Morocco, 1999

It gives

me great pleasure to congratulate you, Mr. President, and

the sisterly country of Namibia on your election to chair

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the proceedings of the fifty-fourth session of the General

Assembly. This choice is truly an honour for our continent

and a tribute to your promising country. We are convinced

that under your leadership our work this year will be

successful, and this session will constructively result in the

realization of our expectations.

I would also like to express appreciation and gratitude

to your predecessor, Mr. Didier Opertti, Foreign Minister of

the friendly country of Uruguay, for his excellent conduct

of the work of the previous session.

We also welcome the new Member States that have

joined our Organization: the Republic of Kiribati, the

Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga.

I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the

Secretary-General of our Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, for

his admirable management of the Organization and for his

commendable efforts to infuse it with a new dynamism so

that its organs can fulfil our aspirations. He deserves our

admiration and appreciation.

Many important events have marked this century to

which we are about to bid farewell. They have led to a new

political and economic balance of power and a modification

of the international system. With the disintegration of

borders, the evolution of means of communication and the

spread of globalization in the financial and technological

fields, the universality of the issues affecting mankind has

become the most distinctive characteristic of international

relations, and the problems of the age have become too

difficult for individual countries to resolve.

The tragedies witnessed over the last few years,

including ethnic cleansing and blatant defiance of the

universal human conscience, call more than ever before for

pooling the efforts of the international community and

consolidating the role and the efficiency of the United

Nations, which is indeed the best-suited forum for settling

international disputes. This would make it possible for the

Organization to fully shoulder its responsibilities and keep

abreast of current challenges, while displaying a political

will that would enhance its credibility and strengthen its

ability to achieve its goals.

As regards the Security Council, current events on the

international scene require that we reconsider its working

methods and its composition in order to enhance its

credibility, promote its ability to preserve international

peace and security and ensure balanced representation in its

membership on the basis of equitable geographical

distribution.

Economic and social conditions in the world still

rank high among the concerns of mankind. Indeed, as

illustrated by widely divergent indicators between the

North and the South, the world is suffering from a

widening gap in economic and social conditions and

strong disparities in human development. Those ever-

increasing disparities constitute a basic factor in the

instability that characterizes our world today. This

imbalance has led to a proliferation of poverty in various

parts of the world, as well as to the spread of illiteracy,

unemployment and several other social ills that now

threaten world peace and security.

We recall with appreciation the distinguished role

played by the United Nations, as it has developed over

the last few years a special interest in various economic

and social development issues.

Morocco is fully aware of the importance of social

development as a fundamental means of achieving

comprehensive development. This awareness was the

cornerstone of several pioneering initiatives taken by

Morocco to overcome social problems, especially the

plague of poverty. To that end, an institution known as

the Mohammed V Solidarity Foundation was set up, and

is now under the supervision of His Majesty King

Mohammed, to fight poverty by mobilizing the active

components of civil society.

In keeping with its firm belief that individual and

collective prosperity cannot take place outside the

purview of democracy and respect for human rights,

Morocco has taken keen interest in the consolidation of

human rights and democratic practices. Hence, Morocco

has undertaken some pioneering initiatives in the area of

promoting human rights, disseminating a human rights

culture, and protecting them against any violation or

transgression. It has enhanced the role of the various

components of civil society, including institutions that

promote the role of women, in various political,

economic, social and cultural fields. Opting for the

multiparty system and democratic alternation of

government as a political system, Morocco has made

human rights and fundamental freedoms an individual and

a collective principle that is considered a strong pillar of

the Moroccan political system. This, in turn, has made it

possible for Morocco to hold a distinguished position

among the countries that have adopted democracy as a

system and as a way of life.

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Convinced of the absolute necessity of coexistence

with its neighbours, in keeping with the strong historical

ties between Morocco and Spain, and given the desire of

both countries to further enhance their cooperation and

good neighbourliness, Morocco has been calling for the

implementation of the initiative of the late King Hassan II

aimed at setting up a joint Moroccan-Spanish working

group to reach a final settlement of the current status of the

two cities, Ceuta and Melilla, and the neighbouring islands,

in a way that ensures Morocco’s sovereignty over those

regions while guaranteeing Spain’s economic interests. We

do hope that the deep historical ties between the two

countries, the solid and privileged relations that exist

between them, and the ambitions of both peoples to achieve

further rapprochement and cooperation, will be a strong

incentive towards reaching a final solution to this problem,

satisfactory to both parties.

Ever since their independence, Arab Maghreb

countries have believed in the inevitable necessity to

achieve regional integration in order to counter the

challenges of development and to ensure the progress and

prosperity of their peoples. In keeping with those

objectives, the Arab Maghreb Union was set up as a

reflection of the region’s age-old shared history and an

embodiment of its peoples’ unity of faith, language, history

and common destiny. Given the blocs and groupings that

characterize the world today and the challenges imposed by

the current economic situation, we believe that it is

necessary to pursue efforts to give fresh impetus to the

Arab Maghreb Union as well as a new dynamism to its

various organs, while strengthening cooperation among its

members so that it may discharge its mission by taking up

development challenges and building an integrated Maghreb

economy.

Morocco welcomes with deep satisfaction the positive

developments witnessed on the Lockerbie issue, which have

led to the suspension of the sanctions imposed on the

sisterly Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Because of its solidarity

with that country, a founding member of the Arab Maghreb

Union and one of the pioneering leaders among Arab and

African countries, Morocco notes with deep regret the long

lasting hardships and the grave tragedy endured by the

Libyan people due to the embargo imposed on them. We

hope that sanctions applied to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

will be completely and definitively lifted as soon as

possible, on the basis of the principles of justice and equity,

and that the sisterly Libyan Arab Jamahiriya will resume its

constructive role, within the international community, for

the establishment of security, stability and peace.

The international community has followed with

satisfaction the beginning of a comprehensive settlement

of the Middle East crisis. This has been achieved through

various agreements reached by the parties concerned, the

latest being the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum. Those

accords rekindled the hopes of the peoples of the region

in building a new future based on security, stability and

coexistence. The agreements that have been signed —

which are founded on the principle of land for peace —

set the stage for a new era based on international law, as

attested to by the commitments made by the parties

concerned. The accords uphold the right of all peoples of

the region to live in security and stability, and the right of

the Palestinian people in particular to exercise self-

determination and to establish its independent State.

The brotherly Iraqi people have been suffering for

years from the impact of an economic embargo that has

had pernicious effects on them, especially children,

women and the elderly. As it voices full solidarity with

the fraternal Iraqi people, Morocco calls for the pooling

of international efforts in order to lift the embargo and to

find a peaceful settlement to this problem within the

framework of international law and in compliance with

Security Council resolutions. In this respect, we stress the

need to preserve the sovereignty of Iraq, its security and

its territorial integrity.

Solving the many problems affecting Africa requires

that the international community seriously tackle the

economic and social conditions and the various conflicts

that beset most African countries, conditions that have

had a negative effect on the hopes of African peoples, as

well as on their legitimate right to achieve comprehensive

development and to live under stable and safe conditions.

Being deeply committed to our ties of brotherhood

and solidarity with all African countries, Morocco has

consistently placed African issues at the forefront of its

concerns. As a token of its unwavering solidarity with

African countries, Morocco devotes 95 per cent of its

annual international assistance appropriations to African

countries.

Morocco has followed with keen interest the

international endeavours aimed at restoring peace in

Kosovo and at putting an end to the bloody conflict and

ethnic-cleansing campaigns that have claimed the lives of

thousands of innocents Kosovars, in blatant violation of

international law and of the most fundamental principles

of human rights. Given its keen desire to strengthen peace

in the region, Morocco has expressed its readiness to

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participate in KFOR and has made all possible humanitarian

efforts to provide material assistance to Kosovar refugees.

To this end, it also set up, at the initiative of Her Royal

Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, a fund to collect

donations for Kosovar children.

Because of its geographical location, its historical ties

and its economic and cultural relations with Mediterranean

countries, Morocco believes that the consolidation of

security and stability and the promotion of cooperation in

the region are an absolute necessity. Thus Morocco took

part in the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, from the

Barcelona conference to the Stuttgart conference, which

provided an opportunity to assess the Barcelona process

three years after its inception. During the Stuttgart

conference Morocco voiced its conviction that for security

and stability to prevail in the Mediterranean basin there has

to be an effective partnership between the countries of the

region that takes into consideration the political, economic,

social and cultural dimensions.

The Kingdom of Morocco has always taken a great

interest in the question of disarmament, because it is linked

both to international peace and security and to economic

and social development. In this respect, we reiterate the

need to ensure that all the countries of the Middle East

region join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons and submit their facilities to the safeguards

system of the International Atomic Energy Agency. This

action, along with making the Middle East region a nuclear-

weapons-free zone, would be a decisive contribution to

restoring confidence and peace in that region.

As regards the question of the referendum in our

southern desert provinces, Morocco reiterates its full

support for the efforts of the United Nations, especially

those of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, aimed at

completing the process as soon as possible and under

conditions most conducive to transparency, justice and

success. As a contribution towards that objective, Morocco

has endeavoured, from the start of the process, to inform

the United Nations of any deviations that might affect the

legitimate rights of the potential participants in the

referendum. Thus, following the publication of the first part

of the preliminary lists of the Sahraouis that have been

identified, Morocco expressed concern over practices that

have affected the identification process and have led to the

elimination of thousands of names of people of Sahraoui

origin, despite the fact that they had met the agreed criteria

and conditions.

It is our dearest hope that the United Nations will

come up with equitable solutions that take into

consideration our concerns and those of thousands of

Sahraoui candidates who, had they not been compelled to

leave the region because of the fight they were waging

against colonialism, would have been covered by the

census and therefore been accepted directly by the

Identification Commission.

The phenomenon of economic globalization has been

swiftly developing and expanding. It has led to a

liberalization of markets, swifter exchange relations,

enhanced global productivity and greater financial flows.

The economic changes affecting the international arena

call for a comprehensive review of the rules of

international economic interactions in order to adapt them

to those changes and to the development needs of all of

humanity. This aspect was at the forefront of the concerns

of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the address he

delivered, when he was Crown Prince, on the occasion of

the fiftieth anniversary of the multilateral trading system,

celebrated in Geneva in 1998. His Majesty pointed out

that

“the comprehensive project advocated by the

founders of our system remains fragile because of

the fate of hundreds of millions of people who will

not accept indefinite marginalization while

tremendous progress and prosperity are being

enjoyed by the advanced countries of the world.”

In future negotiations, and within the framework of

the World Trade Organization, Morocco is of the view

that the adoption of a global and balanced approach

reflecting the legitimate interests of all countries, while

taking into account the developmental dimension of

advanced countries, should be the best means to achieve

a just and balanced international trade system. Morocco

believes that effective solutions to the debt problem

should not be restricted to partial alleviation of the debt

burden of some countries only, but should, rather, take

the form of a comprehensive policy to stimulate the

economic activity of debt-ridden developing countries

through promoting their exports and encouraging direct

foreign investments in them.

Following the ninth ministerial meeting of the Group

of 77 and China — which I had the honour of chairing

and which was held in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 13 to

16 September 1999, in preparation for the tenth session of

the United Nations Conference on Trade and

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Development — the Group of 77 and China adopted the

Marrakesh Declaration, which pointed out that

“the disparities in the scope and impact of

globalization have led to economic disharmony, both

at the international and national levels. This translates

into new challenges to our development ambitions.

Many developing countries are facing difficulties in

their attempts to effectively integrate with the world

economy and are suffering the consequences of

globalization.”

In conclusion, we believe that, as we stand on the

threshold of the new millennium, the international

community should exert greater efforts to create a political,

economic and social environment conducive to further

cooperation and rapprochement among peoples, so that all

of mankind can enjoy the fruits of peace and live in

prosperity and tranquility.