condemn and could never accept.

No one could accept them.

We therefore emphasize the importance and

necessity of dialogue between civilizations and

cultures. Building trust and fostering rules of conduct

binding on all are essential to end once and for all the

desecration of religious symbols, as well as to ensure

respect for people’s feelings and their freedom of belief.

Such efforts can put an end to the extreme reactions

and condemnable practices that we have unfortunately

witnessed recently in certain countries. Respect for religion does not restrict freedom of expression; rather,

it is a rational practice of such freedom.

In that spirit, Lebanon has launched a national

dialogue among the different Lebanese constituencies

based on established national principles that were

agreed on and developed under the Baabda Declaration

(A/66/849, annex), which was welcomed by the Security

Council. Dialogue is considered the best means for

ensuring stability in Lebanon.

Lebanon is committed to peace and strives for its

achievement, especially in the Middle East, a region we

would like to be an oasis of peace, free of weapons of

mass destruction. In that regard, we should remember

that Israel is the only country in the region to possess

nuclear weapons and that it continues to refuse to

ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons, a position that constitutes an ongoing threat

to peace and security in the region and the world at

large.

We would like to emphasize once more the need

for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the Iranian

nuclear issue, while stressing countries’ right to use

nuclear power for peaceful purposes and avoiding

double standards and selectivity, a problem that is

faced by many regions in the world and by our region

in particular. We also welcome ongoing international

efforts to combat terrorism, the scourge of our time.

The peace we strive for is founded on what is

right, not a fait accompli peace. The justice we strive

for, especially in our region, is far removed from the

selectivity and double standards that are, unfortunately,

the case globally, especially in the Middle East. Our

region is still suffering from the consequences of the

establishment of the State of Israel, in 1948, and from

its ongoing occupation of Arab territories in complete

disregard for international law and United Nations

resolutions.

Peace, freedom and justice are the pillars for

attaining both security and stability. They will pave

the way to the eradication of oppression, extremism,

hegemony and terrorism in our world. Stability cannot

exist without a Palestinian spring, and a Palestinian

spring can occur only through the full implementation

of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination on their

land.

The Arab world is witnessing one of the most

critical periods of its modern history. We have reached a crossroads where societies must make choices that

will translate their ambitions into reality. We therefore

request the international community to draw up a

serious economic, cultural and development road

map to assist those countries in that newly reached

breakthrough. Our young Arab societies are in need of

enlightenment and development that can be achieved

only by providing education and employment to put an

end to ignorance and improve our living standards. That

will also certainly contribute to fighting extremism.

We therefore suggest that countries step forward

with their technical expertise while others offer

financial assistance to draft a plan that could be

implemented through the framework of a new institution

to assist young men and women working in public

administration to promote good governance, efficiency

and productivity in governmental agencies. From

that perspective, I propose to establish an institution

in Beirut that will soon be able to offer an integrated

programme on good governance.

As the Middle East is witnessing the most tumultous

period of its history, we call on the international

community to perceive Lebanon as the beacon of

hope and message of freedom and pluralism that it is.

Lebanon is not merely a small nation in need of shelter

in a stormy region, and we are not asking for protection

to ensure our own survival. We are, rather, calling on

the Assembly to see us in the light of the role that we

have repeatedly played. Despite all the difficulties we

are facing, our country, which is small geographically

but large in its global presence, has proved itself to be

the epitome of a democratic, tolerant and pluralistic

country among its neighbours.

It is therefore the duty of the international

community to protect Lebanon, now and in the future,

from the turbulence of the region and to help us so that

we may thrive, flourish and shine our rays all over

the Middle East. Only then will the United Nations

provide our unstable region with a genuine source of

inspiration, a viable, vibrant nation, an example and

model of civil and religious liberties, social diversity

and political freedom.

I call on all those here not to perceive Lebanon as a

responsibility but as an opportunity, an opportunity to

provide the safest and fastest path to all that the Middle

East can be — democratic, peaceful and prosperous.

Let us work to protect Lebanon from harm so we can maintain peace in the Middle East and the world as a

whole.