Morocco, 1995

On

behalf of the delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco, I am

pleased to extend to the President my sincere

congratulations on his election to the presidency of the

fiftieth session of the General Assembly.

I am convinced that his diplomatic experience,

excellent knowledge of international issues, and the many

responsibilities that were assigned to him will ensure the

success of our work and help us achieve the best results.

I also wish to assure the President that the delegation

of the Kingdom of Morocco will spare no effort in

cooperating with him and in providing every support to

facilitate his task. I also salute in him the representative

of a country which shares strong ties of friendship,

cooperation and good-neighbourliness with Morocco.

I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to

pay tribute to the outgoing President, Mr. Amara Essy,

for his excellent conduct of the work of our previous

session.

I should like also to express my deep appreciation to

Mr. Boutros-Boutros Ghali, the Secretary General, for his

untiring efforts towards the promotion of peace and

security and for his constant endeavours in facing up to

the tremendous responsibilities shouldered by the United

Nations as a result of the developments that took place in

the world over the past few years.

Those efforts of the Secretary-General acquire

greater importance at a time when our Organization faces

an unprecedented financial crisis.

This session stands out by the fact that it coincides

with the fiftieth anniversary of our Organization. We may

recall the day, 50 years ago, which gave rise to hope that

we were embarking on an age of emancipation, liberty,

independence and the maintenance of peace and security.

That day heralded, for all humanity, the dawn of a new era

that was received with joy as it was to be the beginning of

a path of dialogue and cooperation that affected an

alternative to violence and confrontation.

The important changes in international relations

witnessed by the world over the past few years did usher in

a new world situation. However, the fact that, in the new

situation, the economic interests of the major Powers

continued to have the upper hand frustrated the hopes of the

developing countries that a new era of genuine solidarity

between the rich and the poor was about to emerge and

serve the legitimate interests of all the members of the

international Community.

As we see it, the economic and social situation in

most countries of the South gives no cause for hope or

optimism. The gap between developed and developing

countries is still widening, and the economic, commercial,

and social problems of the developing countries are only

worsening. This has thrown the doors wide open to such

phenomena as extremism, fanaticism and terrorism,

scourges that we must confront and curb.

In order for us to do so, the world economy has to be

restructured in the context of genuine cooperation between

all nations and an earnest dialogue in which the rich

countries would shoulder their full responsibilities towards

the promotion of an international partnership whose aim

should be to find viable solutions to this problem that

would work in favour of men’s moral and material

interests, wherever they may be: North or South.

While we welcome the initiatives taken towards the

restructuring of the world economy since the ratification of

the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the

subsequent inception of the World Trade Organization, and

the steps taken by numerous developing nations, including

Morocco, to restructure their economies with a view to

integrating those economies into the world economy, we

believe that such initiatives, by themselves, will not be

sufficient to lead to solutions to the economic, trade and

financial problems that beset the third world. We hope that

the World Trade Organization will adequately and fully

discharge its responsibilities and that it will be provided

with the necessary means that would make it an effective

tool and enable it to translate into reality the commitments

made.

We hope that the current negotiations amongst the

various international organizations concerned will lead to

the desired coordination between monetary, financial and

trade policies and thereby lead to the laying of genuine

foundations for free international trade, wherein there

would be no deterioration in the terms of trade or any

decline in the prices of primary commodities. We also

hope that those discussions will mark the beginning of a

reconsideration of the concept of foreign debt from which

the developing countries suffer.

The African continent is in the grip of a disastrous

economic and social situation. Morocco views with

concern the deterioration of this situation as it is part of

the African continent, and is a member of the African

family that has a long history of shared struggle for

liberation and emancipation which binds it to all the

peoples of Africa.

Given the gravity of a situation, that portends untold

tragedies, Morocco calls on the international community

to make a concerted effort to find a solution to the

worsening problems of Africa.

In our opinion, the strategic perspective and the

approach adopted so far in tackling those problems will

not lead to any improvement or substantial qualitative

change so long as the international community does not

commit itself to a long-term strategy that embodies

concrete commitments in favour of Africa. Such a

strategy, as we see it, should be part of a comprehensive

perspective aimed at improving the level of social and

economic development in Africa with a view to

integrating the continent into the world economy and

enabling it to benefit from its dividends. In this respect,

Morocco calls for a speeding up of the implementation of

the Convention to combat desertification in order to meet

the needs of our continent at both the national and

international levels.

In spite of the efforts made by the United Nations

and repeated calls from this rostrum to give pride of place

to dialogue, and to solve conflicts by peaceful means and

preventive diplomacy, some regions in the world continue

to be the scene of armed conflicts and civil wars which

crush our hopes of establishing lasting peace and security.

By the same token, the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction, especially nuclear weapons, still threatens our

world and should be addressed most earnestly in order to

avoid irreparable disasters.

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In this respect Morocco has effectively contributed to

the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and hopes that all

countries will accede to this important Treaty and thereby

ensure its universality. Morocco also hopes that the Middle

East will be exempt from all weapons of mass destruction,

as has been the case for other regions of the world. This is

one of the noble objectives that the Organization should

work for so that all may channel the funds tied up in this

field to development and to combating all forms of

underdevelopment.

It is indeed cause for optimism that progress has been

made in the negotiations on the test-ban treaty, especially

the pledge made by the Conference on Disarmament to

conclude a treaty concerning this issue before the end of

1996.

The era of colonialism is now a thing of the past. As

a matter of fact, this has been one of the great

achievements of the past 50 years. Unfortunately however,

the two Moroccan cities of Sebta and Melilia and the

neighbouring islands are still under Spanish occupation.

These enclaves, which are part and parcel of Moroccan

territory, and which overlook the Mediterranean sea, are

thus the last remaining colonies in Africa. Such a situation

is indeed a strange anomaly which neither reason nor logic

can accept and which clashes head on with the spirit and

the letter of the United Nations Charter.

In this context, may I recall the major stages which

Morocco has gone through in order to complete its

territorial integrity. Since its independence in 1956,

Morocco started negotiations with Spain in order to

complete its independence, hence the withdrawal, in 1958,

from the region of Tarfaya, which is part of the Moroccan

Sahara, then the withdrawal from the region of Sidi Ifni in

1969. In 1975, after a period of alternating dialogue and

tension, Morocco recovered its other southern provinces.

The only parts that are still under Spanish colonization are

Sebta and Melilia and the neighbouring islands.

Morocco, which opted for dialogue as a fundamental

principle in its policy vis-à-vis its neighbours, propounded

that principle in international forums as the best means of

avoiding armed conflict and sought to settle all problems by

peaceful means, remains convinced that its historical ties

with Spain, coupled with the two countries’ common

economic interests, will help overcome the difficulties that

stand in the way of a solution to this dispute.

Morocco considers Spain to be one of its most

important economic and political partners in view of the

size of Spain’s investments in Morocco, the volume of

trade between the two countries, the joint development

projects, such as the intercontinental link between Spain

and Morocco that would link the African and European

continents, as well as the burgeoning cooperation in the

areas of culture and tourism.

We are convinced that if all this is taken into

account, it would help resolve the disputes. We believe

that the best framework for the desired settlement is to be

found in the proposal made to Spain by His Majesty King

Hassan II, to set up a reflection and consultation

committee with the aim of finding a solution to the

problem of Sebta and Melilia that would allow Morocco

to exercise its sovereignty over the two cities and the

neighbouring islands while preserving Spain’s economic

interests.

The Arab Maghreb Union has made considerable

progress on the road to Maghreb unity. Morocco, which,

like its neighbours, believes that the Union is a strategic

choice, is determined to overcome the few remaining

obstacles in the way of progress towards unity. In this era

of economic blocs, the creation of the Arab Maghreb

Union is an unavoidable necessity if regional integration

is to be achieved, if challenges are to be met and if we

are to ensure the progress and prosperity of our peoples,

who are united by the bonds of common language,

religion and history.

I am sure that idea of establishing the Arab Maghreb

Union, which reflects an ancient historical reality, will

come to fruition as have other regional blocs that have

achieved a high level of integration and unity even

without enjoying the bonds that unite the Arab Maghreb

Union.

In recent years, the Middle East has witnessed many

developments that have created an opportunity to achieve

peace and to end the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of

the principles of land for peace, respect for the national

and political rights of the Palestinian people and the

establishment of their own State, with Al Quds as its

capital.

One of the decisive events in the region was the

conclusion of the Israeli-Palestinian Agreement signed at

Washington D.C., which confirmed that the peace process

in the region is irreversible, notwithstanding the obstacles

it is encountering. The Jordanian-Israeli agreement also

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confirmed that the logic of tolerance and coexistence in the

framework of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based

on international legality is now an absolute necessity for all.

In this connection we welcome with satisfaction the

Taba Agreement that was signed in Washington D.C.

between the Palestinians and the Israelis, an important

milestone on the road towards the establishment of peace

and security in the region. It is our fervent hope that the

two parties will be able to overcome existing obstacles and

show a firm determination to settle pending problems,

bearing in mind the legitimate interests of all and respecting

their commitments and the behests of international legality.

Optimistic as we are about the progress on the Israeli-

Jordanian and the Israeli-Palestinian tracks, we hope that

positive development will materialize on the Israeli-Syrian

and Israeli-Lebanese tracks which would lead to results

acceptable to all parties on the basis of the relevant

resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and

General Assembly, particularly Security Council resolutions

242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978).

Last year, in an attempt to promote the peace process

in the region, Morocco acted as host to the very first

Economic Summit for the Middle East and North Africa,

which stressed the need to establish economic programmes

as part of an effective partnership that would create better

living conditions for the peoples of those regions. The

Summit also emphasized the need to assist economic

development in Palestine to enable the Palestinian people to

promote their economic and developmental institutions and

to participate on an equal footing in the development of the

region.

We hope that the Amman Summit will be another

milestone in the mobilization of the potential of public and

private sectors to consolidate the peace process by

promoting economic cooperation to help in the region’s

development and by meeting the aspirations of the peoples

of that region after progress, prosperity and just and lasting

peace.

The United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of

Iran have not yet arrived at a final settlement of their

dispute over the future of the islands of Abu Musa and

Greater and Lesser Tumbs. In light of our historical

relations with those two sisterly countries, and given the

relations of neighbourliness and friendship between the

peoples of the United Arab Emirates and Iran, we look

forward the day when there will be a final solution to this

dispute so that the region may revert to the spirit of

coexistence that once characterized it.

The tragedy of the Bosnian people is almost without

precedent in the history of mankind. It is even more

alarming in light of the international community’s failure

to stand up against murders, displacement of populations,

ethnic and religious cleansing, mass rape and the

destruction of the country’s culture heritage and

civilization.

It is regrettable that the world should be witnessing

such procrastination under the new world order, which

purports to be founded on respect for human rights. It is

also somewhat amazing that that new world order, which

had mustered all its resources to extinguish every hot spot

outside the Western world, should now fail to protect a

people in the very heart of Europe who are daily being

subjected to Serb aggression.

Morocco, which had been under the impression that

the problem of Bosnia and Herzegovina would be settled

in 1992, was surprised at the deterioration of the situation

there and by the escalation of violence and massacres. In

this connection, Morocco has consistently discharged its

human and Islamic duty to defend the sovereignty and

territorial integrity of the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina, mitigate the agony of the Bosnian people

and provide humanitarian assistance to them.

I am convinced that the meeting of the Islamic and

International Contact Groups in Paris on 7 September

1995 and the meeting that took place between the two

groups yesterday, 28 September 1995, are likely to open

the way to coordination and consultation to achieve the

expected objectives and strengthen the foundations for

peace in the region on the basis of justice and

international law.

We welcome with hope the results of the 8

September 1995 meeting between the Bosnian, Serb and

Croat ministers at Geneva.

We hope that the agreement in principle concluded

by the parties to the conflict last Tuesday, 26 September

1995, in New York will be a decisive step towards

alleviating the sufferings of the people of Bosnia and

Herzegovina and that it will help them achieve their

hopes for peace, tranquillity, sovereignty, safeguard the

territorial integrity of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina

and thus ensure peace, reconciliation and stability in the

region.

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With regard to the question of the so-called Western

Sahara, Morocco took the initiative of proposing the

organization of a referendum and accepted the settlement

plan presented by the Secretary-General. Morocco also

agreed on the criteria concerning voter identification and

made serious efforts in full cooperation with the Secretary-

General, the Security Council and the United Nations

Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

(MINURSO). Morocco has also offered financial assistance

and the necessary support to overcome difficulties and

implement the settlement plan in good faith.

In view of the obstacles we are now encountering in

connection with the identification process with regard to all

persons of Saharan origin, we appeal to the Security

Council to take the necessary measures and to mobilize all

the appropriate means that would safeguard the settlement

plan against collapse and remove the spectre of tension

from the region.

I take this opportunity to renew our commitment and

stress our firm determination to continue our full

cooperation with the Secretary-General in order to complete

all the procedures and take all necessary measures to

organize the referendum early next year, as suggested by

the Secretary-General in his latest report to the Security

Council on the issue.

We hope that the fiftieth anniversary of our

Organization will be an opportunity to study all the ideas

and suggestions put forth in order to improve and redress

the structures of our Organization so that, given all the

changes in the world, it can meet the actual needs of the

international community. I refer in particular to ideas

regarding the enlargement of the Security Council and

improvement of its working methods, which must be

carefully considered and given ample time so that results

can be achieved and a consensus can be reached.

We are confident that the perseverance and earnest

determination we have shown in taking up challenges will

be the best incentive for us to face up to the new challenge

and enable our Organization to fulfil its duties adequately

at the dawning of the twenty-first century, which we hope

will be the beginning of a new era of peace, stability and

life in dignity for humanity.