Oman, 1998

May I begin by congratulating the President on his

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its

fifty-third session. His election to this distinguished post

is a testament to the international community’s

appreciation of the effective contribution to international

affairs made by his country, Uruguay, with which the

Sultanate of Oman enjoys good relations of friendship and

cooperation. We are confident that under his leadership

and considerable diplomatic experience our deliberations

here will be crowned with success. My delegation stands

ready to cooperate with him fully in order to achieve all

the aims envisaged by this session.

May I also take this opportunity to express sincere

thanks to Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of friendly Ukraine for

the exemplary and constructive manner with which he

steered the work of the previous session. I would also like

to confirm my country’s unwavering support for the

sustained and dedicated work done by the Secretary-

General, Mr. Kofi Annan, to enhance and reinvigorate the

role of the United Nations and to restructure its principal

bodies.

9

It has now been over half a century since the

establishment of the United Nations, during which time it

has handled a significant number of international issues.

However, the United Nations often remains unable to

resolve many regional crises which have erupted since the

end of the cold war. In spite of the attention paid to these

issues by the international community, the majority of those

included in our agenda have remained without effective

solutions. It is our view that this is due to the failure and

lack of resolve on the part of Member States to utilize the

mechanisms of the United Nations which were established

on the basis of the Charter.

If this is the case today, how will the future be, when

we shall be expected to face more conflicts which may be

different in nature and size as compared to old conflicts?

We cannot address them in the conventional way. We shall

have to examine their root causes and address their

manifestations and give full support to the Organization in

order to find the means to develop adequate bases for

addressing them so as to protect the international

community against their recurrence.

The high-level working group of the General

Assembly made progress in the area of restructuring and

streamlining some of the main organs of the United

Nations, in particular with regard to the question of reform

and increase in the membership of the Security Council.

The setback which the Open-ended Working Group on this

question faced during the previous General Assembly

session should not stand in the way of achieving further

progress. We should not accept retreat from what has

already been accomplished. We have to encourage the

Working Group to redouble its efforts to complete the

scope of the needed reforms of the United Nations in a

manner that will meet the aspirations of the international

community on the basis of comprehensiveness and equality

among all States, which in turn will contribute balance and

transparency to the methods of work of the Security

Council. This will be a contribution to the decision-making

process and to the clarity of vision with regard to the

emerging developments in our contemporary world in

which justice, security and peace should prevail.

In this way, all Member States, large and small, would

be enabled to participate in the resolution of international

problems, especially those which have a direct impact on

their own interests, in an appropriate and just manner.

The greatest danger facing the Members of the United

Nations in the post-cold-war era is represented by some of

the unhealthy situations which lead to nearly worldwide

economic stagnation and the spread of terrorism and

ethnic wars, as I have just indicated. This would

jeopardize all the achievements made by humankind in

the scientific and technological fields, as well as with

regard to the standards of social and economic

development, and would lead to an historic era with

negative consequences for the future.

The disturbing economic situation in East Asia since

the beginning of the financial crisis in the middle of 1997

has generated instability and created political and social

upheavals in the region. In spite of the reform measures

for economic stability by the concerned States in Asia,

with the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

and the World Bank, the success in restoring stability to

the world economy was limited. In fact, we have begun

to witness the repercussions of those measures on other

economies which were previously immune from them.

This is due to the fact that the efforts made were not

coherent and did not address the urgent need to take a

comprehensive view of the whole crisis, within an

equitable international context.

The events that I have outlined emphasize the need

for collaborative efforts with a view to the establishment

of a fair and equitable global economic system that would

cover all goods, technologies and services. We believe

that this should be linked to a new system of international

financial markets which would be more transparent and

efficient and thus responsive and adaptable to the

changing financial conditions in the world markets. While

I am not in a position to give concrete proposals here, we

do feel that this session provides an appropriate

opportunity for scrutinizing the global economic situation

and for examining all problems and complications

worldwide, thereby avoiding more problematic impacts

from which the international community should be saved.

This imposes on us the need to work harder, and work

together, to face the challenges before us in order to

restore confidence and return stability and normal growth

to the global economy.

We strongly condemn the terrorist bombing attacks

on the United States embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-

Salaam, as well as the bombing incident in Cape Town,

South Africa. We also deplore the assassination of the

Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan. This wave of

international terrorism and its rapid growth in an ugly and

destructive form puts us all in a position of responsibility

where we must work together to secure peace, tranquillity

and stability, and employ all the measures that are

necessary to the success of our endeavours in combating

10

terrorism. We believe that the measures which are now

necessary to ensure that the perpetrators of those crimes

and those who advocate their commission are brought to

justice under the auspices of the United Nations. In this

regard, we support the proposal made by the Arab Republic

of Egypt and endorsed by the twelfth Summit of the Non-

Aligned Movement held at Durban, South Africa, at the

beginning of this month, to convene an international

conference under the auspices of the United Nations in

order to work out common arrangements that would express

the reaction of the international community to the

phenomenon of terrorism in all its forms and

manifestations.

We feel deep regret at the growing situation of famine

among nations, which points out the inability of those

countries to grow their natural resources owing to the

failure of the developed countries to understand the real

need for helping these people evolve the frameworks

needed to operate and activate their national

instrumentalities and to benefit from every assistance given

to them. Since a number of United Nations agencies, such

as United Nations Development Programme, have become

unable to continue offering their expertise due to the

shortage of financial resources, several developing countries

were affected to the point that the implementation of

important economic programmes in those countries has

been seriously impeded.

In other regions, ethnic conflicts have threatened to

return the human family to the rule of the jungle and the

legitimation of minority rule as based on injustice,

oppression and a one-man rule, instead of the resort to

international law, which is based on justice and equality of

rights and common interests. If we look at the root causes,

we find that most of the wealth is controlled by a few

Governments. This factor is behind the ethnic, political and

social conflicts which give rise to all forms of violence and

terrorism.

Only 14 months separate us from the next millennium.

We had hoped that humankind would celebrate this historic

occasion in an atmosphere of political and economic

stability, free from violence, terrorism, poverty and “ethnic

cleansing”. Thus, we should intensify our efforts to fight

terrorism and violence in a framework of coordinated

international efforts aimed at eradicating these unsettling

phenomena, and to ensure that the perpetrators and

advocates of such crimes are brought before the courts of

justice.

In this context, the Middle East continues to face a

very serious political crisis as a result of the stalemate in

the peaceful negotiations between the Arab countries and

the Israelis under the sponsorship of the United States of

America.

The political stagnation caused by the Israeli

Government and its non-compliance with the agreements

that followed the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference under

world sponsorship which led to the historic Oslo accord,

and other agreements between the Government of Israel

and the Palestinian National Authority have, in our view,

thwarted world and regional efforts aimed at the

restructuring of the Middle East region on the basis of a

just and comprehensive peace leading to confidence-

building and to hope for peaceful coexistence between the

Arabs and the people of Israel.

We cannot but wonder where we stand in relation to

this goal. The Israeli Government’s plans aim at

controlling the Arab lands occupied since 1967. These

Israeli policies have hindered the concerted and

intensified efforts exerted by the United States as a co-

sponsor of the peace process. In addition, this has caused

an atmosphere of suspicion to prevail among the Arab

States as regards the genuine desire of the Israeli

Government for peaceful coexistence and cooperation

with the Arabs.

The United Nations has been continuously discussing

this issue since 1948 and has adopted many General

Assembly and Security Council resolutions. Israel has not

respected or implemented any of these resolutions, even

once. These resolutions include Security Council

resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which were

adopted following the wars of 1967 and 1973. Israel has

refused to implement these resolutions through the United

Nations, insisting on unilateral negotiations outside the

United Nations. The Arab countries responded positively

and seriously to the calls for peace from various States by

participating in the Madrid Peace Conference. The Arab

countries have responded fully and positively to building

a society based on peace in the Middle East. Despite all

of this, the Israeli Government now refuses this proposal

and continues to occupy and confiscate land in the West

Bank.

Is it justice that the world daily witnesses the

expulsion of Palestinian citizens from their homes, the

demolishing of their homes and the confiscation of their

land? Is it justifiable for us to sit and witness the repeated

violation by the Israeli authorities of the rights and

11

integrity of the Palestinians through the occupation and the

siege of their towns and villages? Where is the just peace

that we are talking about when the Israeli Government

continues to build new and illegal settlements on Palestinian

lands, while the Palestinians themselves are being prevented

from building or even repairing their own homes?

These measures are nothing but grave injustice. Can

the United Nations condone such practices? Can the peace

sponsors accept that? Where is the respect for human rights

in the face of this denial of Palestinian rights when we are

celebrating this year the fiftieth anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

It is incumbent on all peace-loving nations which call

for the implementation of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights to stand by the Palestinian cause and to

reject the policies of the Israeli Government, which persists

in trampling over the dignity of the Palestinian people.

The establishment of peace in the Middle East requires

the use of every convincing measure in order to make Israel

accept and implement its legal and international obligations

towards the Palestinian Authority, including withdrawal

from the West Bank in accordance with the Oslo,

Washington and Cairo accords. Israel also must resume

negotiations with the Syrian Government from the point

where they ended, with the ultimate goal of signing a peace

treaty that will secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from

the occupied Syrian territories to the line of 4 June 1967,

as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern

Lebanon and the western Bekaa, in accordance with

resolutions 425 (1978) and 427 (1978).

We believe that these are the necessary conditions for

peace to prevail in the Middle East. They will also provide

the legitimate necessary guarantees for Israel and foster an

atmosphere of confidence among the Arab and the Israeli

peoples.

The Arab countries cannot accept the continued Israeli

policy aimed at the Judaization of Arab Jerusalem, and they

consider any change in the demographic composition of the

Arab city of Jerusalem and the expansion of Israeli

settlements in the occupied Arab territories null and void.

In spite of Israel’s intransigence and continued refusal

to cooperate with the co-sponsors of the peace process in

the Middle East to finalize this process and bring it to a

conclusion, my country, believing in the significance and

inevitability of peace in this region, declares in this forum

its full support of the endeavours made by the co-sponsors,

in particular those of the United States. In this regard, I

would like to highlight the commendable role of the

European Union and its continued economic support for

the Palestinian National Authority. I call on the

international community to extend every possible

assistance to the Palestinian National Authority and its

various educational, health and social institutions that will

safeguard what is achieved in the context of this peace

process.

The decision by the Arab countries to follow the

course of peace is a strategic option, and they have

genuinely worked towards achieving this purpose based

on their belief that for all the peoples of the region,

including Israel, peace is required for prosperity and

stability. Based on this, the Sultanate of Oman once again

affirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people and

supports the position of the Palestinian National Authority

regarding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the lands

occupied since 1967, thus allowing the Palestinian

National Authority to extend its control to all its lands,

including the Holy City of Jerusalem.

We stress the necessity for Iraq to fully implement

all relevant Security Council resolutions to eliminate its

arsenal of all weapons of mass destruction. Fully

cognizant of the fact that the United Nations Special

Commission has not been able to finalize its inspection,

we call for persistent efforts to end the hardship borne by

the fraternal Iraqi people. By the same token, we call

upon the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to find

common ground for cooperation and to build confidence

between the Special Commission and the Iraqi

Government. We also call upon Iraq to cooperate fully

with the ad hoc Tripartite Commission mandated to

follow up on the issue of the prisoners of war and

missing persons, either Kuwaitis or other nationalities,

and to facilitate their release in order to end this tragedy

for their families.

In the Gulf region we are witnessing a new era of

positive cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation

Council (GCC) and the Islamic Republic of Iran. We

welcome this significant development, which will

encourage us to work in a genuine manner to create a

propitious climate for enabling the United Arab Emirates

to exercise its sovereign rights on the islands of Greater

Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. Moreover, we should

be able to take the relations between the Islamic Republic

of Iran and the GCC to a new level of cooperation on the

basis of the principle of mutual benefit international law.

12

The efforts exerted in the field of disarmament aim to

ensure international security and stability. My country has

always expressed its unqualified support for these efforts.

We also emphasize the need for taking practical measures

to make the Middle East and the Gulf area zones free of

weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons.

The Sultanate of Oman signed the Chemical Weapons

Convention in 1992 and acceded to the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1997. I

announce here that my country has decided to sign the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). We look

forward to seeing Israel take part in the efforts to make the

Middle East a region free of nuclear weapons and to seeing

it place all its nuclear facilities under the strict control and

full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

With regard to the situation in Somalia, my country

would like to commend the efforts by Egypt, as well as by

Ethiopia and the neighbouring countries, to reconcile the

Somalis and to convene a national reconciliation

conference. We believe such a conference will help the

Somalis rebuild their State in the national interest of the

brotherly Somali people. We call upon the United Nations

to extend tangible support to these efforts.

As the world celebrates in 1998 the fiftieth anniversary

of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by

the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, the

Sultanate of Oman actively participated in the Diplomatic

Conference to establish the International Criminal Court,

which was held in Rome during June and July. We

emphasize the need for this newly established Court to

work in harmony and complementarity with national

jurisdictions of Member States.

We express our deep concern regarding the ongoing

civil war in Afghanistan, which has resulted in the total

destruction of that country and has intensified the suffering

of its people. It has also had a serious negative impact on

the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of this

Muslim nation. We call upon all warring factions in

Afghanistan to reconcile in a manner that will bring peace

and stability to the people. In this regard, we would like to

express our support of and appreciation for the initiatives of

the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the United

Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan, headed by the

Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr. Lakhdar

Brahimi.

The successive crises in the African continent have

demonstrated the complexity of the political, economic and

social situation therein. Rescuing Africa requires concerted

international efforts to overcome its difficulties. In

particular, African countries need international assistance

to continue the process of reform and economic

development. We believe that unified international action

is necessary more than ever to support the United Nations

coordination of efforts of the international donor

organizations and the efforts on the regional level by the

Organization of African Unity and the neighbouring

countries in the areas of conflict with a view to promoting

development and progress in the African continent.

The current situation in Kosovo and the persecution

and killings of the Albanian Muslims and others in this

region have been deplored and denounced by the

international community. We condemn the use of

terrorism and violence in international relations as a mean

to resolve political differences. We call for the

containment and just settlement of this crisis.

While realizing the national reasons why India and

Pakistan each carried out its latest nuclear tests, we

continue to call upon the two neighbouring countries to

promptly sign the NPT and CTBT in order to prevent the

escalation of the arms race in other regions of the world.

We hope that the circumstances will allow them to do so.

As the United Nations plays its role to eliminate all

lethal weapons from this globe, my country would like to

commend the international efforts that have led to the

adoption in December 1997 of the Convention on the

Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and

Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their

Destruction. This achievement should alleviate the

sufferings and spare the lives of thousands of innocent

civilians who might fall victim to this kind of weapon.

In the context of preserving the environment, the

Sultanate of Oman has submitted a proposal to the

regional organization for the protection of marine life in

the Gulf to establish bunkering ports for oil tankers in

order to protect the territorial waters and preserve the

marine life in the region from pollution.

On the economic front, the current situation has had

a negative impact on economic growth in Oman, just as

it has elsewhere in the world. But Oman is determined to

proceed with its plans for economic diversification and

harmonization with the regional and international

economic environment.

13

On the national level, Oman has carried out the

policies, legislation and other measures conducive to

foreign investment, based on the principles of a market

economy. At the regional level, my country participates

actively in regional economic gatherings. Within the GCC,

and thanks to the spirit of partnership among member

States and the economic integration legislation, the rates of

growth in the non-oil sectors have substantially increased.

In the Indian Ocean Rim Association for regional

cooperation, my country is an active participant in efforts

to promote and invigorate economic trade cooperation. In

this context, I would like to draw your attention to the

investment by the Sultanate of Oman in infrastructure

projects such as the port of Raysut in the southern region

of Oman, Dhofar. This port will offer services to container

ships and will enhance international maritime trade and

transport in our region.

At the international level, my country is working

towards membership in the World Trade Organization

(WTO), and we are fully committed to taking the necessary

steps to assure our full participation and responsibilities

within that organization.

The Sultanate of Oman thus works in a diligent and

cooperative manner to promote the development of

economic relations with other nations and with regional and

international groupings for mutual benefit and the

promotion of international trade and investment.

The Sultanate of Oman stands ready to extend the

hand of friendship to all peace-loving nations.