Singapore, 2002

My warmest

congratulations go to you, Sir, on your early election as

President of the General Assembly, which was the first

fruit of the revitalization efforts of your predecessor,

Mr. Han Seung-soo. We congratulate both of you on

successfully implementing these new procedures.

9

After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001,

the world joined the United States in expressing grief

and outrage. Citizens from nearly one half of the

United Nations Member States perished. A swift,

determined United Nations response set the stage for a

united global effort to weed out terrorism. Never in

recent history have so many States acted in such unison

as members of one international community as they did

in the months following 11 September.

That was not inevitable. The international

community could easily have fractured after 11

September . Hence, it is useful to reflect on the forces

that brought us together and on what key lessons we

have learned.

After 11 September 2001, the international

community rallied together because we all realized that

the challenges posed by those events affected the

common interests of all States. The common menace of

terrorism elicited a cohesive psychological response.

Everyone is vulnerable. In Singapore, we discovered

terrorists belonging to a regional network with links to

Al Qaeda, whose tentacles spread to Indonesia,

Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and even Australia.

Its targets were United States, Israeli, British and other

foreign interests.

But a cohesive response also requires a

galvanizing force. The United Nations provided that.

The United Nations also legitimizes international

action. On 12 September 2001, the Security Council

adopted, by consensus, its resolution 1368 (2001),

condemning the terrorist attacks and expressing its

readiness to take all necessary steps to respond to the

attacks. It was followed shortly by a consensus

resolution of the General Assembly, resolution 56/1.

Within three weeks of the attack, the Security Council

negotiated and adopted, again by consensus, its

resolution 1373 (2001), a landmark resolution which

dealt comprehensively with counter-terrorism and

provided a common legal basis for all States to take

action against terrorists and their supporters.

The Security Council's response to 11 September

was impressive and was possible only because all the

major Powers agreed on the need to respond decisively

to the terrorist threat. Indeed, the war on terrorism has

reordered international priorities and has created new

opportunities for partnership, casting a new strategic

overlay over great-Power relationships.

Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. Many of us

have long had unhappy experiences with it. But 11

September focused us on its globalized nature and

stressed the need for coherence and coordination in

international cooperation. After 11 September, a

number of international, regional, subregional and

national plans of action and strategies to combat

terrorism emerged. Some of these proposals took the

form of specific and practical counter-terrorism

measures. Others assumed a more normative character.

These efforts are the building blocks for coordinated

international action against terrorism.

This commitment to collaborative international

action, however, has only recently begun to take shape.

Since 11 September, various organs of the United

Nations system have examined their respective

responsibilities and available tools so as to undertake

this collaborative mission in the most effective manner.

The report prepared by the Policy Working Group on

the United Nations and Terrorism is a clear example.

Coordination and coherence within the United Nations

system should certainly be enhanced. The common

enemy we face has built up a sophisticated and

complex global network that requires an appropriate

response.

But as we consider new international mechanisms

to fight terrorism, we should pause to reflect on a key

question: how can we ensure effective coordination

between the United Nations, other regional and

international organizations and Member States? How

can we synergize respective international, regional and

national competencies to maximize operational

effectiveness against terrorism? The United Nations

comparative advantage and aptitude reside in its

consultative, coordinating and facilitative functions.

Ultimately, however, the contributions made by

the United Nations must depend on the political will

and resolve of its Member States to make its laws and

norms work. Achieving the right equilibrium of

responsibilities and obligations is crucial if we are to

succeed in our common mission to defeat international

terrorism.

The battle against terrorism has also to be fought

at the philosophical level. Some terrorists have tried to

depict the current global anti-terrorism campaign as a

war against Islam. This is obviously not true. No

religion tolerates terrorism, and Islam certainly does

not, but we should not ignore the extent to which the

10

appeal of extremists such as Osama bin Laden

resonates with the marginalized and disenfranchised,

feeding upon stereotypes and prejudices. At a time of

confusion and uncertainty, the value of cross-cultural

understanding and communication cannot be

underestimated.

As an international Organization with near

universal membership, the United Nations can play a

key role in promoting tolerance and understanding

between nations, cultures and religions. The United

Nations dialogue among civilizations is a key initiative

that we should build upon. The dialogue among

civilizations celebrates diversity and introduces a new

paradigm of international relations, promoting a

dialogue among the major world religions and cultures.

Dialogue between the different cultures and religions

would help to reduce the sources of prejudice and

intolerance that currently colour individual and societal

perceptions.

Another longer-term challenge is to address the

economic and social conditions that encourage

terrorists. International economic integration is

ultimately the only guarantor of prosperity, but the fact

is that globalization is both incomplete in scope and

uneven in its distribution of costs and benefits. Many

developing countries remain imperfectly integrated into

the world economy. These problems must be addressed

by capacity-building and infrastructure development

within developing countries, with whatever

international assistance is necessary, and by the

elimination of trade barriers and protectionism in the

developed countries.

The events of 11 September underscored that, in

an interdependent world, no one is invulnerable. Local

problems can easily be transformed into global

problems. Each day that we do not act to address and

contain these problems increases their potential to do

more harm. Our collective security is dependent on our

ability and willingness to confront new challenges. We

should not await another catastrophe on the scale of 11

September before we are forced to act on other equally

challenging global problems that confront us. The war

against terrorism has to be waged with both guns and

butter.

I would like to conclude by sharing our

experiences on the Security Council. Almost two years

ago, members of the General Assembly gave Singapore

the honour and privilege of serving as one of the

elected members of the Security Council. Our term

ends this December. I want to thank all those who

showed their trust in us by giving us this unique

opportunity.

Our experience has been a fulfilling and

enriching one from which we have drawn important

lessons and insights. The Security Council has gone

through many phases. Designed first of all to deal with

inter-State conflicts, the Security Council has

increasingly moved towards handling intra-State

conflicts in the post-cold-war era. But the terrorist

attacks of 11 September were an unprecedented

development. They produced a new era, confronting

the Security Council with a new and distinct threat to

international peace and security. Singapore has

therefore served in two very different Security

Councils one before 11 September and another after

those tragic events.

For the Security Council to remain effective, it

has to demonstrate that it can respond effectively to

new challenges. Otherwise, its relevance and

credibility will be compromised. As a small State, we

are vulnerable to such terror attacks. As a member of

the Security Council, we have supported initiatives

which address this new threat.

A key lesson that we have learnt is that, for all its

imperfections and occasional failings, the Security

Council often does work. It is nevertheless too early to

gauge the success and effectiveness of the Security

Council in responding to the scourge of terrorism.

Whether the Security Council can continue to develop

appropriate responses over the long run at this plastic

phase of the creation of a new strategic era will be a

critical test of its relevance in the new century.

It is naive to expect that the swift unity of global

action post 11 September will henceforth be

demonstrated on all global issues. Our experiences in

the Security Council attest to protracted processes

being the norm rather than the exception for coalescing

international action. But where international consensus

has not yet consolidated over situations posing serious

and immediate threats, the lack of international

consensus in itself cannot be an excuse for inaction.

That would be an abdication of individual and

collective responsibility.

Finally, as one of two Asian elected members of

the Council, we were pleased to make a small

contribution to the East Timor success story. This

success was made possible only by the hard work and

sacrifices of its people, with the support of the

international community. Today, the United Nations

continues to play a critical role in preserving the peace

in East Timor and in ensuring that the Government and

people of East Timor have the opportunity to succeed

in their quest to build a democratic, stable and viable

State. We look forward to welcoming East Timor as the

191st Member of the United Nations.

Let me conclude by warmly congratulating

Switzerland for becoming the 190th Member of the

United Nations. Switzerland may be a new member;

however, it has also provided the second most

important venue for United Nations activities. It has

therefore long been a partner of the United Nations

and, I believe, this partnership will be deepened with

its membership.