Morocco, 2000

Allow me first of all to congratulate you very warmly,

Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the

General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session. The

Moroccan delegation will spare no effort in giving you

every support to ensure the success of your work. I

would also like to thank your predecessor and to wish

him every success in his responsibilities.

I also cannot fail to pay a very warm and special

tribute to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has led

the Organization with such conviction, tenacity and

competence. I take this opportunity to congratulate him

on his efforts to ensure the success of the Millennium

Summit.

I also wish to convey my congratulations to the

State of Tuvalu, which recently joined membership of

the United Nations.

Multilateral relations have become the most

realistic approach to transnational problems in a world

undergoing the process of globalization. It is quite

clear that a collective response is more necessary now

than ever before in our approach to the serious

problems of today's world. It is obvious that no country

or group of countries can claim to be able to take sole

charge of the numerous problems of besetting the

comity of nations. When we consider nuclear

proliferation, weapons of mass destruction, the

deterioration of the environment, endemic poverty,

organized transnational crime, the drug problem and

other such problems, we are compelled to recognize the

scope of the strenuous efforts that will have to be made

by the international community to deal effectively with

them.

Despite the tremendous progress that has been

made in recent years in all sectors of human activity,

and despite the potential benefits heralded by the

globalization of economies and technological

breakthroughs, half of the world's population continues

to live in a state of abject poverty. Morocco believes

that efforts to reduce poverty and to ensure sustainable

development require international action in order to

integrate the developing countries in the global

economy and new reforms, undertaken by the countries

concerned, to meet the essential needs of their peoples

with respect to health care, education and employment.

Similarly, trade barriers must be reduced for those

goods that are of particular benefit to the exports of the

developing countries, particularly the least developed

countries. Medium-income countries should be relieved

of their debt burden so that they can devote the

resources thus freed to investments in social and

economic infrastructures.

In this context, Morocco believes that the time

has come for international institutions, particularly the

Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade

Organization, to adopt a new approach to assisting the

countries of the South in their development efforts.

These institutions must adapt themselves to the new

international context in order to redress the imbalances

between the countries of the North and the South,

which have grown considerably since the external-debt

crisis. The total statistical indices available and the

lessons learned from the paradoxical trends that are

intrinsic to the world economy reveal the need to seek

new sources for financing and sustainable

development. That being so, Morocco places great

hopes on the holding of a world conference in the year

2001 on financing for development and hopes that at

that time bold initiatives will be taken in order to

alleviate the intensity of poverty in the world.

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Morocco is rooted profoundly in its Africanism

and is therefore very much concerned about the

growing number of hot spots in Africa and also the

illicit traffic in small arms that feeds those conflicts. It

is extremely regrettable that our continent holds the

unhappy record for refugees throughout the world,

victims of wars, as well as for epidemics, for example

AIDS, malaria and many others. Only a concerted

effort on the part of the African countries, with the

support of the international community, will be able to

reverse the current trend. Africa, which has been torn

by armed conflicts, presents the image of a continent

drifting aimlessly. Nevertheless, we Africans have

always been known for our wisdom and our natural gift

for negotiation and conciliation.

We would like here to make a pressing appeal to

all those involved to renounce resorting to force as a

means of solving disputes. Africa has wasted a great

deal of time in internal quarrels, thus passing up

valuable opportunities for developing and becoming an

integral part of the world economy. The financial and

human resources the belligerent parties have wasted

killing each other could have been better utilized to

serve social and economic development projects in

their respective countries and could have helped them

to overcome all the problems that they face. That is

why we support all the initiatives that have been

recommended by the United Nations to set up a

strategy to prevent conflicts and to improve

mechanisms for intervention in these cases. As always,

Morocco supports all those initiatives that help to

strengthen peace and security in Africa. In this regard,

Morocco has responded to the United Nations appeal to

participate in the peace mission in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo.

The marginalization of Africa is a serious

obstacle to its integration in global development. Our

continent receives only 2 per cent of international

investments, whereas the population of our continent is

in excess of 700 million. While it is true that

responsibility for development of the continent rests

first and foremost on the shoulders of the Africans, it is

equally true that the resources available to the Africans

cannot meet the considerable needs of their populations

in all fields.

For that reason, it is becoming more and more

urgent to help Africa by displaying solidarity in order

to ensure that it embarks on the road to progress,

security and peace, specifically by developing its

human resources, and by educational policies that are

adapted to the realities of the continent and are in

harmony with the values of that continent and its

civilizations. We also have to consider the question of

the debt of African countries so that the treatment of

this problem can finally generate wealth rather than be

an obstacle to development. The effort of African

countries should also be supported by opening the

markets of the developed countries to their products

and their exports.

For its part, Morocco intends to spare no effort to

make its contribution to improving the living

conditions of African peoples — hence, the decision

that was announced by His Majesty King Mohammed

VI at the African-European Summit in Cairo, a

decision to cancel the debt of the least-developed

African countries to the Kingdom of Morocco, and also

to remove customs barriers to their exports. We hope

that other countries, particularly the rich and

industrialized ones, will make a similar gesture.

Morocco believes that the peace that we all aspire

to in the Middle East can only be brought about if

international legal principles are respected, particularly

Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338

(1973), the principles which emerged from the Madrid

Conference, particularly the principle of land for peace,

as well as the commitments and the agreements that

were concluded between the parties concerned.

Peace in this region to which Morocco is so

attached can only take place when Israel withdraws

from all occupied Palestinian territories and the Syrian

Golan. The international community must assist the

Palestinian people to recover its legitimate and

inalienable rights, first and foremost its right to set up

its own independent State on its territory with Al Qods

Al-Sharif as its capital.

Morocco, on the initiative of His late Majesty

King Hassan II, may God have mercy on his soul, and

his successor King Mohammed VI, will spare no effort

to usher in the establishment of just and comprehensive

peace in the Middle East.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as chairman of

the Al-Qods Committee, during the State visit to

Washington in June 2000, made an appeal to the parties

concerned to start upon a fruitful dialogue between the

cultures and civilizations and:

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“to all believers, people of the Book and in this

faith which have united the children of Abraham,

to liberate this thrice holy city from hatred and

resentment.”

These same principles were reiterated by the

Committee on Al-Qods during its most recent meeting,

which was held on 28 August under the presidency of

His Majesty Mohammed VI. Morocco would like to

join its voice with all peace and justice-loving

countries so that the current efforts may be crowned

with success, which will make it possible for all

peoples in the region to live in peace, stability and

security.

The Moroccan people share the joy of our

brothers, the people of Lebanon, as a result of the

Israeli withdrawal from its territory, and we will

continue to give our unflagging support to the people

of Syria to reassume total sovereignty over the Golan

Heights, which is occupied by Israel.

We are also following with some disquiet the

burdensome conditions imposed upon the Iraqi people

by the embargo which has deprived people, particularly

children, of food and medicine and many other needs

as well. Morocco, for its part, feels anxious at the

deterioration of the food and health situation in Iraq.

We support all international efforts to lift sanctions

against that fraternal country. We consider furthermore

that safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial

integrity of Iraq is a fundamental prerequisite for

stability in the region.

Morocco welcomes the suspension of the air

embargo imposed on Libya. We also hope that the total

embargo will be finally lifted as soon as possible.

Morocco, aware as it is of its responsibilities, is

sparing no effort to make the Maghreb an area of peace

and peaceful coexistence among all peoples in the

region. The partners in the Arab Mahgreb Union must

get beyond their current economic problems and accept

the fact that the only way to develop the region and

ensure its security and stability is to build this Union,

in which our peoples have placed great hopes,

particularly at this time when the requirements of

globalization make the establishment of regional

groups yet more important.

Among the challenges faced by the Mahgreb,

there is the so-called problem of the Western Sahara. I

would like to take this opportunity first and foremost to

confirm that the Kingdom of Morocco, which initiated

the referendum, has cooperated completely in its

implementation and has indeed made a number of

sacrifices to allow the population of that region to

reassert its will.

We have been very patiently following the efforts

undertaken by the Secretary-General to allow this

process to reach a successful conclusion. We have

supported all the efforts that have been made, since we

are convinced that, in the final analysis, the

referendum, while ensuring respect for self-

determination, will eventually confirm the rights of our

country to territorial integrity and its sovereignty over

the entire southern territory.

As everyone knows and as has been emphasized

by the Secretary-General and by the Security Council

in various reports, the referendum's implementation —

to which, in contrast to what some have claimed, we

remain committed — has come up against a number of

problems that may, if not resolved, endanger and

compromise the entire process. What essentially needs

to be done is to ensure, without any kind of partiality

or leniency, that the entire Saharan population, as has

always been agreed, may express its wishes in

accordance with the letter and spirit of the referendum

plan.

If the referendum is to be democratic, free and

equitable, it must be subject to a number of rules that

no one can transgress by trying to accommodate one

particular party at the expense of the other.

The Secretary-General and his Special

Representative are still actively involved in this task.

We will continue to give them our total cooperation so

that the various difficulties besetting the

implementation of this plan can be overcome.

Our country has made its own contribution to the

efforts by making a number of suggestions that should

be acted upon if we want to have a democratic,

impartial and equitable referendum. We would repeat

that, for our part, while we remain committed to the

continuation of this process and respect the rules set up

for it, we will give our total support to any action that

the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Mr.

James Baker, undertake to resolve this dispute once

and for all. As His Majesty King Mohammed VI stated

on 30 June 2000, any settlement must be carried out in

the context of the sovereignty, legality and unanimity

of the Moroccans.

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This being said, Morocco would like to draw the

international community's attention to the situation of

the tens of thousands of refugees who have been

forcefully displaced and who have been living under

inhumane conditions, according to the reports of

international humanitarian organizations, of diplomats

who have had access to the camps, and of the hundreds

of escapees who have managed to return to the Sahara.

The international community can no longer tolerate the

suffering of these people because of delays and

considerations they themselves are not responsible for.

No one can disregard the fact that the Kingdoms

of Spain and Morocco are joined by the unbreakable

ties of their age-old history, their geographical and

cultural closeness, and by their common destiny as part

of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Because of our

desire to safeguard these excellent fraternal and

neighbourly relations Morocco has constantly appealed

to friendly Spain and to all political forces in Spain to

find a solution that will spare our children unnecessary

suffering from crises inherited from a painful past.

Spain, which is a great friend and neighbour,

must understand that the occupation of the two

Moroccan cities of Septa and Melilla and the

neighbouring islands is not in accord either with

international law nor with the sense of history. Based

on similar situations, we are convinced that it is

possible to devise a settlement that will both safeguard

the sovereignty of Morocco and respect and protect the

economic, social and cultural interest of Spain in both

of these cities.

For this reason, on a number of occasions the

Kingdom of Morocco has suggested — on the initiative

of His late Majesty Hassan II, may God preserve his

soul — that a Moroccan-Spanish think tank be created

in order to bring about a final resolution of the

situation regarding Septa and Melilla and the

neighbouring islands.

Our two countries are duty bound to spare our

peoples and our region from all possible

misunderstanding and resentment. It is for this reason

that Morocco offers a hand of peace to Spain, inviting

it to commit to a common dialogue so as to resolve

once and for all this territorial dispute inherited from

the remote past.

Morocco, because of its geopolitical position,

attaches particular importance to stability and to

strengthening cooperation in the Mediterranean basin.

Relations between Morocco and the European

countries is of great strategic importance in view of the

various historic, political, economic, cultural and

human ties that unite us and in view of the values we

share. The mutual attraction between Morocco and

Europe derives from history, geography and common

strategic needs, while a range of mutual interests have

naturally made the European Community Morocco's

first partner in a number of areas relating to

international cooperation. Relations with the European

Union have developed quite significantly this year with

the coming into force of the Association Agreement of

1 March. This agreement marks a decisive stage in our

relations with the European region since it is built

essentially on four fundamental pillars: political

dialogue; economic, cultural, technical and social

cooperation; enhanced financial cooperation; and the

progressive and responsible development of a free-

trade zone by the year 2012.

Morocco is currently waiting for the European

Union to carry out the qualitative leap that will make it

possible to redirect our association along new strategic

and innovative lines — governed by agreed modalities,

by shared responsibilities and by co-development in all

sectors of common interest.

It is our hope that the flow of direct investments

into Morocco and to the other countries of North Africa

as well will be encouraged in order to help create mass

employment, which is so essential to keep our youth

away from social evils and to consolidate the bases of

our progress in regional stability.

It is also our hope that the cultural interests and

the cultural identity of our Moroccan community in

Europe will be safeguarded and that the dignity of our

nationals will be constantly protected in accordance

with the democratic values that are the underpinning of

the European structure. In this context we can,

together, conceive of a Mediterranean region where

security and peace prevail as well as a strengthened

European/Mediterranean partnership.

In disarmament matters, Morocco appreciates the

considerable advances made by the Review Conference

of the Parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),

which took place in New York in May of this year.

We hope that Israel will respond positively to the

Conference's appeal to accede immediately to the NPT

and place its nuclear installations under the safeguards

of the International Atomic Energy Agency. We are

23

convinced that such a decision on the part of the Israeli

authorities will be a major contribution to ushering in a

climate of peace, trust and stability in the region.

Morocco supports the initiative of the Secretary-

General to organize an international conference that

would make it possible to find appropriate means to put

an end to the nuclear threat.

It is Morocco's firm conviction that the United

Nations continues to be the most appropriate tool and

instrument for settling conflicts and for building peace.

It is therefore high time that the Organization set up

credible machinery and early warning mechanisms to

react in an appropriate way before conflicts break out

as recommended in the report of the high-level expert

Panel on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.

The United Nations and its specialized agencies

are now more necessary than ever to contain and

resolve the problems of security and development.

The United Nations must continue to be the

cornerstone of strong multilateral cooperation.

The complexity and interdependence of the

problems before us mean that we must increase

international cooperation and consultation. For that

reason, a new era in international relations necessitates

a reform of the Security Council by revising its

functions and its membership. Such a reform will

undoubtedly confer greater credibility on the Security

Council and make it better adapted to perform its

mandate in maintaining international peace and

security. Despite difficulties, the main point is to

ensure the best possible representation in the Security

Council of the various current components of the

United, particularly the developing countries.

The end of the ideological rivalry between the

two super Powers means that we can entertain new

prospects that there will emerge an international order

based on justice, peace, international legality and

human rights as well as democracy and development,

an order that will make use of the Charter as a work of

reference and that will take into account the growing

universalization of the Organization and the fact that

new global social challenges are emerging and also that

recent socio-strategic changes have occurred.

Finally, we are convinced that if the United

Nations directs its actions along these lines, it will

finally meet the ideals for which it was founded.