Spain, 2007

Mr. President, at the outset I wish to

congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the

presidency of this session of the General Assembly. It

is a great pleasure for me to address the General

Assembly for the third time in order to take stock of

the actions of the international community and to

express commitment and share our thoughts regarding

the priorities on our agenda.

When this world forum was created six decades

ago, it was an expression of will and necessity; out of

will came commitment and out of necessity came

awareness. The States represented here today are more

committed and are more conscious than ever of the

need to advance in establishing peace, combating

poverty, protecting human rights, and furthering

democracy and international law.

In our complex and uncertain world new and old

challenges, new and old conflicts exist simultaneously.

Our cooperation has improved in quality, but poverty

continues to affect a large sector of the world’s

population. We are moving forward in promoting and

protecting human rights, but gross violations persist.

We seek peace, prosperity and dignity for all. What

measures and instruments do we have to meet these

challenges? How can we adapt them in order to

respond more effectively?

Today, we know that no State alone can

effectively address the global agenda and guarantee

human development in a world that is increasingly

uncertain and interdependent though no less

stimulating and creative for that. The means exist at the

universal, regional and bilateral levels, as well as at the

level of our many interrelationships. The structures and

organizations that the international community has

built with so much effort form a complex framework

that we must reform, strengthen and update. Spain

promotes effective multilateralism inspired by values

and principles sustained by the people. The

international community recognizes the need for a

greater political consensus and effective cooperation, a

trend seen within the United Nations system as well as

in regional structures such as the European Union

(EU), the Iberoamerican Community of Nations, or the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE). Spain participates in those organizations,

where optimism on progress is tangible. Despite the

sometimes slow pace of progress, there is a global

political awareness of the challenges affecting

demography, sustainable human and economic

development and their link to climate change.

Peace is possible and necessary real peace, not

just the absence of war. We need to clear the way for

peace and political reason in the Middle East, a region

fraught with violence and dramatic tension, which in

turn affects the security and confidence of the

international community. We must choose the power of

words over that of arms, trust over mistrust,

commitment over fear and dialogue and effective

concerted action over disagreement. Spain wishes to

help the parties and joins with the Quartet and its

representative in seeking a final solution. In order to do

this, we must establish an open dialogue without

preconditions and draw renewed inspiration from the

Madrid Conference. For peace to be complete, it must

include Syria and Lebanon.

The meeting proposed by President Bush is an

appropriate occasion to formalize everyone’s

commitment to this desired peace. Spain unreservedly

supports that initiative.

We wish for a peaceful, viable and democratic

Palestinian State, living in peace with Israel, and an

Israel that is secure and has good relations in its region.

The international community must support and assist

parties in their efforts. Spain is firmly determined to

make its contribution effective.

Spain’s commitment in the region is also

demonstrated by its participation in the United Nations

Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). I truly hope that

the Lebanese political forces will reach a consensus

resolution of their political crisis without interference.

I appeal for a political agreement in the name of peace,

in the national interest of Lebanon and in the interest

of the region.

The conflict in Western Sahara is one of the main

obstacles to the integration process of the Arab

Maghreb Union. We are actively committed to seeking

a just and final political agreement that respects the

principle of self-determination within the framework of

the United Nations. Spain trusts that with the

assistance of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy

and the support of friendly nations, all parties will

make progress and that the direct negotiations that

have already been initiated will culminate in an

agreement.

Constructive trust is fundamental, and that was

behind the dialogue forum on Gibraltar in which

important agreements were reached on matters of local

cooperation of benefit to all. Spain hopes to make

progress in reaching a final solution to the sovereignty

dispute in accordance with the resolutions and

decisions of the United Nations.

We have seen uneven progress in conflicts with a

history of devastation and violence. We have also seen

progress and change in conflicts that had been

deadlocked, such as those in Georgia, Nagorny

Karabakh and Transdniestria, as well as in that relating

to the status of Kosovo.

Peace is possible and necessary, and we are

moving towards it despite being hit by terrorism, which

poses a serious threat to peace and security. This global

violence aims at undermining the stability of free and

democratic societies and, as we agreed a year ago in

the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

(resolution 60/288), we must prevail over that violence

by coordinating our efforts and responding collectively.

We are pleased that, in our determination to defeat

terrorism, victims and their families have not been

forgotten, and that the international community

continues to urge respect for them. I believe that this is

a well deserved acknowledgement and that without it

the strategy against global terrorism would be

incomplete.

Spain participates in peacekeeping operations

authorized and mandated by the Security Council, in

Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Balkans. Allow me, here

in the General Assembly, to express my gratitude to the

Spanish armed forces, the State security forces and

others engaged in cooperative efforts for their work

and solidarity in favour of peace. In particular, I pay

heartfelt tribute to those Spaniards who have lost their

lives in this effort and to their families and friends;

only four days ago two Spanish soldiers died in

Afghanistan. To assist in the logistics of peacekeeping

operations, Spain has offered to establish a United

Nations support base in Quart de Poblet in Valencia. A

communications centre will be established there for the

development of peacekeeping operations on the

ground.

It is possible to defeat poverty. It is an ethical and

political duty, a duty that Spain is firmly determined to

shoulder. I am pleased and proud to say that my

country today is the eighth-largest contributor to the

United Nations system; our goal is to devote 0.7 per

cent of our gross domestic product to development aid

by 2012. In only three years, backed by political and

social consensus, we have reinforced cooperation and

increased its volume to nearly €4.5 billion this year.

Spain has expressed profound solidarity with and

commitment to the goals set forth in the alliance

against hunger and poverty.

We want access to drinking water and sanitation

to be a universally enjoyed right. Water will be the

central theme at International Expo Zaragoza 2008.

That event will give participating countries and visitors

insights into the fundamental aspects of water in the

twenty-first century, such as the environment,

international cooperation and prospects for scientific,

technological and economic management. I encourage

and invite members to participate in the 2008 Zaragoza

exposition on water and sustainable development.

Spain wishes to assist in the structural

strengthening of the United Nations and believes that

institutional and managerial reform taking account of

global civil society inputs is a priority.

That comment, Mr. President, is intended to

highlight the progress made on the Security Council

issue at the sixty-first session of the General Assembly,

during the mandate of your predecessor. It is essential

for this very sensitive aspect of reform to be resolved

through a political decision adopted by consensus, and

not in haste.

We welcome the Human Rights Council as a

forum to debate issues related to rights and freedoms.

Spain reiterates its trust in that body and its desire to

become a member next year. The protection and

promotion of human rights is a fundamental pillar of

Spain’s foreign policy, because we are convinced that

the violation of these rights leads to oppression and

violence. We hope for the adoption at this session of a

draft resolution on the abolition of the death penalty or,

at the very least, on a universal moratorium.

The Alliance of Civilizations will mobilize the

international community and global civil society to end

the risk of polarization caused by the prejudices,

erroneous ideas and extremism that can disrupt

peaceful coexistence. Mr. Jorge Sampaio, the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General, has presented

an implementation plan programme, and a trust fund

for voluntary contributions has been set up with the

support of the Group of Friends, involving more than

70 States and international organizations.

This has been a good year for Spain, and we

would like to share it with the international community.

Our presence abroad has increased due to the active

involvement of our citizens and our institutions,

economic stability and business activity, all of which

has been conducive to greater openness to the rest of

the world. This is not the time to be discouraged;

rather, it is a time for commitment and optimism. An

objective and rational analysis of the progress that the

international community has made in recent years

should inspire hope and strengthen the will to work

towards the development of a balanced agenda that

addresses the challenges of our times. The States

members of the General Assembly are more aware than

ever that only through united action in solidarity can

we meet these challenges effectively by using political

dialogue, preventive diplomacy and public and

humanitarian diplomacy. Spain sees the situation as

positive. In that regard I would quote the Spanish poet

Blas de Otero: “I ask for peace and I ask to speak ... in

defence of man and his justice”. That means a

commitment to action, not rhetoric.