Oman, 2014

It is our

pleasure, Mr. President, to congratulate you and your

friendly country, the Republic of Uganda, on your

election to the presidency of the General Assembly

at its sixty-ninth session. We are confident that your

vast experience in diplomacy will steer the work of

this session to a successful outcome. I would also like

to assure you of the cooperation of the delegation of

the Sultanate of Oman in working with you towards

achieving the cherished goals and objectives of the

current session, at the forefront of which is enhancing

international peace and security.

We would also like to take this opportunity to

express our thanks and appreciation to your predecessor,

Mr. John William Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda, for the

excellent manner in which he conducted the work of the

previous session. We would also like to reiterate our

confidence in Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his

tireless efforts to enhance the role of the United Nations

and improve its working methods so that it can respond

in the best possible way to the hopes and aspirations of

Member States.

The Middle East is going through a difficult

phase as it grapples with several crises due to a lack

of international consensus. We believe that the overall

situation in the Middle East requires a unified position

to solve the crises, the most immediate of which is the

Palestinian question, which no doubt lies at the core of

regional conflicts. We note that while the Palestinians

have consistently shown willingness to enter into

a genuine partnership in peace with Israel, based on

the concept of two States living side by side in peace,

Israel has not demonstrated responsible cooperation

as it continues to resort to military force as a tool to

maintain its security.

Security and stability cannot be achieved through

the use of excessive force and the insistence on inflicting

heavy loss of life, injuries and destruction on the largest

possible scale. The path to achieving the security and

stability that underpins economic and social recovery

can be realized only through the peaceful partnership

of the Palestinians and Israelis. We now believe that

there is a chance to achieve that objective, following

the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides,

Palestinian and Israeli, in the Gaza Strip. We stress the

importance of the two sides sticking to the agreement

in words and in actions and avoiding violations under

any justification or pretext. In that respect, we call upon

Palestinians and Israelis alike to resume negotiations in

order to reach a just and comprehensive settlement that

would provide peace and security for Israel and that

responds to the hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian

people to regain their inalienable rights.

The continuation of violence in the brotherly

Syrian Arab Republic and its serious implications for

regional and international peace and security require

us to redouble our efforts to encourage the Syrian

Government and the National Coalition of Syrian

Revolutionary and Opposition Forces to return to the

negotiating table, based on the Geneva communiqué.

The two parties should approach negotiations in a

positive manner by focusing on areas of consensus and

avoiding negative aspects and positions with the aim

of saving the Syrian people and sparing them further

suffering and tragedies.

While we applaud the role of humanitarian relief

organizations and agencies in helping the Syrian

people overcome their prolonged ordeal, we also call

for intensified efforts to facilitate access by relief

agencies to all areas inside and outside Syria to provide

the necessary humanitarian assistance to the affected

people. In that respect, we look forward in confidence

to the efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy for

Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, to encourage Syrian and

international stakeholders to reconvene the Geneva

conference. We believe that the current situation is

more conducive than ever to this effort.

My country appreciates the efforts of the President

of Yemen, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, to achieve

security and stability there. We welcome the agreement

of peace and partnership signed by President Hadi

and the political powers in Yemen, and we call upon

all political partners, particularly Ansar Allah, to

comply with its provisions. We call on all political

entities in Yemen to renounce violence and uphold

the outcome of the National Dialogue Conference as

the best available road map for resolving the current

crisis. We hope that the Yemeni presidency will take

the remaining important steps in the Comprehensive

National Dialogue, most notably the referendum on

a new constitution that would secure the rights and

interests of all Yemenis.

The Sultanate of Oman is firm in its principled

position regarding the condemnation of terrorism in all

its forms and manifestations, regardless of motives and

justifications. In that context, we condemn the terrorist

acts perpetrated by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq

and the Levant (ISIL). We support the recommendations

of the Jeddah and Paris conferences, and the steps

the international community is taking to extend Iraqi

authority over all ISIL-controlled areas. We emphasize

the importance for the international community to

stand united in freeing the Middle East from all forms

of violence, extremism and terrorism. We also welcome

Security Council resolution 2178 (2014) on the threats

to international peace and security posed by terrorist

acts.

There are a number of ways to prevent violence and

extremism. These include the consolidation of good

governance and sustainable development, which would

allow all sectors of society — especially young people,

who constitute two thirds of the populations of Arab

countries — to work, innovate and actively participate

in the decisions affecting their daily life. On this basis,

the Sultanate of Oman has established a complete and

interlinked system encompassing the principles of

good governance, including councils and institutions

to protect society and young people and ensure their

participation in the development process.

In that regard, my country has established the

Council of Oman, composed of two chambers, the

Shura Consultative Council and the State Council. It

has also created municipal councils, whose members

are popularly elected, to oversee local issues that

affect the lives of the people in the economic, social,

educational and other fields, based on the principles of

good governance and sustainable development.

The Sultanate of Oman has also come a long

way in its national development. It has established an

independent judiciary, which has become a key element

of the development and modernization process. It

has also established the Public Prosecution Office,

which stands at the apex of the independent judicial

system in the Sultanate, as well as the State Audit

Institution, whose role is to provide a secure and proper

administration to ensure better management of public

properties.

It has also redoubled its efforts to fight corruption

and organized crime. In that respect, and in the context

of its efforts to protect the country and its citizens, the

Sultanate has acceded to the United Nations Convention

against Corruption, the United Nations Convention

against Transnational Organized Crime and the

three protocols thereto. This system of institutions is

based on effective public participation in the policies

adopted and implemented by the Government in order

to enhance good governance in the framework of a

modern civic State, based on institutions, in order to

achieve security, stability and sustainable development.

Regarding regional peace and security, my country

supports the call for an international conference to

establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and

weapons of mass destruction, in line with the resolution

adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference

of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons. My country calls upon States parties

to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons, especially the depository States, to take the

necessary measures to achieve this goal in order to

spare the region the dangers of tension, and to avoid

confrontation.

In closing, we would like emphasize that the

Sultanate of Oman has come a long way towards

achieving the Millennium Development Goals in

all fields and within the specific timelines set by the

United Nations.