Portugal, 2002

The international

agenda was forever changed by the events of 11

September 2001. The challenge created for the United

Nations was, and is, the same as that for each of its

Members: how best to react to those changes. The

international fight against terrorism has thus become a

top priority for all of us. It is not only a fight against

individuals who conspire to kill innocent people; it is

also, in itself, a fight for respect for human life and

human dignity, for the values of liberty, tolerance and

democracy and for the peaceful solution of conflicts.

The United Nations immediately pledged its

Members to the struggle through a swift reaction by the

General Assembly and by the Security Council, which

stated that the terrorist attacks of 11 September were a

threat to international peace and security and which

adopted a resolution, sending out a remarkable signal

of strength, quickly followed by other international

organizations, such as the European Union and the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE).

As members are aware, Portugal currently holds

the chairmanship of the OSCE. We have made the fight

against terrorism a priority on the OSCE's agenda. As

Chairman-in-Office, I have been working towards a

European charter on preventing and fighting terrorism,

to be adopted at the ministerial meeting to be held in

Portugal next December.

But the United Nations is in a unique position to

coordinate and invigorate the international response to

terrorism. We are called upon to demonstrate that a

world in which humanity can live free from fear is not

only a common aspiration but also an achievable goal.

We trust that the Security Council and the General

Assembly will live up to their responsibilities in that

regard. Failure to do so would seriously compromise

the credibility of the Organization.

(spoke in Portuguese; English text furnished by the

delegation)

At the same time that the world faces the new

challenge of terrorism, old challenges persist. The

Middle East demands a new peace dynamic. The

evolution of the Iraqi issue must entail absolute respect

for Security Council resolutions and the unconditional

return of United Nations inspectors. Indeed, we

consider the problem concerning Iraq often to be

wrongfully presented: Iraq is a threat to international

security, and thus pressure must be exerted on Iraq, not

on the United Nations or on one particular country. It is

Iraq that is failing to comply with United Nations

resolutions. Our goal is to put an end to the threat

represented by weapons of mass destruction. The

United Nations and its Members cannot and must not

continue to tolerate the continuous violation of

Security Council resolutions. Thus, the international

community must know how to act effectively and must

be particularly demanding on this issue.

The Security Council should promptly make a

statement on Iraq's lack of compliance with Council

resolutions and on its obligations. It is now up to Iraq

to seize this opportunity and to cooperate with the

United Nations. But, should Iraq persist in not

complying fully with the Organization within a time

frame to be determined, the international community

should not exclude any alternative or option.

On the other hand, two success stories from the

past year deserve a special reference. First, in Angola,

peace was achieved and seems irreversible. Portugal

will continue to work with the Angola's Government

and political forces towards the full implementation of

the Lusaka Protocol. The United Nations must

contribute to that process. Humanitarian assistance is

vital for the consolidation of the peace process. Those

steps, along with free elections and a modern economic

framework, will surely strengthen peace and

democracy in that country.

Secondly, East Timor's proclamation of

independence on 20 May represents a success for the

people of East Timor, for the United Nations and for

those who fought for it. The General Assembly will

soon proclaim East Timor a new Member. An

independent East Timor within the United Nations

deeply touches the Portuguese people, who have

always believed in the rights of East Timor's people

and in the justice of their cause. East Timor started

from scratch. It is now up to the international

community to maintain its support, lest it squander the

opportunity to meet the challenges of that new country.

I turn now to a number of other noteworthy

matters. As a founding party to the Statute of the

International Criminal Court, Portugal believes that the

election of a first team of judges will be a crucial step

towards the Court's effective functioning and

20

credibility. That institution and its regular functioning

must become a fixture of the international scene.

The New Partnership for Africa's Development

(NEPAD) underlines the preoccupation of African

countries with the values of democracy and human

rights, as well as sustainable economic development

and the continent's integration into economic

globalization. Bearing such concerns in mind, Portugal

will organize the next conference between the

European Union and Africa, to be held in April 2003.

Africa is a priority for us. Therefore, we support

initiatives to energize the development policies and

economies of that forgotten continent.

Finally, we welcome Switzerland's accession to

membership of the United Nations. The presence of the

Swiss Confederation will certainly benefit United

Nations action.

(spoke in English)

The way in which the world embraces the new

challenges it faces will be the best indication that the

events of one year ago resulted in a triumph for the

international community. A safer world is founded on

secure countries representing all their people and living

in peace. That is how terrorism will eventually be

defeated, and out of that the new international order

should gradually emerge.

Security can no longer be conceived in

exclusively military terms or solely in terms of

territorial defence. Several factors must be taken into

consideration: the widespread development of weapons

of mass destruction; the proliferation of other threats,

such as environmental degradation, diseases such as

HIV/AIDS, famine and migration, which transcend

State borders; and factors affecting the ability of many

States to face the challenge of globalization. Thus, no

nation, however powerful, is self-sufficient; not even

the greatest of countries can do everything on its own.

Multilateral cooperation is the key to the future. One of

the basic goals of the United Nations should be to

implement such cooperation in a practical and

consistent manner.