Spain, 2005

Sixty years ago at San Francisco, the United

Nations Charter was adopted. It was an event that set

the path for the future of nations and peoples. It was an

event at which intelligence was resolutely dedicated to

peace and justice, and willpower was used for the

common interest.

With the adoption of the outcome document by

the High-level Plenary Meeting, a process of

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paramount importance has been set in motion, one in

which you, Sir, can count on the full support of the

delegation of Spain. I wish to pay tribute to the

sustained effort of your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, and

to reiterate to our Secretary-General my admiration for

his personal and diplomatic skills.

There can be no doubt that the United Nations

has taken a step forward as a result of the High-level

Plenary Meeting. We have achieved progress in

essential areas. Spain is satisfied with the outcome

because we have stressed the importance of assisting

victims of terrorism. The Alliance of Civilizations

initiative has been well received. The summit recalled

the need to continue assisting middle-income countries

and supported the search for new sources of financing

for implementation of the Action against Hunger and

Poverty initiative.

I would like to mention here that an initiative on

United Nations reform was unanimously adopted by

the Spanish Parliament on 13 September 2005, urging

the Government to achieve a number of objectives that

are now reflected in the outcome document of the

recent High-level Meeting. We recognized in that

document that development, peace and security and

human rights constitute the three basic interdependent

and interrelated pillars of the United Nations system

and are the foundation for our collective security and

well-being. In our globalized world, we can solve

international problems, and deal with new challenges

and risks only through concerted action based on

solidarity.

Among those collective actions, the fight against

terrorism is an absolute priority for Spain. The General

Assembly should adopt a global strategy that includes

the goal of creating an international fund for victims.

Spain has just signed the International Convention for

the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, and in

the Sixth Committee Spain is determined to promote

the adoption of a comprehensive convention on

international terrorism before the end of this sixtieth

General Assembly.

The summit concluded that tolerance, respect,

dialogue and cooperation amongst different cultures,

civilizations and peoples are essential elements for the

promotion of international peace and security. This is

precisely the conviction that inspired the President of

the Government of Spain to propose the Alliance of

Civilizations initiative at the previous General

Assembly. The Secretary-General's High-level Group

to guide the initiative will hold its first meeting in my

country this autumn. This initiative, co-sponsored by

the President of the Government of Spain and the

Prime Minister of Turkey, is more necessary today than

ever. It is imperative to put an end to the negative drift

in mutual perceptions that is being fomented and used

by extremist groups.

It is also urgent to find innovative and additional

sources of financing for development. For that reason,

Spain, along with five other countries, is promoting the

Action against Hunger and Poverty initiative with the

aim of identifying innovative and additional sources of

financing for development. In this regard, Spain

actively participates in the cancellation of debt to

benefit the heavily indebted poor countries and is

preparing a plan to swap debt for public investment in

key human development areas in Latin America.

Let me reiterate Spain's firm commitment to

peacekeeping operations, which translates into

substantial contributions of our armed and security

forces wherever needed, especially in the Balkans,

Haiti and Afghanistan. I would like to underline the

high degree of commitment and professionalism shown

by Spanish peacekeeping forces and recall with pride

those who have sacrificed their lives for international

peace and security. The creation of a Peacebuilding

Commission is another outstanding achievement of this

summit. Spain, as an important contributor to the

United Nations budget and to its peacekeeping

operations, is ready to participate actively in the work

of this commission.

Since its inception this Organization has been

determined to provide the international community

with a binding legal framework for the protection and

promotion of human rights. Spain shares this goal. We

have strengthened our cooperation with the Office of

the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and we

have increased our contribution to its budget. We are

also pleased with the establishment of a Human Rights

Council and are fully prepared to contribute actively to

the work of this new council. Over the past year,

important legislative developments have occurred in

my country, and we have taken significant steps to

promote real equality among citizens in areas such as

gender violence and discrimination on grounds of

sexual orientation. The Government has also tackled

the situation of immigrant workers through the

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implementation of a broad-ranging legalization

process.

We firmly support the reform process aimed at

strengthening the effectiveness of the United Nations,

which will ensure the concrete implementation of its

resolutions. It is of little use to improve existing

structures, if there is no enforcement of compliance

with decisions. The United Nations must regain its

credibility. We believe that the reform, especially that

of the Security Council, must be the result of a broad

agreement among all of us.

I agree with the Secretary-General that our

greatest failure has to do with non-proliferation and

disarmament. For Spain, nuclear proliferation

represents a serious risk for international peace and

security. We are concerned about the illicit trade in

small arms and light weapons, and we support the

preparation of an international arms trade treaty.

I cannot but mention here, once again this year,

the question of Gibraltar and the need to put an end to

this dispute through the implementation of the repeated

mandates of the General Assembly that have urged

Spain and the United Kingdom to continue their

bilateral negotiations, with a view to reaching a

definitive solution to the decolonization process, in

accordance with the relevant United Nations

resolutions. Spain is willing to work in a constructive

spirit; this spirit is reflected in the creation of a

trilateral dialogue forum, the aim of which is to

produce an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation

for the benefit and prosperity of Gibraltar and the

region as a whole.

Next month, Spain will host the fifteenth Ibero-

American Summit in Salamanca. It will be a meeting

that will constitute a turning point in the creation of a

true Ibero-American forum, with the

institutionalization of its secretariat and the

manifestation of a stronger will to contribute to

effective multilateralism.

Spain pays particular attention to its relations

with its neighbours in the Maghreb region. Through an

active and comprehensive policy, Spain wishes to

reinforce its cooperation with those countries, firmly

supporting political stability, respect for human rights

and those reforms that are put in place to consolidate

the rule of law and economic and social development.

In this regard, Spain firmly believes that the

Western Sahara conflict, which has lasted for almost 30

years, requires priority attention. The international

community must contribute to overcome the stalemate

and offer, within the framework of the United Nations,

a just and definitive political solution, in accordance

with international law. To that end, Spain is developing

an active diplomacy and believes that steps taken, such

as the recent appointments by the Secretary-General of

his Personal Envoy and of the Special Representative

for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in

Western Sahara, will provide the opportunity to

relaunch the process.

In the Middle East, the disengagement from

Gaza, carried out with great skill and with great

effectiveness by the Israeli Government, may

constitute a powerful driving force in the peace

process. It is only right to congratulate the Government

of Israel for its decision. I also extend my

congratulations to the Palestinian National Authority

for having significantly contributed to the entire

operation, so that it was completed in a peaceful

manner. Now that the disengagement has been

satisfactorily completed, the road map must again

become the central framework for the peace process.

Moreover, the time has come to increase our aid

to Africa and to support African countries in their

efforts aimed at integration, peace and progress.

The summit outcome document is a good starting

point to continue working towards achieving the

agreements that still elude us. We cannot allow

inaction, lack of ambition or shortsightedness to

prevent the successful conclusion of the task ahead.

Sixty years ago the signatories of the United Nations

Charter translated into an agreement a thought that was

as solid as it was simple: we can either walk together

towards peace, or we will never find it. A year ago,

before this Assembly, the President of the Spanish

Government recalled that the history of humanity does

not give us many reasons to be optimistic. Let us work

with imagination and commitment to turn this

Organization into an expression of common will, an

Organization legitimized by its effectiveness and its

universal character. Let us work so that some day we

will feel proud as human beings. We are the United

Nations, and the people of the world expect us to act as

such in the face of the challenges and opportunities

afforded to us in these times of change.