Morocco, 2004

I would

like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as

President of the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth

session. This election is a tribute to Africa and to the

brotherly State of Gabon. I am sure that you will carry

on the commendable work initiated by your

predecessor, Mr. Julian Hunte, with a view to

revitalizing the role played by the United Nations and

to enhancing its prestige.

I should also like to pay tribute to Mr. Kofi

Annan, the Secretary-General, for his untiring efforts

to achieve the objectives of our Organization. I want to

assure him, once again, of our trust in him and of our

full support.

The world today is faced with major risks and

perils of such magnitude that a renewed multilateral

system is required. In that regard, we must ask

ourselves if the United Nations system, in its present

form, is capable of providing effective solutions to the

numerous problems that are disrupting the international

order.

The end of the cold war, along with progress in

science and technology and the opening of markets,

should have led to greater security and prosperity, but,

instead, the world is still encountering distressing

conflicts, which cause considerable human and

material loss, to the detriment of development. Human

values and ideals are on the decline, while fanaticism,

extremism and terrorism are on the rise. The gap

between a rich North and a poor South is widening.

It is Africa that suffers the most from the

scourges of poverty, hunger, desertification and deadly

epidemics, in addition to the problems of illegal

immigration, refugees and forced displacement. The

countries of the South cannot effectively cope with

these scourges on their own without successful

regional and international coordination, as well as

effective support for local development efforts.

These problems, and their pernicious impact,

which is compounded by ethnic strife as well as by

regional tensions and conflicts, not only cause terrible

suffering but also hamper progress, development,

regional integration and the transition towards

democracy. The international community is therefore

called upon to pool its efforts so that the logic of

dialogue and negotiation may prevail over that of

force, destruction and war. It must give fresh impetus

to preventive diplomacy, at the regional and

international levels, in order to preserve peace and

security on our continent.

In that regard, Morocco considers that the

artificial dispute over the Sahara is, regrettably, still

hindering the establishment of the Arab Maghreb

Union. I should like to reiterate my countryís readiness

to cooperate in a sincere and determined way with the

United Nations and all the parties concerned in order to

achieve, within the framework of international legality,

a final, negotiated political solution that would

guarantee the sovereignty, national unity and territorial

integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, and enable the

inhabitants of its southern provinces to manage their

regional affairs by themselves, in a democratic, stable

environment conducive to integrated development.

Such a solution would spare the area the risk of

becoming a hotbed of tension. It would also foster

Maghreb integration and enable the region fully to play

its role in the Mediterranean and in its relations with

African countries of the Sahel, thereby sparing the

whole of north-west Africa the risk of Balkanization

and the threats of international terrorism.

As an active member of the African family and of

the international community, the Kingdom of Morocco

is keen to continue cooperating with the United

Nations and the world community to settle disputes

through peaceful means, volunteering to participate in

United Nations peacekeeping missions, as is currently

the case in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and

in CÙte díIvoire. Morocco is also eager to help bring

about reconciliation and the settlement of disputes

through peaceful means, as illustrated by the mediation

undertaken by my country to resolve the crisis in the

Mano River region.

Morocco takes pride in contributing to African

endeavours designed to meet the challenge of

achieving peace, development, progress and good

governance ó the very objectives of the New

Partnership for Africaís Development. Since the

accomplishment of those ambitious goals exceeds the

capabilities of African countries and requires

considerable resources, I urge the international

community to support this initiative and to find

generous and effective solutions to the debt problem.

Morocco has already taken steps in that direction.

As far as the Arab-Israeli conflict is concerned,

my country is as determined as ever to work with the

international community to find a just, comprehensive

23

and lasting solution within the framework of

international legality - a solution that guarantees

Israelís withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories

and the establishment of a viable, independent

Palestinian State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,

living side by side, in peace and concord, with the

State of Israel.

I should like to stress that, as Chairman of the

Al-Quds Committee, I am always ready to undertake

whatever initiatives are needed and to support

meaningful endeavours to restore peace to this region,

warning anew of the negative implications of the

violation of religious sanctities.

Morocco hopes that no effort will be spared to

help brotherly Iraq out of its current predicament and

to support its Interim Government in its efforts to

ensure stability and security for Iraqis and to create the

right conditions to initiate constructive dialogue and

organize elections which will enable all components of

the Iraqi population to choose their institutions freely

and peacefully.

In order to meet the challenges at this turning

point in history, the international community has no

alternative but to revitalize the current multilateral

system.

After the First and Second World Wars, nations

realized that it was necessary to establish a global

system to govern international relations, within the

framework of law and legality. Setting up an

alternative global system would not resolve the

problem of the fierce trade wars currently raging

worldwide, nor the ethnic conflicts, ideological

fanaticism and perils of terrorism, whether latent or

apparent. I am convinced that the United Nations,

which has helped solve countless crises, is perfectly

capable of managing the current international situation

in a peaceful and civilized way, by revitalizing the

multilateral system.

Such an objective, however, can be achieved only

if the United Nations is provided with the kind of

resources and means needed to meet the geo-strategic

requirements of the twenty-first century, and if its

working methods and its organs ó including the

Security Council ó are reformed and invigorated. The

United Nations system would then become an ideal

forum for negotiation and interaction between cultures

and religions. Furthermore, it would be effectively

instrumental in upholding human ideals, enhancing

security and stability and promoting sustainable

development.

Morocco, through its chairmanship of the Group

of 77 and China and its participation in various

regional and international events, including the Doha,

Monterrey and Johannesburg conferences, has sought

to contribute effectively to building this multilateral

system, as a top priority on its diplomatic agenda. My

country will continue to work for the implementation

of the Millennium Goals, urging countries as well as

international financial and trade institutions to honour

their obligations. Morocco reaffirms its commitment to

support the emergence of a new multilateral system

built on international legality, justice and equity and

cooperation in social and economic relations, and

based on an efficient and dynamic United Nations

system.

This is the course of action to be taken to enhance

trust in the United Nations as the conscience of

humankind and the bedrock of a new world order,

where the values of peace, global security, joint

development, equality, tolerance, democracy and

solidarity prevail.