Algeria, 2001

This

session is taking place at a time when there is a new

international awareness of the global nature of

problems of peace, security and development. The

barbaric terrorist attacks against the United States on

11 September, and their alarming consequences, made

it clear that terrorism is now a factor for worldwide

political and economic destabilization.

Algeria has conveyed its deepest sympathy to the

families of the victims of those horrible acts. It did so

with all the more sincerity and feeling because for

more than a decade Algeria itself has been enduring the

horrors of terrorism. The international reaction to this

devastating scourge has been a heartening collective

wake-up call. Mobilization and multifaceted action to

combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is

now worldwide. In that regard, Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001) unquestionably constituted a

major breakthrough. It was adopted under Chapter VII

of the Charter and obliges all States unequivocally and

dutifully to outlaw terrorist activities and their

supporters and sponsors, wherever they may be.

Algeria is fully cooperating with the international

community in the implementation of that universal

collective endeavour. Algeria stresses how important it

is that the resolution be strictly implemented and

reaffirms the imperative need for universal adherence

to existing international anti-terrorism instruments and

for the ratification of relevant regional instruments.

Algeria believes, inter alia, that the adoption of a

comprehensive convention to combat terrorism is

essential. For its part, my country is ready to cooperate

with other nations to achieve this as quickly as

possible.

The dangers that terrorism poses to global peace

and security highlight the need for a ruthless struggle

against it, in particular through dismantling bases and

networks, draining sources of financing, cooperating in

exchanging information and providing proper

equipment to countries that are victims of terrorism,

and reviewing permissive national legislation regarding

the right of asylum as well as the justification for

murder or planning criminal activities to be committed

in third countries.

While the urgency of this struggle has made it

possible to achieve notable progress in a few weeks,

we must be unanimous in our determination if we are

to confront the roots of terrorism — that is, we must

address the problems that constitute a breeding ground

for extremism and intolerance throughout the world.

This means that Islam, a religion of peace and

tolerance, cannot in any way be associated with

terrorism, which is alien to its values. It also

underscores the importance of ensuring that the anti-

terrorist struggle is not aimed at any one country,

religion, culture or civilization.

The United Nations, which has often diagnosed

and analysed the state of our world, has rightly

emphasized that problems tend to be of an economic,

political and social nature and that their causes are both

national and international. The denial of the right of

peoples to self-determination, the exacerbated

phenomena of exclusion and poverty, the persistence of

economic imbalances, the intensification of social

inequalities, the continued deterioration of the

environment and the pursuit of the arms race are all

problems awaiting solutions and concrete measures

that, in many cases, United Nations forums have

already defined and adopted in many cases adopted.

The commitments undertaken recently to make

globalization a factor of integration rather than of

exclusion — in particular the objectives enshrined in

the Millennium Declaration — take on full importance

here, since they highlight the urgent need for effective

measures to build a stable and united world on a solid

foundation. Today, reality amply demonstrates that

globalization, despite its enormous potential and

opportunities, has not yet yielded the expected results

with regard to the universal improvement of living

conditions. The processes to which it leads have too

often widened the existing cracks within societies and

exacerbated differences among nations. This has

encouraged marginal groups to exploit the difficult

social situations to which many peoples are subject and

to promote isolationism and rejection of the other.

The Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by

the Durban World Conference against Racism, Racial

Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

provide a framework for inspiration and action to build

more harmonious and fraternal relations among people.

First of all, there is a need at the United Nations

level to set aright unacceptable situations of injustice

and denial of rights. In Palestine, the serious situation

that prevails as a result of the continued Israeli

occupation and its oppressive practices requires the

attention of the entire international community. It

demands urgent action to put an end to the daily trials

of the Palestinian people, who are subjected to a

deliberate policy by the Israeli army of intimidation,

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abuse and murder. This policy is likely to endanger the

resumption of the peace process, taking the entire

region to the brink of a conflagration with incalculable

consequences.

Given the situation, Algeria reaffirms its total

solidarity with the Palestinian people and their

inalienable right to an independent State with Al-Quds

al-Sharif as its capital. Algeria urgently calls upon the

international community to ensure the protection of the

Palestinian people by sending international observers

to the region.

Algeria wishes to emphasize that only a solution

based on international legality — in particular Security

Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) — as

well as on the principle of land for peace, adopted at

the Madrid Conference, can ensure just and lasting

peace and security for all the peoples of the region, as

Chairman Yasser Arafat indicated in his speech this

morning. Algeria would also like to reaffirm its

solidarity with the brotherly peoples of Syria and

Lebanon for the restoration of their lands still under

Israeli occupation. In addition, Algeria welcomes the

decision of the Security Council to lift the sanctions on

the brotherly people of Sudan and seizes the

opportunity to renew its appeal for the lifting of the

sanctions on the brotherly Iraqi and Libyan peoples.

The situation in the Western Sahara, where the

settlement process has been halted for more than a year

and a half, is also a source of great concern and a factor

of instability in the Maghreb and in Africa as a whole.

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in

Western Sahara (MINURSO) has not been able to

continue the implementation of the settlement plan of

the United Nations and the Organization of African

Unity (OAU), though it had been accepted by the two

parties to the conflict, the Kingdom of Morocco and

the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-

Hamra y del R'o de Oro (POLISARIO), in particular

because of the many challenges that followed the

identification stage.

Action by the United Nations in the Western

Sahara, carried out through MINURSO since 1991,

should be commended, and the progress made within

the framework of the implementation of the settlement

plan — in particular the identification of the electoral

body — should be maintained and consolidated. Here,

the two parties should be reminded of their obligation

to cooperate openly and sincerely with MINURSO, to

conclude the referendum process and to call upon the

bodies of the United Nations that deal with this issue to

strictly respect their mandate.

The unswerving position of Algeria on the issue

of the Western Sahara stems from its dedication to

international legality and to respect for the right of

people to self-determination. Algeria therefore supports

the holding of a free and transparent referendum,

organized by the United Nations that will allow this

people to decide on its destiny. Any effort or initiative

to settle that dispute must be part of the framework of

international legality and, in particular, of the

resolutions on decolonization adopted by the General

Assembly.

Elsewhere on the African continent, the

determination of African peoples and leaders and the

support of the international community are starting to

bear fruit in the areas of conflict prevention and

settlement. The Peace Agreement concluded in Algiers

in June 2000 between Ethiopia and Eritrea put an end

to a devastating two-year war between those two

brotherly African countries and opened the way to a

peaceful settlement of their dispute. The progress made

since the full deployment of the United Nations

Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea attests to the

commitment of those two countries to strengthening

the basis for a lasting peace and for mutually beneficial

cooperation.

Similarly, the implementation of the Lusaka

Ceasefire Agreement, which has long been plagued by

numerous difficulties, is now well under way. The

international community must pursue its efforts to

make the settlement process irreversible and to

facilitate the inter-Congolese dialogue.

Africa also welcomes the progress made in Sierra

Leone in the implementation of its disarmament,

demobilization and reintegration programmes, which

have been made possible by the courageous and

determined action of the United Nations Mission in

Sierra Leone.

Despite the positive developments that have

occurred in Angola there, UNITA continues to sow

death and destruction among the people of that country.

A return to security will require strict respect by all

States for the punitive measures laid down by the

Security Council against UNITA.

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Finally, regarding recent events in Burundi, my

country welcomes the decision of the parties to the

conflict there to establish a transitional Government

that guarantees the participation of all the inhabitants

of that country in the management of their own affairs.

We hail the important role played by Mr. Nelson

Mandela in achieving understanding among the parties

in Burundi in the implementation of the Arusha

Agreement.

The end of the cold war eased the climate of

suspicion and distrust that permeated international

relations and was replaced by a measure of optimism

based on new prospects. We hope that this optimism

will signal an end to outdated doctrines and theories of

nuclear deterrence and the balance of terror and that it

will open the way to a bold approach to guaranteeing

the security of all States. Given this qualitative

transformation in international relations, our hope of

seeing our planet forever free of nuclear weapons and

other weapons of mass destruction is indeed

strengthened.

The need to establish renewable international

cooperation based on mutual interests and shared duties

and responsibilities is more urgent than ever before.

This new spirit must become an incentive for launching

comprehensive initiatives to seek a genuine

understanding of the problems plaguing the entire

world. In brief, we must prepare for international

governance that truly reflects the requirements of

rationality, transparency, justice, democratic

participation and responsibility, without which any

discussion of a new world order is meaningless and of

no use to humanity.

The progress that has been achieved at the

political and economic levels in several regions and

countries must be consolidated and enhanced through

the international promotion of good governance. In this

respect, the direct and indirect threats to sustainable

development that jeopardize the survival of our planet

require us all to mobilize on a vast scale in the context

of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Urgent measures must be taken to halt the devastating

effects of various means and types of production and

consumption that have become untenable. These must

be transformed in a qualitative way, taking into account

the needs of mankind as a whole.

In the same vein, the ministerial conference of the

World Trade Organization that opened in Doha two

days ago and the International Conference on

Financing for Development, to be held in a few months

in Mexico, are promising prospects for the lasting

resumption of growth in the developing countries and

for improving the living standards of their peoples.

Four months ago, African countries, meeting at

the 37th Assembly of Heads of State and Government

of the Organization of African Unity in Lusaka, clearly

expressed Africa’s official response to the new needs

and aspirations of its peoples through their solemn

launching of the transitional process towards the

African Union and their adoption of the New African

Initiative. These steps form an integral part of the

reform process undertaken over the past few years by

the African countries at the national, regional and

continental levels to bring Africa into step with an

ever-changing world.

Aware of the magnitude of the challenges facing

the continent and of the need to acquire a global

integrated programme for the social and economic

recovery of the continent, African leaders at the Lusaka

summit adopted a plan that was conceived by and for

Africa. Algeria, which actively participated in the

creation and drafting of the New Partnership for

African Development, believes that this programme

will open the way to practical solutions to the

economic and social problems of Africa. Thus, in order

for our Organization to bolster its credibility and

effectiveness, to address the great changes on the

international scene and to be more responsive to the

aspirations of this global village, it must earnestly

pursue its transformation and be more open to the

world and to itself.

It is also necessary to ensure greater democracy

and fairness within the United Nations system, in

particular in the maintenance of international peace and

security. The Security Council incontestably requires a

drastic reform of its processes and membership. In a

word, the United Nations must serve the great family

of mankind as a whole.