Russia, 2002

One year has passed since the tragic events

that took place on 11 September 2001 in the United

States of America shook the world and demonstrated

the magnitude and brutality of the global threat of

international terrorism. During the past year the world

became fully aware of the challenges that humankind

was facing as we entered the twenty-first century. It

was a year during which the international community

came together and began to take decisive action against

terrorism.

While paying tribute to the memory of all of the

victims of the terrorism that has left a bloody trail

throughout the world, we must now take stock of the

initial results of the joint anti-terrorist campaign and,

most important, outline our objectives in strengthening

the foundations of international security and stability.

The most important outcome of the coming

together of States to achieve common goals

unprecedented since the Second World War is clear

today. A broad international anti-terrorist coalition has

been established and is actively functioning; it has

already demonstrated its effectiveness in Afghanistan,

a country that international terrorists of various

affiliations had transformed into their own personal

lair. Our common objective is not only to preserve the

experience of interaction acquired within the

framework of the coalition avoiding such unilateral

actions as might undermine it but also to transform

the anti-terrorist alliance into a supportive mechanism

of effective security and cooperation for the new

millennium.

The United Nations must certainly be a pivotal

element of such a mechanism. Indeed, the United

Nations is called upon to continue to guarantee that, in

combating new threats and challenges, the efforts of

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the international community rest on a solid basis of

international law.

We must acknowledge and the past year has

been very instructive in this regard that a great deal

of hard work awaits us. It will be possible to put

insurmountable obstacles in the way of fanatics and

extremists who spread death and destruction only if we

can reach general agreement on core issues relating to

the world order. In this context, the role of the United

Nations is, indeed, irreplaceable.

The fact that the process of implementing the

fundamental anti-terrorist resolution Security

Council resolution 1373 (2001) is under way is of

critical importance. That resolution is binding on all

States, and we must now seek to achieve its

unconditional implementation by all States.

A priority task in the war on terrorism is the

strengthening of its international legal framework. First

and foremost, there is a need to ensure the genuinely

universal character of existing anti-terrorist

conventions.

Having ratified the 1999 Convention for the

Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, Russia is

now completing the process of accession to those

international instruments. At the same time, we are

seriously concerned about the lack of real progress in

negotiating a comprehensive convention on combating

terrorism and a convention on the suppression of acts

of nuclear terrorism.

The well-known differences in the approaches of

States to the provisions of such instruments could

certainly be fully reconciled. They should not

overshadow the objective, which is pressing for all of

us, of establishing a legal basis to counter terrorism in

all its manifestations a basis that would be in

keeping with the realities of today's world. Russia is

continuing to make resolute efforts to achieve that

objective.

It is the obligation of all States to protect the

rights and freedoms of their citizens, the most

important of these being the right to life. But it is

precisely the lives of ordinary people that are

threatened by terrorists, and each year new names are

added to the list of victims. The international

community can no longer tolerate this. It is our

obligation to provide our citizens with the right to

reliable protection against terrorism.

Such an objective can be achieved only if all

States agree on a range of specific measures under

United Nations auspices. There is now a need to draw

up an effective code to protect human rights against

terrorism. Some of these measures have already been

discussed by the international community, including in

this forum. Others will require consideration in a

broader context. The most important consideration,

however, is that we should agree on a unified system of

values and measures shared by all States.

The results of the war against terrorism will be

tangible only if we act in concert at all levels global,

regional and national. The anti-terrorist cooperation

mechanisms aimed at preventing the spread of

terrorism in Central Asia, including those within the

framework of the Commonwealth of Independent

States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, are

gaining momentum and thus provide clear evidence of

that fact. There is a great deal of potential in the new

partnership between Russia and the countries of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The field of anti-terrorism is an integral part of

our continuous dialogue and cooperation with the

leading countries of the world, including the United

States, China, India and the States members of the

European Union. We are confident that the

development of such interaction at many levels will

promote a climate of confidence, security and

cooperation in all parts of the world.

The stability and credibility of the emerging

international system of the twenty-first century will

depend directly on the maintenance and strengthening

of strategic stability. This fundamental objective was

advanced by the signing, by the Presidents of Russia

and of the United States, at their May meeting in

Moscow, of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty,

which was a specific, major contribution by the leading

nuclear Powers to nuclear disarmament.

It is also very important to ensure the non-

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The

danger of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons or

their components falling into the irresponsible hands of

terrorists increases international terrorism's potential to

cause devastation. This means that there is a need to

step up efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation

regime for weapons of mass destruction and their

delivery vehicles.

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By acting jointly and responsibly, we have

already achieved a great deal. When we speak about

the establishment of new regimes for the non-

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and for

arms control, we by no means wish to imply a

renunciation of regimes and agreements already in

effect. They are our shared protective mechanism a

mechanism that is very reliable and has stood the test

of time. Unjustified removal of the key elements of the

international legal framework of non-proliferation can

aggravate the international military and strategic

situation and undermine global security.

Furthermore, we should universalize' the most

important agreements on non-proliferation of nuclear

weapons and on comprehensive nuclear test ban. The

missile sphere needs a sustainable negotiating process

aimed at concluding an international arrangement on a

global regime of missile and missile technology non-

proliferation.

The prevention of the deployment of weapons in

outer space forms an integral part of the non-

proliferation process. Together with a number of our

partners we suggest that a comprehensive agreement be

worked out aimed at preserving outer space as a zone

free from any kind of weapons. We are confident that

this proposal serves the interests of all States, and

expect that it will enjoy wide support.

Since its establishment, the United Nations has

been engaged in the settlement of regional conflicts.

Those so-called local problems have long turned into

one of the main threats to international stability.

Terrorism, political extremism, and economic and

social degradation are their customary companions.

Certainly, the primary responsibility in any settlement

rests with the relevant parties, but multilateral

mechanisms have also repeatedly demonstrated their

effectiveness in the restoration of peace and concord. A

tangible progress made with the United Nations visible

involvement in the post-Taliban reconstruction of

Afghanistan is one of our common accomplishments.

We can add to this the adoption by the United Nations

Security Council of major practical decisions in

support of a comprehensive settlement in the Middle

East and the resolution of crises in a number of African

countries.

And yet, we are still far from a radical decrease in

the number and intensity of armed conflicts. Hard

work, requiring great human as well as material and

financial resources, is awaiting us. But the most

important here is the presence of a strong political will

to implement the provisions of the United Nations

Charter pertaining to the peaceful settlement of

disputes.

Experience shows that no matter how complex

international crises and conflicts may be, whatever

challenges and threats they may be fraught with, they

can be settled with the aid of United Nations

instruments and on the basis of international law. This

fully applies to the situation around Iraq, which has

long required political settlement in strict compliance

with the Security Council resolutions.

The entire international community benefits from

a steady enhancement of the leading role of our

Organization in peacemaking. We cannot relax our

attention to this task.

At all times and throughout the world, terrorism

and extremism have tried to justify themselves with

continuous social and economic instability and poverty.

While recognizing the existence of these serious

problems we should state most resolutely that terrorism

does not and will not have any justification. At the

same time, the creation of a sustainable and fair global

financial and economic structure would, certainly, help

combat many dangerous challenges to mankind. The

latest major international forums the International

Conference on Financing for Development

in Monterey, World Food Summit in Rome,

World Summit on Sustainable Development in

Johannesburg adopted decisions designed to uproot

the causes of the most threatening disparities in the

world. The next step is to implement the agreements

we have reached.

Equally sweeping are the tasks that face us in the

field of environmental protection. Natural disasters that

afflicted many regions of our planet this summer have

demonstrated again that the solution of environmental

issues cannot be put off unless we want to endanger the

very survival of future generations. This sphere also

depends on multilateral efforts that exclude the egoism

of individual States.

The initiative of Russian President Vladimir V.

Putin on holding in autumn 2003 a World Conference

on Climate Change in Moscow is designed to

coordinate our efforts in this field.

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A year ago, the Russian Federation called on the

international community from the podium of the

United Nations General Assembly to create a global

system of counteraction to present-day threats and

challenges that would be aimed at tackling real issues

in the sphere of security and at meeting the vital

interests of each and every State. This system would

provide for long-term international stability and

sustainable development.

To be efficient, such a system needs a generally

recognized coordinating centre capable of rallying the

international community. And we do have such a

centre the United Nations with its unique

legitimacy, universality and experience. Our common

task is to unite around the United Nations to provide it

with the necessary potential and resources and to

develop as much as possible its internal reserves.

Today, we can state with satisfaction that the

global system is already evolving and the beginning of

this process is largely successful. We suggest that an

additional impetus should be given to this process and

a resolution to encourage a most prompt creation of a

global system of counteraction to present-day threats

and challenges should be adopted at this session of the

General Assembly. By doing so, we will direct all

States towards the joint elaboration of its general shape

and parameters. This is even more relevant because

some of its parameters are already visible.

It is apparent that the system to be created must

be:

ñ Global, as modern challenges in the context of

globalization pose a universal threat, and should

be addressed at the global level.

ñ Comprehensive in scope, as each of the modern

threats bears a huge destructive potential and all

such problems without exceptions should be

embraced by the system.

ñ Holistic in approach, as quite often the new

threats and challenges are directly interrelated.

ñ Universal in participation.

Finally, the system should become a reflection of

the international rule of law, as its power will be built

on principles and regulations of international law, the

United Nations Charter above all.

We bear grave responsibility to future

generations, and the model of world order we will

establish is destined to influence the life on our planet

for decades. As for Russia, we have made our choice.

This is the choice in favour of a democratic, multi-

polar world order, which would guarantee sustainable

development and equal security for all States; a world

order formed on the basis of the extensive structure of

multilateral institutions integrated within the

framework of the United Nations.

We hope that the decisions of this General

Assembly session will mark an important stage of this

process.