Brunei, 2001

On behalf of

His Majesty’s Government, I should like to express

once again my warmest congratulations to the

President on his election and our appreciation to his

predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland, President of

the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. I would

also like to congratulate the Secretary-General on his

re-election. We are extremely pleased that he is

continuing to serve the United Nations. The award of

this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is a fine tribute to his

work and to the United Nations agencies and workers

in the field, who have served us all with such

dedication to the principles of the Charter.

Sadly, of course, this comes at a time when their

work is perhaps more crucial than ever before. The

atrocities committed in the United States on 11

September have rightly received the absolute

condemnation of all civilized people. There is no

justification for terrorism. As we have stated both

individually and in our regional associations, Brunei

Darussalam will continue to do all it can to work

closely with the United States and all members of the

Security Council to play its part in overcoming the

direct challenge that terrorism poses to the proper

conduct of international affairs.

The existence of terrorism is, however, a grim

reminder that the United Nations agenda, set over the

last half of the twentieth century, has yet to be

completed. There are many unwelcome legacies from

the past 50 years. Though none justify acts of terror,

many offer justification for deep resentment and

profound despair. Perhaps the most apparent of all at

this time is the situation in Palestine, where the justice

implicit in the Security Council’s resolutions on

Palestine is still denied to what is now a third

generation of Palestinians. In this respect, we welcome

the recognition given by many world leaders, including

the President of the United States and the Prime

Minister of the United Kingdom, to the principle of a

Palestinian State. Brunei Darussalam hopes that all

concerned and interested parties involved in the Middle

East peace process will act with urgency in order to

bring this about.

As we all know, dispelling feelings of past

injustice is an extremely difficult task. In essence, we

believe it must involve new approaches to security. We

believe all members of all regional associations have a

crucial role in this. Brunei Darussalam is trying to do

this through the Association of South-East Asian

Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in an approach that

has been taking shape over nearly a decade now. This

involves all the nations of South-East Asia and our

partners in North America, East Asia, Europe and

Oceania. We seek common understandings through

consultation and various confidence-building measures.

Members have recognized the complex nature of

modern conflict. They have accepted that its roots are

often deep and intricately entwined. As elsewhere in

the world, it can be the result of long-standing

territorial claims, centuries-old animosities and

instinctive suspicions or conflicting ideologies. Or it

can be as basic as local land disputes or simple lack of

basic resources.

Whatever the cause, however, the members

believe the Forum is seeing signs of success. This year,

for example, it has been able to move things another

stage forward and is now looking into the very

challenging area of preventive diplomacy. In short, the

members see dialogue and consultation not as a series

of meetings but as a process. As such, it may never

end. In fact, in the long run, the process itself may

indeed become the solution.

That, we think, is the framework within which the

ideas expressed at the Millennium Summit can be

pursued successfully. In short, we believe that the key

to security today is the capacity to think locally,

regionally and globally at the same time. To us this

means that a positive, forward-looking United Nations

is crucial. It is here that all these thoughts can truly

come together. It is here that all nations can renew and

strengthen the tolerance and friendship that are the real

building blocks of security.