Qatar, 1994

I should like, at the outset, to express to Mr. Essy and to

his friendly country my Government’s and my personal

congratulations on his election to the Presidency of the

General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. We are

confident that his abilities and skills will enable him to

discharge his responsibilities in the best possible manner.

I should like also to congratulate the members of the

General Committee on their election to that body.

On this occasion I cannot fail to express the

appreciation of the delegation of the State of Qatar, as well

as my personal appreciation, to Mr. Essy’s predecessor as

President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Samuel

Insanally, who represents the friendly Republic of Guyana,

for his excellent leadership and the work carried out during

his tenure.

It is also my pleasure to extend our congratulations to

those States that have recently joined our international

Organization. We look forward to their constructive and

effective participation in the activities of the United Nations

and to their defence of its principles.

In that context, I salute the delegation of the Republic

of South Africa and that country’s great leader, Nelson

Mandela, the first African President of the State, which, in

this new chapter of its history, will undoubtedly be a new

Member representing the African continent and the

international community. We are convinced that it will

play an outstanding role, for which it is eminently qualified

by its stature, as well as by its expertise in all fields.

I should like also to reaffirm the State of Qatar’s full

confidence in and special appreciation of the

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his

commitment and devotion in the service of this international

Organization and for his efforts to uphold the noble

principles of the United Nations and to promote its

international peace-keeping and peacemaking role in dealing

with international problems and crises. This is a role that

will undoubtedly increase in importance.

The General Assembly’s forty-ninth session is being

held in the shadow of dynamic and rapid changes in

international relations. These rapid dynamic changes have

not yet reached their culmination. We are in a period of

transition wherein new patterns of international relations are

constantly emerging. It is a period in which the so-called

new international order is being formed.

The most important underpinnings on which this

new order must rest are, in our view, respect for the

principles and purposes of the United Nations and its

Charter, in particular, the principle of sovereign co-

equality, the willingness of States to honour their

commitments in good faith, non-intervention in the

internal affairs of other States, the control by States of

their natural resources, the non-use and the absence of the

threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or

political independence of other States, and the resolution

of international disputes by peaceful means in accordance

with the principles of international law through mediation,

dialogue or through the International Court of Justice.

With the ending of the cold war, a new era has

dawned in the United Nations. This international

Organization is now being resorted to increasingly and

more urgently. The United Nations mechanism is now

squarely in the forefront of international efforts to face up

to problems that in the past were intractable. Such

problems are now being examined and debated in a

serious manner in the United Nations and its specialized

organs and agencies with the aim of finding suitable

solutions thereto.

In this regard, the State of Qatar believes that the

United Nations and its specialized organs and agencies

are the most appropriate framework for deliberation on

issues relating to peace-keeping and peacemaking, the

peaceful settlement of international disputes, questions of

development and the forging of just and balanced

economic and social relations.

Given today’s challenges, there is no doubt that the

solving of such problems should be the collective

responsibility of all States regardless of size, if the

solutions devised are to be compatible with the interests

of the entire international community. Therefore, the

State of Qatar supports efforts to restructure this

international Organization and its bodies in order to make

them more democratic and dynamic so that they may

become more suited to the task of satisfying new

international requirements and dealing with the challenges

of peace, development, the issues of international peace

and security, as well as economic and social issues.

These issues are dictated by the radical

transformations in the patterns of international relations.

First of all, there must be a balanced relationship between

the General Assembly as the principal political body, the

Security Council as the body responsible for questions of

security, and the Economic and Social Council as the

34

body responsible for issues of economic and social

development.

In addition, the General Assembly and its resolutions

must be given a more effective role as a framework for

deliberations and negotiations and for the adoption of

resolutions on issues of international importance. This is

fully in line with the commitment by all States to the

principle of sovereign co-equality and the right of effective

participation in the upholding of the common interests of

the international community.

No one State or group of States, regardless of stature

or power, should monopolize the fashioning of the new

international order in the absence of the United Nations,

which is the true representative of the international

community. Such a new order must be fashioned by all

States collectively through the United Nations, whose

stature and efficacy must be enhanced and supported as the

only forum for international deliberations, the body

responsible for international peace and security and the

body that has the overall responsibility for economic and

social development, the protection of the environment and

of human rights as well as for combating drugs and

terrorism.

In this context, I should like to express my support for

the statement in the Secretary-General’s report "An Agenda

for Peace" that democracy within the family of nations

requires the fullest consultation, participation and

engagement of all States, large and small, in the work of

the Organization.

I should like to refer also to the statement in the same

report that the employment of preventive diplomacy

requires prior knowledge of potential disputes, participation

in peacemaking and peace-keeping, support for the

agreements concluded and the taking of measures that aim

at resolving the economic, social and political problems that

led to the dispute in the first place.

We welcome the positive developments in the role of

the Security Council and its ability to perform the role

mandated to it by the Charter, thanks to the new spirit of

cooperation that emerged between its members and enabled

it to take collective measures in respect of some very

difficult and sensitive issues and to assume new

responsibilities such as the expansion of its authority in

respect of some peace-keeping issues through the

administration of some areas during periods of transition

and through the supervision of elections and the protection

of human rights. None the less, we have some fears that

the Council may become an institution that is used to

impose the will of the strong on the weak.

Therefore, we believe that the exercise by certain

members of particular rights and privileges must not lead

to hegemony by a limited number of strong States over

the course of events in the world. Thus we believe that

the question of membership of the Security Council must

be dealt with in a manner that takes into account the large

increase in the membership of the United Nations while

putting some checks on the use of the right of veto.

In addition, the international community must respect

the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security

Council. Political will must be mobilized to implement

those resolutions, to impose peace if conditions so

require, or to negotiate peace if there is good faith and if

the parties cooperate. We believe that this is the

guaranteed means of protecting the new international

order and of ensuring its acceptability, credibility and

stability.

We hope that the celebration of the fiftieth

anniversary of the United Nations will mark the rebirth of

a new, stronger and more democratic body. In this

regard, we are encouraged by discussions, within and

outside the United Nations, regarding the restructuring of

the Organization and its various organs. These are very

constructive, serious and objective discussions, and all the

States of the world are participating in them.

The State of Qatar, proceeding from the wise

instructions of the Emir, His Royal Highness Sheikh

Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Thani, and his loyal heir, His

Royal Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, has

always participated by all means in the solution of issues

related to the Arab Gulf, as well as the Arab and Islamic

nation. We have supported the Gulf Cooperation Council

because it serves the interests of the Gulf States and their

peoples. We, as part of the region, believe that our

security is closely linked to the region’s. We have

supported stability in the region and rejected every

attempt to bring about regional changes by force. We

believe that the security of the region requires cooperation

amongst all its States on the basis of good-

neighbourliness, mutual respect, non-intervention in

internal affairs and respect for international law. We hold

that all unresolved problems should be resolved by

peaceful means, through dialogue, mediation or the

International Court of Justice.

35

Proceeding from this principle, the State of Qatar

supports the resolution by such means of the current dispute

between the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic

of Iran over the three islands of Abu Moussa and the two

Tumbs.

On the Arab level, the State of Qatar has continually

called for the airing of issues in the Arab world and for

reconciliation, in order to promote Arab solidarity so that

the Arab Umma may resume its role in history and in the

march of civilization.

We have followed with the greatest concern the

regrettable events in the Republic of Yemen. Since the

dispute began, the State of Qatar has participated in

diplomatic efforts to contain it. Despite the bloody and

regrettable struggle, friendly Yemen has maintained its

unity. As you know, from the beginning we have stood on

the side of legality and unity in Yemen, and we have been

eager to abide by these two principles in dealing with the

issue, proceeding from our faith in the need to maintain the

unity of the Yemenite territory and people.

As for the situation in Iraq, our position is that the

unity of Iraq and its territorial integrity must be maintained.

Iraq must commit itself to the implementation of all

relevant Security Council resolutions. It must recognize the

sovereignty of the state of Kuwait and its territorial

integrity, as well as its internationally recognized border

according to United Nations Security Council resolutions.

We also sympathize with the Iraqi people and call for the

alleviation of their hardship, taking into account the acute

shortage of medicines and foodstuffs.

Concerning peace in the Middle East, we support the

process and hope that negotiations will achieve concrete

progress on all tracks, particularly concerning Lebanon and

Syria. Last year, we welcomed the Palestinian-Israeli

agreement as a landmark on the road to a just solution to

the Palestinian question. We now welcome the subsequent

steps taken, namely the early transfer of authority and the

expansion of self-rule, both of which are important steps

towards the achievement of a just and comprehensive

solution to the question of Palestine. We also welcome the

Jordanian-Israeli declaration as to the ending of the state of

war between the two countries and the initiation of serious

negotiations to resolve all problems, specifically those

concerning water and borders. This declaration is also a

landmark on the road towards a just and comprehensive

solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, on the basis of the

Madrid formula; Security Council resolutions 242 (1967)

and 338 (1973); the land-for-peace principle; the full

withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied territories

(the Golan Heights, the southern part of Lebanon,

Jerusalem); the restoration of all inalienable rights of the

Palestinian people, including the right to self-

determination; and the creation of a State whose capital

will be Jerusalem, as it is a symbol of peace and is part

and parcel of the territories occupied since 1967. During

the transitional period, the situation in this territory,

particularly its demographic aspects, should not be

changed. I wish here to reiterate the need to put a stop

to the process of Israeli settlement, which is illegal and

constitutes a major hurdle in the way of peace.

Proceeding from this, the General Assembly should

reaffirm, at its current session, all previous resolutions

regarding the question of Palestine and the Middle East

problem, and declare them unalienable.

In order to push ahead the peace process in the

Middle East, we participated in the multilateral

negotiations. We indicated that those negotiations did not

replace bilateral negotiations but complemented them, and

that they would lead to nothing unless a just and

comprehensive peace was achieved in the region. In this

regard, the State of Qatar hosted, from 2 to 5 May 1994,

the fifth meeting of the Working Group on Disarmament

and Regional Security in the Middle East, which

developed from the multilateral negotiations.

The position of Qatar was stated as follows. First,

support for all international efforts aimed at achieving

agreement on disarmament on the regional and

international levels, and support for the efforts of the

Disarmament Conference in this respect. Second, the

arrangements of arms control after the achievement of

peace should be based on legally binding and co-equal

commitments by all parties under international law and in

conformity with the United Nations Charter. Third, arms

control efforts on the international level have achieved

remarkable success, particularly between the Russian

Federation and the United States as indicated by the

signing of START and all subsequent steps. Yet those

efforts have not achieved any tangible progress in the

Middle East, since one State continues to retain its

nuclear capabilities. Fourth, all States are called upon to

accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to agree

to abide by its safeguards and subject their nuclear

facilities to international inspections. The region must be

freed from all weapons of mass destruction and their

delivery systems. In this regard, we wonder how the

General Conference of the International Atomic Energy

Agency could decide to resume its technical assistance to

36

Israel, while Israel continues to reject the NPT and refuses

to submit to its safeguards regime.

We follow with great concern the situation in brotherly

Somalia. We hope that national reconciliation will

safeguard the unity, independence and stability of Somalia.

On this occasion, we wish to support the decision by the

Arab Foreign Ministers to set up an Arab ministerial

committee that would monitor the situation in Somalia and

work towards the desired reconciliation alongside the

Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.

As for Afghanistan, we express our concern over the

continuing violence and call upon all factions to halt

hostilities and work for a permanent and peaceful

settlement that would give precedence to the interests of the

Afghani people.

Since the Second World War, Europe has not

witnessed a tragedy such as that which is unfolding in

Bosnia and Herzegovina. The suffering imposed on the

Muslim people through the atrocities of ethnic cleansing,

genocide and mass killings at the hands of Serb aggressors

constitute crimes which far exceed all those committed in

Europe in the course of the Second World War. Despite

the fact that the Serbs reject the international peace plan

drawn up by the five States and accepted by Bosnia and

Herzegovina, no disciplinary action has been taken against

the Serb aggressors, while the embargoes are still in place

against Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the very least, the

international community should enable the Muslims to

exercise the right of self-defence, a legitimate right

enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Once again,

together with other members of the Islamic world we ask,

why is it that there is all this procrastination in dealing with

the Serbs, and why are they allowed to hold on to the land

they have acquired by force and on which they continue to

practice the atrocities of ethnic cleansing? The international

community is called upon to deal with this matter firmly

with no double standards and in a manner that would

guarantee the independence and territorial integrity of

Bosnia and Herzegovina and guarantee for it an economic

situation that may enable it to survive. This would

certainly contribute to the maintenance of international

peace and security in that sensitive region of the world.

The State of Qatar reiterates its condemnation of this

aggression and reaffirms the independence of the Republic

of Bosnia and Herzegovina, its territorial integrity, its

sovereignty and its unity with and its one indivisible

capital, Sarajevo.

While we welcomed the resolution adopted by the

United States Congress and agreed to by the

Administration to lift the embargo against the Republic of

Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have been surprised by the

latest resolution by the Security Council, which included

a relaxation of the sanctions imposed on Serbia and

Montenegro, the State that stands beside the Serbian

militias in their continuing aggression against the Muslims

in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We believe that the said

resolution will have grave consequences as it rewards the

aggressor and the forces that support that aggression and

constitutes a retreat in the face of aggression, massacres

and continuing ethnic crimes.

In this regard, we call on the Security Council not to

reward aggression. We call upon it to discharge its

responsibilities towards the protection of the Muslims in

Bosnia and Herzegovina by declaring the entire Republic

of Bosnia and Herzegovina a safe haven. The Council

must ensure that no military assistance is allowed to reach

the Serbs. The Muslims must be enabled to exercise their

legitimate right to self-defence by the lifting of the

embargo on their country. Once again, we emphasize that

the war criminals in the former Yugoslavia must be

brought to justice and support the demand by the

Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) contact

group on Bosnia and Herzegovina to be allowed to

participate in all activities of the contact group of five.

The world economy is slowly emerging from the

state of stagnation which has lasted for far too long. A

new period of varying degrees of growth has started,

particularly in the third world. Numerous elements had

contributed to that situation. Foremost among those

elements was the burden of foreign debt which is being

aggravated by the deterioration in prices of basic export

commodities side by side with the paucity of foreign

investments in the areas of production and the very high

expenditures on armaments. The time has come for the

international community, in particular the developed

industrial States, to adopt effective measures that would

make it possible to devise a definitive solution to the

problems of indebtedness in the third world as a whole,

and in Africa in particular.

The debt burden in Africa has had many grave

consequences which have affected the ability of the

continent to grow and develop. Despite the many debt

rescheduling agreements concluded over the past few

37

years, the servicing of debt continues to consume over

22 per cent of all export earnings and continues to obstruct

investment and human development.

In this context, the dialogue between the North and the

South should be reactivated in a more effective manner in

order to find new means to achieve development in the

third world and to rid the third world of poverty and

underdevelopment. We believe that ridding the world of

poverty and underdevelopment is an essential prerequisite

of lasting peace and the welfare of mankind.

Undoubtedly, success in the dialogue between North

and South and productive cooperation between them will

promote efforts to reach a new more realistic and more

balanced international economic order. The development

of the South is not merely in the interests of its States and

peoples alone, it is also in the interests of the North and its

people.

The developing world pins its hopes on international

trade as a means of achieving prosperity for all. We

therefore welcomed the recent success achieved with regard

to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

and hope that this success will result in the freeing of trade

and of unrestricted competition in the world.

The threats facing mankind today, and which will

continue to face it in future, are not all political or military.

There are questions of the deterioration of the environment,

poverty, underdevelopment, drugs, the spread of life-

threatening diseases, terrorism and violations of human

rights which become more grave with each passing day.

These non-political issues require urgent solutions before

they become intractable and threaten all mankind.

Among the indications of the international

community’s concern with economic and social issues is

the large number of international conferences devoted to

such issues. Over the past two years, the world witnessed

the holding of several such conferences, including the

World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, the United

Nations Conference on Environment and Development in

Rio de Janeiro, and next year the World Summit for Social

Development will be held in Copenhagen. Each one of the

conferences that have been convened has achieved results

with regard to the issues it has dealt with by means of

resolutions and recommendations and the international

consensus surrounding those resolutions and

recommendations.

All we wish for here is that those issues should not

be used as a pretext to intervene in the internal affairs of

States, to deal with States in a discriminatory manner, or

to impose conditions on providing economic or

developmental aid.

I refer in this connection to the idea of a carbon tax,

whether individual or collective, under the pretext of

protecting the environment. This is purely an economic

issue which will harm the economies of oil-producing

States, particularly those in the Gulf.

The State of Qatar reaffirms its support for the

United Nations efforts to deal with the issues I have

mentioned. The United Nations is the ideal institution to

face up to international and world issues with all their

political, humanitarian, economic and social dimensions.

Inspired by the Charter, it can achieve success by

building a world based on relations of cooperation and

mutual confidence, a world of justice and stability.