Pakistan, 2004

Allow me at the outset to

express to you, Sir, our warm felicitations on your

election as President of the General Assembly at its

fifty-ninth session. We congratulate Mr. Julian Hunte

on his successful stewardship of the fifty-eighth

session of the Assembly. I also reaffirm our deep

appreciation for the wise leadership of the Secretary-

General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and his services for the cause

of peace and progress in the world.

A profound transformation is under way in

international relations. The dangerous balances of the

cold war have been replaced by the complex and

equally dangerous realities of our world today. It is a

world marked by intensifying globalization of

economies, production, trade and information, on one

side; and by terrorist violence, poverty and disease, on

the other.

The growing asymmetries in power among States,

discrimination in the dispensing of international

justice, repression of peoplesí legitimate aspirations

and growing socio-economic disparities have

precipitated new threats to international peace and to

international security: the threats of terrorism,

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and

imploding States. The world today sees turmoil and

upheaval everywhere, especially in the third world, and

more specifically in the Muslim world. Too many

fronts have been opened and too many battle lines have

been drawn. The time for closing fronts has come. The

world today is crying for peace, reconciliation and

reform. Our objective today has to be harmony through

reconciliation and accommodation, globally and

regionally.

Terrorism poses the most urgent threat to many

countries, including the most powerful States. For

many of us, the terrorist threat is very close and may be

very personal. Terrorism threatens Pakistan's vital

national interests and objectives. We have thus

participated actively in the unprecedented global

campaign against it. Pakistan has led the way in that

campaign. Our counter-terrorist campaign is ongoing.

Global cooperation against terrorism has been

highly successful. Determined and collective action has

contained and disrupted the violent agendas of the

terrorists. We are winning the battle against terrorists.

However, what we are doing is insufficient to win the

ultimate war against them. The immediate anti-terrorist

response has to be accompanied by a clear long-term

strategy that strikes at the root of the problem if we are

to ensure final success against this scourge.

I have proposed a two-pronged strategy of

enlightened moderation to overcome terrorism and

prevent a clash of civilizations. The most recent

Islamic Summit, in Malaysia, endorsed that plan,

which involves, on the one hand, internal socio-

economic reform in the Muslim world and, on the

other, active support from the major Powers to ensure

political justice and socio-economic revival for all

Islamic peoples. While the Islamic world has taken its

first step in the form of nominating a Commission of

Eminent Persons to propose measures for a renaissance

in the Muslim world, the major Powers of the West

have yet to show movement in seriously trying to

resolve internationally recognized disputes affecting

the Muslim world.

The industrialized world must support the

endeavour to bring about an Islamic renaissance,

especially through adequate financial and technical

assistance and larger trade opportunities. More

important, justice must be offered to Islamic peoples in

the form of the resolution of all outstanding

international disputes which affect Muslims. There is

no time to lose. Action has to be taken before an iron

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curtain finally descends between the West and the

Islamic world.

The tragedy of Palestine is an open wound

inflicted on the psyche of every Muslim. It generates

anger and resentment across the Islamic world.

Continued Israeli violence and the Israelis' erection of

the illegal separation wall, usurping more Palestinian

land, as well as suicide attacks by misguided

Palestinians, are frustrating the prospects of peace and

prolonging the agony of the Palestinian people. While

Pakistan stands for peace, recognizing the right of

Israel to exist as also the right of the Palestinians to

have their own homeland, we can never accept the

usurpation of additional Palestinian land. Israel has no

right to erect its separation wall beyond its 1967

boundaries. Pakistan calls on Israel to withdraw the

wall from all occupied Palestinian lands, taking it back

to the pre-1967 boundaries. We also call on Israel to

stop the daily atrocities against Palestinians. Pakistan

also appeals to President Yasser Arafat to use his

influence to reciprocally halt the intifada and give

peace a chance.

A major responsibility rests with the Quartet, and

in particular with the world's greatest Power, the

United States, to secure a fair and peaceful solution to

the problem, realizing the vision of two States, Israel

and Palestine, living side by side in peace, harmony

and security. The United States can and must play the

role of a just broker of peace. Peace must succeed in

the Middle East; failure is no longer an option.

It has always been my conviction that Pakistan

and India can resolve all their differences, including

over Jammu and Kashmir, through a sincere dialogue.

The dangerous confrontation of 2002 and the three

wars prior to that between our two countries have

demonstrated that there is no military solution to our

problems. The aspiration to peace enjoys popular

support in Pakistan and, I believe, in India as well.

Neither country can achieve its ambition for social and

economic progress in the absence of peace. We must

achieve peace for the sake of the impoverished people

of South Asia ó for their development and prosperity.

After several aborted attempts, Pakistan and India

have been able to initiate confidence-building

measures and a composite dialogue this year to address

all outstanding issues. Pakistan has pursued this

process with complete sincerity, giving bilateralism a

final chance. We feel that the dual channels of

confidence-building measures and the dialogue process

must proceed in tandem. We also are firmly committed

to resolving all disputes with India peacefully,

including the Kashmir dispute. That issue cannot be

ignored. Its resolution cannot be delayed inordinately.

We desire a resolution for Kashmir which is just and

acceptable to India, Pakistan and the people of

Kashmir.

We also seek strategic stability with India. I am

glad to say that up until now, the normalization process

has progressed well, in a cordial atmosphere. Now that

the negotiations are entering the difficult stage of

grappling with solutions to previously irreconcilable

disputes, Pakistan hopes that India will show the same

sincerity, flexibility and boldness that Pakistan will

demonstrate. I look forward to my meeting the day

after tomorrow with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

I would like to convey to him that this is the moment

for peace; we must not allow it to slip away.

Iraq has taken a serious turn, to the anguish of the

entire world community. It is imperative that together

with closing the Palestine and Kashmir fronts, we also

wind down the Iraq confrontation. Pakistan stands for

restoration of peace and stability in Iraq to ensure its

unity and territorial integrity. That can only be

achieved through handing over governance authority to

the people of Iraq and allowing them full control over

their natural resources. Internal law and order and

security can be best promoted by local Iraqi police and

militia, who need to be built up expeditiously.

At an opportune time, and at the request of the

people and Government of Iraq, the Muslim world

could play a role in bringing peace and harmony to this

conflict-torn nation.

The forthcoming elections in Afghanistan will be

an important landmark in the countryís progress

towards democracy and stability. Pakistan will do all it

can to prevent terrorists from using our territory to

disrupt the Afghan election process. The subsequent

parliamentary elections in April 2005 would also augur

well for self-governance in Afghanistan. While the

political channel is progressing well ó and we wish

President Karzai all success ó the process of building

the Afghan National Army and reconstruction efforts

need to be accelerated in order to install durable peace

in Afghanistan.

In our globalized world, peace and development

are interdependent, now more than ever before. Despite

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dynamic growth in some parts of the developing world,

economic and social disparities are increasing. The rich

are richer; the poor are poorer. Over 2 billion people on

our planet ó a quarter of the worldís population ó

live in abject poverty, afflicted by hunger, disease and

conflict. Islands of peace and prosperity cannot coexist

for long within oceans of instability and poverty.

A bold and innovative global strategy is required

to redress the growing inequalities in the world. Good

governance is a precondition for development; but the

need to rectify the glaring inequities and imbalances in

the international financial and trade systems is equally

essential.

Official development assistance can and must be

doubled. Innovative ways can and must be adopted to

generate the financial resources required for

development. The billions transferred abroad by

corrupt leaders should be returned to the looted

countries to finance poverty alleviation, education and

health. International investment flows should be

consciously directed to the poorer developing

countries, where such funds could unleash the latent

power of the poor for consumption and production.

We also know by now that trade, and not just aid,

is the way to promote growth and to benefit from

globalization. However, it has to be made more

equitable. Unfair agricultural subsidies should be

eliminated and high and escalating tariffs that

discriminate against the products of the poor should be

removed. Special and differential treatment should be

offered to disadvantaged developing countries. In my

view, we need more than a level playing field; we need

a field tilted in favour of the developing countries.

Unless the worldís leaders generate the political

will required to agree and implement those measures

urgently, the Millennium Development Goals will

remain a mirage.

In Pakistan, we are well on the way to

transforming our country into a modern, progressive,

tolerant, democratic, Islamic state, reflecting the vision

of our founding father, Quaid-e-Azam. Democracy has

been restored in Pakistan. The people have been

empowered through a revolutionary local government

system. Our women have been empowered. However,

like other developing countries, Pakistan confronts

several challenges. But, we are confident of success.

Our governance is good. Our national priorities are

absolutely clear.

Today, there is welcome resurgence of support for

multilateralism. This must be a multilateralism based

on the principles of the United Nations Charter, a

cooperative and democratic multilateralism. It must

seek just, peaceful and durable solutions to conflicts

and disputes. It must promote a programme for nuclear

disarmament and non-proliferation. It must foster

global development and global prosperity.

All our collective aspirations can best be pursued

within this world Organization. The United Nations

must be strengthened and revitalized to respond to the

challenges of twenty-first century.

The United Nations Security Council should

become more effective, democratic and representative.

There is no agreement on the aspiration of a few States

to acquire permanent membership in the Security

Council. The overwhelming majority of States are

against the creation of new centres of privilege. The

Council should be enlarged to ensure the representation

of the mostly small and medium States which have

joined the United Nations over the last three decades.

We have to consider new ideas to craft a consensus on

the enlargement of the Security Council.

Pakistan believes that a new consensus on peace,

security and development, can and should be achieved

on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the

United Nations next year. The summit meeting

suggested by the Secretary-General for next year must

lead to a negotiated final document adopted through

consensus. That historic summit will, I hope, and

Pakistan hopes, create a new paradigm to achieve

universal peace and prosperity.