Morocco, 1997

First of all, let me say how very pleased I am to

congratulate you sincerely, Sir, on behalf of the

delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco, on your

election to preside over the fifty-second session of the

General Assembly — an election that is a token of

consideration for your political experience and great

competence.

It is also a pleasure for me to salute you, Sir, as

the representative of the friendly country of Ukraine,

which has solid ties of friendship and full cooperation

with the Kingdom of Morocco. I am convinced that

your vast experience and excellent command of

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international affairs will guarantee the success of our

debates and will lead our session to results that open up

new prospects of peace, cooperation and prosperity.

I should like to take this opportunity to express to

the outgoing President, Mr. Razali Ismail, the

representative of the friendly country of Malaysia, our

respect and gratitude for his efforts and for having

successfully guided the work of our previous session.

I should also like to extend to the new Secretary-

General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, my most

sincere congratulations on the confidence placed in him

by virtue of his election as Secretary-General, which

crowns many years of competent management and

tireless effort within the context of the United Nations.

His election also reaffirms the deep consideration in

which the friendly country of Ghana is held.

Since our last session, the world has been

experiencing a period of various political and economic

interaction which, unfortunately, has not lived up to

mankind's aspirations for bringing the international

community closer to tranquillity, security and peace.

International relations indeed continue to be fraught with

various tensions and disturbances. Thus, on the

international scene, new conflicts have emerged which

threaten the security, stability and sovereignty of peoples.

Given these challenges, we believe that those

problems which emerge in the international arena today

can be resolved only through international efforts under

the auspices of the United Nations. In this context, we

applaud the efforts made by the Secretary-General to

reform and restructure the United Nations and improve its

working methods in accordance with the requirements of

this age. In the same way, we reaffirm our support for all

of these efforts aimed at strengthening our Organization

and enhancing its effectiveness to allow it to carry out its

mission in full, in accordance with the provisions of the

Charter.

We firmly believe that the aims of any reform

designed to restructure the Organization and rationalize

its expenditures can be attained only if due account is

taken of the interests of the developing countries and,

above all, if reform provides for a solution to their

economic and social problems as well as the provision of

material and technical means required for these ends.

With regard to enlargement of the Security

Council, we would like to stress the need for consensus

and the achievement of balanced and equitable

representation of all continents, in particular since the

conditions in which United Nations bodies, including

the Security Council, were established have now

disappeared. The world is now witnessing profound and

swift changes which force us to reconsider the

composition and role of the Security Council to make it

a genuinely effective instrument which is not subject to

objectives and interests which contravene the Charter.

The international community welcomed with

optimism the peace process which began in the Middle

East on the basis of agreements reached between the

parties concerned. However, the interruption of this

peace process, as a result of the violation by the

Government of Israel of all previous commitments and

the contravention of all obligations and rules of

international conduct now threaten to wipe out all

previous efforts to strengthen the foundations for peace

in the region.

The violation by the Government of Israel of its

commitments was illustrated by its decision to resume

its settlement policy and to alter the cultural

characteristics and demographic composition of East

Jerusalem. This decision is in violation of previous

agreements with the Palestinian side. This unilateral and

illegitimate decision is also a blatant violation of the

Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids occupation

authorities from effecting any changes in the territories

under their control.

Israel, which is still persisting in its refusal to

implement Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338

(1973) and 425 (1978), has once again brought about

an escalation of tension in southern Lebanon, and is

continuing to ignore the Syrian proposals to resume

negotiations from the point at which they were broken

off.

Our vision emanates from our conviction that

peace in the region cannot endure or achieve its goals

except through equitable treatment which guarantees the

mutual interests of all parties and in the context of a

region free from weapons of mass destruction.

Convinced as we are of the need to pursue peace

efforts, and conduct this process in accordance with the

legal framework laid down for it, we would like to

stress the need to honour all the obligations stipulated

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in the agreements signed, and the adherence to credibility

in dealings based on such agreements, which will lead to

peace and security for all the peoples of the region, and

allow the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-

determination and establish their independent State with

Al-Quds as its capital.

In this framework, the international community

should take the necessary measures to make Israel respect

and implement Security Council resolutions.

The stability of the Middle East requires the

establishment and consolidation of security in the Gulf

region. We deplore the sufferings of the Iraqi people,

who are living in extremely harsh conditions as a result

of the economic embargo which has been imposed on

them for many years now, and we reaffirm that the

implementation of Security Council resolution 986 (1995)

on “oil for food” is a first step towards lifting the

embargo imposed on the Iraqi people. We look forward

to the day in the near future which will mark the end of

that suffering and the return of Iraq to the exercise of its

rights as a member of the Arab family of nations and an

active and constructive member of the international

community.

Morocco, as a part of the Arab Maghreb region,

takes a special interest in the existing dispute between the

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and certain western countries

because of its negative impact on the regional situation

and on the brotherly Libyan people.

Thus, we call for a favourable response to the

initiatives undertaken by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and

the flexibility it has demonstrated, and the efforts exerted

by the Arab Maghreb Union, the League of Arab States,

the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-

Aligned Movement with a view to lifting the sanctions

imposed on Libya.

Morocco, which has closely followed the

development of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

and has contributed, along with other members of the

international community, to the initiatives proposed by

the chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,

and through participation of Moroccan military units in

the Implementation Force and Stabilization Force,

expresses its satisfaction at the progress made in the

implementation of the military and civilian aspects of the

Dayton Accord, and stresses the need to pursue efforts to

ensure its full implementation with a view to establishing

the legitimate rights of the people of Bosnia and

Herzegovina and to contribute to the reconstruction of

the country through provision of the requisite means as

agreed by the conferences of donor countries.

As an African nation, and given its age-old and

varied relations with other African countries, and

furthermore conscious of its obligations to Africa,

Morocco expresses deep concern about the deterioration

of the political, economic and social conditions in many

parts of that continent.

Morocco follows with deep concern the

persistence of instability in some parts of Africa, and

reaffirms its determination to support and enhance the

efforts of the international community to find

appropriate and lasting solutions to crises.

On the other hand, the woeful economic situation

in Africa is a source of concern for the international

community. This situation is particularly reflected in the

weak participation of the continent in world trade and

in an increase in its debt burden. It is also reflected in a

chronically inadequate infrastructure, a serious

deterioration in social and health conditions, and,

despite the stringent structural reforms introduced by

African countries, by the paucity of foreign investment.

In this context, we welcome the initiative taken by

Portugal to convene a European-African summit

meeting to consider these conditions in the continent

and to seek appropriate solutions. We consider that this

initiative reflects the awareness of the European Union

in respect of its responsibilities with regard to Africa.

Morocco therefore proposes the convening of a

ministerial meeting to prepare for that summit.

Similarly, the Security Council's initiative calling for

the convening of a special meeting at the foreign

ministerial level to consider the situation in Africa

attests to the degree of concern of the international

community with regard to the gravity of that situation.

In its relations with all other African countries,

Morocco has always adopted policies aimed at effective

cooperation, taking into consideration the priorities and

the basic needs of our partners.

As a consequence of the profound changes that

affected the world economy after the Second World

War, it has become current knowledge that the world is

today characterized primarily by the globalization of the

economy. However, the new challenge which faces the

international community today lies in coping with

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economic and social development issues in all their

dimensions, and doing so in harmony with our efforts to

achieve peace and security.

The liberalization of world markets and the

globalization and comprehensiveness of the world

economy have led to a noticeable increase in the volume

of trade and financial flows. However, this has not eased

the marginalization of developing countries or reduced

their debt burden.

Morocco, which has been following with interest the

activities of the World Trade Organization (WTO),

considers that liberalization of trade must be basically

aimed at correcting existing discrepancies and at

narrowing the gap between developed and developing

countries.

We hope that the second WTO conference, due to

take place in Geneva, will provide a new opportunity for

the international community which leads to consolidating

the bases and rules governing multilateral relations, and

to taking decisions likely to reconcile the imperative for

trade liberalization and the requirements of development,

while responding to the aspirations of developing

countries by allowing them, if necessary, to adopt

protectionist trade measures.

With regard to the question of the Sahara, Morocco,

which cooperated with Mr. James Baker as soon as he

was appointed Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General

for Western Sahara, hopes that the results achieved will

allow for the implementation of the United Nations

settlement plan. In this regard, Morocco, which took the

initiative of proposing a referendum in 1981, stresses

once more its readiness and desire to cooperate with the

United Nations for the achievement of this objective.

The most important achievement of the international

community in this century, to which we soon bid

farewell, was the end of colonialism in almost all regions

of the world. In the past few months, the world has

witnessed the return of Hong Kong to its parent country,

the People's Republic of China, and Macao will also be

so returned in 1999. In the light of the example of Hong

Kong and the plans for the future of Macao, logic now

dictates the elimination of all remaining pockets of

colonialism throughout the world.

Here I am referring in particular to the Moroccan

cities of Sebta and Melilla and the islands adjacent to

them, which remain under Spanish domination. Morocco

has always believed in the virtues of dialogue as a

civilized way of reaching a final settlement to the

problem of Sebta and Melilla so as to enable Morocco

to regain its sovereignty over those territories while

guaranteeing Spain's interests. It was in this context that

His Majesty King Hassan II took the initiative in

calling for the setting up of a Moroccan-Spanish unit to

consider a final solution to this question. This initiative

implies a greater rapprochement between the two

countries, whose impact would spread to wider and

more comprehensive fields.

Humankind is still committed to the noble

purposes laid down in the Charter of our Organization.

It is therefore incumbent upon us to pursue efforts

aiming at the furtherance of those purposes so that,

together, in a spirit of confidence and renewed hope,

we may bring about a better future for all of

humankind.