Latvia, 2004

I wish I could begin

this address on a more optimistic note, but since we

last convened at the General Assembly one year ago,

many dramatic and disconcerting events have occurred

on the world stage. I refer in particular to the

indiscriminate and brutal terrorist attacks on civilians

all over the world: in Russia, Spain, Iraq, Israel, Saudi

Arabia, Indonesia and many other countries. I refer to

the targeting of children and their parents at schools,

on buses and on aeroplanes. I refer to the almost daily

bomb blasts on busy city streets, in marketplaces and

in residential apartment buildings. I refer to the sadistic

pride and relish with which terrorists have been filming

the shooting, throat-slashing and decapitation of their

victims.

The purposeful torture and killing of civilians is

one of the basest forms of human barbarity. It is a

crime against humanity, along with ethnic cleansing

and genocide. Unfortunately, terrorism is not

disappearing from the news headlines of the twenty-

first century. Instead, it is becoming the principal

method of warfare used by disaffected groups seeking

to achieve their political ends and to blackmail national

Governments. Nothing can justify the use of such

means. Any seemingly noble ends can only be

discredited by using terrorism to further them.

Frequently, countries facing terrorist attacks have

been using vastly superior military capabilities to strike

hard at real or perceived terrorist targets. Too often,

however, those strikes have had an undesirable side

effect of their own: the further wounding and killing of

civilians and the additional destruction of property.

Such strikes have done nothing to diminish the deep-

seated feelings of resentment of disaffected

populations. The events of the past few years, and

indeed of the past few decades, point to the stark and

sobering reality that the military option alone has not

been effective in rooting out terrorism and that

terrorism has not been an effective means for achieving

political aspirations and goals.

Such never-ending cycles of killing and mounting

mutual hostility will cease once and for all only when

the parties involved forsake the use of violence. In the

Middle East, Latvia views the road map for peace as

the only feasible means of obtaining a cessation of

hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians. My

country encourages the interested parties to do their

utmost to de-escalate tensions and resume the peace

process.

In Iraq, the United States-led coalition forces

have handed over power to an interim Government, but

security problems are hampering the reconstruction of

the country and threaten the viability of free and fair

elections this coming January. The transition in Iraq

will require continued international assistance, and I

encourage the United Nations to assume an active role

in that regard.

Afghanistan is due to experience its first ever

elections next month. Latvia hopes that the historic

event will not be derailed by violent attempts to disrupt

the democratic process in that country. Latvia is ready

to continue supporting international efforts to provide

peace and security in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ten years after the human catastrophe in Rwanda,

we are again confronted with the systematic rape,

torture and killing of civilians, in the Darfur region of

the Sudan. Those crimes have occurred on such a wide

scale that they might be classifiable as ethnic cleansing

and genocide. Latvia welcomes the mediation efforts of

the African Union and encourages all parties involved

to ensure that no further harm comes to the civilians of

the region. My country supports Security Council

resolution 1564 (2004) of 18 September, which urges

the Sudanese Government to act decisively to stop the

violence.

The United Nations faces the prospect of

establishing a new peacekeeping mission in Sudan, in

addition to the 17 field operations already on the

ground. During the past few months alone, two new

Missions were established, in Burundi and Haiti, while

a third was expanded in CÙte díIvoire. The United

Nations peacekeeping budget for next year may nearly

double as a result.

Latvia is deeply committed to the United Nations

and to effective multilateralism as a central element of

United Nations activities. Latvia believes that the

United Nations must maintain its crucial role in the

mediation of international disputes and that Member

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States must summon the collective political will to

support the United Nations as a truly credible force for

peace.

The Security Council has been the principal

forum in which the countries of the world deliberate

together on matters of peace and security. Latvia

believes that the Open-ended Working Group on

Security Council Reform must continue its activities

and come forth with proposals on how to make the

Council more representative of todayís political and

economic realities, how to provide the Council with

greater legitimacy and how to render it more effective.

A serious debate should be continued regarding the

enlargement of the number of permanent and non-

permanent members of the Security Council. Countries

such as Japan or Germany can and should play an

increasingly stronger role in this framework in view of

their substantial contribution to United Nations

activities and commitments.

Proposals for enhancing coordination between the

General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council

and the Security Council have made little progress.

Overlapping mandates and the duplication of efforts

continue to reduce the efficiency of the United Nations.

The economic and social programmes of the United

Nations need to be reformed, as well. For example,

why are the issues of the Economic and Social Council

reviewed four times a year, when twice a year might be

sufficient? Combined with the restructuring of the

Economic and Social Council's functional

commissions, such a reduction of redundancy in the

review process could free up vital financial and human

resources for important economic and social

development programmes in the developing countries

that need them most.

Latvia recognizes the important role of the United

Nations and other international organizations in

promoting worldwide development and reducing

poverty. Having regained its independence only 13

years ago, Latvia is gradually completing the transition

from a receiving to a donor country. We are grateful for

the valuable assistance that the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) has provided to our

country since 1993, and we are pleased that UNDP has

extended its mandate until the end of 2005. Although

the amount that Latvia is contributing to worldwide

development assistance is not very large at the

moment, we are committed to allocating no less than

one third of 1 per cent of our gross national product to

development assistance by 2006, as required of all the

European Union's member States.

Latviaís priority areas for development

cooperation centre around the promotion of democratic

and civil societies, economic development,

environmental protection and other issues in the

countries neighbouring the European Union,

particularly Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan, to name some of the countries

to which Latvia has already provided bilateral technical

assistance.

Latvia is eager to reduce the divides between the

developed and the developing world. The industrial

society into which we were born has been

characterized by the heavy machinery and tools that

have marked human progress over the last two

centuries. Now this society is evolving into an

information and knowledge society, with innovation as

an important engine of growth. Latvia has been

actively involved in the United Nations World Summit

on the Information Society (WSIS) and considers it an

honor to chair the Preparatory Committee of the

second phase of the Summit, which will take place in

Tunis in November 2005. The WSIS process should be

an integral part of the international community’s efforts

to eradicate poverty as outlined in the Millennium

Development Goals, which will be reviewed

periodically until 2015.

Although the delegations here today come from

many different backgrounds, practice different faiths

and speak different languages, all of us in this room

share the same desire to make our world a better,

cleaner, more peaceful and more prosperous place to

live in. We share a world view on what it means to be a

human and on the inherent value of each human life.

The more we strive to enshrine such values as

tolerance, compassion and mutual respect, the more

human and the more humane our societies will become.