Qatar, 2000

I should like at the outset to extend my

congratulations to Mr. Holkeri on his election to

preside over the work of this important fifty-fifth

session. It is indeed important because it is the first

session in the new millennium. We are confident that

his experience and diplomatic capability will be, God

willing, great assets in our effort to achieve the desired

success. I also extend my sincere thanks to the

President of the fifty-fourth session, His Excellency Dr.

Theo-Ben Gurirab, and to his friendly country,

Namibia, noting that his outstanding efforts had a

tremendous impact on solving numerous difficulties

and achieving good results in many matters during the

past session. I should further like to express my thanks

and appreciation to His Excellency, Secretary-General

Kofi Annan, who tried his utmost and has not

compromised, in his effort to realize the goals aspired

to by all peoples of the world. We also appreciate his

endeavour in preparing the report before us.

A few days ago the world witnessed a great event

in time and place, hosted in this building. This very

same hall was crowded with a unique assemblage of

world leaders who came from every corner of the globe

to attend the Millennium Summit. The attendance of so

many leaders and their desire to participate signifies

many things, most important of which is their firm

recognition of the role of the United Nations, which

represents the hope of the peoples of the world for the

achievement of a peaceful coexistence that guarantees

security, peace and well-being for all. The Summit

Declaration has deeply impressed us all. We trust that

the role of the United Nations will grow stronger when

States, particularly the great Powers, look beyond their

narrow, short-lived interests, work in the interests of

this Organization, and firmly abide by its Charter for

the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and by

resorting to the international judicial system. That

would be a civilized demonstration of the progress

achieved by nations and an acknowledgement of the

significance and fairness of the rule of law, which is an

instrument of security and peace, whose decisions

deserve respect and full obedience.

We, in the State of Qatar, under the leadership of

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the dearly

beloved Emir of the country, give the United Nations

and all its international organizations their due

appreciation and respect as part of the philosophy of

our system, which is based on truth and justice, both

internally and externally. We consider democracy and

human rights to be essential targets that we strive to

attain according to our special cultural, religious and

social characteristics. We thank God that we are aiming

in the right direction.

As the Assembly is well aware, we live in a

region that has for two decades been plagued by

disasters and crises. No sooner does one problem calm

down than another erupts like an active volcano. But

many good people from the Arab Gulf, and honourable

people and lovers of peace from other parts of the

world, are trying their best to establish security in a

region of great importance to present civilization, as

the region has embedded in it a sizeable portion of the

sources of energy needed by all. No sooner had the

Iraqi-Iranian war, which devastated the region and left

it with bleeding wounds, come to an end and people

had hopes of a period of rest during which the wounds

could be healed, than another crisis occurred, greater in

dimensions and more complex this time, namely, the

second Gulf War, the invasion of Kuwait and its

liberation and the economic boycott of Iraq, which has

gone on for a decade so far, killing people, particularly

children, the ill and the ageing. All of us now know

that the sanctions have failed to achieve the goal for

which they were established. Their course has changed

so much that they have become like a plague afflicting

people. Not only do we call for the lifting of sanctions

imposed on Iraq and putting an end to the suffering of

its people, but also for a reconsideration of the issue of

imposing sanctions, whether by individual States or

through the United Nations, for recourse to sanctions

has completely failed, leaving behind merely rancour

and hatred.

In referring to the humanitarian situation in Iraq

and realizing that humanitarian matters are indivisible,

we welcome the Secretary-General's appointment of

Yuli Vorontsov to be his representative regarding the

fate of Kuwaiti prisoners and missing persons, so as to

bring this phase of human suffering to an end. The

State of Qatar sincerely hopes that through concerted

bilateral and regional efforts a solution will be found to

17

the problem of prisoners and missing persons, whether

they be our Kuwaiti or Iraqi brothers.

In this context I should like to note that last year

my Government welcomed the positive development

and the progress that had been made for the settlement

of the “Lockerbie” question. We commend the

cooperation and positive response by the Libyan Arab

Jamahiriya and its fulfilment of its obligations. On the

other hand, we emphasize the necessity and

inevitability of lifting the sanctions imposed on Libya,

which had been temporarily suspended, because the

whole issue had been referred to a court following the

extradition of the two Libyan suspects. Consequently,

there is no longer legal justification for the

continuation of such sanctions.

The principle of dialogue or recourse to the

international judicial system referred to at the

beginning of my address, fully applies to the dispute

between the Emirates and Iran over the occupied

islands. The State of Qatar strives, within the tripartite

committee established by the Gulf Cooperation

Council, which includes our sister States the Kingdom

of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, to reach a

solution acceptable to both parties through bilateral

dialogue or recourse to international arbitration.

Similarly the Middle East question is foremost in

our priority concerns. An endeavour to solve this

question was launched but it faced obstacles and

impediments that prevented the attainment of the

much-sought-after peace based on legitimate

international resolutions, particularly Security Council

resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which were the

foundations of the peace process. The Arabs consider

peace their strategic option, yet a comprehensive peace

is still beyond reach, owing to Israeli intransigence,

inflexibility and disregard of the basic rights of the

Arab nation. This intransigence was an impediment to

peace on the Syrian-Lebanese track. Israel's refusal to

withdraw to the 4 June 1967 borders did not meet the

minimum conditions placed by the Syrian Arab

Republic, consistent with United Nations resolutions.

Simply because of a few metres Israel wasted a rare

chance for peace.

The situation on the Palestinian track, which is

the core and crux of the dispute in the region, is no

better. At the Camp David summit the Government of

Israel proved that it was captive to the extremist wing

of its people and that it was not mature enough to take

the brave decision of bringing to an end a conflict that

has lasted for half a century. Moreover, Israel's

insistence on the occupation of East Jerusalem is

provocative to the feelings of millions of Muslims and

Christians throughout the world. Israel must abide by

Security Council resolution 242 (1967), on the basis of

which the peace process was launched and which calls

for its withdrawal from all Arab lands to the borders of

4 June 1967. Furthermore, the conflict will not come to

an end without solving the question of Palestinian

refugees, in accordance with General Assembly

resolution 194 (III).

This leads to the question of Israeli settlements in

occupied Arab territories. These settlements are time

bombs standing in the way of any resolution to the

conflict. Extremist Zionists planted these settlements to

block any peaceful solution, in contradiction of

numerous General Assembly and Security Council

resolutions that explicitly declare them illegitimate.

The State of Qatar, declaring its full support of the

legitimate Arab demands on the Syrian, Lebanese and

Palestinian tracks, hopes that the voice of reason, love

and peace will eventually prevail, that a just and lasting

peace in the Middle East will be achieved, and that an

independent Palestinian state, ruling over all

Palestinian national territory with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as

its capital, will be established. The United States of

America, whose efforts in the peace process are

appreciated, is called upon more than at any time in the

past, to exert pressure on Israel to respond to the

challenges of peace and not miss this historic

opportunity as a result of narrow, short-lived

ambitions; the alternative to the peace process is too

dangerous for international peace and security, and

could lead us all into a maze whose outcome would be

known only to God.

The State of Qatar supports attempts made at

national reconciliation in our sisterly State, the Sudan,

and endorses the efforts of the Sudanese Government

in this respect, and hopes that goodwill and sincerity

will lead to consensus so that people's efforts will be

directed towards development and reconstruction. At

the same time it requests that foreign parties refrain

from prolonging the crisis at the expense of the

brotherly people of the Sudan, who pay the price with

illness, hunger and blood.

We also support the tireless efforts of the

President and the Government of Djibouti to solve the

elusive and chronic Somali problem, and thank God

18

that those efforts have been fruitful. Here we extend

our congratulations to His Excellency, President

Abdikassim Salad Hassan, the elected Somali

President. We wish him and his Government every

success. We assure him that he will find in the State of

Qatar the necessary help and support in order to sail the

boat of national reconciliation safely to land. We also

hope that our Somali brothers will help treat each

other's wounds, put an end to the chaos and destruction

that has befallen their country for a decade, and

respond to the hopes and aspirations of their people,

who dream of security, peace and a life of honour and

freedom, like all peoples of the world.

This leads us to the entire region of the Horn of

Africa, where war, drought and famine have inflicted

untold suffering on its people, with whom we have

relations of kinship and neighbourhood. We wish them

stability and every good, and we hope that their efforts

will be directed towards action and construction.

The State of Qatar looks closely and with concern

at what is plotted against our sisterly State, Indonesia,

the most populous Muslim State and one that has a

prominent place in the minds of all Muslims. Intrigues

are being secretly contrived to dissect this peaceful

Muslim State under the pretext of human rights and

other means of deception that fool nobody. We

emphasize our strong and unreserved support for the

sovereignty of Indonesia over all its territories, and for

its territorial integrity and national unity. Events in

Indonesia constitute a domestic affair, the like of which

occurs in many States in the world. The Indonesian

Government, God willing, is capable of putting an end

to such problems among its citizens, regardless of their

race, religion or orientation. We realize too that

financial difficulties and poverty are among the main

factors of these internal problems.

It is hoped that this session, the first in the new

millennium, will give us a strong impetus to reflect on

our world today with all its disparities embodied in the

daily life of hundreds of millions of people. A close

scrutiny of the world will reveal a rich, developed

North enjoying prosperity, democracy, economic

stability and ample opportunities for creativity and

innovation, and a poor South, many of whose States try

hard to catch up with the march of civilization and

progress and utilize all their capabilities for the

development of their infrastructures and the

advancement of their people. However, other States of

the South continue to suffer from war and conflict both

between States and among citizens of the same country,

thus causing their suffering to increase and their

resources to be wasted on acquiring weapons instead of

being used for education, health and the building of

infrastructures.

Since economic factors contribute enormously to

the continuation of wars and disputes, it is incumbent

upon us to solve the causes of these crises. That can

only be achieved with the cooperation of all,

particularly the rich States of the North. Foremost

among those crises are indebtedness and the

accumulation of interest that exhaust the income of

many States of the South. We hope that the States of

the North and their creditor institutions will respond to

the numerous appeals to write off, either wholly or

partially, the debts or interest of the poorest countries

which strive to upgrade their fragile economies. We

must also conduct a comprehensive review of the

international banking system by holding an

international conference in which all countries of the

world participate, with the aim of establishing a wise,

fair and just pilot policy for the world economy in the

new millennium, taking into consideration the issue of

development in third world countries and directing

investment and capital towards the establishment of a

genuine partnership that promotes such development.

Globalization has impacted every region and

transformed the world into a small village, no part of

which can be separated from the other parts. Therefore,

the transfer of technology, especially information and

communications technology, must be accompanied by

transparent globalization, rather than selective

globalization wherein third world countries are no

more than markets for the products of developed

countries and large corporations.

The process of reforming the United Nations

attracts the attention of all States, and I have referred to

it on other occasions at past sessions. The Secretary-

General's efforts are outstanding in this respect. For the

realization of an active Organization responding

harmoniously to contemporary requirements, its work

has to be activated, the number of its employees who

drain its resources has to be cut back, and the dynamics

of its work, both at Headquarters and in its bodies,

organs and offices elsewhere, have to be changed.

Moreover, the process of reforming the Security

Council requires the Working Group to proceed until it

achieves the goal for which it was established. The

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Working Group has indeed gone a long way in that

respect, particularly with regard to the second cluster

relating to procedural matters in the work of the

Council. As for expanding the Council and increasing

its membership, the State of Qatar is committed to the

position of the Arab Group and the countries of the

Non-Aligned Movement that calls for a minimum

increase of up to 26 members, taking into consideration

equitable geographical distribution and the fact that the

last increase in its membership took place in 1963. We

also endorse the continuation of the Working Group,

which, God willing, will reach a consensual solution.

At the same time we emphasize the right of the Arab

world to a permanent seat in any impending increase.

A few terms and ideas have recently gained

currency, and though they sound good they imply a

great threat to States and nations. Danger is not

inherent in these terms but is rather a consequence of

their interpretation or application. Intervention in

humanitarian cases is one of these ideas that can be

exploited by the great Powers to justify interference in

the internal affairs of States and the violation of their

national sovereignty. Promotion of democracies in the

world, the code of conduct and good governance are all

relative, and if they were to be used according to their

present interpretation, the world would run according

to a single style of democracy and one culture would

prevail. This is so serious that it would eliminate

pluralism, which is an enriching factor in the work of

the United Nations, since it indicates diversity and

difference among peoples and nations. This very same

diversity contributes positively to world interests,

promotes humanitarian and cultural exchanges and

enables each of us to accept other cultures and coexist

with them. True democracy is one that is freely chosen

by any people for its mode of governance without

outside intervention.

The year 2001, the United Nations Year of

Dialogue among Civilizations, may offer us a good

opportunity to demonstrate more tolerance and

communication among nations for the benefit of

humanity. I should like here to refer to the address by

His Highness, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the

beloved Emir of Qatar, on 5 September 2000 when the

dialogue among civilizations initiative was launched,

and to His Highness's emphasis on the significance of

dialogue and communication as an alternative to

dispute and conflict.

Peacekeeping forces play a very important role,

establishing security and stability in many different

regions suffering from conflict and war, and as time

passes, the cost of operating these forces rise. At this

session the Fifth Committee will discuss the issue of

contributions to these forces. We maintain that the

Fifth Committee is the best forum for this, but since

this process is linked to Members' assessed

contributions to the regular budget, we believe that

finalizing the scale of assessments first is a reasonable

priority. Our delegation will actively take part in the

work of that Committee with the aim of reaching a

consensus, without which we cannot find a solution to

the problem of committing any State to something it

cannot meet in the future. We stress that all aspects of

the economic situation of each State should be

considered, particularly the emerging economies that

rely on one source of income and that are subject to

market volatility. My country is one of those States.

Finally, the State of Qatar firmly believes in the

importance of the role of the United Nations in

establishing security, stability and peace throughout the

world, and it also believes in the importance of

respecting the United Nations Charter and its lofty

goals, and the need to adhere to the Charter in

international relations. We trust and hope that the

future will be bright, when all peoples of the globe will

realize their goals and aspirations and will positively

contribute to the process of building, development and

innovation.