Qatar, 2011

It gives me

great pleasure to address the General Assembly of the

United Nations this year, at a time when its President is

a son of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Mr. Nassir

Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. I take this opportunity to

congratulate him on his election and to wish him every

success in his mission. I would also like to express my

thanks to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Joseph

Deiss, for his hard work during his presidency of the

previous session. Let me also congratulate His

Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon for the trust that all

Member States expressed in him by reappointing him

as Secretary-General of the United Nations for a

second term.

I come to the Assembly from a region brimming

with great expectations and hopes that is navigating

through strong currents, a region whose peoples are

calling for reform so that they can achieve their goals,

assume their responsibilities and take their place in the

partnership of the future of humankind, with all of its

challenges and prospects.

We have been aware of our role from the very

beginning and we have acted within its parameters. We

are for the promotion of dialogue among cultures and

civilizations. We are for strengthening and consolidating

relations among peoples. We are for the consolidation

of rapprochement among Powers on the basis of the

principles of right and justice and within the

framework of rightful cooperation. That cooperation

must be governed by the principles, laws and

11-50692 16

international charters and covenants that have been

developed by humankind over the centuries to ensure a

better future for the world.

All members of the Assembly are aware that the

blossoming of the Arab Spring — with all that it

represents in Arab and human history — has presented

everyone with heavy responsibilities that they have to

assume, as well as positions that they have to take. We

were among those who made a choice. On the one

hand, we have always had a clear policy with regard to

the rules that govern our Arab, regional and

international relations. Those rules are based on

understanding, reconciliation and harmony among

peoples and nations. On the other hand, like others, we

have been unable to turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to the

calls of the wounded seeking help from near and far

against an entrenched oppression and injustice.

For our part, we exhausted each and every means,

until the only option left for us was to hear and

sympathize, and to watch and help. We knew that this

was not a solution, but rather an emergency situation in

the context of one of the most critical issues in the

Arab world today, by which I mean the issue of

change.

We know that our principled choices are stable

and strong. We also know that our subsequent response

to the prevailing situation stems from urgency, and that

it is a situation that needs to be settled on the basis of

the rules and laws that govern international relations in

the contemporary world. It is a situation that should

shift responsibilities from States acting individually to

an international community acting in accordance with

its rules and laws.

We have already expressed our views here,

during previous sessions of the Assembly, that the

United Nations system needs to evolve in a manner

consistent with the situations that reflect the realities of

a new world. That world is not one linked with

interests alone, but one where it is imperative to have

an agreement that confirms the principles that govern

civilized behaviour, while simultaneously preserving

the unity of those interests.

The major problems in the Middle East region are

the question of Palestine and the continued Israeli

occupation of Arab territories in the West Bank, the

Golan Heights and the Shaba’a farmlands in southern

Lebanon, in addition to the threat of war and the

strangulating Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

For over four decades, all peace efforts that have

been deployed have resulted in failures to reach a just

settlement that would ensure a lasting and

comprehensive peace in the region. This is because of

Israel’s intransigent position, which seems to be that its

military might enable it to guarantee peace and

security, and its insistence to play for time and to use

the negotiations to preserve the status quo by

continuing Jewish settlement.

Faced with this stalemate in the Palestinian cause,

the continued suffering of the Palestinian people under

occupation and persistent violations of their human and

national rights, we urge all Member States of the

United Nations to listen to the voice of right. We urge

them to respond to the Palestinians’ legitimate request

for a Palestinian State that will become a full-fledged

member of the United Nations, on an equal footing

with all other Member States. This will pave the way

for the realization of peace in our region.