Luxembourg, 2001

First, I should like to express our very sincere

condolences and sense of compassion to the families of

the victims of the tragic accident that occurred this

morning, as well as to the authorities of the City and

State of New York, which have been so seriously

affected by the terrorist attacks on 11 September.

I should, however, like to congratulate our

President, Mr. Han Seung-soo. I am convinced that

with the cooperation of Member States, he will be able

to conduct this Assembly in a way to ensure that it

responds ambitiously and effectively to the challenges

before it.

President Holkeri conducted the Millennium

Assembly deftly, wisely exercising his presidential

authority and evincing a soothing sense of humour. We

would like to thank him for that.

Our Secretary-General tirelessly continues his

work to promote international peace and security.

Member States wish to thank him for the imagination

and wisdom shown as he discharges his lofty

responsibility, and they have renewed his term of

office. International public opinion has expressed its

gratitude for his exceptional commitment by giving

him, together with the United Nations, the Nobel Peace

Prize. We would like to associate ourselves with that

tribute. We congratulate him and wish him the best in

his difficult work at the head of the Organization.

In the course of this first session of the twenty-

first century, the General Assembly has begun its work

under the sign of terrorism. The indescribable crime

that was committed on 11 September 2001 against the

United States of America and its citizens, male and

female, represents a breakdown in international

relations. It was not only America that was targeted by

this infamous attack against the World Trade Center

towers it was our lifestyle in an open, democratic,

tolerant and multicultural society to which the broad

majority of countries and peoples represented here

aspire. That is unbearable to terrorists.

17

Civilian airplanes have become guided missiles

through blind and murderous terrorism, and as a result

we all feel attacked. We can't call this a confrontation

here between civilizations, combat between North and

South, between religions. The perpetrators of the

repugnant attack of 11 September wish to deny by their

act the very values that form the basis of the

international community, which we have endeavoured

to build for the past 50 years through the United

Nations and its multilateral system.

The subsequent discussion in public opinion has

shown that our societies do not yet know each other

well enough. Ignorance leads to distrust and even

hostility, promoting a chilling self-absorption.

Dialogue among civilizations, as promoted and

practised by our Organization, must now more than

ever be at the forefront of our considerations.

Having expressed its compassion for the innocent

victims of those cowardly attacks, the international

community must now react with determination to

ensure that the perpetrators receive the punishment

they deserve and to defend itself in such a way as to

prevent such acts in the future. I should like to take this

opportunity to reaffirm our solidarity with the United

States of America in its exercise of its legitimate right

to self-defence.

Two days ago, the current President of the

European Union, Mr. Louis Michel, gave a detailed

description of the measures and initiatives taken by the

15 member States to combat the scourge of terrorism.

Luxembourg is participating unreservedly in this joint

effort.

Only through coordinated and interdisciplinary

work will we be able to fight all forms of terrorism.

Our response must be commensurate with the threat,

while respecting the fundamental freedoms of the

citizen a principle that underlies our civilization.

With regard to the situation in Afghanistan, we

must work under the auspices of the United Nations

with a view to promoting the emergence of a stable and

legitimate Government that is representative of the

Afghan population as a whole. Such a Government

must respect the human rights of the Afghan people

and develop good-neighbourly relations with all the

countries of the region. In that context, I should like to

welcome in particular the activities of the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General for

Afghanistan, Mr. Brahimi.

As soon as its objective has been achieved, the

international community, through the concerted efforts

of the United Nations, the International Committee of

the Red Cross and other international organizations,

should set up an ambitious programme that is both

political and humanitarian, with a view to helping to

reconstruct Afghanistan and to ensure its integration

within a stabilized region. Such an effort will require

intensified political dialogue with all of the countries

of the region.

At this time, the provision of assistance to the

civilian population in Afghanistan and to the refugees

across its borders is a matter of priority. My country

has already raised almost 7 million euros for that

purpose as part of a comprehensive effort within the

European Union amounting to more than 320 million

euros.

Although there are no grounds for making a

direct connection between the events of 11 September

and the situation in the Middle East, the situation there

is becoming increasingly worrying. We note that,

unfortunately, the fabric that was woven during 10

years of mediation efforts and that was almost

completed at Taba is now unravelling before our eyes.

During my recent visit to the region, I noted the extent

to which the peace process, which has been deadlocked

for far too long, is suffering from the absence of any

real prospects and from increasing distrust among the

parties.

That is why, together with our colleagues from

the European Union, we are stepping up our efforts to

convince the parties that only the cessation of violence

and the recognition of two States will make it possible

for negotiations to resume that can lead to a just and

lasting peace in the region, on the basis of the

establishment of a Palestinian State and the right of

Israel to live in peace and security. The European

Union stands ready to provide a framework for this

process, in cooperation with the United States of

America and the Arab States of the region, and to assist

the parties with a view to facilitating the reconciliation

that is necessary.

In the meantime, the United Nations will

tirelessly pursue its efforts to achieve international

peace and stability. In 2001, four reports of the

Secretary-General dealing with peacekeeping,

humanitarian action, the prevention of conflict and the

follow-up to the Millennium Summit have shown

18

the way forward. They show that it is necessary for the

international community to be steadfast in its

commitment to the prevention and management of

conflict.

Any hesitation or fleeting expression of

disinterest might risk encouraging elements that may

want to aggressively defend their own interests without

regard for the consequences at the national or

international level. Europe has witnessed such dramatic

chains of events, particularly in the Balkans, and we

can only feel a sense of humility when considering

their disastrous effects.

If this year the United Nations has not been on

the front line in the Balkans, it has been working hard

in the area of peacekeeping. I would like to make two

comments about these operations. First, we note that

there has been a considerable improvement in the

quality of their management, following the conclusions

of the Brahimi report. Secondly, there has been an

international commitment to deal with hotbeds of

tension as diverse and complex as those of Kosovo,

East Timor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and

Sierra Leone.

The balance sheet is relatively encouraging.

Kosovo will soon be holding elections that will have

important consequences for the future of the province.

The United Nations operation in East Timor can,

perhaps, be viewed as a clear success for international

action. Attempts to restructure peacekeeping operations

have been promoted through careful consideration in

the Secretariat, the Security Council and the General

Assembly, based upon an outstanding follow-up report.

The complexity of crisis situations often, of

course, demands a prudent response, even when real

progress has been made, as is the case in Sierra Leone.

It is even more important to document international

determination through clear mandates that allow for a

strong response. We believe that the inclusion of troop-

contributing countries in the decision-making process

is essential. The increasingly integrated approach that

has been chosen, as illustrated by the United Nations

Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the

United Nations Transitional Administration in East

Timor, is designed to ensure a logical succession

between the phases of prevention, peacekeeping and,

finally, consolidation, reconstruction and development.

One of the most urgent tasks of our Organization

is to provide immediate assistance for civilian

populations that are the victims of natural disasters or

crises brought about by human intervention.

Luxembourg attaches particular importance to such

needs, and we are endeavouring to support United

Nations offices in this physically and morally

demanding task. Since the fall of 2000, we have been

coordinating, on an informal basis, the donor countries

in New York, and our delegation takes pleasure in

noting the dedication of the competent officials and

authorities who head these services. I would like to

assure the Assembly that my country is clearly aware

of the need to protect, and ensure the safety of,

personnel.

Humanitarian action, prevention, ceasefire

agreements and peace-building activities hardly

constitute the entire agenda of the international

community. A functioning democracy is a major asset

in progress towards development, as I have already

emphasized. I need only reaffirm the importance of

national efforts to combat corruption and foster the

establishment, within our societies, of the rule of law

based on an equitable and properly functioning legal

system.

My country welcomes the efforts under way

within the United Nations to put an end to impunity

and to ensure that those responsible for committing

crimes against humanity and other atrocities answer for

their actions within an international criminal

jurisdiction.

A special tribunal to judge crimes committed

during the course of the civil war is in the process of

being established in Sierra Leone, and Luxembourg has

made a financial contribution to its establishment. In

Cambodia, a law to establish a tribunal to consider the

atrocities and genocide perpetrated under the

dictatorship of the Khmer Rouge is now in force, and

we must assess its compatibility with the memorandum

proposed by the United Nations. The Tribunals in The

Hague and Arusha have stepped up their work, and, for

the first time, a former head of State is awaiting his

trial in prison. We welcome these developments, as

well as those who have joined us in the group of

countries that have ratified the Rome Statute of the

future International Criminal Court. The citizens of

Luxembourg would be pleased to see that convention

enter into force as soon as possible and acceded to by a

broad majority of States.

19

In September 2000, heads of State and

Government met here in New York. Since then, the

Millennium Declaration has underpinned the actions of

the United Nations and of States at the national level.

Together with its European partners, Luxembourg has

affirmed its dedication to the commitments entered into

there.

I conclude by citing two facts that illustrate the

awareness of my country's Government of the

responsibilities its shares with all here in preparing for

the future of coming generations. First, official

development assistance from Luxembourg has reached

0.71 per cent of our gross national product; the

Government has decided to raise it to 1 per cent by

2005. I have also submitted to my country's Chamber

of Deputies Luxembourg's first nomination to serve as

a non-permanent member of the Security Council.