Colombia, 2001

Allow me, on behalf of the Government of Colombia,

to express our satisfaction at your assumption of the

presidency of this session of the General Assembly.

Your experience and leadership are valuable credentials

for bringing our deliberations to a fruitful result. I wish

also to pay tribute to your predecessor, the Minister of

Foreign Affairs of Finland, His Excellency Mr. Harri

Holkeri, whose diplomatic skills contributed decisively

to the Assembly’s work.

I want, further, to speak of the Secretary-General,

Mr. Kofi Annan, whose authority, dedication and

5

meaningful contribution will serve as inspiration for

the decisions that Member States must take at this

session.

Let me take this opportunity to reiterate our

satisfaction at the honour accorded to the United

Nations and to the Secretary-General through the

award of the Nobel Peace Prize. That was a well-

deserved tribute to our Organization, to the values

shared by its Member States, and, in particular, to the

Secretary General, whose personal commitment and

visionary approach have given new life to the United

Nations and have helped to consolidate its international

credibility. That decision was more than an

acknowledgement of past achievements; it provided

encouragement that inspires the work of the United

Nations in the light of the challenges of the new

millennium.

Two months ago the entire world was shaken by a

series of unprecedented terrorist acts. We have all

spoken of the dreadful effects of these attacks. We have

all expressed our solidarity to the people of the United

States. And we all agree that those irrational acts not

only affected one single country but were in fact an

attack against all mankind. But we must go even

further; we must understand why such events occurred

and what we must do to ensure that similar acts never

happen again – never again.

The tragedy of 11 September had the positive

effect of uniting us all against a common enemy:

terrorism. And it did something else: it removed the

dissembling from our words; it stripped the hypocrisy

from our discourse; it moved us out of the world of

grey tones to which we were so accustomed. Now we

must work to replace it with a black-and-white world

that is free of ambiguity.

And what were those greys that are so evident

today? They were the ambiguities we all expressed in

respect of violence and the money that finances it. In

the past, when an act against civilians anywhere in the

world suited our interests, we would speak of a

humanitarian crisis, of defending democracy, of

reasons of State. And we continued on impassively,

with a clear conscience. But when an act against

civilians anywhere did not suit our interests, we would

take a firm stand, we would react with indignation and

we would speak of terrorism, of attacks against

mankind, of treacherous attacks against democracy and

human rights.

Let there be no more ambiguity or equivocation.

The time has come to define our position, with no

vague half answers: either we side with mankind, its

dignity and its integrity, or we do not.

Whenever human dignity or civilians are

attacked, that is an act of terrorism. It does not matter

whether it is perpetrated by a group of religious

fanatics or by an organization claiming to have

political ideals. There is no pretext for attacking

defenceless civilians. The dividing line is very clear:

either we respect human life and dignity or we stand

against humankind.

The horrendous acts of 11 September do not

represent a collision of civilizations, religions or

cultures. The only collision is between a violent

fanatical minority on the one hand, and all forms of

civilization on the other. We cannot accept any further

attempts to justify violence. No matter how much it

costs us — even if it goes against our present

interests — there is something far more valuable than

anything else in the world: human life and human

dignity.

Today, we must all stand together and

unreservedly condemn all acts of violence against any

human being, regardless of the pretext. If we do not

cast our lot in favour of mankind and human values,

what will be left for us? What right will we have to call

ourselves the leaders of a civilization gone adrift?

I address the Assembly today with the

overwhelming responsibility and authority vested in me

as President of a country, Colombia, that for decades

has endured an internal conflict where every new day

brings more deaths and kidnappings because of the

intransigence of illegal groups seeking to impose

themselves at the cost of the lives of their compatriots.

And I address the Assembly today representing a

country, Colombia, that has been the main victim of

worldwide drug addiction, a country that has suffered

too many deaths, that has sacrificed natural and

financial resources to combat a crime that is not its

own. It is a global crime whose vast illegal proceeds

remain outside our borders.

In those two capacities, I address the international

community, represented in the General Assembly, to

demand, head held high, that we move from rhetoric to

action. The world is distressed by this ominous

terrorism. I say candidly that we ourselves have also

6

suffered from such terrorism for quite some time. But

we have not always felt the pulse of the international

community beating firmly by our side.

We all know that the world market for illegal

drugs is the number-one source of financing for

worldwide terrorism and death. Yet the international

community has been content simply to suggest or

demand that production centres control drug trafficking

through law enforcement and through eradication and

interdiction action, forgetting that this scourge is much

more than just a problem of cultivation and trafficking.

It is a global problem with global ramifications.

Colombia has always said, and my Government

has repeated again and again in every possible

international forum, that it is necessary to control

illegal drug production, but that we cannot forget that

this is a very complex transnational business and that

the vast proceeds of narcotics trafficking do not stay in

our country. No, indeed: those profits move freely

through international financial markets where

seemingly respectable financiers and businessmen

prosper, enjoying the tolerance of the entire world.

We must also learn from our misfortunes —

especially from our misfortunes — and we have

learned something from the events of 11 September.

We have learned that lax control of financial

institutions and the existence of tax and banking

havens are like giving criminals a letter of marque to

make and multiply their profits, to amass the fortunes

that finance death.

The shared responsibility that my country

demands in the fight against illegal drugs must also be

applied to the fight against terrorism. This new

international conviction that we have all been late in

implementing — perhaps because we are still numbed

by the so-called post-cold-war era — must be

translated into acts that go beyond rhetoric. There must

be no more coexisting with money laundering, even if

it means going after the major financial conglomerates

of the world.

There must be no more uncontrolled production

and sale of the chemical precursors used in illicit drug

production.

There must be no more illegal or uncontrolled

manufacturing and sale of the weapons that propagate

death.

Only if we, beginning with the developed

countries, translate those principles into reality, with

concrete action and with political will, will we give

meaning and effectiveness to the fight that my country,

Colombia, has been waging for many years against the

cultivation and production of drugs.

No country is free from the destructive

consequences of illegal drugs. There are no epicentres

in this illegal business. This criminal activity is global

in nature. The drug problem, and organized crime in

general, undermine the institutional framework,

conspire against democracy, compromise governance

and sow death and violence. They are a hothouse of

corruption; they erode judicial systems and they thwart

the rule of law. Shared responsibility, therefore, means

the responsibility to defend democracy, our principles

and institutions.

The year 2003 will mark five years since the

twentieth special session of the General Assembly, the

so-called world drug summit. We should now begin to

promote an in-depth review of all the accomplishments,

the obstacles encountered along the way, the new

challenges to be faced and the additional action we

must take to break, once and for all, the links that

support this global phenomenon.

But we must do so without losing ourselves in

grey tones. The commitment of the international

community must be real and concrete so that we can at

last attack the finances of the traffickers of death. Let

us combat the business in which they make all their

profits.

Fortunately, the Security Council has taken

important decisions in this regard, moving the fight

against crime in the right direction. Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001) and the measures being taken

by all the Governments of the world to combat the

financing of international terrorism are an essential

step forward that Colombia supports without hesitation.

We must work together to dismantle the structure

of the extremists’ financial support. That is the only

way to create a safer world for our children. It is the

only way to defeat the plague of violence and terrorism

at its roots: the transnational empires of drugs.

A year ago, we gathered in this same Hall on the

occasion of the Millennium Summit. None of the

priorities identified at that time was stressed as much

as the need to ensure that globalization benefits all the

7

peoples of the world. The reality of globalization is one

of inequality; it has led to dissatisfaction and conflict.

We need, through deep reflection, to become aware of

our responsibility for humanizing globalization and

ensuring that it reflects the interests of all countries and

regions.

The Conference on Financing for Development to

be held early next year in Mexico is particularly

important in this light. Unless we mobilize the

necessary financial resources and move towards a new

architecture ensuring a stable international financial

system, the commitments and the course set out at the

Millennium Summit will be a dead letter.

Those same criteria must guide next year’s World

Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

On that occasion, we must consolidate a positive vision

and devise a road map for achieving real harmony

between economic growth, social development and the

preservation of the environment.

This is the last time I will address the General

Assembly as President of Colombia. Each year since

1998, I have spoken before the Assembly about the

commitment of my Government and of the people of

Colombia to achieving peace, democracy and progress

in social justice.

More than any other leader of my country I have

fully devoted myself to achieving peace. I do not regret

having done that, because we Colombians are tired of

violence, intimidation, crime and kidnappings. I hope

that all groups living outside the law will make the

right choice at this crucial juncture, not only in the

history of Colombia but also in the history of all

humankind. It is up to them to decide how they want to

be treated: as terrorists and drug-traffickers or as

political insurgents. They must define themselves

through their actions. If their actions lead them to be

treated as mere terrorists, then they must clearly

understand — and I say this vehemently to the

world — that Colombia and the international

community will honour their commitments and carry

out the measures adopted by the Security Council to

combat terrorism.

History goes on; it does not stop. Leaders come

and go, but peoples continue along the path laid out

before them. Even today, I believe that peace is

possible if the will to make peace exists. I still believe,

with the firm hope of someone who knows the values

of his people, that the road we started on will not be

barren.

During my mandate, the international community

has shown an unprecedented solidarity with the people

of Colombia and its quest for peace. I am grateful for

that from the bottom of my heart.

I must give special recognition to the Secretary

General’s Special Adviser on International Assistance

to Colombia, Jan Egeland, for his assistance, and to the

generous contribution of friendly nations during the

talks with insurgent groups. The world has sided with

peace in Colombia, and that is a gesture we understand

and appreciate in its full worth.

Today I echo the strong and determined voice of

40 million Colombians, who are all fighting for a better

and more dignified life, and I reaffirm before the world

a message to the international community that proposes

and demands clarity.

The time for lamenting is over. It is time for

definitions.

Let us put aside the empty speeches. Let us leave

behind the moral double standards that measure acts

that suit us with one yardstick and the acts that do not

with another. Let us advance, united together, against

all forms of terrorism, whatever their rationales.

No more ambiguity. No more justifications of

violence. Let us never forget that there is nothing more

sacred, more valuable or worthier than human life.