Yemen, 1996

It is a pleasure for me to warmly congratulate Mr. Razali

on his election to the presidency of the fifty-first session of

the General Assembly. We are sure that his extensive

experience and political sophistication will make a

significant contribution to the success of its work. I should

like also to express my thanks and appreciation to his

predecessor for his judicious management of the work of

the General Assembly during its last session.

I would like to take this opportunity to express once

more my country’s appreciation of the role played by the

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and of his

sincere, invaluable efforts to strengthen the role of the

Organization in keeping abreast of international events and

developments to the benefit of all humanity and in order to

preserve international peace and security. On behalf of

Yemen, I would also like to express my country’s support

for the re-election of Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali for a

second term as Secretary-General so he can continue the

comprehensive restructuring of the United Nations, which

will enable it to play a significant and fundamental role

responsive to the demands of the twenty-first century.

As this session is being held, new and dangerous

developments are taking place, threatening peace and

security in the Middle East. The situation in Jerusalem and

other parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has

exploded as a result of the aggressive unjustified actions

and harsh practices undertaken by the Israeli authorities

against the Palestinian people, and their continued attempts

to change the character of Holy Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The

most recent of these attempts was Israel’s opening of a

tunnel linking Al-Borac Square and Al-Mujahidin Street

near Bab Al-Asbat, threatening the integrity of Al-Haram

Al-Sharif and other Islamic monuments. During the last few

days, the Israeli army and police force have used various

kinds of weapons and live ammunition against unarmed

Palestinian protesters. These clashes have caused the

death or injury of hundreds of innocent Palestinians.

We strongly condemn and denounce the actions and

practices of the Israeli military forces and their repeated

acts of aggression against Palestinian officials and citizens

in Arab Al-Quds and other Palestinian towns, which have

led to the death and injury of hundreds of people. The

terrorism and oppression carried out by the Israeli

occupying authority constitute a gross violation of human

rights, legitimate international resolutions and the Fourth

Geneva Convention, which applies to occupied territories.

This critical development can only exacerbate the

situation and return the region to a cycle of tension and

violence. It threatens peace and security not only in the

Middle East region but in the whole world.

This year, the Republic of Yemen celebrated the

sixth anniversary of its unification, achieved after

successfully overcoming all the difficulties and challenges

in the way of unity and development. These celebrations

coincided with preparations for voter registration for the

second parliamentary elections since the reunification of

our country, which are to be held in April 1997

reinforcing democracy in our country. Our democratic

approach is demonstrated by our political pluralism, and

our respect for human rights and freedom of the press,

and will enable us to achieve qualitative changes in the

economic, social and political life of Yemeni citizens.

Today the Republic of Yemen is enjoying stability,

a democratic process and economic reforms, which must

enjoy the encouragement and support of the international

community since this democratic process will contribute

to the strengthening of security and stability at the local

and regional levels.

At the same time, our people are in the midst of a

difficult and important battle for social and economic

development and modernization and for the elimination of

backwardness. Some of the most serious problems we

face as a developing country are inflation, the increase in

the rates of population growth and their effects on the

growth rate of the national economy. In order to deal with

that, the Government has adopted a programme of

economic, financial and administrative reforms in

cooperation with the International Monetary Fund and the

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

with the aim of correcting economic, financial and

structural imbalances. This has been done to achieve

balance and stability in the economy as a whole and to

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activate the role of the private sector on the basis of a

market economy and free competition, while taking into

account the importance of improving basic essential social

services, building a modern State and improving the

standard of living of citizens.

Efforts by the Yemeni Government to implement this

programme have yielded improvements and have had

notable success, especially in preventing the collapse of the

local currency, reducing the rate of inflation and achieving

a positive growth rate. However, it has proved difficult to

alleviate suffering in the social sphere. These difficulties

have been compounded by the disastrous floods which

plagued Yemen last June, causing extensive, grave losses of

life and property. These affected some parts of the

infrastructure and harmed many people. Agricultural land

was eroded and livestock was destroyed. Houses, roads,

bridges, health centres, sources of drinking water and

schools in many areas of the Republic of Yemen were all

destroyed. These losses and damages were a major disaster

and economic setback for Yemen.

I would like to take this opportunity to renew my call

for international and humanitarian organizations and

fraternal and friendly Governments to provide help and

support to overcome the disastrous effects of the floods. I

would also like to thank all those organizations and

Governments that have responded and offered support for

and solidarity with the people of Yemen in their ordeal.

The Republic of Yemen, in the framework of its

political orientation, is pursuing a foreign policy based on

mutual respect and the common interests of States. It

therefore stresses the importance of maintaining security,

stability and cooperation among all States in the region. In

this regard, demarcation of the border between our country

and the fraternal Sultanate of Oman has been definitively

concluded through a dialogue based upon mutual interests,

equitable treatment and respect for the rights of both

countries. This achievement represents a significant positive

step that will serve security and stability in the region and

deepen trust between the two countries. Similarly, our

country is working with the same sincerity and credibility

to settle the issue of the border with the fraternal Kingdom

of Saudi Arabia on the basis of mutual interests and in the

light of the Taif Agreement and the contents of the

memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries

on 26 February 1995 in the Holy City of Mecca.

Pursuant to this, joint committees have been formed to

discuss the border issue, its demarcation, the development

of all aspects of cultural, trade and economic relations and

the strengthening of cooperation between the two fraternal

countries.

Moreover, a security agreement was signed on 27

July 1996 that emphasized the concerns of both countries

for their joint security and to combat terrorism, exchange

security information and strengthen cooperation between

their institutions, thus giving concrete form to the spirit of

the 1934 Taif Treaty and the memorandum of

understanding signed on 26 February 1995. An agreement

on technical, investment, trade and economic cooperation

was also signed.

The Republic of Yemen has shown a sincere desire

and strong political will and has made continuous efforts

to address the matter of the Eritrean occupation in

mid-December 1995 of the Yemeni island of Hanish

al-Kabir in the Red Sea. While negotiations were taking

place between the two countries aimed at reaching a

peaceful settlement that would respect legal, historical and

geographical rights, our country did not opt for the use of

force. From the very first day, we stressed the necessity

of using peaceful means, dialogue through mediators and

international arbitration in order to spare the two

neighbouring peoples the scourges of war and conflict, in

keeping with its belief in the principles and purposes of

the United Nations and its commitment to the provisions

of the Charter. Accordingly, an agreement of principles

between Yemen and Eritrea was officially signed in Paris

on 21 May 1996. This was the fruit of French, Egyptian

and Ethiopian mediation efforts and of the support of our

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. This

agreement was a sound basis on which to settle peacefully

the dispute between the two countries regarding issues of

territorial sovereignty and maritime borders. On this basis,

discussions have begun on special arbitration measures

and the mechanism to be used with a view to starting the

process as soon as possible. It is unfortunate that, despite

all these procedures, Eritrea took new action on the island

of Hanish af-Saghir on 10 August 1996. This act violated

the agreement of principles and created an atmosphere of

tension and conflict in the region, threatening stability,

security and the safety of international shipping in the

region.

Now that Eritrea has withdrawn its forces from the

island of Hanish af-Saghir and the crisis has passed, we

would like to express our thanks and appreciation for the

role played and efforts made by France and its special

envoy, and the positions of the Secretary-General and the

President and members of the Security Council, and to all

those fraternal and friendly States that declared their

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support for the principles agreed upon for resolving the

conflict peacefully through arbitration. Finally, my country

would like to stress that a peaceful settlement is the proper

way to improve relations between Yemen and Eritrea and

to promote the trust necessary to creating an atmosphere

conducive to the development of relations between the two

countries and the peoples of Yemen and Eritrea.

The civil war in Somalia has gone beyond the bounds

of reason and, as our country is a neighbour of fraternal

Somalia, we have found ourselves shouldering the burden

of receiving and housing tens of thousands of refugees. We

have also cooperated with the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees and non-governmental

organizations in sheltering and feeding the Somali refugees,

although this is a heavy burden on our country and

compounds its existing economic and social ills.

We are deeply disturbed by the continuing

fragmentation, fighting and uncertainty in Somalia. The

Republic of Yemen considers that the responsibility for

solving the refugee problem, which is a social and

economic burden of significant proportions, and the solution

of the Somali problem lie with the Somalis themselves. On

that basis, we urge the Somali leadership once again to

demonstrate greater political will and a genuine desire to

reach a final settlement for peace and stability in their

country and to engage in dialogue in order to save their

people, rebuild their country and give the refugees the

opportunity to return to their homes and resettle. In order

to facilitate this, Yemen has received a number of Somali

leaders and made every effort to assist the Somalis

themselves to reach a national accord acceptable to all. We

hope these efforts will be successful. The achievement of

national reconciliation in Somalia and the improvement of

security and stability in that country and the entire Horn of

Africa are at the forefront of our concerns, embodying our

historical and strategic relationships, which are inextricably

intertwined with all the States of the region.

In view of the Republic of Yemen’s positive support

for the peace process in the Middle East, which began with

the Madrid Conference in October 1991, guaranteeing a just

and comprehensive peace on the basis of legitimate

international resolutions, particularly Security Council

resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), and

subsequent agreements and protocols in this regard, and on

the basis of the principle of land for peace and guarantees

of complete Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab

territories, we once again emphasize the necessity for a

lasting, just and comprehensive peace as the basis for

security, stability and prosperity in the region. Only this can

ensure that the root causes of violence and extremism will

be destroyed and that the values of tolerance, peaceful

coexistence and civilized cooperation among peoples will

be promoted.

Accordingly, we would like to express our concern

about the resumption of the Israeli policy of settlement on

Palestinian land, especially around the city of Al-Quds

Al-Sharif. The Israelis are establishing settlements,

destroying Palestinian houses, building bypass roads for

Israeli settlers, continuing the blockade of Palestinian

lands and refusing to redeploy Israeli forces out of

Hebron. These Israeli practices constitute blatant

violations of agreements and pledges made between Israel

and the Palestinian Authority and can only exacerbate

tensions and return the peace process to its starting point,

possibly even derailing the entire process.

We therefore stress the importance of making rapid

progress towards a final settlement leading to restoration

of the Palestinians’ legitimate rights, particularly the

rights to self-determination and to establish an

independent State with Jerusalem as its capital, in

accordance with relevant international resolutions and the

basic principles underlying the Madrid Conference.

Negotiations on the basis of those principles and with all

parties respecting their commitments should be conducted

on all tracks.

The peace process is currently facing risks and

challenges that are preventing it from achieving its aims.

Israel is deliberately dragging its feet and is persistent in

its procrastination over negotiations with the Syrian Arab

Republic on the basis of the agreements reached by both

parties under the previous Israeli Government. Among the

most important of these was the obligation to withdraw

fully from the occupied Syrian Golan and southern

Lebanon in accordance with relevant international

resolutions and the principle of “land for peace”. We

stress the need for Israel to respect the sovereignty and

independence of fraternal Lebanon, release Lebanese

prisoners and detainees from Israeli concentration camps

and acknowledge its responsibility to compensate

Lebanon for the losses it has sustained as a result of the

continuing Israeli acts of aggression against its land and

people.

A just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the

Middle East, together with security and stability in the

region, can be achieved only if every State of the region

fulfils its obligations equally and through the

establishment of a nuclear-, biological- and chemical-

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weapon-free zone in the region. Israel must ratify the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and

submit its nuclear installations to the international

inspection regime as a step towards establishing a nuclear-

weapon-free zone in the Middle East and freeing the area

from the threat of all weapons of mass destruction. In this

context, we would like to express our satisfaction at the

signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at

the beginning of this session. Yemen will sign the Treaty

today.

While Yemen stresses the importance of Iraq’s total

compliance with resolutions of the international community

and its continuing cooperation with the United Nations, we

would also stress the need to preserve the unity, territorial

sovereignty and integrity of Iraq. We also express our great

concern about and condemnation of any action in this

regard affecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of

Iraq and appeal for the alleviation of the suffering of the

Iraqi people. We therefore welcome the memorandum of

understanding signed in May 1996 between Iraq and the

United Nations on the implementation of Security Council

resolution 986 (1995), providing for the sale of petroleum

for the purchase of food as a first step towards alleviating

the terrible suffering of the fraternal Iraqi people.

We call upon the international community and the

Security Council to pursue the lifting of the air blockade

and other measures imposed on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

pursuant to Security Council resolutions and to respond to

the resolutions and proposals of regional organizations. The

most recent of these was the initiative put forward at the

emergency Arab summit held in Cairo from 21 to 23 June

1996 in order to resolve the conflict between the Libyan

Arab Jamahiriya and the three countries concerned.

The Republic of Yemen renews its call to the fraternal

countries of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United

Arab Emirates to continue a direct dialogue aimed at

reaching a peaceful settlement of the issue of the three

islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, in

accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the

principles of good neighbourliness and respect for the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of States in the region,

and to resort to international arbitration in a manner that

will satisfy both parties.

Our country also emphasizes its solidarity with

fraternal Bahrain and expresses its complete support for the

measures it has taken to ensure its security and stability.

The tragic situation of the people of Bosnia and

Herzegovina has preoccupied the Yemeni people. The

Republic of Yemen therefore welcomes the Agreements

that the parties involved in the conflict reached last

November in Dayton and Paris in order to bring peace to

Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to express its satisfaction

with the contents of the Agreements, which stressed the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of

Bosnia and Herzegovina. On this occasion, we wish to

register our appreciation of the efforts made by the United

States of America and the States of the European Union

to bring about these Agreements. We call upon the

international community to provide every possible support

to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their plans

for the development and reconstruction of their country.

We would also stress the need for every party to

surrender all war criminals to the International Tribunal

in The Hague so that they may be brought to account for

their heinous crimes against humanity in violation of

international law, human rights and international

agreements.

The Republic of Yemen, in view of its geographical

position on the Indian Ocean, places particular importance

on any effort made to strengthen cooperation between the

Ocean’s littoral States. Accordingly, our country took part

in the most recent meeting, held in Mauritius, to complete

the drafting of the constitution and platform of action for

the planned Indian Ocean rim initiative.

We take this opportunity to express our satisfaction

with the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian

Ocean to implement the Declaration of the Indian Ocean

as a Zone of Peace, free of nuclear weapons. We call

upon the permanent members of the Security Council and

maritime users of the Indian Ocean to participate in the

work of the Committee in order to strengthen security,

peace, stability and cooperation in the region in

accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions.

In conclusion, I should like to express our hope that

the work of this session will enjoy every success,

strengthening the United Nations and its bodies and

enabling them to achieve their goals and the ideals

embodied in the Charter in a manner appropriate to the

spirit of the age and international changes