Iran, 1999

I wish to extend to you, Sir,

my sincere congratulations on your well-deserved election

to the presidency of the General Assembly and to assure

you of the full support and cooperation of the delegation

of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the discharge of your

responsibilities. I should also like to thank your

predecessor for his tireless efforts during his tenure.

May I also express the profound gratitude of my

Government to our Secretary-General, who, with

unsurpassed wisdom and sagacity, has played an immense

role in advancing the objectives of the United Nations.

The twentieth century we are leaving behind has

been one of invaluable experiences, both positive and

negative. On the positive side, the rejection of force as an

instrument of policy has emerged as a fundamental

principle of international behaviour; the promotion and

protection of human rights as universal concepts have

attained priority on the global agenda; astonishing

progress in science and technology has brought

unprecedented welfare to humanity; knowledge has

become the common heritage of humanity; previously

colonized countries have been empowered to determine

their own destiny; dictatorship and despotism have been

seriously challenged by the universal demand for

participation; and the technological revolution in the field

10

of communications has fundamentally changed human

interaction.

Alongside these positive developments, the twentieth

century has also witnessed various negative phenomena and

trends. The totalitarian mentality continues to prevail at the

domestic and international levels; poverty persists in its

material, spiritual and cultural manifestations; the gap

between rich and poor has widened; the world has never

freed itself from conflict and bloodshed; the destructive

territorial wars of the past have turned into tragic ethnic,

racial and sectarian rivalries; extremism survives in its

various forms and manifestations, causing irreparable

damage; and terrorism continues to challenge humanity with

its ruthless recurrence in various parts of the world.

A hallmark of the twentieth century has been the

worldwide emergence of demands for individual and

collective participation, defying totalitarianism and

authoritarian rule everywhere. Decision-making is no longer

an autocratic or even elitist enterprise. It is a participatory

process demanding collective contribution. Totalitarian

tendencies and ideologies in various countries and at the

international level are finally learning that their time is long

passed.

The global surge of democracy and popular

participation as the sole guarantors of stability and the

litmus tests of good-governance is indeed a development of

historic proportions. Self-determination, collective

participation and consent of the governed represent valuable

and time-tested rational alternatives.

In this century, Iran has undergone fundamental

changes in the pursuit of independence, liberty, justice,

participation and good governance. Since time immemorial

and throughout its tumultuous history, Iran has been the

locus of innovation. It has proudly preserved its genuine

national and religious heritage, and yet, in keeping with the

best traditions of that very culture, it has never failed to

embrace modernity, new ideas and new ways.

In today's Islamic Republic, the democratization

process is marching forward on the solid foundation of

democratic Islamic principles. The Government is resolutely

determined vigorously to pursue the implementation and

consolidation of its reform programmes. The cornerstones

of these reform policies are the promotion and protection of

constitutional liberties; upholding the rule of law;

strengthening democratic norms and institutions; the

institutionalization of the culture of participation; the

enhancement of the role of people in government; the full

accountability of public officials; increasing transparency;

strengthening the institutions of civil society; the

promotion of tolerance, a pluralistic society of multiple

voices and domestic trends, coupled with confidence-

building and the breaking of old barriers in foreign

relations.

Undoubtedly, open, dynamic and democratic

societies are by definition susceptible to dissension and

even rivalries. This has historically accompanied the

process of reform, constituting an inescapable ingredient

of this path. The sound and successful approach of

President Khatami's Administration in dealing with these

social and political challenges, which has enjoyed the full

support of the leadership, has been to promote and protect

fundamental democratic values and ensure the rule of law

and due process, as well as security and stability, which

together form the foundations of a flourishing and open

society.

Collective participation extends beyond local and

domestic decision-making, and is becoming increasingly

a global requirement for an effective presence in

international decision-making. The full participation of all

States is a necessary but not sufficient response to this

need. It requires the effective contribution of civil society

organizations in all aspects of the global decision-making

process.

During this century, exclusion often surfaced as a

paradigm of global interaction, in which the world is

viewed in terms of modes of loyalty, countries are viewed

as belonging to coalitions or not and are divided,

rewarded and blamed accordingly. Today, the utility of

this paradigm is being seriously questioned, as is the

validity of some of our basic assumptions.

The cold war was the last episode of exclusion. It

has undoubtedly left its negative imprint on international

affairs, but more regrettably it has permanently scarred

the mentality of global actors and international relations

theory.

One of the most horrifying manifestations of

exclusion has been the global arms race. It literally aims

at marginalizing others through the accumulation of

conventional and mass-destruction agents of death, the

formation of rival military blocs and the unbridled race to

expand spheres of influence and domination.

The persistence of this paradigm is largely

responsible for the most serious threat to the Middle East

region. Exploiting this mode of global interaction, Israel,

with impunity, has trampled the most fundamental rights of

the Palestinian people, including their right to self-

determination, has driven millions of people into diaspora,

has illegally occupied territories of others in the Syrian

Golan and southern Lebanon and has even gone as far as to

commit extortion for partial fulfilment of its obligations.

This has impeded the realization of the legitimate right of

the Palestinian people, and indeed the entire Islamic world,

to establish an independent Palestinian State in the occupied

territories, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. The same

regime has posed a grave threat to regional and global

peace and security through the acquisition of nuclear

weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and the

rejection of universal non-proliferation regimes.

The global culture of violence and exclusion, which

partially emanated from justification of violence as an

acceptable means to achieve coalition objectives, has

unwittingly nurtured global menaces ranging from ethnic

suppression to terrorism.

Two decades of fratricide and devastation in

Afghanistan has been the fruit of an illusion of total

domination of one group or ethnicity at the expense of the

exclusion of others. This has stalled the constructive and

tireless efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special

Envoy, Ambassador Brahimi, to bring about a peaceful

solution through the establishment of a broad-based

Government. Thus, today peace and stability in Afghanistan

and respect for the most fundamental rights of Afghan

women, men and children in Taliban-controlled areas have

all but become distant dreams, turning Afghanistan, with its

proud and rich heritage, into a bastion of narcotics,

terrorism and regional instability.

Allow me to refer to terrorism, which has become a

serious menace and a global challenge. It, of course,

victimizes innocent human beings. But its real targets are

the rule of law, popular participation and institutions of

civil society. In fact, to have fertile ground, terrorists need

and seek to cultivate and entrench a culture of violence. It

is for this very reason that, as the Iranian people and

Government have forged a national consensus to

institutionalize the rule of law and participation, known

terrorist groups have significantly intensified their campaign

of terror against them. It is even more regrettable that they

still find foreign benefactors and sanctuaries. The people

and the Government of Iran have no doubt that the aim of

this treacherous terrorist campaign is to undermine the

national determination to reject violence in all its forms,

and we are all determined to prove the terrorists wrong.

Terrorism can and will be contained and eradicated

if we all join hands with firm and resolute determination.

But we need to recognize that the application of double

standards seriously undermines such a global campaign.

Acquiescence to terrorists of whatever stripe impedes the

emergence of a unified, transparent and non-

discriminatory universal machinery to combat and root

out all forms of terrorism. Iran, while condemning

terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, is fully

prepared to engage actively in such global cooperation.

It is thus necessary to work collectively today to lay

the foundations of a new paradigm of inclusion and

dialogue on participation, tolerance, understanding and

collective cooperation. The initiative of a dialogue among

civilizations, presented last year by President Khatami, is

a proposal to move away from a world driven by

exclusion and monologue and to begin the new

millennium with a gentler, more civilized approach for a

better tomorrow. The overwhelming reception by the

international community and the designation of the year

2001 as the United Nations Year of Dialogue among

Civilizations indicate a common longing of humanity for

a different approach to interactions in the next century.

In our view, the designation of the Year of Dialogue

among Civilizations is not a mere recognition of the self-

evident necessity for dialogue at the global level. It is in

fact a declaration of readiness to try a new model of

interaction. The fundamental assumption of this proposal

is that the prosperity, welfare, development and security

of one group, in spite of, or at the expense of, the

poverty, hunger, underdevelopment and insecurity of

others are simply deceptive and short-lived, and thus they

need to be abandoned. In certain fields, this underlying

principle has been universally accepted, whereas in many

other fields, we have a long and arduous way to go.

Today, no one has the illusion that the environment

could be defined in terms of political or geographic

boundaries. Neither can the eradication of narcotics be a

purely national enterprise. We in Iran are particularly

cognizant of that fact, as we have had to endure a heavy

human, social and financial toll in our campaign against

international narcotics traffickers.

In the field of human rights, it appears that the

international community is gradually embracing a more

cooperative approach based on constructive engagement

and understanding. Pluralism, acceptance of diversity and

dialogue among cultures and civilizations in this pivotal

area of international affairs will undoubtedly enhance the

12

universality of human rights instruments, making them

more readily acceptable and globally implementable.

Dialogue is the product of concurrent acceptance of

commonality and diversity. From this perspective,

international endorsement of dialogue illustrates recognition

of the diversity of cultures and civilizations and the

reaffirmation of the cultural rights of all peoples and

nations, so that all human beings can engage members of

other civilizations from the standpoint of their own culture,

civilization and historical background, and not by simply

echoing the mentality of a totally alien culture. Only such

interaction can be mutually enriching and indeed

meaningful. The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly believes

that the recognition and reaffirmation of cultural rights of

nations is a first step for the promotion of sustained

dialogue.

In the field of peace and security, we need to truly

accept the reality that security is an indivisible need and

demand of the entire human race. Thus we need to set aside

the residuals of the bipolar system and replace bloc security

umbrellas with a new and innovative concept of global

security networking, an inclusive and participatory system

which uses the existing mechanisms in a complementary

rather than competing scheme.

Attainment of this objective can be immensely helped

and expedited by empowering civil society organizations to

participate actively in global disarmament and security

forums and debates. This valuable role has hitherto been

mostly limited to the social and human rights fields, and the

security and disarmament arena has been more or less

deprived of its contribution and insight. This deficiency

needs to be rectified.

Meanwhile, short- and medium-term measures include

confidence-building at the regional and global levels,

transparency in the field of armaments, a steady reduction

of military expenditures, the elimination of weapons of

mass destruction and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons

in the interim. The Islamic Republic of Iran has itself

adopted these measures, and has based its foreign policy on

confidence-building and the removal of old barriers, with

particular emphasis on its immediate neighbourhood.

As the Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic

Conference, we have also made significant progress in

developing mechanisms and instruments to enhance

confidence among Member States and to institutionalize

dialogue and coordination with other bodies, such as the

European Union.

The United Nations has an indispensable pivotal role

in shaping the new world of the next millennium. The

preservation and extension of its achievements, coupled

with revitalization of the moral authority and political

relevance of the United Nations in the coming

millennium, require restoration of the fundamental

purposes and principles of the United Nations, as well as

a rational, transparent and participatory process of

reassessment of the existing institutions.

Enhancement of the relevance of the United Nations

requires, first and foremost, strengthening the role and

increasing the efficiency of the General Assembly, by

focusing its deliberations on contemporary challenges and

problems facing our world today, engaging it in timely

and effective decision-making to address global economic

and political issues, and enabling it to seriously examine

and effectively react to the reports of other organs of the

United Nations, particularly the Security Council, as

mandated by the Charter. In this context, we believe that

the General Assembly, as the sole democratic, universal

and transparent organ of the United Nations, is the proper

forum to carry out an in-depth analysis of the implications

of the emerging debate on collective action to address

humanitarian catastrophes. The imperative of maintaining

the integrity of the Charter system is the common point

of departure in this exercise.

I firmly believe that the success of next year's

Millennium Summit rests on an innovative approach to

prepare the United Nations system to march — and

indeed to lead the world community — towards a new

paradigm of international affairs. Outdated approaches

and old remedies have failed to rectify the main problems

afflicting humanity, even at times exacerbating and

aggravating them. In our collective quest for fundamental

solutions, we all need to discard old perceptions,

assumptions and conceptual frameworks. This is the very

premise, as well as the primary goal, of dialogue between

civilizations.

Vital change in human societies requires brave and

bold leadership by statesmen and the elite to question old,

ineffective ways and open the arena for the participation

of thinkers, intellectuals and civil society organizations in

the search for a kinder and gentler tomorrow. We hope

that our Assembly will have such bravery and foresight.