Bahrain, 2002

I should like at the outset

to sincerely congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan on his election

as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-

seventh session. I should also like to express my deep

appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo,

Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, for his

tireless efforts in conducting the proceedings of the

fifty-sixth session, as well as of the twenty-seventh

special session of the Assembly, on children.

I should also like to express our deep appreciation

to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his continued

efforts to enhance the role of the United Nations and to

enable it to achieve the noble and lofty objectives for

which it was created.

Furthermore, I am pleased to extend my

congratulations to the Swiss Confederation on its

having joined the Organization. I would like also to

congratulate East Timor on attaining its independence.

It is also my pleasure to welcome the establishment of

the African Union, the successor to the Organization of

African Unity.

9

This session was convened on the first

anniversary of 11 September, an event that terrified the

international community, shocked the human

conscience and unified international efforts to face up

to an enemy that has no religion, ethnicity, race or

nationality. That enemy is terrorism.

On this painful anniversary, it is incumbent upon

us to again extend our condolences and sympathy to

the United States of America and its friendly people,

and to the families of the victims everywhere, and to

condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

We affirm our support for all international efforts that

seek to combat its elements and to uproot it.

In line with the purposes and principles of the

United Nations Charter and with international efforts,

the Kingdom of Bahrain has sought, since attaining

independence, to build a modern State and a civil

society in which the human being is the focal point.

Such a human being would be prepared and qualified

to cope with the political, economic and social

requirements of modern life.

Moreover, taking firm and confident steps, the

Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its commitment to the

development and modernization process taking place

under the leadership of His Majesty Shaikh Hamad Bin

Isa Al-Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain. My

country was proclaimed a constitutional monarchy

following a plebiscite on our National Action Charter,

designed to promote democratic and constitutional life

in Bahrain. The municipal elections in May 2002, in

which women participated both as voters and as

candidates, were a success; preparations are now under

way for parliamentary elections, which are to take

place in October.

The Government and the people have made a

concerted effort to ensure success in the democratic

and developmental process, as set out in the Kingdom's

Constitution and in its policies and programmes in all

fields. In this regard, the Kingdom has acceded to the

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination against Women. Civic activities have

been enhanced and the number of non-governmental

organizations has risen. These have been promoted so

that all the people of Bahrain may participate in

expanding national efforts to ensure the well-being of

the people and respect for human rights in all civil,

political, economic, social and cultural areas.

The Kingdom of Bahrain takes pride in these

achievements, which have been recognized by the

United Nations Human Development Report for 2002,

which ranked the Kingdom of Bahrain high among all

countries of the world and, for the sixth time, first

among sisterly Arab States. Furthermore, the Arab

Human Development Report 2002 has also mentioned

our achievements, showing once again the success of

the Kingdom's democratic and development strategy in

all areas.

Moreover, the leadership and the people of the

Kingdom of Bahrain are proud that, in a report recently

published by the United Nations Industrial

Development Organization, Bahrain was ranked 42nd

among the 87 countries included in the report, and first

in the Arab world.

The Kingdom of Bahrain attaches great

importance to the question of regional security, because

of the repercussions it has on the security and stability

of States and peoples. Accordingly, Bahrain has

consistently sought to consolidate neighbourly

relations and mutual respect with its neighbouring

States. Bahrain looks forward to the peaceful resolution

of the question of the three Emirates islands, in

accordance with the principles and rules of

international law and in a brotherly spirit of

understanding, on the basis of recent positive

developments in the relations between the States

members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the

Islamic Republic of Iran, and in the light of the direct

contacts that have taken place recently, in particular

those between the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

Furthermore, the Arab Summit, held in Beirut last

March, confirmed the necessity and importance of

security and stability in the Gulf region and of creating

a propitious atmosphere for the restoration of normal

relations among the States of the region. It called upon

Iraq to complete the implementation of relevant

Security Council resolutions on the situation between

Iraq and Kuwait, especially those relating to Kuwaiti

and third-country prisoners of war; to cooperate with

the United Nations with a view to alleviating the

suffering of the people of Iraq; and to avoid any

confrontation that might threaten the States and

peoples of the region or the unity and territorial

integrity of Iraq, and that might be used as a pretext for

interfering in Iraq's internal affairs.

10

The Middle East is currently facing great danger

as a result of Israel's policy in the occupied Palestinian

territories and of its perpetration of the most heinous

crimes against the Palestinian people, such as

assassinations, blockades and the destruction of the

infrastructure and the economy. The events that took

place in the Jenin refugee camp and in the Gaza Strip,

along with the daily events that occur in all other

Palestinian cities, are clear indications of the Israeli

Government's aggression and violation of international

law and norms and of its unwillingness to accept peace

or comply with the international agreements it has

signed.

Furthermore, the Palestinian people are still

resisting this ferocious assault with great courage and

determination, thus asserting their right to fight the

occupation and emphasizing their belief in their just

cause, while upholding their legitimate leadership and

defending their national rights, as endorsed by the

international community, in accordance with Security

Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and other

relevant resolutions, the latest being Council resolution

1397 (2002). They are also upholding the principle of

land for peace and the establishment of an independent

Palestinian State on their national land, with Jerusalem

as its capital.

On the basis of its principles and in support of

justice, Bahrain has always stood by the brotherly

people of Palestine. It affirms its full support for the

Arab peace initiative adopted at the Arab Summit held

at Beirut in March 2002 on the basis of the vision

offered by His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah Bin

Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia. That vision provides for an end to the

Middle East conflict, the establishment of normal

relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal

from all the occupied Arab territories to the borders of

4 June 1967, including withdrawal from the Syrian

Arab Golan Heights and the remaining Lebanese

occupied territories, and a just settlement of the

question of Palestinian refugees in accordance with

General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948.

The oppression to which the Palestinian people

are subjected and the ongoing situation that threatens

security and peace in the Middle East and the world

require immediate intervention by the Security Council

and the international community to stop Israeli

practices against the Palestinian people and to

reactivate the Arab peace initiative at the regional and

international levels. That initiative is a viable basis for

any move towards the achievement of a just and

comprehensive peace in the region.

Bahrain has welcomed the initiative of the United

States Secretary of State with respect to convening a

peace conference on the Middle East, on the basis of

ideas and principles put forward by the Arab Summit in

the Arab peace initiative and of the relevant

international resolutions. It hopes that a just and

comprehensive peace in the Middle East will thus be

achieved, leading to stability and security, ending the

cycle of conflict and violence, and bringing instead a

cycle of fruitful cooperation among the countries of the

region.

Bahrain has also reaffirmed this position by

welcoming the positive ideas in President Bush's 24

June 2002 statement on the Middle East. Those ideas

were reiterated in his statement before the General

Assembly last Thursday and related to the settlement of

the Middle East conflict within the framework of the

resolutions of international legitimacy, and with a view

to establishing a Palestinian State living side by side

with Israel in peace and security.

The Arab side, through the Arab peace initiative

and by accepting the ideas that President Bush has put

forward, has clearly demonstrated its interest in

security and stability in the region. The Israeli side has

yet to detail what plans it has for peace and what

position it has taken vis-à-vis the Arab peace initiative

and the ideas put forward by President Bush. What is

needed now is to translate those ideas and initiatives

into plans and practical steps that benefit peace and put

an end to the present deteriorating situation.

In the light of Bahrain's religious and cultural

traditions, as reflected in our Constitution and national

laws and as reaffirmed by our policies that focus, inter

alia, on the right to life, security and peace, we would

like to reaffirm our strong rejection of all forms and

manifestations of terrorism. We would also welcome

the convening under United Nations auspices of an

international conference on terrorism, with a view to

reaching an internationally agreed definition of

terrorism that differentiates between unacceptable

terrorist acts and legitimate struggle and resistance by

people against foreign occupation to achieve national

liberation and self-determination, and to defend

themselves in accordance with the United Nations

Charter, to which we adhere in word and deed.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has followed with great

interest the developments in Afghanistan, a country

that has lacked stability and has suffered the ravages of

war for many years. We welcome the measures taken

by the Government of Afghanistan with a view to

promoting security and stability and restoring normal

life for its people. We have also cooperated fully with

the Committee established pursuant to Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001) on financial and logistical

measures against terrorist activities, in line with the

concept of collective action within the United Nations.

Bahrain has supported all initiatives to establish

nuclear-weapon-free zones and has supported other

confidence-building measures in regions such as the

Middle East, where we have supported the creation of a

zone free of all weapons of mass destruction,

especially nuclear weapons, in accordance with the

relevant General Assembly resolutions. We call upon

all our neighbours to support this idea in order to

release resources that could be used for the prosperity

and development of peoples. We call on the United

Nations to exert pressure on Israel to accede to the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

and to subject its nuclear facilities to the

comprehensive safeguards system of the International

Atomic Energy Agency.

Dialogue and tolerance among States and peoples

contribute to the promotion of understanding and the

maintenance of international peace and security. Based

on that conviction, and emphasizing the importance we

attach to General Assembly resolution 53/22 of 16

November 1998 concerning the United Nations Year of

Dialogue among Civilizations, the Kingdom of Bahrain

has hosted a seminar organized in cooperation with the

Government of Japan. A number of internationally

known intellectuals from the Arab and Islamic worlds

and from Japan participated in the seminar, which was

convened last March and was entitled “The Dialogue

among Civilizations: The Islamic World and Japan”.

The seminar sought to promote dialogue between Arab-

Islamic civilizations and other civilizations so that

different cultures may grow closer to one another.

In furtherance of this approach, the Kingdom of

Bahrain will also host the tenth session of the Islamic-

Christian Dialogue Conference, to be held from 28 to

30 October 2002. The objective is to promote better

understanding between world religions and cultures,

and to enhance interaction and exchange in order to

preserve the progress that has been made and to

invigorate an informed outlook for the future, wherein

cooperation in the interest of the entire human race,

without discrimination, can take place.

In conclusion, I would like to state that, thanks to

cooperative efforts, the World Summit on Sustainable

Development, recently held in Johannesburg, provided

a favourable opportunity for the review and evaluation

of achievements made over the past 10 years, the

identification of impediments and challenges, the

development of strategies and the identification of

objectives and priorities for joint action. It is our hope

that all States will implement the outcome of the

Johannesburg Summit and will address the challenges

facing us all, especially the developing States.

In that context, the Kingdom of Bahrain would

like once again to affirm the importance of practical

and effective implementation of the Millennium

Declaration with regard to development and the role of

the international community and international

organizations in supporting national efforts in that

field.

We are confident that the United Nations, with

the determination, political will and hard work of its

Member States, is capable of efforts that will help us

achieve our shared goals of just peace, economic

prosperity and social justice throughout the world. It is

in our interest to cooperate with one another to make

the United Nations the main engine of our activities, in

order to achieve a better world: one of peace, security,

prosperity and justice for all peoples and all States.