Oman, 2010

It gives

me great pleasure to offer you, Sir, and your friendly

country, Switzerland, our warmest congratulations on

your election to preside over the sixty-fifth session of the

General assembly. I also wish to express our appreciation

to your predecessor, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, of the

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, for his fruitful efforts in

conducting the deliberations of the previous session.

For more than 65 years, since its inception, the

United Nations has registered tangible achievements. It

has offered assistance and expertise in the socio-

economic and environmental spheres, as well as in the

cause of international security and peace, and has

contributed to the establishment of stability in a

number of regions of the world.

The Sultanate of Oman hopes that at this session

the Assembly will make unprecedented progress in our

shared pursuit of international peace and security, as

well as prosperity.

The international community meets today in

challenging times, faced with a whole range of thorny

issues, from ongoing political instability to security

challenges, financial crises, economic and environmental

problems, the nuclear question and non-proliferation. It

may be useful to recall here the lesson that such

challenges can best be met through dialogue and

positive participation by all, aimed at arresting threats

to international peace and security.

The floods in Pakistan led to the dislocation of

more than 20 million Pakistanis, who have lost their

homes and are still experiencing tragic suffering,

despite the continuing international rescue efforts.

More outside assistance, expertise and capabilities are

needed to help Pakistan overcome this tragedy and

mitigate its consequences on the ground, as well as

push ahead with the reconstruction process.

Those floods, the volcanic eruption in Iceland and

the H1N1 epidemic, for example, are recent phenomena

that have highlighted how interconnected the States of

the world are and the need for international

cooperation. What affects one corner of the world can

truly have sweeping impacts across the globe.

The United Nations, its specialized agencies and

legal organs were established after devastating wars, in

the aftermath of the First and Second World Wars.

Although the international community has not yet been

able to find the means to resolve complex political

problems, the United Nations offers multilateral

mechanisms and goals that have played an enormous

part in the reduction or neutralization of many crises.

In addition, it plays key roles in helping developing

countries in numerous specialized fields related to

socio-economic development and the protection of the

environment.

We believe that the effectiveness of the United

Nations must reach a new level. This requires that the

permanent members of the Security Council accept a

reorganization of the United Nations, including an

expansion of its administrative base, with fair management

of world trade interests, in a way which makes Member

States feel that it is an Organization for all.

We look forward to seeing the international

community conduct a comprehensive review of the

requirements for international peace and security, in

view of all the lessons learned from wars in the past

century and in this century.

We also look forward, Mr. President, along with

you and all Member States, to a world of lasting

security, characterized by good intentions and

confidence in the future, a world where all peoples

enjoy shining freedom and the beauty of life. We look

forward to the day when dialogue prevails on the basis

of accepting the other, regardless of social and cultural

variations between human communities. We believe

that dialogue between Governments, which differ in

their perspectives on issues, will lead to a clearer

system of global partnership and coexistence, in which

development, welfare and prosperity prevail.

The Sultanate of Oman believes strongly that part

of its responsibilities in the context of development is

to make the Omani person the effective mover of the

wheel of development. Therefore, my country has

dedicated all resources towards that goal, especially

with regard to education at all levels and medical care

for every individual.

The people of Oman and their Government play

their roles in society and participate effectively in

everything concerning the life of the Omani citizen

through the Council of Oman, with its two chambers:

the Council of State and the Consultative Council. The

role of the Omani citizen along the path of his country’s

development is central and indispensable, stemming

from the firm conviction of the leader of Oman’s

renaissance, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, that

life is created for mankind, male and female, that

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freedom is the core of life, and that free positive

expression is the seed of creativity, which is the fuel

for development. With that insightful vision of His

Majesty, the Sultanate of Oman is moving towards the

future with firm determination.

We wish to stress our strong belief in the absolute

necessity of finding a solution to the chronic conflict in

the Middle East. Although we support the direct

negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis,

sponsored by the United States of America, we still

feel that the Israeli policy is vague with regard to

accepting Israel’s responsibility towards the requirements

of peace: the establishment of an independent, sovereign

and viable Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its

capital, and Israel’s withdrawal from all Arab lands to

the borders of 4 June 1967.

We look forward to an active, positive and

continuing role by United States President Barack

Obama in order to reach a just and comprehensive

settlement. We call upon Israel to grasp this historic

opportunity to establish partnership in peace and

security with the Arab countries.