Qatar, 1993

It gives me great pleasure to begin my statement by

congratulating Mr. Insanally of Guyana on his election as

President of the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session

- the "session of peace". This choice reflects the confidence

of Member States in his political ability and diplomatic skill

and their regard for his country. He will have our full

cooperation and support. We are confident that, with his

experience and wisdom, he will lead us to success in our

work.

I should like also to express to Mr. Insanally’s

predecessor, Mr. Stoyan Ganev, our deep appreciation and

gratitude for the excellent manner in which he conducted the

work of the General Assembly during its forty-seventh

session.

It also gives me great pleasure to welcome, in the name

of the State of Qatar, all the States that recently joined this

Forty-eighth session - 4 October l993 17

international Organization, which, session after session, has

reaffirmed its universal character. We look forward to the

contribution of these States in an Organization that

represents all nations of the world, without exception.

On this occasion, I should like to convey to the

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, my Government’s deep appreciation for his

commitment and dedication to the principles of the United

Nations, for the political ability and diplomatic skill that he

has demonstrated, since he assumed this high position, in

dealing with international problems and crises, and for his

unremitting efforts, his discernment and his farsightedness in

revitalizing this world Organization so that it may face up to

the challenges posed by a changing world and achieve peace

on earth. This is reflected in part by his praiseworthy report

entitled "Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277), which contains

important proposals in the areas of preventive diplomacy,

peacemaking and peace-keeping.

The new phase the world has embarked on after the end

of the cold war and the emergence of new complexities in

international relations, side by side with the deterioration of

the economic situation, especially in developing countries,

now face the United Nations with new burdens and

responsibilities, which necessitate the restructuring and

revitalization of the Organization in order for it to be able to

meet successfully the demands of a changing world. As

such restructuring and revitalization should include the

activities of the United Nations in the areas of security and

social and economic development, the State of Qatar

believes that it is necessary to consider an increase in the

membership of the Security Council in order to make the

Council more representative of the international community,

since the number of Member States in the Organization has

risen, on the one hand, and the balance of power and

economic weight of some States have changed, on the other.

Such an increase should include both permanent and

non-permanent members of the Security Council, and there

should be adequate representation of each of the five

continents. It is necessary, however, that the membership of

the Council should remain within the manageable limits that

may enable it to maintain its effectiveness in dealing with

world crises that are constantly increasing in gravity.

Since the end of cold war and the disappearance of

East-West confrontation, major steps have been taken

towards arms limitation at the international level. Nuclear

arsenals have been reduced, nuclear tests have been frozen,

a Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,

Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and

on Their Destruction, has been opened for signature and

Qatar was among the first to sign it. In this respect,

however, I should like to stress a very important point,

namely that arms limitation, particularly with respect to

weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, should be

given a high priority in the interests of the peace and

stability of the States of the region so that the funds released

thereby may be channelled to development and the

achievement of economic and social progress. This,

however, must apply to all the States of the region without

exception. Consequently, it is my country’s view that it is

important for all the States of the Middle East, without

exception, to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons. Qatar supports all initiatives aimed at

making the Middle East a region free from all nuclear and

other weapons of mass destruction and their systems of

delivery, especially as we enter upon a new era of peace

which, by its nature, contradicts the very idea of developing

and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

The State of Qatar is very much concerned about the

international economic situation, believing that a stable

international economic situation is the cornerstone for the

building of a new world order that could be characterized by

stability, security and prosperity. We are particularly

concerned about the economic situation of developing

countries, most of which are suffering from a heavy burden

of indebtedness, the service of which exhausts a large

portion of their limited resources which are hardly sufficient

to meet the needs of their struggling peoples. We therefore

believe that addressing the problem of indebtedness is the

first essential step towards strengthening the economies of

those countries. We know that there are numerous studies

and propositions on this issue, but what is needed more are

the political will and genuine desire on the part of rich

creditor States to solve once and for all the problem of

indebtedness in favour of developing countries, particularly

the African least-developed countries. Needless to say,

continuing civil wars in the countries of the third world and

conflicts among them have taken a heavy toll in the case of

those countries and their economies. Among those countries

are those of the Gulf region which have had their share of

suffering because of recent crises and events in the Middle

East.

The security and stability of the Gulf region are the

foremost objectives that the State of Qatar seeks to achieve

by its efforts and contacts. Security and stability, as we all

know, are important not only to the States of the region, but

also to the entire world because of the region’s strategic

importance and its energy resources that the world needs.

The State of Qatar believes that this security and stability

cannot be achieved other than by cooperation between the

18 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

States of the region themselves on the basis of good

neighbourliness, mutual respect, non-interference in internal

affairs, respect for sovereignty and independence, respect for

recognized international borders and for the agreements

concluded among themselves, and the settlement of

differences and of disputes by peaceful means, particularly

through negotiation, mediation and international adjudication.

From this perspective, the State of Qatar supports all

efforts being made to solve the dispute over the three islands

of Abu Mousa, Greater Tunb and Smaller Tunb between the

United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran

through negotiation and by other peaceful means, in the hope

that these peaceful efforts will result in settling all

outstanding issues between the two States. In this

connection, we welcome the recent statements by officials of

both countries in which they expressed their desire to resolve

the dispute by peaceful means through bilateral channels.

By the same token, the State of Qatar reiterates its full

support for the sovereignty of the State of Kuwait and its

territorial integrity within its international boundaries as

demarcated by Security Council resolution 833 (1993) on the

Kuwait-Iraq boundaries. The State of Qatar also reaffirms

its concern for the preservation of the territorial integrity of

Iraq and calls upon the United Nations and the international

community to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people,

especially in basic civilian and humanitarian areas. This

requires full compliance by Iraq with all the relevant

resolutions of the Security Council, first among which is

resolution 687 (1991) in all its provisions.

The State of Qatar is following with great interest the

successive and positive developments in the march towards

peace in the Middle East. These developments in our

opinion turn a new page in the history of the region. We

have welcomed the agreement reached by the Palestine

Liberation Organization and Israel concerning self-

government in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, as a first step

towards a just, complete and lasting solution to the

Palestinian question and the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis

of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973),

the principle of land for peace, full Israeli withdrawal from

all occupied Arab territories including the holy city of Al-

Quds and the Golan Heights, southern Lebanon as well as

the occupied Jordanian territories, and the implementation of

the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people,

including the right of self-determination. This will lay the

foundation for security and stability in the Middle East. In

this respect, Qatar reiterates its continued support for the

peace efforts undertaken according to and on the basis of the

principles agreed upon. It looks forward to seeing the

ongoing negotiations make fundamental and parallel progress

on all tracks. Short of this, no real peace, in our view, could

be achieved in the region.

We also follow with hope and admiration the efforts by

our sister country, Lebanon, towards political stability,

security and reconstruction. The State of Qatar will spare no

effort in supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and sharing in the

reconstruction of that country in response to the call of

brotherhood. In this context, Qatar calls for full and

unconditional implementation of Security Council resolution

425 (1978).

The State of Qatar, which condemns terrorism in any

shape or form, values greatly the question of human rights.

This stems from Qatar’s belief in the dignity of man and its

adherence to the eternal principles of Islamic Sharia, which

uphold the right of the individual to a decent life of freedom,

justice, peace, brotherhood and the equality of all men.

Given this belief, Qatar views human rights as a high moral

value that should not be used as a means of or a pretext for

interference in the internal affairs of other States, and an

issue that should not be addressed by varying standards that

differ from the case of one State to the other. In view of the

universal character of human rights, their basic principles

should include the right to self-determination and the

inherent link between human rights and the right to

development. In view of the fact that each society has its

own customs, traditions, culture and principles which it

cherishes and adheres to in line with its creed and outlook,

consideration should be given to the historical and cultural

frameworks of the Arab and Islamic world as well as to

those of other cultures and civilizations. Here I should like

to point out with justified pride that Islam, 14 centuries ago,

upheld the right of the individual to live in peace, freedom

and dignity. This is the true picture of human rights in

Islam.

The international community, as represented by the

General Assembly and the Security Council, has condemned

the Serbian aggression in the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina and the unprecedented practice of "ethnic

cleansing" of which the Bosnian Muslim people was the

victim. But what use condemnation? Condemnation has

had no effect whatsoever, as it has not been backed by

action: the successive resolutions adopted by the Security

Council have remained ineffective; aggression did not stop;

"ethnic cleansing" continued, the safe areas have not been

safe and even relief assistance did not reach the people in

the besieged cities and areas. Yet, the Security Council has

not taken the necessary steps to enforce compliance with its

resolutions as it has done in other cases. Even the arms

Forty-eighth session - 4 October l993 19

embargo the Council imposed on the former Yugoslavia was

not lifted in the case of the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina regardless of the fact that lifting it would

enable the Bosnians to exercise their legitimate right of

self-defence; nor were the offers of some Islamic States to

send forces to take part in protecting the safe areas accepted.

Now, if this painful situation does not change and if the

necessary measures to enforce these resolutions are not

taken, history will record our disgraceful failure to uphold

the principles of the Charter and to force aggressors to

respect the norms of international legality. Besides, we must

not forget that it is important not to allow such grave

violations to continue to be committed with impunity. These

violations are crimes against humanity and, therefore, the

State of Qatar fully supports the resolution relating to the

establishment of the International Tribunal to prosecute war

crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

The State of Qatar follows with great interest the

developments in the Russian Federation. We hope that that

Federation will overcome its crises so that it may continue

to perform its important role in resolving global crises in its

capacity as a permanent member of the Security Council, a

co-sponsor of the peace negotiations in the Middle East and

a participant that has taken significant steps in the area of

limiting nuclear armaments.

Qatar supports the United Nations operation in our

sister country, Somalia, and welcomes the determination of

the world Organization to continue this operation, which

aims at restoring peace and security in that country and at

the reconstruction of its State institutions in spite of all the

difficulties. We call upon the Somali leaderships to continue

the process of national reconciliation, to support the United

Nations efforts, to play their role in the process of political

reconstruction and to refrain from doing anything that would

obstruct that process.

The State of Qatar follows with interest the historic

positive developments taking place in the Republic of South

Africa, and welcomes the progress that has been made

towards the final dismantling of the hideous system of

apartheid and the establishment of a democratic system for

the first time in the history of that country. While

welcoming these important developments in the political

arena in this Republic, Qatar supports the call by Mr. Nelson

Mandela, president of the African National Congress, for

lifting the economic sanctions imposed on his country and

from which its people have been suffering for years. This,

in our opinion, would promote the democratic process and

consolidate economic development in that country.

Stability of the situation in South-East Asia was among

the positive results we have witnessed in the peaceful

settlement of conflicts. This was achieved by resolving the

conflict in Cambodia, drafting the new constitution and

restoring the monarchy. This peace was achieved after long

years of persistent struggle under the leadership of Norodom

Sihanouk for establishing peace and security in the country

and restoring its territorial integrity and its sovereignty over

its whole territory. In this connection, we commend the

continuous efforts made by the United Nations and its

Secretary-General, efforts that paved the way for elections

and led to success of the peace process in Cambodia.

The last decade has witnessed increasing interest in

environmental issues at both the official and popular levels.

Indeed, the environment has become a high priority on the

agendas of States and an integral part of their national

interests and security. This is a positive and necessary

development. It is, however, most important in this respect

to identify precisely the sources of pollution and the

relationship between the environment and economic

development. The imposition of an energy tax at the present

time would limit the possibilities of development in the State

of Qatar and other oil-exporting States. It would affect

adversely their ability to meet their obligations and limit

their ability to finance the exploration and production

operations that would enable them as producers to satisfy the

increasing demand on oil. In an independent world, such

negative effects will not be limited to the oil-exporting

countries but will extend to other countries and to other

economic sectors all over the world. It is obvious that the

idea of an energy tax on exporting countries is unfair both

in its proposed rates on the sources of environmental

pollution and in comparison with other sources of pollution,

such as coal. The negative environmental effects of the use

of coal far exceed those of the use of oil. Notwithstanding

such facts, however, we find that the tax rates have been

proposed in the reverse ratio to the effects of the pollutants.

On the other hand, the proposed tax does not take into

consideration the amount of pollution caused by every

individual State. A single major industrial country may very

well pollute the environment to a far greater extent than any

number of oil-producing countries put together. Regardless

of this, however, the tax targets the latter in a manner that

suggests objectives other than the preservation of the

environment.

It is no exaggeration to state that the world we all live

in faces numerous challenges. The economic, social and

political problems which face many countries in today’s

world have become so enormous and so complex that they

may well seem intractable. However, if we let ourselves be

20 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

guided by the spirit of the Charter and the principles of our

world Organization, and if we stand as one behind the

United Nations, we are bound to find proper solutions to

those problems, which have become a common denominator

to all the States of the world. There is no other way but to

work harder in the context of world solidarity and

international cooperation towards the building of a world

wherein the lights of peace, security, stability and well-being

would shine brightly.