Jordan, 2008

I wish to

congratulate His Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto

Brockmann on his election as President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-third session. I wish him every

success in leading us as we work to strengthen the role

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of the United Nations in promoting international

relations in the spirit of the Charter, which is the most

important international pillar of the rule of law. I also

thank his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Srgjan

Kerim, for his good efforts to ensure the success of the

previous session. In addition, I wish to commend the

Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his efforts to

reform the Organization so that it can play a more

effective role in addressing emerging global

challenges.

In his introductory statement on 16 September

2008 (see A/63/PV.1), the day he assumed the

presidency of the Assembly, Mr. d’Escoto Brockmann

referred to many important political and humanitarian

issues. For example, he mentioned the need to improve

United Nations organs to enable them to adapt to the

major changes that have occurred in the international

sphere in the 63 years since the Organization was

established following the Second World War. He also

stated that the Organization should be improved so that

it can better address the accelerated changes that have

taken place since the end of the cold war and the era of

polarization — changes whose effects have begun to be

felt over the past two decades.

In that context, Jordan believes it is essential to

revitalize the role of the General Assembly as

envisaged in the Charter, so that the international

decision-making process can be further democratized.

Jordan supports the trend towards rebalancing the

relationship between the General Assembly and the

Security Council.

A week ago, at the 5th meeting, the Secretary-

General introduced his report on the work of the

Organization (A/63/1), in which he assessed the world

situation. In the report, he made clear that we face

challenges that encompass all human activities,

transcending individual countries and regions. Hence,

we must examine the dangers posed by those

challenges — many of which have their roots in

ideology and similar motivations — in order to find

appropriate solutions and move effectively forward

together. Among the challenges cited by the Secretary-

General are the lack of progress in international trade

negotiations, high energy costs and basic food prices

and climate change. While we support the Secretary-

General’s assessment, we should like to add that

additional challenges are posed by continued military

occupation, denial of the rights of peoples to self-

determination and freedom of expression, the growing

crisis of intercultural conflict and the scourge of

international terrorism and extremism.

The most important role being played by the

United Nations in the Middle East region has been and

remains that of the custodian of international law. On

the one hand, it governs international relations and is

the standard by which we measure progress made in

the international community; on the other, it embodies

a strong, objective approach to the maintenance of

international peace and security.

Because of our strong belief in the role of the

United Nations, we view the Organization as the basic

framework for finding a solution to the Arab-Israeli

conflict, putting an end to the occupation of Arab lands

and redressing the injustices suffered by the Palestinian

people. For decades, the Arab States have taken many

initiatives and made many proposals, based on

international legitimacy, to achieve a peaceful solution

to the conflict so that the Palestinians can be liberated

from Israeli occupation and can live in dignity in their

own homeland.

To that end, in 2002 the Arab States jointly

submitted a comprehensive Arab Peace Initiative. It

sought to end the 60-year-old conflict as well as

Israel’s occupation of Arab lands — Palestinian, Syrian

and Lebanese territories — since 1967, in exchange for

a comprehensive peace that would include mutual

recognition between Israel and the Arab States,

including the State of Palestine, and the establishment

of normal relations between them. The Arab Peace

Initiative was and continues to be an open and clear

invitation to Israel to become part of our region

without conditions or restrictions.

While the Initiative was widely welcomed by the

nations of the world and was adopted by 57 States

members of the Organization of the Islamic

Conference, Israel ignored it and began to build the

wall of separation, in defiance of the Advisory Opinion

of the International Court of Justice, and intensified its

settlement activities, which threaten its chances to

make peace with the Palestinian people and the Arabs.

The President took the Chair.

The efforts of the Quartet are essential to move

the political process forward and to find a solution that,

in accordance with international legitimacy, ends the

Israeli occupation, dismantles the settlements, fulfils

the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish

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their own State in their homeland, including East

Jerusalem, and enables the refugees to return to their

homes and villages, from which they were expelled in

1948.

From this rostrum, Jordan affirms that it supports

the negotiations that resumed at Annapolis and values

the strategic option of peace reaffirmed in the Arab

Peace Initiative and the two-State solution. At the same

time, we believe that the challenges faced by the

negotiations as we approach the end of the year require

the international community to demand that the parties

to the negotiations meet their commitments and that

the Quartet make further efforts to achieve the desired

results regarding final status negotiations and the

fulfilment of the Road Map obligations.

The final months of 2008 will be a critical period

in the course of those negotiations. Therefore, it is

imperative that Israel have the political will to resolve

the ongoing conflict, after more than six decades. In

addition, the Palestinian people should be supported on

their own land and the Palestinian National Authority

should be strengthened to help it to continue fulfilling

its obligations, improving the conditions for

Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories and

building State institutions. That also requires

Palestinians to bridge their differences against the

backdrop of the Arab Peace Initiative and to promote

the position of the Palestinian National Authority both

on the international scene and in the context of the

negotiations.

While all parties strive to reach a final solution to

the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel continues its

illegal practices of seizing Arab land in order to change

the demographic make-up of the occupied territories

through the building of settlements and the separation

wall, and changing the status of Jerusalem, in clear

violation of international law, the principles of

international legitimacy and the provisions of the

Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of

Civilian Persons in Time of War. Recent speed in

building Israeli settlements threatens to erode all

progress achieved so far in the peace process.

We reject all Israeli measures that aim to create a

new status quo in the occupied Palestinian territories,

particularly in East Jerusalem, including threats to the

Islamic and Arab character of the holy city. We

reaffirm that Israeli violations in the holy city, and

particularly in the Bab al-Magharibah area, contradict

the norms of international law, the Fourth Geneva

Convention, The Hague Convention of 1954, as well as

the July 2008 decision of UNESCO’s World Heritage

Committee. As Jordan has played a historic role in the

supervision and maintenance of Islamic holy places in

Jerusalem, we call upon Israel to comply with its

pledges and obligations and to put an end to those

illegal practices.

Unless there is justice for the Palestinian people,

our region will be subjected to a long era of

destabilization. But ours will not be the only region

affected by that destabilization, because the feelings of

injustice, disappointment and anger will increase as a

result of stagnation in the peace process. This will fuel

extremism in its various forms and manifestations and

will be used as a pretext by those who would like to

destabilize the region and the world beyond.

I would like to congratulate the brotherly people

of Lebanon on having achieved national reconciliation,

on the election of a President and the formation of a

Government of national unity. I also congratulate them

on embarking on an extensive and profound process of

national dialogue aimed at strengthening Lebanese

State institutions and seeking ways to defend Lebanese

territory and sovereignty.

Concerning Iraq, we welcome the remarkable

progress made in that brotherly country and the

improvement of the situation at all levels. Jordan

recently reopened and adequately staffed its embassy

in Baghdad. His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan

recently visited the brotherly country of Iraq; his visit

was widely welcomed at the Arab and international

levels. We encourage all channels of political and

economic communication between Iraq and other Arab

countries, and we encourage the Iraqi Government to

continue its approach to developing channels of

national reconciliation in order to build upon the

progress achieved so far in the areas of politics and

security. Such progress encourages Iraqis to return to

their country from neighbouring States and the

building of a society based on political diversity and

free of sectarianism, factionalism and other harms to

society.

Making the Middle East a zone free of weapons

of mass destruction is a prerequisite for ensuring the

peace and stability of the region. In 1970, based on our

belief in and support for the preventive goals of

nuclear non-proliferation, we, joined other countries in

17 08-53135

the world and the region, with the exception of Israel,

in acceding to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons. We call upon the international

community and influential States to bring pressure to

bear in order to ensure accession by all countries to

that international Treaty in order to achieve a nuclear

weapon-free zone in the Middle East in accordance

with international agreements, and to put an end to

nuclear military programmes in the region once and for

all.

Concerning the Iranian nuclear issue, we believe

that every nation should exercise its right to the

peaceful use of nuclear energy. But, at the same time,

we call for a resolution of that issue, based on a

peaceful approach and on negotiations. In that regard,

Jordan attaches great importance to promoting security

and stability in the Arabian Gulf area in accordance

with the principles of international legitimacy, good-

neighbourliness and non-interference in the internal

affairs of States. We welcome any effective

contribution by Arab States that would maintain

undiminished security and stability in our region.

Jordan and the whole region have suffered from

the scourge of international terrorism. That has made

us more vigilant, cautious and determined to

effectively combat terrorism with a view to eradicating

it. Jordan upholds international counter-terrorism

conventions and values international cooperation in

that area. We have also taken the necessary national

measures, including legislative measures, to combat

that scourge effectively and to support international

efforts to combat it.

Manifestations of extremism in the region are

often based on politicized pretexts that serve the

narrow interests of certain groups. Such groups

misrepresent the true Islamic religion and use it as a

cover for their deeds, thereby threatening the forces of

moderation and projecting an incorrect image of Islam

to the world. In that regard, His Majesty King Abdullah

II, in his Amman message, called upon all Muslim

nations to project the proper image of Islam.

As we are about to celebrate the first decade of

the auspicious reign of His Majesty King Abdullah II,

we are very proud of the great achievements made

during his reign and look forward to even greater

achievements in the years ahead. During that decade,

Jordanian participation in peacekeeping operations

expanded, reaching a cumulative total of 60,000 men

and women who have served in 20 missions on four

continents. That contribution reflects our serious and

unreserved commitment to enhancing international

peace and security.

By the end of 2008, our economy will have

doubled in size since a decade ago. Per capita income

will have grown by 65 per cent. Exports and

investment will have increased threefold. Jordan has

implemented ambitious reform plans towards the

liberalization of foreign trade and the enhancement of

the business environment. We have strengthened the

programmes and institutions of good governance and

political development, enhanced the role of women and

the protection of human rights, combated corruption

and made breakthroughs in the areas of health and

education. The Government is also carrying out

ambitious programmes towards political, economic and

social reform and development in accordance with the

national agenda, with a view to achieving a better

future for the country. This is of particular importance

because young people represent 60 per cent of our

population.

In spite of all those efforts, programmes and

successes, successive crises in our region continue to

present great challenges to our development process.

Those challenges are exacerbated by the severe current

economic crises and increased prices of food and fuel,

leading to increased inflation of about 15 per cent.

Here I would like to reaffirm that international efforts

to address economic challenges should take into

account the voices of countries such as Jordan so that

all may benefit from international efforts to address the

challenges of the international economic, food and

energy crises, in particular through programmes and

mechanisms that take into consideration the specific

situations of those States.