United Arab Emirates, 1996

It gives me great pleasure to extend to you,

Sir, on behalf of the delegation of the United Arab

Emirates, our congratulations on your election as President

of this session of the General Assembly. Your election is

indeed an expression of the international community’s faith

in your competence and vast diplomatic expertise, and of

the high esteem in which we hold your friendly country,

Malaysia. At the same time, allow me to thank sincerely

your predecessor, who so ably led the deliberations of the

previous session of the General Assembly.

I should also like to take this opportunity to pay a

warm tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, for the positive and important role he has

played in the past few years. My country supports his

re-election for a second term and appreciates his efforts to

enhance the role of the Organization in the maintenance of

international peace and security.

The fifty-first session of the United Nations General

Assembly is being held amid new international

circumstances and developments that have both positively

and negatively affected the global scene. Despite the

relative optimism that has permeated international

relations, threats to peace and security and to economic,

social and human development worldwide still remain.

The present détente in regional and international relations

does not necessarily mean that the international climate

has become more harmonious or homogenous. The

security and political independence of small States is still

threatened by the ambitions of States aspiring to spread

their hegemony and expand at the expense of their

neighbours.

The political situation in the Arabian Gulf region

during the past two decades has made us increasingly

convinced of the importance of rebuilding confidence

among the countries of the region. This confidence must

be anchored in the principles of full and mutual respect

for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-

interference in the internal affairs of States, and of

refraining from the threat or use of force. Every State has

the right to choose its political, economic and social

system, to preserve its natural resources and to resort to

peaceful negotiations as a means of settling disputes

within the context of bilateral, regional and international

initiatives and endeavours.

We also support the peaceful efforts currently under

way to complete the demarcation of borders among the

States of the region in order to enhance the national

sovereignty of each State. This will contribute to the

achievement of lasting peace, security and stability in the

region.

Inspired by our tradition, our history and our

commitment to peace, we in the United Arab Emirates

firmly believe that the Charter of the United Nations and

the principles of international law are the proper means of

settling disputes among nations.

Twenty-five years have passed since the occupation by

the Islamic Republic of Iran of our three islands, Greater

Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. These are Arab islands,

both in their history and in their origin. They are the pillars

of our national sovereignty, territorial integrity and overall

inalienable national rights. Since the beginning of the

conflict, the United Arab Emirates has called on the Iranian

Government to end its occupation of the islands and to

enter into bilateral negotiations or seek the arbitration of the

International Court of Justice. Referring the case to the

International Court of Justice will ensure that each State has

a chance to submit the relevant legal and historical

documents and evidence to support its claim of sovereignty

over the three islands.

Despite our declared peaceful intentions, the mediation

efforts of some friendly countries and the good offices of

the Secretary-General, the Iranian Government rejected our

peaceful endeavours. It has established and equipped

facilities on the three islands whose features are not

exclusively civilian. It has built an electrical power plant on

Greater Tunb; and an airport, a refrigeration plant and a

fish-processing plant on Abu Musa. Moreover, Iranian

nationals, mostly from the military, have been settled on the

islands. We view this as a clear act of provocation aimed

at changing the demographic character of the islands and

imposing a new fait accompli. Through these acts and by

ignoring the repercussions of such a policy on the peace

and security of the region and on international navigation,

Iran has consolidated its illegitimate occupation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has failed to heed the

repeated, serious and sincere appeals made by the United

Arab Emirates, the Gulf Co-operation Council, the Arab

States of the Gulf, the last Arab Summit meeting, the

Council of the League of Arab States and the States parties

to the Damascus Declaration to settle the dispute through

peaceful means. This violates not only our country’s

national sovereignty, but also international law and all the

international principles, norms and practices governing

relations among States, particularly among neighbouring

States.

We therefore call on the Government of Iran to

dismantle all the illegitimately established civilian and

military facilities on our three islands. We also call upon

Iran to respond to the peace initiatives we have advanced

and which are supported by sisterly and friendly peace-

loving countries; to enter into unconditional bilateral

negotiations conducive to a peaceful settlement of the

dispute; or to refer the case to the International Court of

Justice.

Security, stability and sustainable development are

urgent needs of societies all over the globe. My country,

which has always supported the inalienable rights of

peoples to resist occupation and aggression, condemns all

forms of terrorism and the acts of subversion and

sabotage facing the international community today. In this

connection, we agree with and support all the measures

taken by the State of Bahrain to preserve its security, its

national sovereignty and its political independence.

In this context, we reiterate our full support for the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its fight against terrorism in

all its forms and manifestations, and against all threats to

its national security. We believe that the member States

of the Gulf Co-operation Council are bound by the

threads of a common destiny defined by the requirements

of peace and security of the whole region. Terrorism

defies all international norms and practices and runs

counter to religious and cultural beliefs, which are the

pillars of stability and prosperity for all societies. It must

therefore be addressed in an international context.

The United Arab Emirates has followed with grave

concern the recent developments in Iraq. We reaffirm the

importance we attach to preserving Iraq’s national

sovereignty and territorial integrity. We oppose any

interference in its internal affairs and the establishment by

neighbouring States of safety zones on its territory. In the

same context, we support all the measures taken by the

State of Kuwait to preserve its sovereignty, security and

territorial integrity.

The escalating human suffering of the Iraqi people

and the spread of disease and malnutrition call for the

immediate and full implementation of Security Council

resolution 986 (1995). However, the ultimate

responsibility for the alleviation of the suffering of the

Iraqi people rests solely with the Government of Iraq.

This can be realized only when the Iraqi Government

complies fully with its international obligations under the

relevant Security Council resolutions. Those obligations

include the release of all Kuwaitis and other nationals

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imprisoned or detained by Iraq and the return of all Kuwaiti

property still in its possession.

My country supported the Agreement on Principles

concluded between the Republic of Yemen and Eritrea on

the Hanish archipelago. We renew our call to the two

Governments to commit to the principle of peaceful

settlement through international arbitration so that peace

and security can prevail in this region. We take this

opportunity to express our appreciation to the Government

of France for its mediation efforts.

The United Arab Emirates welcomed the peace

negotiations in the Middle East, beginning with the Madrid

Conference through the subsequent agreements relative to

the question of Palestine. We are disappointed by the

position of the Israeli Government, which has not honoured

the commitments entered into by its predecessor. The Israeli

Government has refused to withdraw from the city of

Hebron, and has embarked on an expansion of its

illegitimate settlement activities. More recently, it opened

a tunnel adjacent to Al-Haram al-Sharif, the Noble

Sanctuary, which threatens the structures of the Al-Aqsa

Mosque and alters the demographic character and legal

status of the city of Jerusalem. This is an act of provocation

that will arouse the feelings of Arabs and Muslims, and will

obstruct the achievement of a just, comprehensive and

lasting peace settlement to the Middle East problem and the

Palestinian question.

At the Security Council meeting held last week, the

international community reaffirmed its solidarity with the

Palestinian people, its support of the peace process, and its

opposition to all the measures recently taken by the Israeli

Government. The United Arab Emirates condemns all the

acts of violence recently committed by the Israeli occupying

authorities against the Palestinian people, which resulted in

firing at and thus the martyrdom of many Palestinians, in

addition to the injuries sustained by many more. We call on

the Israeli Government to put an end to its barbaric

practices, which run counter to the most basic norms of

international humanitarian law.

The Arab parties are determined to pursue the peace

process as an objective and a strategic option to which there

is no alternative. This calls for a reciprocal commitment by

the Israeli side, without any further delay or procrastination.

This commitment must be proven by the actual,

unconditional implementation of all relevant agreements

thus far concluded, to enable the Palestinian people to

exercise their legitimate rights, including their right to self-

determination and to the establishment of their own

independent State, with Jerusalem as its capital. It must

also include full Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian Golan

to the 4 June 1967 line, and from southern Lebanon and

the western Bekaa, to the internationally recognized

b o r d e r s , p u r s u a n t t o S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l

resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), and

the principle of land for peace. These measures will

guarantee balanced and equitable security for all the

States of the region, and realize their peoples’ aspirations

for a new era of comprehensive economic and social

development.

We fully subscribe to the international call for a

regional and international nuclear-test ban, and for the

establishment of international zones free of all weapons

of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons. These

weapons pose a grave danger to our health, our

environment and our natural resources. I recently had the

honour to sign, on behalf of the United Arab Emirates,

the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, thus

enhancing its universality. We call upon the international

community and the relevant international bodies to spare

no effort to make the Middle East and the Arab Gulf

region a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction,

including nuclear weapons. The international community

must call on Israel to accede to the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and to comply with the

international safeguards regime of the International

Atomic Energy Agency.

Despite the efforts and good offices of the League of

Arab States and the United Nations to save Somalia from

its predicament, the civil war there continues unabated,

and the deteriorating humanitarian situation is cause for

grave concern. We therefore appeal to the rival Somali

faction leaders to shoulder their responsibility and bring

this tragic bloodshed to an end. They must set aside their

differences and form a national Government representing

all the factions of the Somali people, a Government that

can restore to Somalia its national unity, territorial

integrity, security and stability.

Political developments in the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina testify to the importance that the

international community attaches to the Dayton Peace

Agreement, with a view to restoring normal conditions in

the Republic. My country supported that Agreement. We

consider it the first constructive step on the road to a just

and permanent settlement of the Balkan problem. We

welcome the results of the recent elections in the

Republic of Bosnia Herzegovina. We hope that these

elections will safeguard the territorial integrity of the

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Republic and contribute to the establishment of democratic

institutions. We also hope that they will help restore normal

relations among the Bosnian people and pave the way for

reconstruction, following the war’s devastation. Peace,

security and stability can then return to this tormented

region. We take this opportunity to stress the importance of

bringing to justice war criminals who have committed

heinous crimes against humanity and humanitarian

international law in the former Yugoslavia.

The tragic events, raging wars and civil strife, and

untold human suffering of the peoples of some African

countries, are cause for grave concern. In view of the

historic relations that bind our countries together, we

reiterate our support for the efforts of the Organization of

African Unity in cooperation with the United Nations to

contain the conflicts by peaceful means so that their

peoples’ aspirations to peace, security, stability and

development may be realized.

The economic and social gap between the nations of

the world is still wide in spite of positive political and

economic developments on the regional and international

scene, the creation of economic blocs, and free trade in the

world. This has led to the exacerbation of poverty, illiteracy

and disease in many developing countries. Those countries

are already ailing under the heavy burden of debt and debt-

servicing, and are suffering from the deterioration of living

standards and dwindling development assistance from

developed countries, in addition to trade barriers adversely

affecting their economies.

The world conferences held over the past five years

achieved important results, and their recommendations have

become important strategies aimed at creating an equitable

and prosperous international environment. The international

community, which is still plagued by persistent violence,

organized crime, drugs and terrorism, must translate these

recommendations into a reality that will guarantee equitable

economic and social development and the free flow of trade

between the developed and the developing countries.

We firmly believe that this Organization still

represents mankind’s conscience in the face of lingering

world problems. To enhance its role under the Charter, the

international community needs to provide the necessary

political, financial and moral support to the Organization.

We must undertake major structural reforms, enlarge the

Security Council membership in accordance with the

principle of equitable geographic distribution, and improve

the functioning of the General Assembly, the Economic and

Social Council and the specialized agencies, so that they

can respond adequately to current regional and

international developments.

I would also like to stress the importance of

cooperation, consultation and coordination between the

United Nations and regional organizations. These

organizations can assist the United Nations to arrive at a

better understanding of regional problems that can affect

peace, security and sustainable development.

In conclusion, we hope that our aspirations will find

proper expression in the commitment by the States of the

world to the Charter of the United Nations and the

principles of international law. We look forward to the

realization of the noble objectives of this Organization.