Greece, 2005

Let me begin,

Mr. President, by congratulating you upon your

election as President of the General Assembly and

assure you of my country’s unwavering support for

your endeavours. Your previous experience at the

United Nations ensures that under your guidance the

Assembly will continue to promote the values and

principles of our Organization.

I also wish to extend our sincere thanks to the

outgoing President, Mr. Ping. His tireless efforts in all

fields, particularly in the preparations for the High-

level Plenary Meeting, have been exemplary.

Greece fully subscribes to the statement delivered

earlier by the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom

on behalf of the European Union, as well as to the

European Union priorities presented to the General

Assembly.

I would also like to express our appreciation to

the Secretary-General for his relentless efforts to

promote peace and security and to safeguard the moral

authority and the pre-eminent role of our United

Nations.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, we

continue to face many threats and challenges that

undermine the basic values and principles of our

societies and test our will and determination to abide

by the obligations and restraints inherent in those

values and principles. Only through concerted

collective action, dialogue and mutual understanding

can we confront them and pave the way for a better and

brighter future.

Terrorism has emerged as the most important

challenge of our times, creating an atmosphere of

collective fear, intolerance and a never-ending cycle of

violence. Throughout history, violence has never

proven to be an answer to our problems. Peace,

stability and security can only be achieved through

tolerance, acceptance and the realization that our

common interests far outweigh our differences. There

is no justification whatsoever for terrorism. It is high

time for an urgent collective effort to put an immediate

end to that modern scourge.

Natural disasters, like the tsunami in Asia and the

recent hurricane in the southern part of the United

States — with so many victims and unimaginable

destruction — also demonstrate sufficiently the

importance of international cooperation and the urgent

need for human solidarity.

I am fully aware of the importance of economic

development for a considerable part of the world.

Security and sustainable development go hand in hand.

Our collective commitment and efforts are needed to

correct the imbalances and disparities in the world. It is

only a matter of time before extreme poverty, hunger

and the catastrophic impact of widespread diseases will

lead to strife, internal or external. The foremost

example of that is in Africa, where the vicious cycle of

poverty, conflict and HIV/AIDS produces an explosive

combination ripping apart the fabric of their societies

and threatening them with unprecedented and dire

consequences.

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Multilateral cooperation is the only way to a

better world. The international multilateral system

must be enhanced and strengthened. Greece fully

participates in the policies formulated by the European

Union and the various international organizations that

contribute to the economic development of all areas of

the world in order to redress existing imbalances.

We appreciate the value of cultural diversity in a

world unfortunately so often divided by discrimination.

We believe in dialogue among cultures, among people

and among societies. We fully support the peaceful

resolution of all our disputes on the basis of

international law and the United Nations Charter. We

are deeply committed to the United Nations and what it

represents and to effective multilateralism and the pre-

eminence of international law.

Looking at Greece’s immediate neighbourhood,

the Balkans, we realize that it has not yet been fully

transformed into a region of peace, stability and

prosperity.

In Kosovo, the trauma created by the repression

of the past and the inter-ethnic violence that plagued

the region for so long has yet to be healed. There is a

need for a settlement that is in conformity with

international legality, as expressed by the United

Nations, and with European standards and values — a

settlement which will enhance regional stability.

We remain convinced that European integration is

the only way to find permanent solutions to existing

problems and challenges in the area. At the same time,

regional cooperation must be strengthened so as to

effectively address the problems of the neighbourhood.

Greece, which holds the chairmanship-in-office of the

South-East European Cooperation Process, is

determined to strengthen the institutional aspects of

that process and to develop it into the real voice of the

region.

I deeply regret that the Cyprus problem remains

unresolved. In the 31 years of military occupation of

more than one third of the territory of Cyprus, Greece

has strongly supported every attempt and initiative by

the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive

settlement of the Cyprus problem.

In the light of the outcome of last year’s

referendums, which should be fully respected, any new

initiative will have to be carefully prepared so as to

ensure real chances for success. For our part, we are

ready to work towards building the necessary common

ground, which will render possible the re-launching of

meaningful negotiations.

Our ultimate goal remains an agreed solution

between the two parties. We remain steadfastly

committed to reaching a just and viable solution for the

reunification of the island following negotiations on

the basis of the Secretary-General’s plan and the

relevant Security Council resolutions, and in

conformity with European Union principles and acquis.

In this endeavour, Greece will spare no effort.

The climate of our bilateral relations with Turkey

over recent years has been constantly improving. We

have made vigorous efforts to put our relations on a

new, solid track. Significant progress has been

achieved in several areas of our bilateral cooperation,

and Turkey’s European Union perspective will further

broaden the scope of our relations.

The latest developments in the Middle East allow

us to maintain a certain level of reserved optimism.

The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the

northern West Bank does, indeed, constitute an

important milestone. This is a momentous opportunity

to revitalize the road map and to move the process a

step closer to achieving a fair, lasting and

comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

The road map remains the framework for the

achievement of a just and lasting peace. Both parties

should concentrate on fulfilling their respective

obligations and commitments and refrain from any and

all unilateral actions which threaten to prejudge the

outcome of final status negotiations and undermine

efforts at building confidence on the ground.

Our shared goal remains the realization of a two-

State solution: Israel and a democratic, viable and

territorially contiguous State of Palestine, living side

by side in peace and security.

With regard to Iraq, Greece underlines the

importance of its territorial integrity and unity in the

framework of a federal system. We remain particularly

concerned, however, about the ongoing violence,

which makes it imperative to follow the timetable of

the political process that will lead the country to

normalcy, which is of vital importance for peace and

stability in the entire region. We fully support Iraq in

this difficult mission.

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My country has a long, historic relationship with

the African continent and its peoples. We have

witnessed with great concern the series of conflict

situations that have been plaguing Africa for many

years. We are following developments in all cases and

are trying to make positive contributions, whether in

the Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo or

other countries of West Africa, in the settlement of the

dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and elsewhere.

The emerging pivotal role of the African Union in

dealing with African crises has our full support and

deep appreciation.

Last Friday, we adopted a historic declaration,

which constitutes a new and important step in the

direction of enforcing collective security and

strengthening the United Nations capacity to deal with

the new challenges and threats that our societies are

facing today. Our efforts should now focus on the

implementation of the commitments made, so that

generations to come can live in a better and more

secure world.