Saudi Arabia, 2004

I

am pleased to express to you, Sir, and to your friendly

country, Gabon, our sincere congratulations on your

election as President of the General Assembly at its

fifty-ninth session. We are confident that you will lead

the work of this session in a highly capable and

efficient manner. I should also like to express our

appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Julian Hunte,

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia, who, as

President of the last session of the Assembly, managed

its affairs with wisdom and skill.

On this occasion, I should like to convey the deep

appreciation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to

His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan for his sustained,

diligent and commendable efforts to maintain

international peace and security and to revitalize the

role of the United Nations and enhance its functions,

capacities, credibility and effectiveness. In that regard,

the speech given by the Secretary-General last week is

notable and praiseworthy, as it provided a blueprint and

guidelines for enhancing the resiliency of the

international order. It is crucial when tackling global

issues to bridge the gaps in the international order so

that measures are not applied selectively or arbitrarily.

The accelerating global changes and the grave

challenges facing the international community today

necessitate more than ever a scrutiny of the working

methods of the United Nations, as well as the

structures and functions of its organs, in order to

enhance its ability to prevent and resolve conflicts and

to maintain international peace and security.

In that respect, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

supports the call for reform of the Security Council, in

particular, an increase in its membership in order to

improve geographical representation, a greater

transparency in its work, a halt to the application of

double standards and the adoption of measures that

will enhance the credibility of the Council’s work and

guarantee respect for, and compliance with, its

resolutions.

Among the important reforms needed in our

Organization is restriction of the veto power.

Permanent members of the Security Council should not

be allowed to invoke their right of veto in cases where

proposed resolutions and procedures are adopted to

implement previously agreed resolutions.

It is also imperative to establish an optimal

balance between the General Assembly and the

Security Council, to enhance the role of the Economic

and Social Council and to establish closer coordination

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among the various United Nations funds, programmes

and activities.

We reaffirm our commitment to the United

Nations and the multilateral international order. Today,

more than ever, the international community is in dire

need of a unified and mutually supportive stance in

order to achieve just solutions to the current problems

we all face. It is through respect for the shared values,

traditions and principles that are deeply rooted in the

conscience of all mankind that we can promote

constructive cooperation and the achievement of

security, peace, stability and prosperity for all nations.

Humanity has been afflicted by the growing

danger of terrorism. It is a phenomenon that does not

differentiate between societies. Increasingly, terrorist

groups have been crossing borders and expanding their

networks into different regions, nations and continents.

Today, it is therefore critical that we exert every effort

possible to increase international cooperation to

combat terrorism and confront those who instigate and

finance it.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects terrorism in

all its forms and manifestations and is cooperating with

the international community to eliminate that global

evil. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has affirmed its full

support for the Security Council resolutions relating to

terrorism. In that regard, Saudi Arabia has taken the

necessary steps to close any loopholes in its domestic

regulations on charitable fund-raising activities that

might allow such funds to be used for illicit purposes.

We have established a public commission tasked with

supervising and organizing the activities of all

charitable and relief organizations with a view to

streamlining their operations and preventing those with

bad intentions and evil objectives from using their

humanitarian funds for illegal purposes.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was among the

first signatories of the Arab Convention on the

Suppression of Terrorism and other similar agreements

emanating from the Organization of the Islamic

Conference and the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council. In

addition, it has acceded to nine other international anti-

terrorism conventions and agreements. In that regard,

the Government of Saudi Arabia has recently taken a

series of measures that are indicative of its seriousness

and determination to fight terrorism. Its strategy of

preventive action to forestall criminal acts has already

been successful in the fight against this deadly scourge

and has earned the praise and admiration of the

international community and international

organizations.

It is important to remember that crimes

committed by a handful of criminals and misguided

felons cannot justify incriminating a whole society or

an entire culture. Terrorism can strike any city and

target any interests, regardless of the nationality,

religion or ethnic origin of the victims. Terrorism is a

global phenomenon that calls for joint action and

cooperation by all countries and requires the close

collaboration of concerned international organizations

to effectively find the means to confront it and

eliminate it.

It is on the basis of the foregoing that I am

pleased to announce before this gathering that the

Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has

decided to host an international conference to combat

terrorism, to be held in Riyadh from 5 to 8 February

2005. Its purpose is to exchange information and

experience in the field of combating terrorism and to

see how we can cooperate with other countries in the

fight against that universal threat. We also intend to use

this excellent opportunity to learn about scientific and

practical techniques relevant not only to combating

terrorism, but also to the prevention of money-

laundering, drug trafficking and arms smuggling. The

conference will also provide a good forum in which to

study the culture and psychology of terrorists and the

structure of terrorist organizations.

Official invitations to the anti-terrorism

conference have already been extended to concerned

international organizations as well as to countries that

have suffered or are suffering from terrorism. The

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the participation

of all those invited and hopes that the outcome and

final recommendations of the conference will

constitute an important addition and a great support to

international efforts to eradicate terrorism and address

the root causes of that dangerous phenomenon.

The setback in the peace process and the

mounting wave of violence and extremism in our

region are largely attributable to the Israeli

Government’s pursuit of policies that are totally

incompatible with the fundamental principles of the

peace process, notably the principle of land for peace.

Israel’s actions are in contravention of Security Council

resolutions — in particular, resolutions 242 (1967) and

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338 (1973) — and the road map. They are incompatible

with the United States Administration’s vision of two

States — an Israeli State and an independent

Palestinian State — living side by side.

The Arab peace initiative continues to stand as a

credible basis for the security and stability of all the

peoples of the region because it ensures a lasting, just

and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli

conflict. It is therefore incumbent upon all of us to

exert our utmost efforts to put the peace process back

on track. It is particularly important to push the peace

process forward after it has stalled and after the

humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people — which

should be a goad to the conscience of the international

community — has been met with indifference.

Furthermore, peace cannot be achieved by

unilateral Israeli measures that create new realities on

the ground and that are designed to prejudice the final

outcome of any political negotiations on the delicate

issue of a final settlement. The Palestinian question

cannot be solved, nor can the Arab-Israeli conflict be

ended, through the use of excessive force — aerial

bombardment, guided missiles, assassination of

Palestinian activists, destruction of infrastructure,

usurpation of property, violation of rights and the

imposition of collective punishment. Peace will be

achieved and security will prevail only when United

Nations resolutions are implemented, the provisions of

international law are respected and applied and the

principles of justice and equality are observed.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns the

continuous escalation against the Palestinian people

and the Israeli Government’s insistence on establishing

and expanding its settlements. We also condemn the

continued construction of the separation wall that has

annexed extensive Palestinian lands in unprecedented

defiance of the advisory opinion of the International

Court of Justice, which acknowledged the illegality of

the wall and ordered Israel to dismantle it, as well as

the General Assembly resolution that followed that

opinion, effectively demonstrating the consensus of the

international community on the issue.

However, if Israel is serious about withdrawing

from Gaza and about dismantling its settlements there,

we stress that such an action should proceed in

coordination with the Palestinian Authority, in

conformity with the requirements of the road map and

under the supervision of the Quartet. The proposed

withdrawal should come about as a first step towards a

complete and full withdrawal from all the Palestinian

lands, including Al-Quds.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is closely

monitoring efforts to eliminate all forms of weapons of

mass destruction from the Middle East and to keep it

free from all such lethal weapons. In that respect, we

call upon the international community to adopt an

even-handed approach, refrain from applying double

standards, assume its legal and moral responsibilities

and urge the Israeli Government to refrain from the

development of its nuclear programmes, as well as

subject its nuclear installations to the inspection and

safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy

Agency.

We are profoundly distressed and gravely

concerned at the deteriorating security situation in

some parts of Iraq, where tragic incidents, heinous acts

of violence, and the horrific kidnapping of innocent

people seem to be daily occurrences. Faced with this

appalling reality, we can only urge the Iraqi people and

all Iraqi factions to mend fences and work hand in

hand to support the efforts of their transitional

Government to establish the security, safety and well-

being of their country; preserve its national unity and

independence and ensure the restoration of Iraq’s

effective and positive role in the international arena.

We also call upon the United Nations to play a greater

role in assisting the Iraqi Government to meet the

requirements of the ongoing political process,

including by conducting general elections, which we

hope will lead to a permanent legitimate Government,

and proceeding with reconstruction efforts.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has presented

some ideas regarding the deployment of Islamic troops

in Iraq. With the consent of the Iraqi Government and

under United Nations supervision, we would like such

troops not to supplement, but to replace, the

multilateral forces. Those ideas, however, have not

materialized, although their basic premise deserves

consideration and follow-up.

With respect to developments in the brotherly

country of the Sudan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is

profoundly moved by the humanitarian tragedy in

Darfur and supports the efforts of the Government of

the Sudan to restore stability in that region. We support

the Sudan’s cooperation with relief and humanitarian

organizations and others in addressing the

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humanitarian situation resulting from the crisis. We

hope that the efforts of the Government of the Sudan

and those of the African Union will be given sufficient

time to restore security to the region and to ensure the

well-being of its people.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has initiated an

ongoing airlift operation, using Saudi cargo planes, to

provide direct humanitarian assistance to the Darfur

region. This assistance includes medical and food

supplies, tents and power generators. Moreover, there

are Saudi relief teams in the region who have

established clinics and hospitals inside camps and

equipped them with doctors, medicine, medical

supplies and tests. In addition, wells have been dug to

provide the camps with drinking water, and electricity

is being supplied.

Human development and economic prosperity are

major keys to achieving a better future for developing

countries. To reach that objective, developed and

developing nations can work together to achieve great

success. My country has contributed to this process by

adopting and implementing numerous development

projects and by extending generous assistance to

developing and least developed countries through

national, regional and international agencies, in order

to help them in overcoming the problems of poverty

and underdevelopment.

We appreciate the concern expressed by the

Group of Eight at their summit in Sea Island, Georgia,

in the United States, regarding the future of the Middle

East and their desire to help the countries of the region

develop and make progress. However, we believe that

political and economic reforms should not be imposed

or dictated from outside; rather, international assistance

in this area should serve as a catalyst to help these

nations initiate their own reforms. Outside interference

on the question of reform can only result in disrupting

and stalling processes that are already under way.

For reforms to be effective and lasting, they

should reflect the actual needs of the societies

concerned and should conform with a given State’s

stage of development. Of course, there is much that the

advanced countries can do to help in this process,

especially in the areas of investment, trade

liberalization, international economic cooperation and

the opening of their markets. We believe that removing

protective measures, such as trade barriers and tariffs,

and eliminating preferential treatment that hinders the

ability of developing countries to enter the markets of

developed countries can go far in achieving desired

development goals. There is, moreover, a need to make

the necessary effort to help those countries to

overcome their problems and their chronic political

conflicts.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on its

position of responsibility and its effective role in the

international oil market, has consistently sought to

meet its obligations to maintain stable oil markets and

ensure continuing world economic growth. To that end,

it has increased its production capacity to ensure

sufficient supply and to control unnatural oil price

surges.

In this regard, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took

the initiative of establishing the International Energy

Forum and hosting its general secretariat in Riyadh.

The Forum has become a platform for discussing ways

and means of cooperation and dialogue between

consumer and producer countries, whether within or

outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting

Countries (OPEC). Those countries should seek to

intensify their cooperation in order to ensure stable

markets for the strategic commodity of petroleum, and

to guarantee the continued growth of the global

economy.

In view of the tragic security events on the

international scene, the world needs, more than ever,

concerted international efforts to increase dialogue and

raise the level of understanding, mutual contact and

familiarity among nations and cultures. The world

needs to embark on a serious effort to propagate a

culture of peace, in order to achieve for our fellow

human beings the dignity and prosperity they deserve.

We need to do more to put an end to the wave of

violence and work for the achievement of justice and

the termination of racial discrimination.

God Almighty said in the Holy Qur’an: “O

mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male

and a female, And made you into Nations and tribes,

that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured

of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most

righteous of you.”