Oman, 1992

Allow me at the

outset. Sir, to congratulate you on your election to the presidency of the

current session of the General Assembly. There is no doubt that your

diplomatic experience will lead our deliberations to a successful conclusion.

Allow me also to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate

His Excellency Ambassador Samir Shihabi and the members of his Bureau for the

exemplary manner in which they steered the work of the forty-sixth session.

We are quite fortunate to have at the head of the United Nations

Organization so highly qualified and skilful a statesman as

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who has assumed the responsibilities

of this international Organization at a most sensitive and crucial time in

international relations.

Since his recent assumption of his office, his administrative skills and

abilities and the structural reforms he has carried out have shown that he is

a worthy successor to his capable predecessor. We thank him for his devoted

efforts, especially in areas of unrest and tension, and wish him continued

success.

The forty-seventh session of the General Assembly is convened in a

promising climate that augurs well for international relations. The

discernible features of the political scene have been drastically

transformed. Confrontation has disappeared, giving way to great expectations

and aspirations regarding an unshakable belief in the basic rights of man, the

upholding of justice and the social and economic development of peoples in the

context of a new world order.

The prevalent international climate provides us with a rare opportunity

to give priority to human solidarity and cooperation over any other

consideration in order for us to establish that new world order on the secure

foundations of peace, mutual security and respect, and the promotion of the

rule of law in inter-State relations.

The hopes and aspirations focused on the new world order, require, more

than ever, that the Member States work together, analyse the current trends

and channel them, as much as possible, towards the realization of the

expectations this new world order has given rise to, through a number of

effective joint actions of solidarity and cooperation that would be more

effective than mere protestations of good wishes and good intentions.

It is encouraging to note that the universality of the United Nations is

being enhanced day after day. Since the last session of the General Assembly,

thirteen more States have acceded to the membership of the Organization,

namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Slovenia, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Georgia.

We welcome the admission of these 13 States to our Organization for, in

addition to its significance for the principle of the universality of the

Organization, they will no doubt enrich our debates with valuable insights and

views.

My country welcomes these new Members to the United Nations and wishes

them and their peoples every progress and prosperity.

The Gulf, in view of its God-given strategic, economic and cultural

importance, has always been the focus of the attention of numerous States.

Over the past decade and at the outset of the present one, the region has been

exposed to grave security and environmental dangers, from the eruption of the

Iran-Iraq war to the tragedy of the Iraqi occupation of the sister State of

Kuwait. Thanks to God and to the solidarity of the international community,

we have been able to overcome these tribulations.

However, the remnants of regional disputes and residues of traditional

hatreds have the ability to contribute to the instability of the region.

Hence, we, in the Sultanate of Oman, proceeding from our keen interest in

encouraging the factors of stability in the region, and seeking the security

to which we all aspire, feel that it is high time efforts of all States in the

region, without exception, were devoted to prepare for a new phase of

understanding and fraternity. This will be achieved only through a sincere

examination and analysis of what has happened and sincere efforts to overcome

the effects of the past and heal its many wounds.

At the beginning of this month, the United Arab Emirates announced that

efforts they had exerted vis-a-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran this year have

failed. The aim was to achieve an amicable understanding regarding Oman's

sovereign rights over three islands in the Gulf: Abu Moussa, Greater Tanb and

Smaller Tanb. The Sultanate of Oman is gravely concerned over the prospects

of negative developments in this situation.

Proceeding from our belief in the principles of the Charter of the United

Nations regarding the respect for sovereignty of States, non-interference in

the internal affairs of others and peaceful settlement of disputes, we have

confirmed the rights of the United Arab Emirates in this regard, as did the

other Arab States and now call upon the Islamic Republic of Iran, with whom we

have friendly ties and mutual interests, to settle this dispute by peaceful

means in a manner that would guarantee the rights and common interests of the

States in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The problem of Palestine has been the major factor underlying the

tragedies and wars witnessed by the peoples of the Middle East region. Peace

and stability in this important and delicate region cannot be achieved without

finding a solution to this problem, which is the crux of the Arab-Israeli

conflict.

My country supports the sincere efforts being made to find a lasting,

just and peaceful solution, which would take into account the interests of all

parties in the region on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967)

and 338 (1973) and the principle of land-for-peace.

Proceeding from this, my country has participated in the International

Peace Conference on the Middle East sponsored by the United States of America

and the Russian Federation. My country has also participated in the

multilateral negotiations of the Conference and the Working Groups thereof,

out of its belief in the importance of supporting direct negotiations, which

are the basis and essence of the Conference as a means of contributing to the

achievement of regional security, cooperation and confidence-building among

States in the region and thereby contributing to the safeguarding of the

interests of all parties.

The recent developments witnessed by the region, in addition to what has

been achieved in the sixth round of the Arab-Israeli talks and the

multilateral negotiations held recently in Washington and Moscow, have created

circumstances that are more favourable than ever for the achievement of a

permanent and just solution that would bring peace to the area. Therefore, we

call upon all parties to exert more efforts and show more patience and

flexibility in order to achieve the permanent and lasting peace to which the

peoples of the region have long aspired.

The Middle East region has witnessed other developments that give rise to

satisfaction and optimism. The Government of Lebanon has taken new positive

steps to extend its sovereignty over the territory of Lebanon by way of

implementing the Taif agreement. In this regard, my country once again

reiterates its call for the implementation of Security Council resolution

425 (1978), which calls for the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese

territories that it occupies.

My country, through its membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council,

together with its sisters on the Council, appreciates the outstanding role of

the European community in articulating the orientations of the new world order

in the context of the significant role played by the Community in preserving

stability and security and promoting development in the world.

The two groups, the GCC and the EEC have stressed the need to promote the

peace process in the Middle East, have called upon the international community

to help alleviate the suffering of the Arabs in the occupied territories and

have shown readiness to participate in the reconstruction of Lebanon and

reactivate the Arab-European dialogue in recognition of the close links

between the security of the Middle East and the security of Europe.

After a protracted bitter struggle, the Afghan people, with God's help,

has managed to assume control over its country. The Sultanate of Oman did

recognize the Government of the Mujahideen, and has welcomed the assumption by

the Mujahideen Council to power in Afghanistan. My country is confident that

the new Government in Afghanistan will cope with the new challenges which face

it judiciously and competently. We hope that the international community will

hasten to assist the new Afghan Government to heal the wounds and to close the

book on the past in order to build a future of security, stability and

prosperity for Afghanistan.

The hotbeds of conflict and the regional and domestic disputes based on

race and narrow political outlooks still plague some States and impose an

additional burden on the international Organization. Examples of this is what

is happening in the sister State of Somalia and in the former Yugoslavia.

These racial conflicts and disputes have led to the emergence of a large

number of displaced persons who are subjected to the worst kinds of starvation

and displacement. While we commend the role of the United Nations in

alleviating the suffering of these peoples, whether in Somalia or in the

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we note that that role has been limited to

dealing with these problems from a purely humanitarian point of view.

If the United Nations role remains within those limits, such situations

will persist.

Dealing with such tragedies, in our view, requires a much wider role,

more efforts and a drive to force the warring political factions in Somalia to

move towards reconciliation.

We look forward to a more comprehensive and effective role that would put

an end to the fratricidal hostilities that are the source of these tragedies.

Failing this, the people's suffering will continue for a long time and could

threaten peace and security.

Positive indicators in connection with the situation in South Africa bode

well for finding a solution that would be acceptable to all the parties

concerned and that would enable the black majority to participate in

government on a democratic basis. In this regard, we emphasize the importance

of the United Nations role in bringing closer the views of the parties

concerned in South Africa and in helping them to sit at the negotiating table

with the aim of finding solutions that may be acceptable to all.

The international community witnessed, at the end of last year, the most

important historical event in the international arena since the end of the

Second World War, namely the emergence of the republics of the former Soviet

Union as sovereign States, which immediately received the official recognition

of all countries, including my own. As Oman's policy is to build bridges of

friendship with all States of the world, we have recognized those independent

States and proffered the hand of friendship and cooperation to them. Those

republics have proved that the human spirit is invincible, and today, as they

take their first steps on a new road, it is incumbent upon the international

community to support and assist them in the interests of a new world order

based on international stability and security.

Last June, the city of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, hosted an unprecedented

international gathering that sought to realize a common dream, a common cause

that knows no boundaries: that of preserving a sound and sustainable

environment in the interests of all mankind. Although they fell short of

expectations, the results of the United Nations Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED) have succeeded in endorsing an important principle: that

of the commensurate and just participation of States in the protection of the

environment and the preservation of the ecosystem.

The adoption by the Conference of a set of the 27 principles concerned

with environmentally sound development, in the Rio Declaration, and the

signing by more than 150 States of the Conventions on biological diversity and

climate change represent a step in the right direction towards the

harmonization of development and the environment. My country urges the

international community to support and implement the Conventions and decisions

of the Conference, especially those which relate to helping the developing

countries overcome their environmental problems, by way of consolidating the

spirit of world partnership with the purpose of saving the planet.

In the field of disarmament, we commend the agreement between the United

States of America and the Russian Federation to reduce their strategic weapons

to one third of their present levels. We feel that this agreement should be

an incentive to make more determined efforts to free the world of nuclear and

other weapons of mass destruction and, thereby, achieve the goal of complete

and general disarmament, which is indispensable for world peace and security.

By the same token, the adoption of the global Convention on chemical weapons

is a significant step in the right direction.

The United Nations has clearly achieved impressive successes in dealing

with questions of peace and security. However, peace is not merely the

absence of war, or the simple relaxation of tension between East and West.

Peace cannot be achieved in its more comprehensive sense without a

multilateral transformation of the world economy. The eradication of poverty,

the resolution of problems that stand in the way of progress, such as

indebtedness and the deterioration of commodity prices, the reversing of the

net flow of resources from the South to the North, and the transfer of

technology, should all become part and parcel of the policies aimed at the

maintenance of peace assigned to the United Nations.

The new realities of international relations should be the source of

inspiration to us to reactivate international cooperation in the field of

development. The end of ideological conflicts has increased the importance of

this joint responsibility and the need for joint action. Hence the

opportunity for us all to work together in laying the foundations of the

cooperation and interdependence which we still lack in the fields of

development and international economic cooperation.

The polarizations and armed conflicts which used to be the hallmark of

past decades had prevented the United Nations from achieving its designated

goal: a more secure and peaceful world. However, recent developments have

shown how successful the United Nations can be in dealing with and finding

solutions to chronic and complex issues if its endeavours enjoy the support of

Member States, as is the case, for example, with regard to the Organization's

peace-keeping operations. The number of peace-keeping operations undertaken

by the United Nations over the past four years equals that of all such

operations, during the last four decades of the Organization's history. This

clearly indicates that whenever genuine political will exists on the part of

the parties to any conflict, it becomes possible to find a solution or at

least to accelerate the process of finding a solution that may lead to

reconciliation.

With renewed optimism, my country shares the hope of the international

community that the forty-seventh session of the General Assembly will be able

to deal successfully with residual situations involving negative and

anachronistic elements that are out of step with the thrust of the new world

order, and thus usher in a new phase of cooperation and peaceful coexistence

between all the States and peoples of the world.