Egypt, 2012

It gives me

great pleasure to congratulate Mr. Vuk Jeremić and his

friendly country on his assumption of the presidency of

the General Assembly at its current session. I wish him

every success in his task.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation

to the former President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, and the brotherly

State of Qatar for their outstanding stewardship of the

previous session. I would also like to pay tribute to the

Secretary-General for striving tirelessly to preserve the

role of the Organization and enhance its effectiveness.

I assure him of Egypt’s support in all efforts extended

for that purpose.

My presence here today to address the General

Assembly has multiple significance. I am the first

Egyptian civilian President elected democratically

and freely, following a great peaceful revolution

hailed by the entire world. The revolution enjoyed

genuine legitimacy thanks to the efforts and will of

all Egyptians, inside and outside of Egypt, and by the

grace of God. Today, every Egyptian shares a sense

of self-confidence that allows each of them to claim a

higher moral and cultural ground.

We have taken several effective steps on the road

towards establishing the modern State aspired to by

all Egyptians — one that is in tune with the present,

based on the rule of law, democracy and respect for

human rights, a constitutional State that will not

compromise the values firmly embedded in the souls of

all Egyptians, a State that seeks justice, truth, freedom,

dignity and social justice.

The Egyptian revolution that was founded on the

legitimacy that I represent before the Assembly today

was not the product of a f leeting moment, or a brief

uprising. Nor was it the product of the winds of change

of a certain spring or autumn. Rather, that revolution,

and all the ones preceding it and following it in the

region, were triggered by the long-term struggle of

indigenous national movements seeking a life of

pride and dignity for all citizens. It therefore reflects

the wisdom of history and is a clear warning to those

attempting to put their interests before those of their

peoples.

We are therefore striving to realize a new vision

of Egypt that will serve as a programme of action

for the world and that will guide our cooperation

with the international community in a spirit of

equality and mutual respect through the promotion

of non-intervention in the affairs of States and the

implementation of international principles, agreements

and instruments. Today we reiterate our commitment,

particularly to the Charter of the United Nations, which

Egypt took part in drafting.

From that perspective, we continue efforts to

resolve problems and address their root causes, without

relinquishing the principles of law or well-established

values that, if compromised, could lead to grave

international consequences if the rational and sincere

among us choose not to pay heed.

The first issue that the global community must

exert all efforts to resolve, on the basis of justice

and dignity, is the Palestinian cause. Many decades

have passed since the Palestinian people expressed

their desire to regain their full rights and build their

independent State, with Jerusalem as its capital. Despite

the continued struggle of the people via all legitimate

means to attain their rights, and despite the acceptance

by their representatives of the resolutions adopted by

the international community as a basis for resolving

problems, this issue of international legitimacy has to

date, unfortunately, remained without a resolution to

achieve the hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian

people. And the resolutions agreed on the issue remain

far from implementation.

The fruits of dignity and freedom must not remain

out of reach of the brotherly Palestinian people. It is

shameful that the free world has accepted, without

regard to the justifications provided, the continued

denial, by a member of the international community, of the rights of a nation that, for decades, has longed

for independence. It is also disgraceful that settlement

activities have continued in the Palestinian territories,

along with the delay in implementing decisions of

international legitimacy.

Proceeding from the perspective of defending

truth, freedom and dignity, and from my duty to

support our Palestinian brothers and sisters, I place

the international community face to face with its

obligatory responsibilities requiring the achievement

of a just and comprehensive peace, an end to all forms

of occupation of Arab land and the implementation of

relevant international resolutions. I call for immediate

and significant measures to put an end to occupation,

settlement activities and any alteration to the identity

of occupied Jerusalem.

I call for peace that will establish a sovereign

Palestinian State and achieve the security and stability

long sought by the peoples of the region. On the same

basis, I assure the Assembly of Egypt’s full support of

any course of action that Palestine decides to follow in

the United Nations.

I call upon all Member States, just as they have

supported the revolutions of the Arab peoples, to

extend their support to the Palestinians and their

endeavour to recover the full and legitimate rights of a

people struggling to regain its freedom and establish an

independent State of Palestine, based on the inalienable

rights of the Palestinians.

We are determined to work to pursue all efforts of

the Palestinian people, in support of them and side by

side until they freely regain all rights for all segments

and communities of the population.

From this rostrum and at this eminent gathering,

I must address the issue that weighs heavily upon all

of us, namely, the bloodshed and the human tragedy in

Syria. The bloodshed must be halted immediately. That

is our first concern. The blood being shed in the land of

beloved Syria is far too valuable to continue to lose day

and night. The brotherly Syrian people, who are dear

to the hearts of every Egyptian, deserve to hope for a

future of freedom and dignity. That is the essence of

the initiative that I proposed in the Holy City of Mecca

during the recent month of Ramadan, and which I have

reiterated on subsequent occasions. It aims to avoid the

worst; to check the continued suffering of the Syrian

people and the devolvement of the conflict into a full

scale civil war — God forbid — with concomitant negative effects extending beyond Syria and its

immediate neighbours.

Egypt, along with the three other countries involved

in our initiative, has held meetings that manifested

many areas of commonalities. We will continue to work

to put an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and

provide them with an opportunity to choose freely the

regime that best represents them.

After the current regime comes to an end — the

regime that is killing its own people day and night — the

Syrian people will choose, by their own free will,

a regime that represents them and that places Syria

in its proper position among democratic countries

contributing to the common march of the Arab people

based on its solid, legitimate, regional and international

role.

I would like to emphasize here that the initiative is

open to all. It is not just the purview of its four starting

parties, but is open to all who wish to positively

contribute to resolving the Syrian crisis and suffering,

that we are all responsible for.

All of us, the world over, must actively endeavour

to put an end to the tragedy. It is the tragedy of the age,

and our duty is to end it.

Egypt is committed to continuing its sincere efforts

to put an end to the catastrophe in Syria under an Arab,

regional and international framework that preserves

the unity of that brotherly State. It would involve all

factions of the Syrian people without ethnic, religious or

gender discrimination and would spare Syria the danger

of foreign military intervention, which we oppose.

Egypt is also committed to supporting the mission of

Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special Representative of

the United Nations and the League of Arab States for

Syria, and to continuing the current efforts aimed at

unifying the Syrian opposition and encouraging it to

propose a comprehensive unified vision of an organized

democratic transfer of power by measures that preserve

the rights of all constituencies in Syria, and maintain

their essential positions in the new Syria — like the

new Egypt.

I cannot fail to reiterate Egypt’s commitment to

working with the other Arab countries to ensure that the

Arab nation reclaims its rightful position in the world.

That is an integral component of Egypt’s vision of

national security and of the larger homeland extending

from the Arab Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean — an area that thrives with opportunities for cooperation and

constructive engagement with the entire world.

Egypt also believes that the extremely valuable

contribution of the Arab nation within the wider Islamic

sphere is of vital necessity in promoting joint action

within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Egypt will make every effort to ensure that the next

OIC conference, to be held early next year in Egypt,

will strengthen mutual understanding between Islamic

countries and the rest of the world and set in motion

the principles of the dialogue among civilizations, by

eliminating the causes of misunderstandings used by

fanatics on both sides to prove, wrongly, that differences

among people are great and to achieve political goals

completely unrelated to the noble ideals of religions,

human values or ethics.

Today more than ever, our brothers and sisters in

the Sudan need the Assembly’s support. The Sudan

is seeking to achieve stability and development

and is working to build sound and ideal relations

with South Sudan. I believe that the nascent State,

together with the Sudan, is ready to become a centre

of cooperation between the Arab world and African

countries. The Sudan has made great sacrifices in its

quest for peace and stability. It has committed itself

to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement. It was also the first country to recognize

the nascent State of South Sudan. But let me be frank:

it has not received the support it deserves. It is now high

time for international efforts to rally in support of the

Sudan and to work on settling differences between the

Sudan and its neighbour to the south in order to resolve

all outstanding issues.

An early success of the brotherly Somali people

during the difficult transitional phase was to elect His

Excellency Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as President,

which is a positive step towards unity and stability after

a very difficult period. I call upon the United Nations

to continue to support the Somali Government’s efforts

to fend off those seeking to hinder its efforts to achieve

stability, reconstruct State institutions and realize the

aspirations of the Somali people for a better future.

The principles of justice and right are linked

to achieving security and stability in the world,

particularly in the Middle East. Over many long years,

some have wrongfully sought to maintain stability

through oppression and tyranny. Some of us have, alas,

applauded their bad deeds. But now that the peoples of the region have regained their freedom, they will

neither tolerate, nor permit, being deprived of their

rights, by either their own leaders or outside forces.

The will of the people, especially in our region,

no longer accepts the continued non-accession of

any country to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the non-application of the

safeguards regime to that country’s nuclear facilities,

especially if such action is coupled with irresponsible

policies or arbitrary threats. In that regard, the

international community’s acceptance of the principle

of pre-emption or attempts to legitimize it represents a

serious matter that must be firmly confronted to avoid

any tendency to promote the law of the jungle.

Cognizant of the danger that the status quo

represents to the security of our important region, with

its natural resources and trade corridors, Egypt stresses

the necessity of mobilizing international efforts to

convene the special conference on declaring the Middle

East a nuclear-weapon-free zone that is also free of

other weapons of mass destruction, before the end of

the current year, with the participation of all concerned

parties, without exception.

I should like to say very clearly that the only

solution is to eliminate all nuclear weapons and all other

weapons of mass destruction. There is no alternative.

At the same time, we also emphasize the right of all

countries of the region and of the world, including

Egypt, of course, to the peaceful use of nuclear energy

within the framework of the NPT, with a commitment

to honour their obligations in that respect and provide

the necessary guarantees to the countries of the region,

so as to avoid any doubt surrounding their peaceful

nuclear programmes.

In our view, the concepts of justice, truth and

dignity form the basis of the framework for governing

international relations.

A review of international relations would

undoubtedly reveal the extent of the injustice that

has been inf licted upon the African continent. I do

not think it necessary to enumerate all the previous

pledges that have been made in the Hall to boost

development and economic growth in Africa through

aid and investment. The world has a responsibility to

support Africa’s efforts beyond mere promises and

good intentions; it must provide the assistance needed

for African countries to recover the treasures that were

stolen from them over successive eras, the last of which being the period when some thought that supporting

unjust regimes would help to achieve a false stability

that protected their interests, while those regimes

merely spread corruption and allowed for wealth to be

smuggled outside their countries.

I am aware that the desired goals can only be

achieved through the active participation of the peoples

of the continent and their assumption of their own

responsibilities. That is something that we as Africans

are ready and willing to undertake in our quest for a

better future for our countries. Today, we as Africans

have to create for our continent a new set of ambitious

goals that would ensure that we are on the right track

towards sustainable development, the fulfilment of our

aspirations for a better future and the real participation

of Africa in the international order. I assure the

Assembly that Egypt will continue to support its

brothers and sisters in Africa, and that it is ready to

cooperate with any stakeholder or party in or outside

the continent to raise living standards in Africa through

the exchange of expertise and successful practices.

As we contemplate the current international order,

we feel that there is a need to work diligently to repair

it, based on principles that would renew its legitimacy

and preserve its credibility. That is a legitimate demand

of peoples and nations as they seek to participate

in shaping a new world and a better future for their

children.

Revitalizing the role of the General Assembly

as a democratic forum that expresses the will of the

international community and reforming the structure

of a Security Council, which still reflects a bygone

era, must remain our highest priorities and must be

undertaken with due seriousness.

I would like to emphasize the need for the United

Nations to give special attention to women’s issues

and youth issues. During the Non-Aligned Movement

summit in Tehran, I proposed a new initiative to establish

a United Nations body dedicated solely to youth issues,

giving particular attention to education, training,

employment and improving youth participation in

political life. The aim is to build the capacity of future

generations to achieve their aspirations.

Egypt would like to stress that the international

system will not be fixed as long as we have double

standards. We expect from others, as others expect from

us, respect for our cultural specificities and religious

points of reference. The world beyond our region should not seek to impose on us concepts or cultures

that are unacceptable to us, nor should they politicize

certain issues and use them as a pretext to intervene in

our affairs.

What Muslims — and migrant Muslims — are

experiencing in a number of regions worldwide in

terms of discrimination, basic human rights violations

and vicious campaigns against what they hold sacred, is

unacceptable. The behaviour of some individuals in that

regard is absolutely unacceptable. We reject the insults

heaped upon the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad — peace

be upon him — as unacceptable. We oppose those who

hurl such insults. We will not allow anyone to insult the

Prophet in word or in deed. It runs counter to the most

basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

Unfortunately, such practices have acquired a name

today — Islamophobia.

We all have to work together. We must join hands

in confronting regressive ideas that hinder cooperation

among us. We must move together to confront

extremism, discrimination and incitement to hatred

of others on the basis of religion or race. The General

Assembly and the Security Council have the primary

responsibility for addressing a phenomenon that is

starting to have clear implications for international

peace and security.

The obscenities that I have referred to, which are

part of a recent organized campaign against Islamic

sanctities, are unacceptable and require that we take a

firm stand. We have a responsibility at this international

forum to look into how we can protect the world from

instability and insecurity.

Egypt respects freedom of expression — a freedom

of expression that is not used to incite hatred against

anyone and that is not directed towards a specific

religion or culture. We support a freedom of expression

that addresses extremism and violence and does not

deepen ignorance or disregard others. As we have said

before, we firmly oppose the use of violence as a means

of expressing objection to obscenity and indecency.

Before I conclude, I must say that the severity

and recurrence of financial and economic crises must

lead us to a review of the international economic

decision-making processes that affect the fate of

peoples who have not participated directly in those

processes but yet are unfortunately the first to bear their

negative impacts on growth, trade, the environment

and the social fabric of society, as a result of unfair trade rules and practices and conditionalities imposed

on the transfer of technology and access to necessary

financing for development. We urgently need a new

people-centred form of global economic governance that

aims at consolidating cooperation between development

partners on the basis of mutual benefit and interests.

I have laid out our vision, which is shared by the

Egyptian people. I have also attempted to brief ly outline

Egypt’s views on the main issues, which is to say the

vision of Egyptian youth, children, women and men,

Muslim and non-Muslim, on all important questions in

the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the world. From

that perspective, I am sure that the United Nations is

capable of assuming its intended role of effectively

addressing all global and regional issues and challenges

through dialogue, understanding and joint cooperation,

in accordance with the principles of international law.

Post-revolutionary Egypt will spare no effort to

deal sincerely with all Members of the Organization.

We will always remain in the forefront of international

endeavours aimed at achieving freedom, justice, social

justice and dignity for all peoples, as well as security

and stability for all our countries.

I look forward with great optimism, and I see

the peace that we call for prevailing all over the

world — a peace based on justice and conferring on

all their undiminished rights, a peace that does not

discriminate between people for any reason. That peace

will not come about until we all cooperate, until we

realize that we are all equal and share many aspirations

and ambitions. That is the peace whose message I bring

to to the Assembly — a peace of right and justice,

stability and development, interdependence of interests

and benefits, love and mutual respect. I do not believe

that achieving this will raise difficulties for any of us

if we extend the hand of cooperation, sincere intention

and righteous work. God is our witness. We are all

hopeful that we will see a better future for the world.