United Arab Emirates, 1999

Mr. President, it gives me pleasure to extend to

you, on behalf of the delegation of the United Arab

Emirates, my congratulations on your election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth

session. I am confident that your experience, diplomatic

skills and political ability will contribute effectively and

positively to the success of the session’s proceedings.

I should also like to express my thanks to your

predecessor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay,

Mr. Didier Opertti, for the prudent manner in which he

directed the work of the previous session.

I avail myself of this opportunity to express our

gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for

his efforts in strengthening the role of the United Nations

in the maintenance of international peace and security.

We welcome the admission of the Republic of

Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of

Tonga to membership in the United Nations, which

strengthens its universality.

As this session convenes on the eve of the third

millennium, the international environment remains

plagued by a multitude of problems and challenges, the

most salient of which are manifest in the ever-increasing

growth of the phenomena of poverty, environmental

pollution, armed conflicts, ethnic and religious cleansing,

the race to acquire proscribed weapons, organized crime,

34

drugs and international terrorism in its various forms and

manifestations.

Dealing with such global problems and phenomena

requires that all States adhere to the Charter of the United

Nations, respect international law and work on

strengthening the mechanisms for cooperation among

nations, including the completion of the structural reforms

in the United Nations, particularly in the Security Council

and the Economic and Social Council.

In this connection, we express our appreciation for the

positive role played by the specialized agencies and

organizations of the United Nations in providing emergency

humanitarian and development assistance to the many

peoples affected by the consequences of conflicts and by

natural and other disasters.

The course of political events and the wars that raged

in the Arab Gulf region in the past two decades, as well as

their political, economic and social implications, have more

than ever before reinforced the conviction of the members

of the Gulf Cooperation Council of the importance of

consolidating the bonds of bilateral and multilateral

cooperation between the States of the region and the other

members of the international community. This must be

based on the principles of good neighbourliness,

confidence-building measures, peaceful coexistence, non-

intervention in the internal affairs of countries, mutual

respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States,

renunciation of the threat or use of force and the settlement

of existing disputes through dialogue and peaceful means.

In addition regional and international cooperation and the

strengthening of national capabilities must be reinforced and

encouraged, particularly in the fields of social, economic,

cultural and human development.

It is this conviction that underlies the position of the

members of the Gulf Cooperation Council in providing

various forms of humanitarian and development assistance

to the many countries of the third world that have been

affected by wars, conflicts and natural disasters, the most

recent of which was the allocation of $400 million for

financing reconstruction and development in the earthquake-

stricken areas of Turkey.

The continued occupation by the Islamic Republic of

Iran of three United Arab Emirates islands, Greater Tunb,

Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, for almost 29 years stands out

in stark contrast not only to the clearly peaceful attitudes

adopted by the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council, but

also reveals the true intentions of Iran, which persists in

violating the territorial integrity of the United Arab

Emirates. We had hoped that the Iranian political

discourse on this issue would be translated into practical

and positive steps in response to the peaceful initiatives

of our Head of State, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin

Sultan Al-Nahyan. Those initiatives, which had met with

the support and backing of all friendly and fraternal

States, called for either entering into serious bilateral

negotiations, with transparent intentions, or accepting the

submission of the dispute to the International Court of

Justice.

We had also welcomed the establishment of a three-

member ministerial committee by the Gulf Cooperation

Council to be charged with developing a mechanism for

the start of serious negotiations between the United Arab

Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The underlying

hope is that a peaceful, just and lasting settlement be

reached, one that would bring to an end the Iranian

occupation of our three islands.

It is truly regrettable that the consecutive Iranian

Governments, rather than dealing with our peaceful

initiatives in a spirit of responsibility and political will,

have deliberately resorted to a policy of escalation and

provocation. They have done so by carrying out naval and

aerial military manoeuvres, by establishing civilian and

military installations on our occupied islands, and by

relentlessly seeking to change their demographic, legal

and historical characteristics. The aim is to consolidate

the Iranian occupation of these islands and to establish a

fait accompli by force.

Such actions represent a direct threat to regional and

international security and stability. We consider these

Iranian excesses null and void, with no legal validity or

basis in the rules of international law or in the Charter of

the United Nations or that of the Organization of the

Islamic Conference. They are also inconsistent with the

documented fact that, historically and legally, these three

islands are an integral part of the territorial sovereignty of

the United Arab Emirates, regardless of the duration of

their occupation.

The security of the Arab Gulf is the collective and

joint responsibility of the States of the region. Therefore

we stress the importance of promoting a political and

diplomatic dialogue as well as cooperation between those

States and of channelling their wealth and human and

natural resources towards achieving the desired economic

and social development for their peoples.

35

In this context, we call upon the Iraqi Government to

complete its implementation of the relevant resolutions of

the Security Council, in particular those relating to the fate,

whereabouts and release of Kuwaiti nationals and citizens

of other countries who are detained or held as prisoners of

war by Iraq. This is in addition to the return of Kuwaiti

property, documents and archives, an act that would

contribute to Iraq's resuming its natural role at the regional

and international levels.

The inhumane conditions visited upon the Iraqi people

make it incumbent upon all of us to seek an early end to

their suffering. We therefore call upon the Security Council,

and in particular its permanent members, to reach consensus

on the draft projects before it that would lead to the full

implementation of all its resolutions and to lifting the

international economic sanctions imposed on Iraq while

emphasizing the importance of respect for its sovereignty

and territorial integrity.

Proceeding from its belief in the need to achieve a just

and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on the

principle of land for peace and on the relevant resolutions

of the Security Council, the United Arab Emirates

welcomes the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum and the

preliminary contacts between the Palestinian and Israeli

sides regarding the final status negotiations, which are to

deal with the issues of Jerusalem, settlements, refugees and

borders.

We attach great importance to the political

developments that will lead to the realization of the

objectives and aspirations on which the peace process is

based — namely, the achievement of a peaceful, just and

lasting settlement of the question of Palestine and of the

Middle East problem. We call upon the Israeli Government

to implement fully and scrupulously, and without further

delay or obstructions, all of the obligations and

commitments it has assumed within the framework of these

agreements. I refer in particular to those relating to halting

settlement activities and policies in various parts of

occupied Palestinian land and other occupied Arab

territories, including Jerusalem, and to the return of

Palestinian refugees in accordance with the relevant

resolutions of the international community and the Fourth

Geneva Convention.

In applauding the positive role played by the United

States of America in reviving the peace process, we express

the hope that further efforts will be made by the co-

sponsors of the process and by the members of the

European Union and other influential States to persuade the

Israeli Government to fulfil its historical, political and

legal obligations that are based on the principles of

international law and the principle of land for peace. This

would restore to the Palestinian people their legitimate

rights and would enable them to exercise self-

determination and establish their own independent state in

Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.

We also reiterate our full and unqualified support for

the position of Lebanon and demand that the Government

of Israel implement Security Council resolution 425

(1978). That resolution calls for the Israeli forces to

withdraw, without any preconditions, from southern

Lebanon and from the West Bekaa Valley, and to resume

negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks at the

point where they were cut off. The aim is to ensure a

complete Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian Arab Golan

Heights to the line of 4 June 1967, in accordance with

Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

The acquisition and possession of weapons of mass

destruction, especially nuclear weapons, are contrary to

the objectives and recommendations unanimously adopted

by members of the international community at the 1995

Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT). This not only contributes to the escalation of the

proscribed arms race and the heightening of tensions, but

also disrupts the security balance at the regional and

international levels.

Consonant with its position that favours the

establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones throughout

the world, the United Arab Emirates emphasizes the

importance and necessity of establishing a zone free from

weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons,

in the region of the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. It

renews its call to the international community to exert

greater efforts, demanding that Israel accede to the NPT

and place all of its nuclear facilities under the safeguards

regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in

order to ensure peace and security in the region and the

attainment of the desired economic and social

development.

The member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council

followed with keen interest the recent developments in

East Timor and the pressures placed on the Republic of

Indonesia despite its acceptance of the results of the

referendum in that territory. In this connection, we

welcome the positive stance of the Indonesian

Government, especially its readiness to provide necessary

36

support for the peaceful transfer of authority in that

territory, in cooperation with the United Nations. We

therefore stress the importance of respecting the territorial

integrity of the Republic of Indonesia in order to restore

security and stability in that region.

The continuing state of conflict between our two

friends, India and Pakistan, over the question of Kashmir,

is a source of profound concern to us because it constitutes

a direct threat to regional and global security and stability.

We therefore invite both Governments to exercise a policy

of self-restraint and to resort to dialogue and peaceful

negotiations in settling their differences, in accordance with

the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, the rules

and regulations of international law and the provisions of

the recent Lahore accord. We also support all efforts

designed to bring about peaceful resolutions of the conflicts

in South-East Asia and the Korean peninsula.

The international community recently followed the

developments of the deplorable events to which the people

of Kosovo, particularly the Muslims, were subjected. These

events included ethnic and religious cleansing, population

displacements and other heinous crimes by Yugoslav and

Serbian forces, in blatant violation of international

humanitarian law.

The United Arab Emirates, acting on high-level

instructions from an informed leadership, was one of the

first countries to participate in the international relief

operation. Our armed forces, together with the Red

Crescent Society and other humanitarian organizations,

provided humanitarian, medical, food and development

assistance to the people of Kosovo. In addition, military

troops from the Emirates participated in the United Nations

peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, helping to ensure the

return of the refugees to their homes and land, maintain

internal security and initiate and develop vital projects such

as schools, roads and hospitals. It is essential for

international efforts to continue in order to provide the

people of Kosovo with security and humanitarian

guarantees and enable them to achieve their legitimate

aspirations. It is also in the interest of establishing peace

and security in the Balkans.

Despite the positive initiatives by the United Nations,

particularly the Security Council, and by the Organization

of African Unity to contain conflicts, resolve the internal

and regional security problems which plague certain States

in Africa and promote national reconciliation between the

various political factions, conditions there remain,

regrettably unstable. We therefore call upon the States

concerned to assume their historic and political

responsibilities and resolve their problems by peaceful

means so as to enable the peoples of Africa to achieve

their aspirations for peace and sustainable development.

In this context, we should like to reiterate that the

sanctions imposed on Libya must be lifted now that it has

implemented the Security Council resolutions in respect

of the Lockerbie issue.

Notwithstanding the relatively positive changes in

international economic relations, the liberalization of

world trade and multilateral cooperation in the fields of

development, finance and trade, the economic and social

gap between developed and developing countries is still

widening. The consequences of the financial crises in the

countries of South-East Asia and elsewhere continue to be

felt: they have contributed to the decline in economic

growth in many States. Dealing with these and other

similar dysequilibria will require a comprehensive and

objective assessment of financial, investment, customs

tariff and trade arrangements with a view to initiating

North-South and South-South dialogue to promote

mutually beneficial cooperation and coordination.

In this connection, the relevant international and

regional development institutions have an important role

to play in ensuring the stability of the world economic

and financial order, a continued flow of development

assistance from developed to developing countries and

cancellation of the poorest countries debts. Cooperation at

the bilateral, regional and subregional levels is also a

positive step towards stabilizing international economic

relations and, if carried out on the basis of

complementarity, equality and justice, should enable the

developing countries to become effective participants and

should ensure regional and international security and

stability.

In conclusion, we express the hope that the

preparatory meetings for the Millennium Assembly in

2000 will have a positive outcome, leading to the

fulfilment of our countries’ and peoples’ aspirations for

peace, security and sustainable development.