Oman, 2006

It gives

me great pleasure, Madam, to extend my warmest

congratulations to you and your country, the Kingdom

of Bahrain, on your assumption of the presidency of

the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. I am

fully confident that your vast experience will guide the

work of the Assembly to a successful conclusion.

Allow me to pay tribute to your predecessor, His

Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson, for the manner in which

he conducted the work of the previous session.

I would also like to commend Mr. Kofi Annan,

the Secretary-General, for his efforts to equip this

27 06-53317

Organization with the appropriate tools to properly

respond to world events and challenges.

This session is convening in difficult times and

amid important changes. Despite the successes

achieved by the United Nations in establishing the

Human Rights Council, the Peacebuilding Commission

and the Central Emergency Response Fund, numerous

dangers and challenges still lie ahead. The situation in

the occupied Palestinian territories remains very tense

as a result of Israel’s actions, including killing,

terrorizing, collective punishment, the demolition of

homes and other practices that run counter to the noble

objectives of the peace process. There are requirements

and obligations that must be fulfilled in order to reach

a peaceful settlement between Israel and the

Palestinians.

Hence, we express our support for the call by the

League of Arab States to refer the entire Arab-Israeli

conflict to the Security Council, in order to find a

lasting, comprehensive and peaceful settlement. That

call reaffirms the commitment of the Arab States to

peace — as a strategic option and a basis for peaceful

coexistence between the Arab countries and the State

of Israel as envisioned in the Arab peace initiative.

The world has recently witnessed the tragedy of

the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, with the resulting

destruction and huge loss of life and property. We

affirm our support to the brotherly Lebanese people in

that brutal crisis. We welcome the adoption by the

Security Council of its resolution 1701 (2006) and

hope that it will enhance security and stability in the

region. The positive response to the Secretary-

General’s call for greater participation in the enhanced

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is

a clear indication of the support the international

community accords to Lebanon.

My country is deeply concerned by the

deteriorating security situation and the internal

violence in Iraq. We call upon all parties in Iraq to give

precedence to their national interests and to support

their National Government in accordance with a

conciliatory political programme that would look after

the interests of all segments of the Iraqi people.

We welcome the conclusion of the Abuja Peace

Agreement between the Sudanese Government and the

rebel groups, and we hope that it will stop further

bloodshed among the brotherly Sudanese people. We

look forward to seeing a positive and effective role by

the Security Council in the Sudan, in cooperation with

the Sudanese Government.

Although the African continent enjoys immense

natural and human resources and potential, it is

plagued by conflict, the spread of disease and poverty.

While we support the efforts of the African

Governments to deal with those difficulties, we also

call upon the international community to do all it can

to help the African countries to reinforce their efforts.

Environment is the common heritage of all

mankind. Conserving the environment is therefore a

duty shared by all countries, and we hope that during

this session further light will be shed on environmental

issues. Aware of the importance of striking a balance

between achieving development, on the one hand, and

protecting the environment, on the other, my country

has launched a national strategy aimed at protecting the

environment that incorporates environmental

considerations at all stages of planning.

We are making concerted efforts to protect our

environment, our territorial waters and our economic

areas from pollution. We are also cooperating with a

number of national, regional and international

organizations and agencies in protecting our natural

resources and preventing their deterioration.

All are agreed that globalization has positive

aspects. However, it has been noted that in some cases

globalization has hurt the interests of developing

countries. For that reason, my country supports the call

for the establishment of a world trade order that is

non-discriminatory and multidisciplinary. Such a

framework would seek to achieve a balanced outcome

in the decisions of the Doha Round of negotiations. It

is our hope that current negotiations on multilateral

trade issues, especially those related to agriculture and

the service sector, will achieve success in a way that

serves the interests and rights of all States equally.

We look forward to seeing the international

financial, economic and trade institutions play a

positive role in bridging the growth gap between

developed and developing countries. We urge those

institutions to provide support to developing countries

to help them to attract investment funds and to gain

access to global markets for their exports, without any

restrictions or protectionist measures. In this regard,

we welcome the offer of the brotherly State of Qatar to

host the International Conference on Financing for

Development in 2007.

06-53317 28

My country supports the call for a review of the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT) with a view to closing loopholes in the Treaty

and guaranteeing the right of all States parties to obtain

nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. While we

favour a Middle East region free from all weapons of

mass destruction, we also call on all parties to the

current talks on the Iranian nuclear issue to keep the

door open to negotiation, since direct dialogue remains

the best way of reaching a suitable compromise on

pending contested issues.

An effective international counter-terrorism

strategy requires a balance to be struck between

security considerations and respect for human rights

conventions. It is really not wise to endanger the

security and stability of States on the ground of

combating terrorism, nor is it fair to subject innocent

people to injustice or mistreatment on the basis of mere

suspicion.

Bearing in mind that human beings are the centre

and focus of development, my country has designed

policies aimed at the self-fulfilment of Omani citizens

and the development of their potential. Social welfare

programmes for individuals with special needs are a

key element in the rehabilitation of those groups, so

that they can participate in society alongside other

citizens. In cooperation with the International Labour

Organization, my country has also adopted a

rehabilitation strategy focusing on local communities.

Emphasizing the comprehensive nature of the

development process, my country has devoted special

attention to the role of women by encouraging them to

participate in development. We have introduced a draft

national strategy for the advancement of women, which

is the result of cooperation between governmental

bodies and civil society organizations.

The Sultanate of Oman takes pride in its

achievements in the area of childcare. Because of the

importance of childhood in securing out investment in

human resources, children are given priority in our

comprehensive development programme. Our national

committee for child protection and welfare was

established by Royal Decree No. 71 of 1997.

Today, more than ever before, we need an

effective United Nations that is able to shoulder its

responsibility for the maintenance of international

peace and security. That can be achieved only through

concerted efforts and political will on the part of

Member States, which will enable the Organization to

carry out its mission and responsibilities in the best

possible manner.