Oman, 2013

It gives

me great pleasure, at the outset, to extend my warmest

congratulations to the President and his friendly

country, Antigua and Barbuda, on his election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth

session. We wish him every success in his endeavour

and assure him that the Sultanate of Oman stands ready

to cooperate with him and all delegations and Member

States to achieve the desired objectives.

We would like to take this opportunity to express

our thanks and appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Vuk

Jeremi., of the friendly Republic of Serbia, for the

outstanding manner in which he conducted the work

of the previous session, as well as to thank Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon for all his efforts to enhance the

role of the Organization and develop its operational

mechanisms to respond to current challenges and recent

developments and ensure optimal future preparedness.

The numerous achievements and successes of

the United Nations since its establishment, in 1945,

have contributed positively to increased security and

stability in the world. However, the rapid developments

witnessed today, including steady population growth,

rising global demand for energy and natural resources

and tremendous advances in communications and

new technologies, have given rise to numerous

difficulties. Joint efforts and greater cooperation

among Governments are required to address them and

find appropriate solutions. Such action requires that the

Organization and its various organs be empowered to

strengthen their capacity to respond to global demands

and developments, with a sharp focus on vital and

urgent issues.

Modernization, development and change constitute

the norms of life. However, they must go hand in hand

with increased security and stability, which should be

based on cooperation among all nations and should be

aimed at achieving sustainable development goals.

The recent events in various countries in the

Middle East resulted from genuine reactions to the

socioeconomic hardships faced by the peoples of the

region and to diminished institutional capacities to

respond fully to their needs and demands. Despite the

loss of lives and property in those countries, current

efforts are aimed at stability and restoring the economy,

and as such deserve our support.

My country welcomes the consensus achieved in

the Security Council on the issue of chemical weapons

in Syria and the unanimous adoption of resolution

2118 (2013). The “Geneva II” conference is of critical

importance in facilitating negotiations between the

Syrian Government and the opposition forces. We

believe that the goal should be a ceasefire and the

formation of a transitional authority with the necessary

power to overcome the enormous difficulties resulting

from a war that has been ongoing for approximately

three years.

The international community should prepare

to provide support and humanitarian assistance to

displaced Syrians and to all those affected by that

abhorrent war. My country confirms its continued

assistance to aid the displaced Syrians and expresses its

readiness to contribute to international humanitarian

aid inside Syrian territory.

We welcome the positive developments taking

place in Somalia thanks to the efforts of President

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to rebuild the Somali State.

It is our hope that our brothers in the Federal Republic

of Somalia will be able to implement the political

and economic reform programme that has gained the

support of the international community.

Among the important international issues that have

yet to be resolved is the Palestinian question, which

is considered the cornerstone of any possible peace

in the Middle East. Despite the efforts made and the

agreements concluded through direct negotiations

between successive Israeli Governments and the

Palestine Liberation Organization, no settlement has yet

been reached. In that regard, my country supports the

efforts of President Barack Obama and his Secretary of

State, Mr. John Kerry, as they represent an opportunity

for all the peoples of the region to establish peace.

That would lead to economic and social development

and revive the hope for peaceful coexistence among

the peoples of the region — all of which would ensure

a positive contribution by the Middle East to global

civilization.

My country continues to support the initiatives

aimed at transforming the Middle East into a zone

free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass

destruction, as it is fully aware of the effects of those

weapons on the security and stability of States, regions

and the entire world.

With our emphasis on the right of States to

benefit from the peaceful use of nuclear energy, it is

worth mentioning that the current dispute will not be

resolved through coercive policies and practices, such

as sanctions and other tough measures. Because those

measures are limited, their effectiveness is weakened.

Rather, creative diplomacy can help all States to benefit

from nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

On the other hand, we hope that the international

community, particularly the depositary countries of

the NPT, will be able to persuade other Middle Eastern

States to become parties to the Treaty and to subject

their nuclear facilities to the comprehensive system

of safeguards that exists under the supervision of the

International Atomic Energy Agency. That would

contribute to achieving the universality of the Treaty

and would make the Middle East a zone free of nuclear

weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. That

goal deserves the support of all countries, especially

the major Powers.

We express our regret at the non-convening of the

international conference on the Middle East mandated

by the decision of the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty

Review Conference, owing to the fact that some

parties did not support its convening. That reflects a

lack of understanding of the conditions, objectives and

aspirations of the peoples of the Middle East region.

In the light of our commitment to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals, we would like to

announce that we have attained the Goals and all their

indicators. In fact, we recently announced that we had

been 100 per cent successful in achieving Goals 4 and

5.

With regard to protection of the environment and

natural conservation, since the dawn of the renaissance

led by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, my

country, in line with the national strategy to protect the

environment, has consistently integrated environmental

issues into its plans and development goals, with a view

to achieving a balance between the aims of sustainable

development and the preservation of the environment.

My country has also sought to share its interests

in the environment and natural conservation with

the international community. We have participated

in many regional and international conferences on

the environment, including the eighteenth session of

the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change, held

in Qatar in December 2012. We look forward to

participating in the nineteenth session, to be held in

Warsaw in November.

The right to science and knowledge should be

enjoyed by all humankind, and the great evolution

in the use and application of modern technology has

become an essential tool in our daily lives, thanks to

scientific and intellectual creativity. Consequently, my

country has sought to keep up with advances to meet

our current needs. To that end, we have established

many centres and councils that encourage research

and development, including the Scientific Research

Council, the Industrial Innovation Centre, the National

Centre for Enterprises and Commercial Activities, and

the Oasis of Knowledge. We also have a Middle East

Desalination Research Centre.

My country continues to develop the main

guidelines for a national strategy of research and

development and scientific knowledge. We are also

trying to familiarize ourselves with modern technology

and to encourage Omani youth to take part in different

science — and technology-based professions. In that

context, we welcome future constructive cooperation,

investment and partnerships with all other centres,

universities, institutions and specialized industries

in both the public and the private sectors and at the

national, regional and international levels. We also want

to take advantage of Oman’s geographical position as a

main gateway and bridge to knowledge and creativity

in regional and international markets.

In conclusion, we wish the President every success

at this session, and we hope that it concludes with a

realistic and renewed vision — an inspired vision and

one that also imparts new momentum for our times, a

vision that reflects the aspirations of every generation

and every people and makes every effort to achieve

them.