Tunisia, 2001

I am

pleased to begin by extending to Mr. Han Seung-soo

and through him to his friendly country, the Republic

of Korea, our warmest congratulations on his election

to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-

sixth session. I wish him every success in his tasks

during the session. I would also like to convey our

sincere thanks to his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri,

for the skill and efficiency with which he conducted the

work of this Assembly during the past session.

I am also pleased on behalf of my country to

renew our sincere congratulations to Secretary-General

Kofi Annan on his unanimous re-election to continue

his noble mission. We congratulate him and the United

Nations on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

This session is taking place at a time when the

world is anxious about the consequences of the

atrocious terrorist acts that struck the United States on

11 September. We have strongly condemned these acts

and reiterate our condolences to the friendly American

people and the families of the victims at this difficult

time. States were unanimous in the recently adopted

Security Council and General Assembly resolutions in

emphasizing the need to combat terrorism with all

determination in order to uproot and prevent this

scourge.

Since the early 1990s, Tunisia has warned against

the dangers of terrorism. It has called for adopting the

necessary measures at the national, regional and

international levels to fight this phenomenon with all

available means. Today, we reiterate our earlier

statements. It is important to develop cooperation

among States to fight terrorism, by taking all necessary

and strong measures to implement Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001). This should apply to those who

abet directly or indirectly or are involved in

perpetrating terrorist acts in their countries of origin or

elsewhere. All acts of terrorism must be condemned

without double standards, particularly with respect to

the granting of political asylum or residency. Tunisia's

belief in the necessity of adopting such measures has

spared it the presence of extremist elements and

terrorism on its territory.

If we are to develop international cooperation in

this field, we will need to enhance approved legal

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norms. This can be done through a comprehensive

international treaty allowing for a comprehensive plan

of action. In the same vein, Tunisia supports the

convening of an international conference against

terrorism. The conference would identify the legal

framework and machinery needed to protect the

international community from the dangers of this

scourge.

In Tunisia's view, the struggle against and

eventual elimination of terrorism requires the adoption

of a comprehensive approach that makes prevention

and the identification of the root causes of this

phenomenon the bases of the methodology of

international efforts. It is also necessary to consider the

international circumstances that influence and promote

the increase in terrorism. This will allow us to find the

appropriate approach to ending the spread of this

phenomenon and its existence. In this context, it is

imperative that we address all aspects that lead to

feelings of injustice, the absence of justice, deprivation

and marginalization. This will prevent suspicious

parties from exploiting these feelings to fuel extremism

and terrorism. There is no doubt that the United

Nations and the General Assembly in particular have

an effective role to play in clarifying that vision.

Any comprehensive approach to fighting

terrorism must stress the interdependence and

interaction between stability, security and peace, on the

one hand, and development and progress on the other.

The Millennium Summit, which brought together

the most important assembly of heads of State and

Government in the history of our Organization and

provided a unique opportunity to discuss the state of

international affairs in all its aspects, stressed that

linkage. It highlighted the need to formulate an

international strategy and operational plans to achieve

the unanimously agreed objectives specified by the

leaders for the next millennium.

This session is thus especially important in that it

provides an opportunity, a year later, to take stock of

the principles and objectives approved at the

Millennium Summit. It also permits us to develop

concerted action based on these principles and

objectives. These include a common, cooperative and

consensual approach to the problems of our world, be

they issues of international peace and security or of

development and the eradication of poverty.

Solidarity, then, is imperative in the light of the

many challenges faced by mankind. In this context,

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia has

stressed before several regional forums, including the

Millennium Summit and the Security Council summit,

the importance of solidarity in dealing with poverty,

which is one source of tension and crises in societies.

We believe that we cannot guarantee stability and

security in the world without eliminating all forms of

poverty, marginalization and alienation. In this context,

President Ben Ali launched his appeal to establish a

world fund for solidarity towards the eradication of

poverty.

From this rostrum, I extend my sincere thanks to

all parties that responded to this proposal and

participated in the consultations held by the Secretary-

General. In this regard, I cannot fail to commend the

efforts of the Secretary-General to prepare a positive

report, which we hope will be the basis for establishing

the fund at this session. We have repeatedly affirmed

that the fund will not duplicate existing United Nations

bodies concerned with fighting poverty; it will, instead,

complement their efforts and provide a means of

financing through voluntary contributions by

individuals, institutions or societies, in addition to

Governments. These contributions will be deposited in

an account to be administered by the United Nations

Development Programme.

There is no doubt that the strengthening of the

foundations of international peace and security is a task

entrusted primarily to the Security Council, which in

recent weeks has proved particularly effective in its

reaction to current developments. We hope that that

important body will maintain the same effectiveness in

seeking solutions to all international problems.

From this perspective, developments in the

Middle East must take priority among the issues before

the Council. This is particularly important in view of

the continuing instability in the region caused by

Israel's intransigence. We call on the Security Council,

and especially its permanent members, to play an

effective role so as to spare the Middle East from the

spectre of an endless conflict, by urging Israel to take

urgent measures to ensure the protection of the

Palestinian people. Tunisia reaffirms its initiative,

calling for the protection of the Palestinian people

through the deployment of international forces in the

region.

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We believe that the only viable option in the

Middle East today is a just, lasting and comprehensive

peace that guarantees for the Palestinians the return of

their land and their legitimate rights, foremost of which

is their right to establish an independent State. In this

context, Tunisia welcomes President Bush's

affirmation before the General Assembly of the

necessity of establishing a Palestinian State. We also

reiterate our position on the need for Israeli forces to

leave Syrian and Lebanese territory.

The question of sanctions prompts us to examine

our consciences in the light of the suffering it causes

civilians. We hope that there will be international

consensus to remove the sanctions against Iraq and to

deal with the humanitarian issue of missing Kuwaitis

and persons from third countries. It is also time once

and for all to lift the sanctions imposed against our

sister country Libya, which has implemented all its

obligations concerning the Lockerbie incident.

As a member of the region, Tunisia is working

towards more active participation in the Maghreb

Union, which aspires to integrate the States of the

region by enhancing the structure of the Union and

guiding its work, given its function as a strategic

option that reflects the will of the people of the region.

Tunisia is working to promote consultation and

cooperation in the European-Mediterranean space on

the basis of equality, mutual respect, protection of the

interests of all parties and respect for their

particularities. The aim is to bring about the solid

development of the peoples of the two shores of the

Mediterranean so as to achieve greater security and

stability in the region.

Faithful to its commitment to the African

continent, Tunisia supports new initiatives for Africa

and has joined the newly created African Union and

will support it with all our capabilities and experience.

Respect for the purposes and principles of the

Charter only strengthens the action of the Organization

in responding to the challenges of development and the

maintenance of international peace and security. In this

context, we have to strengthen the role of the General

Assembly, as an expression of the collective will of its

Members and as an embodiment of the concept of

democracy in international relations.

With regard to the activities of the Security

Council, Tunisia, throughout its term of office in the

Council, has tried to strengthen the role of this organ

by advocating consensus in dealing with the various

items on its agenda. This, in our view, will enhance the

Council's credibility and will reflect positively on its

efficiency.

During its presidency of the Council in February

2001, Tunisia adopted a new comprehensive approach

to dealing with various cases of instability and crises in

the world.

Tunisia put forward a proposal for holding a

debate on the subject Peace-building: towards a

comprehensive approach. The result of this debate

was a unanimous affirmation by members of the

Council of the close connection between peace and

development, of the preventive dimension of this

approach and of the importance of solidarity in the

international community when it comes to taking

measures that are necessary for helping countries that

are racked by tension and conflict.

Within this context, I must stress the need for the

reform of the Security Council so as to expand its

membership of permanent and non-permanent seats on

the basis of equitable geographic distribution that will

guarantee the interests of all countries, particularly the

developing countries. In contributing operationally to

the establishment of peace and security in the world,

Tunisia has participated in a number of peacekeeping

operations such as its current participation in the

United Nations Organization Mission in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) headed

by a Tunisian ambassador representing the United

Nations.

The elimination of weapons of mass destruction

represents one of the major challenges facing

humanity. The importance of the establishment of

zones free of weapons of mass destruction, particularly

in the Middle East, is to be stressed in this context.

Technological and scientific advances have

dwarfed distances and enabled mankind to score major

achievements in numerous fields, such as spread of

ideas and bringing people closer to each other.

Development, however, has not benefited all peoples,

particularly developing countries. The widening of the

quantitative gap between industrialized and developing

countries is a matter of concern. Concrete measures

must be taken to permit all countries to benefit from

the technological and information revolution. From this

standpoint, we would express the importance that

Tunisia places, since the International

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Telecommunication Union (ITU) Conference in

Minneapolis, on hosting the second phase of the World

Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia in 2005.

We would like to express our gratitude to all countries

that have supported us in this. We would also like to

express our thanks to Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, ITU

Secretary-General, for his constructive role.

We hope that the General Assembly will adopt at

this session a resolution to begin preparations for this

conference in its two phases. We also hope that the

work of this conference will lead to the establishment

of a true and effective world information partnership

between developed and developing countries.

Our ability to meet challenges, which we are all

facing, including the fight against terrorism, depends

on our willingness to channel our efforts towards joint

action, based on cooperation, solidarity, tolerance and

partnership within the framework of our Organization,

which is the ideal place for the realization of our

aspirations and for the benefit of all mankind.