Spain, 2004

This is

the first occasion on which I have addressed the

General Assembly on behalf of my country; I am very

pleased to do so. My country is an old country - a

diverse country, with several languages and various

traditions and cultures. Our country is European,

Mediterranean and Ibero-American in character.

I am speaking on behalf of a country that has had

its share of difficult experiences throughout history. It

is a country in which some people who are alive today

have known a civil war, a dictatorship that lasted for

almost four decades and a democracy that is now 25

years old and that has brought great progress. We have

also known the scourge of terrorism for more than 30

years ó terrorism that has taken so many lives.

Over the past 30 years, Spanish men and women

have learned a great deal about terrorism. We learned

early on how evil it is. We became familiar with it. We

learned how to defy it and how to withstand its blows

with courage and dignity. We have learned how to fight

it. Precisely because they have experienced it for 30

years that the citizens of my country felt deeply the

pain of the American people on 11 September 2001.

We knew how they felt; we know how they feel. Here

in New York, I would like to convey the heartfelt

solidarity of the people of Spain with the great nation

of the United States.

We fully understand the terrible pain that in

recent years has been inflicted upon Jakarta, Bali,

Casablanca, Riyadh and Beslanq. We know all about

kidnappings, bombings and cold-blooded killings. We

know what compassion means.

On 11 March this year, a terrorist attack in

Madrid took the lives of 192 people. We had never

experienced that kind of terrorism before, but we were

familiar with the bloodshed and the pain that it caused.

I would like, from this rostrum, to express my deep

appreciation to all nations for their solidarity with our

country when we were suffering so deeply after the

brutal attack in Madrid.

Spanish men and women were not afraid. On the

day after the bombings, millions of people left their

homes and took to the streets and squares of our cities

and towns. Once again, we expressed our

condemnation, disgust and total contempt for terrorist

brutality.

Thirty years of resisting terrorism has taught us

that the risk of a terrorist victory rises sharply when, in

order to fight terror, democracy betrays its fundamental

nature, when Governments curtail civil liberties, put

judicial guaranties at risk or carry out pre-emptive

military operations. This is what my people have

learned: it is the rule of law, democracy and political

methods that make us stronger and make them weaker.

We will resist terrorism. Our history endorses our

resolve. We will pursue our fight against terrorism, but

we will do so respecting domestic and international

law; we will do so with respect for human rights and

for the United Nations ó and in no other way. It is not

only the ethics of our beliefs that move us. It is above

all our belief in ethics. Our conviction is that

legality - only legality ó will enable us to prevail in

the fight against terrorism.

Nothing justifies terrorism. Like the plague, it has

no justification. But like the plague, it has roots that

can and must be uncovered. We can and must rationally

analyse how it emerges and how it grows, so that we

can fight it rationally.

Terrorism is insanity and death, and regrettably

there will always be fanatics who are ready to kill to

impose their insanity through force, ready to scatter the

seed of evil. The seed of evil cannot take root when it

falls on the rock of justice, well-being, freedom and

hope, but it can take root if it lands on the soil of

injustice, poverty, humiliation and despair.

Redressing the major political and economic

injustices that devastate our world would therefore

deprive terrorists of their popular support. The more

people there are who have decent living conditions

around the world, the safer we will all be.

35

In this context, I would like to speak about Iraq.

But first of all I would like to speak about the

thousands of victims of this conflict: the Iraqis, the

soldiers, the civilians who have lost their lives. We

extend to them and to their countries our steady

solidarity.

The overwhelming majority of people in Spain

spoke out against the war. We were not persuaded by

the arguments offered by those who promoted the war.

We expressed our views in the Spanish Parliament and

in the streets. We spoke out loudly, we shouted. We

also said that winning the war would be much easier

than winning the peace. Peace must be our task - a

task that requires more courage, more determination

and more heroism than the war. That is why the

Spanish troops returned from Iraq.

In any event, what really matters now is to help

fully restore the sovereignty and independence of

Iraq - a democratic Iraq at peace with its neighbours.

We will spare no effort in that task. And so Spain

actively participated in the drafting of Security Council

resolution 1546 (2004) and will continue to offer

political and financial support for the process of

political normalization and strengthening Iraqi

democratic institutions.

There will be neither security nor stability in the

world as long as the Middle East conflict continues to

bleed. That conflict is the primary tumour for many

sources of instability.

Spain firmly supports resolutions adopted by the

United Nations, and other instruments such as the

Quartet's road map, which is yet to be implemented.

The time we are wasting is to be measured in terms of

human lives.

Spain stands by Israel against the terrible scourge

of terrorism, against which it is entitled to defend itself

by legitimate means. Spain firmly defends the

establishment of a viable, democratic Palestinian State

that can live in peace and security with the State of

Israel. Israel will be able to count on the international

community to the extent that it respects international

law, but the placement of the dividing wall fails to do

that.

Spain will spare no political, diplomatic or

cooperation effort to try and bring about the peace that

is so needed in the Middle East. But from this rostrum,

we would also like to extend an urgent appeal to the

United States, the European Union, Russia and the

United Nations to implement the road map. Those are

four powerful players indeed, and we want to see them

exerting decisive diplomatic pressure.

In the humanitarian field, Spain has contributed

several million euros to help alleviate the terrible crisis

in Darfur. However, the Sudanese authorities must,

without delay, take all measures necessary to end the

atrocities, bring the perpetrators to justice and

normalize the situation in the region. It is also

necessary for the rebel groups and militias to respect

the ceasefire and show a constructive attitude at the

negotiating table. In this context, we must support the

initiatives of the African Union.

Spain believes we can no longer passively accept

the continuation of Africa's forgotten conflicts, and

that is why, with partners in the European Union, we

supported the establishment of the African Peace

Facility, an instrument designed to promote regional

solutions to crises in Africa.

In the Maghreb, Spain is pursuing an active and

comprehensive policy to enhance political stability and

economic and social development in the region.

Regional integration and interdependence with Spain

and Europe is, we believe, the way to reach those

goals.

With regard to Western Sahara, Spain strongly

supports the search for a just and definitive political

solution that is accepted by all parties and respects the

principles set forth in the resolutions of the United

Nations. From this rostrum I appeal to all the parties

involved to redouble their efforts, within the

framework of dialogue and negotiations established by

the United Nations, to resolve a conflict that has

dragged on for far too long.

May I confirm Spain's commitment to

peacekeeping operations - a fundamental part of

effective multilateralism that we are seeking to

encourage. Our political commitment is reflected in

specific contributions in the form of military

contingents for Afghanistan and Haiti, in accordance

with explicit Security Council mandates.

Peace and security will spread through the world

only with the strength of the United Nations, the

strength of international legality, the strength of human

rights, of democracy, of men abiding by the law, with

equality of men and women, with equality of

36

opportunities, no matter where people are born. We

reject those who would manipulate us or wish to

impose any kind of religion or belief. The strength of

education and culture is essential, for culture is always

peace. Let us ensure that our perception of others is

coloured by respect. There must be dialogue among

peoples.

Thus, as a representative of a country created and

enriched by divers cultures, in this Assembly I want to

propose an alliance of civilizations between the

Western and the Arab and Muslim worlds. Some years

ago a wall fell. We must now prevent hatred and a lack

of understanding from building another wall. Spain

proposes to the Secretary-General - whose work at

the head of this organization we firmly support ó the

possibility of establishing a high-level group to move

ahead with this initiative.

This is the house of nations, but I see only

women and men. I hear only the voices of women and

men who represent billions of other women and men.

Many of these voices - many feeble and barely

audible, the voices of children, the weak, the

hopeless - come from lands devastated by poverty

and inequality.

It is they whom I now want to address to declare

that Spain strongly supports the Millennium

Declaration Goals with respect to development,

poverty eradication and the preservation of the

environment. Poverty is the main cause of uncontrolled

migration flows. But no wall, no matter how tall, can

prevent those who suffer from trying to escape poverty

in order to recover their dignity as human beings.

For those reasons, we are firmly committed to the

political declaration we adopted yesterday within the

framework of the International Alliance Against

Hunger - promoted by President Lula da Silva -

which establishes new ways to fund development. The

Government of Spain will substantially increase its

official development assistance in order to reach the

threshold of 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product.

In order for there to be peace, security and hope

all over the world, international instruments for the

promotion and protection of human rights need to be

strengthened and effectively implemented. That is one

of the basic pillars of our foreign policy. Our objectives

are the signing and ratification of the Optional Protocol

to the Convention against Torture, the universal

abolition of the death penalty, the effort to end

discrimination against women, gender-based violence

and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation,

the protection of children and the combating of child

abuse and exploitation, and the strict observance of

human rights in the fight against terrorism and crime.

World peace and security require respect for

legality. Therefore, Spain wishes to promote the

effective functioning of the International Criminal

Court. To that end, I call upon all States that have yet

done so to ratify the Statute of the Court fully,

unconditionally and without delay and thus help us in

our common endeavour to build a world that is more

just.

My Government wholeheartedly supports the

United Nations reform process set out in the

Millennium Declaration and endorses the Secretary-

Generalís initiatives for the reform and institutional

strengthening of the Organization. Spain believes that

it is essential for the future of the international order

that the reform be aimed at ensuring effective

compliance with United Nations resolutions, in

particular those of the Security Council.

The Security Council must be made more

representative, democratic, effective and transparent.

To that end, Spain is willing to consider new proposals

for achieving consensus on increasing the number of

non-permanent members and on the use of the veto

power.

I want to reaffirm Spain's commitment to the just

causes of the Latin American peoples and to

consolidating democratic systems and political stability

in the region. I reaffirm our support for economic

progress aimed at reducing inequality and

strengthening social cohesion. Within the European

Union, we will continue to promote a closer

relationship with that region through the development

of a strategic partnership between both sides of the

Atlantic.

I would not wish to conclude my statement

without referring to the question of Gibraltar. Every

year, the General Assembly reiterates its calls to Spain

and the United Kingdom to pursue bilateral

negotiations in order to reach a definitive solution to

the dispute. I affirm that my country will continue its

willingness to negotiate a solution that benefits the

37

region as a whole and heeds the wishes of that non-

autonomous territory.

The United Nations was born of necessity and

ideals. It was built by women and men who affirmed

their faith in understanding among peoples and

cultures. They left us a legacy of utopia. They thought

that everything was within their reach: the settlement

of old conflicts, the eradication of poverty, rights for

all human beings. Today we could ask ourselves, what

is within our reach?

Almost everything is. It is true that the history of

humankind does not give us many reasons to be

optimistic. Nor does the world today offer us many

reasons to feel superior to the men that preceded us.

One out of three countries in the world does not have a

free system. Torture continues to exist. There are more

than 30 armed conflicts around the world today. Half of

the war victims are children. Millions of people are

suffering from AIDS. One billion human beings subsist

on a dollar a day. More than 800 million adults are

illiterate. More than 150 million children are without

access to any kind of education. More than 1 billion

people lack safe drinking water. No, we human beings

cannot feel very proud of ourselves.

We must fight to overcome this situation. We, the

Spanish women and men of today, are resolved to make

it possible for the women and men who come after us

to be able to say: yes, they did do it.