Russia, 2010

The current, sixty-fifth session of the

General Assembly has started with an unprecedented

number of events covering the full range of the most

topical international issues. It is encouraging that, in

the light of the numerous challenges facing mankind, a

positive unified platform for collective action has been

taking shape, with the United Nations playing the

central role. Having learned from the dramatic events

of recent decades and having realized that attempts to

cut the Gordian knot by force in violation of the

Charter will only lead to deadlock, the international

community has concluded that there is no alternative

but to address political, economic and other problems

through joint efforts based on international law. And

the United Nations provides a universal platform to

strengthen this positive trend in international relations.

The Security Council is a key instrument of this

Organization to maintain international peace and

security. The high-level Security Council meeting held

on 23 September (S/PV.6389) reaffirmed its members’

intention to enhance that body’s efficiency, not only

through direct involvement in conflict settlement but

also by creating prerequisites for the non-recurrence

and prevention of crises. This proves that the

comprehensive approach to ensuring international

security is gaining ground, as it reflects modern

realities and is based on the principles and provisions

of the United Nations Charter.

The United Nations faces unprecedented, serious

and multifaceted tasks in the key area of peacekeeping.

While paying tribute to the efforts and sacrifice of

thousands of men and women Blue Helmets, joint

efforts should continue to refine the theory and practice

of peacekeeping under United Nations auspices and to

improve the quality of planning and the conduct of

peacekeeping operations with adequate political

control by the Security Council.

It is encouraging that the United Nations is

working towards this goal on a truly collective basis.

Member States have quite a few constructive ideas on

their table, which include Russia’s initiative to

revitalize the Military Staff Committee in order to

improve the military expertise of Security Council

decisions.

This year has been marked by progress in nuclear

disarmament. The 2010 Treaty between the United

States of America and the Russian Federation on

Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of

Strategic Offensive Arms, signed by the Presidents of

Russia and the United States in Prague, is a real

contribution by our two countries to strengthening

international security and strategic stability. It is also

the result of positive changes in the relations between

Russia and the United States that have placed Russian-

American interaction in world affairs on a qualitatively

new level.

We hope that the strong impetus provided by

Moscow and Washington to the nuclear disarmament

process will be followed similarly by all nations,

primarily by nuclear-weapon States.

Pursuant to Russia’s policy towards strengthening

the United Nations role in global security, disarmament

and confidence-building, we intend to table three draft

resolutions during the current General Assembly

session: one on transparency and confidence-building

measures in outer space activities, co-sponsored with

China; a draft resolution on developments in the field

of information and telecommunications in the context

of international security; and a Russia-United States

co-sponsored draft resolution on bilateral strategic

offensive arms reductions and the new framework for

strategic relations. We call for their adoption by

consensus.

The universalization of the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its

guaranteed strict implementation comprise the

cornerstone of a strengthened international

non-proliferation regime. In that context, the search

must continue for an effective solution to the Iranian

nuclear problem on the basis of NPT provisions and the

norms of international Law. The Iranian side must

ensure the requisite level of transparency and

cooperation with the International Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA), which is acting on behalf of the

international community with the Security Council’s

support.

Clarifying the outstanding questions about the

Iranian nuclear programme would not only meet the

goal of strengthening the non-proliferation regime but

would also quite obviously promote the interests of

Iran. Russia sees no reasonable alternative to a political

and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear

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problem through constructive dialogue between Tehran

and the six countries involved. The meeting of the

Foreign Ministers of the six countries in New York

helped to consolidate the shared intention to ensure the

earliest resumption of such a dialogue. We will

continue to do our utmost to achieve this goal.

As far as the sanctions instrument is concerned,

sanctions are not a goal in themselves. The objective of

the sanctions regime established by the Security

Council is to signal to Iran that it must fully cooperate

with IAEA, and to give an impetus to the negotiating

process. All members of the international community

must show solidarity based on mutual responsibility.

We strongly reject a situation in which unilateral

decisions — including ex-territorial ones that undermine

the very foundation of further joint efforts — are made

with regard to sanctions in parallel to collective efforts

by the United Nations Security Council. We must put

an end to that practice, which runs counter to

international law and has negative political effects.

Even more obvious, the economic and financial

trade blockade of Cuba, whose lifting the General

Assembly has demanded for a number of years, is

clearly an anachronism. The codification of the

principle of equal and indivisible security is

indispensable to productive international efforts in this

field, which is the precise goal of President

Medvedev’s initiative to conclude a treaty on European

security. The proposal targets the complete transition of

Euro-Atlantic policy from its old Cold War agenda to a

new one, as well as a firm legal foundation for the

principle of indivisible security for all in the

Euro-Atlantic region proclaimed in the 1990s. We

welcome the substantive dialogue on this important

Russian initiative, which has started in various

international forums.

A comprehensive settlement in the Middle East

would make a crucial contribution towards

strengthened global stability. The parties must

demonstrate political will and extend every effort to

promote the success of the resumed direct Palestinian-

Israeli talks. The results of the ministerial Quartet

meeting of major international mediators held on

21 September demonstrated that appropriate support to

the Israelis and Palestinians will continue, but the

ultimate responsibility for a successful outcome rests

with them.

In this connection, the decision by the Israeli

authorities to not extend the moratorium on Israeli

settlement activities has raised serious concern. A way

out of the current impasse should be found so as to

ensure that negotiations continue. Our proposal to hold

an international conference on the Middle East in

Moscow is aimed at advancing the Middle East

settlement. This proposal has gained the support of all

interested parties and the United Nations Security

Council. If the direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue

becomes stable, the preparations for the Moscow forum

can get under way, which should also substantively

examine the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, as well as the

prospects for the multilateral aspects of the Middle

East settlement.

The development of a comprehensive strategy to

address the interconnected problems of the Middle East

is on the agenda. It is necessary to continue working

towards an international conference in 2012 on the

establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and

other weapons of mass destruction and their means of

delivery in the Middle East, pursuant to the decision of

the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on

the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Russia supports the international strategy for a

comprehensive settlement and for post-conflict

rehabilitation of Afghanistan adopted by the Kabul

Conference, which envisages a stage-by-stage transfer

of responsibility for the situation in that country to

Afghan authorities, as effective governing structures

are established in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The future of Afghanistan must be determined by the

Afghan people themselves. The international

community must continue to provide its assistance,

with an important role being played by the United

Nations.

Lasting stabilization in Afghanistan and

throughout the region will be impossible without

resolving the drug problem. The dimension of the

danger posed by narcotics emanating from Afghanistan

represents a clear threat to international peace and

stability and requires more resolute actions throughout

the entire chain of the production and proliferation of

narcotics — from the destruction of drug crops to the

suppression of precursor supplies, including drug

traffickers on the sanction lists of the Security Council.

It is also necessary to move to a new level of

international cooperation. Russia’s initiative to

establish financial and counter-narcotics security belts

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along the perimeter of Afghan’s borders is consistent

with those goals.

The regional dimension of the long-term

stabilization of Afghanistan is becoming ever more

topical. To that end, we must fully engage the potential

of relevant organizations that are actively working in

close contact with Kabul on Afghan issues, including

the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the

Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The settlement process in the Sudan is

approaching an important milestone. As the date of

referendum on the self-determination of the South of

that country draws closer, the parties to the

Comprehensive Peace Agreement must redouble their

efforts to overcome the problems that still divide them.

We should also give new impetus to the Darfur

settlement process. At stake is the stability of

conditions in the Sudan and throughout the vast

African continent. We welcome the constructive

attitude demonstrated by the Sudanese and other

participants in the high-level meeting on the Sudan that

was held here recently.

In Somalia, the confrontation continues between

the Transitional Federal Government, supported by the

international community, and extremists and terrorist

groups linked with Al-Qaida. The lack of a settlement

on land is fuelling the problem of piracy off the coast

of Somalia. A more resolute pursuit of the political

process and stronger assistance to the peacekeeping

operation of the African Union and further counter-

piracy efforts, including the criminal prosecution of

pirates, are priorities in international efforts on the

Somali track, as reiterated during the recent

mini-summit on Somalia, which Russia fully supports.

The results of the Millennium Development

Goals summit have reaffirmed the important role of the

United Nations on development matters and must help

mobilize political support and financial resources for

the timely achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs). That requires joint

efforts by Governments, international financial and

trade institutions, the private sector and civil society,

based on the principles of global partnership and

shared responsibility.

It is obvious that most global problems, including

the achievement of the MDGs, cannot be resolved

without engaging innovations, advanced technologies

and modernization solutions. The same is valid for

such challenges as climate change, energy and food

security and the fight against diseases. The engagement

of the enormous potential of the United Nations, its

family and system of specialized agencies in this area

will allow the Organization to become a catalyst in the

establishment and development of multilateral

modernization alliances. Russia is prepared to

participate actively in that work.

To live up to expectations, the United Nations must

continuously renew itself. The reform of the Organization

is progressively moving forward. This year, the

negotiations on strengthening system-wide coherence

were completed successfully. In particular, the new

important United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and

the Empowerment of Women has been established.

Negotiations will continue at the current session

of the General Assembly on the expansion of the

composition of the Security Council. This is an

extremely important issue on the reform agenda of the

Organization, involving the interests of the

overwhelming majority of States. For that reason, the

final formula for Security Council reform should be

based on compromise and the broadest possible

agreement in the United Nations. This requirement is

also fully applicable to all other aspects of United

Nations reform.

This year marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of the

United Nations, as well as that of the end of the Second

World War, from the ashes of which the world

Organization was born. For the sake of the memory of

the millions of victims and in order to prevent a

repetition of such scourges, we must suppress attempts

to falsify the events associated with that historic

calamity. That is the aim of a well-known Russian

initiative in the United Nations. We count on the

broadest support for a draft resolution on the topic.

The United Nations is our common and unique

Organization. It is up to all of us to determine how

productive and really useful its future work will be for

humankind. By pulling our efforts together, we will be

able to renew the United Nations effectively and

provide it with all the necessary resources. We are

convinced that reasonable resources spent on that goal

will bring tangible dividends to all members of the

international community in the form of durable peace,

security, cooperation and prosperity all over the globe.