Uzbekistan, 2002

At

the outset, allow me to congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan on

his election as President for the current session of the

General Assembly. I would also like to express

appreciation to Mr. Han Seung-soo for his excellent

organization of the work of the previous session of the

General Assembly.

A year ago the world confronted acts of terror,

unprecedented in scale and barbarity. We all remember

the 11 September 2001 events in the United States and

mourn the lives lost.

The events of last autumn, first of all, show that

security threats are taking on new and dangerous

forms. The phenomenon of terrorism has become more

complex. At the current stage the world has to contend

with organized international terrorism.

The United Nations devotes much attention to the

fight against international terrorism. We welcome the

United Nations Security Council resolution 1373

(2001), which stipulates the establishment of the

Counter-Terrorism Committee to coordinate and

increase the efficiency of the international

community's efforts to fight this most dangerous threat

of the twenty-first century.

I would like to recall in this regard that

Uzbekistan strongly urged establishment of such a

committee within the United Nations as early as 1999.

Uzbekistan is one of the few countries that are

parties to all twelve conventions on combating

terrorism. We sincerely hope that the appeal by

Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the United Nations

Member States to join and ratify these documents will

be followed and put into practice.

Uzbekistan supports the international counter-

terrorism coalition as a matter of principle and stands

ready to make its contribution to enhance global and

regional stability.

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The events of 11 September made the world face

up to the situation in Afghanistan and, one can say,

opened the eyes of the international community to the

fact that terrorism has no borders and only through

joint efforts we can defeat this perilous challenge to

humanity. In a strict and, I would say, categorical way

the events of 11 September reminded everybody that

twenty years of war turned Afghanistan into a breeding

ground and hotbed of international terrorism that

threatened not only neighbouring countries and nations,

but all of humanity.

We are gratified today by the positive

developments in that country; we welcome the

convening of the Loya Jirga, and the transitional

Government led by President Hâmid Karzai.

At the same time, despite the successful

completion of the military phase of the counter-

terrorist operation in Afghanistan, today there can be

no room for complacency.

First, huge amounts of weapons accumulated

during the long years of war in Afghanistan still remain

in the possession of armed groups there. In this context

there can be no justification for the attempts of certain

States to supply ever more weapons to this long-

suffering land.

To ensure stability and prevent military

confrontation it is important to resolve the problems

related to the reduction and collection of the huge

amounts of weapons accumulated in Afghanistan.

Clearing the Afghan territory of weapons arsenals

belonging to criminal groups will also reinforce the

activities of the United Nations and regional

institutions to thwart the illicit arms trade.

Secondly, the post-war dislocation, economic

disaster, as well as the lack of resources to rebuild

Afghanistan, may become a catalyst for social unrest

that could be used by certain armed groups inside and

beyond Afghanistan to create a new round of military

confrontation.

Thirdly, there are still various groups in the

territory of Afghanistan, including remnants of the

Taliban, that are capable of conducting subversive

actions and guerrilla warfare. Confrontation continues

among various warlord-leaders of different ethnic

groups.

Fourthly, the situation on drug trafficking remains

almost unchanged. Afghanistan is still the world's main

supplier of opium and heroin. According to many

international experts, the removal of the Taliban regime

does not yet mean the elimination of the criminal

narcotics business in Afghanistan. Today the whole

world is seriously concerned about this problem. There

is an urgent need for adequate measures and assistance

on the part of the entire international community, as

well as the active support of the Afghan authorities to

combat narco-aggression.

The number of drug addicts in the world runs into

the hundreds of millions of people. Proliferation of

drug addiction undermines both the health of living

generations and the gene pool of nations. This affects

people in both the developed and developing countries.

The Republic of Uzbekistan, making great efforts to

fight drug production, abuse and trafficking, fully

supports the measures undertaken by the United

Nations and the international community to confront

these threats.

I would like to underline that it is much easier

and more effective to fight drug trafficking at the

source. Therefore, we have to block the huge flow of

the Afghan drugs right at the borders of the Central

Asian States, rather than hunt for grammes and

kilogrammes in Europe and other developed countries.

In this regard, it is advisable to shift from

numerous counter-narcotics programmes of small

efficiency to the concrete solution of this acute

problem by allocating the United Nations-controlled

resources and means to nip the narcotics trafficking at

the source.

Today the attention of the entire international

community is riveted on the issue of Iraq. In this regard

we support the statement of United States President

George Bush delivered in the United Nations from this

very rostrum.

The measures towards resolution of the current

situation proposed by the President of the United States

deserve thorough consideration and may be taken as a

basis for the elaboration of the position to be taken by

the United Nations Security Council.

Uzbekistan attaches great significance to the

strengthening of the global process of non-proliferation

of weapons of mass destruction. Our country has

already received credit for its activity in this field. The

strategy of Uzbekistan in ensuring security is based on

the country's participation in the United Nations-led

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processes of disarmament and arms control and

reduction.

Uzbekistan fully supports the principle of

indivisibility of security and in this context, as an

initiator of the nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central

Asia, acknowledges responsibility for strengthening the

nuclear non-proliferation regime and takes active part

in the elaboration process of international instruments

in this field.

Uzbekistan proposes to sign the practically

finalized and agreed draft of the document on the

nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia in

Kazakhstan in the city of Semipalatinsk, the former site

for hundreds of nuclear tests, in the presence of United

Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan during his

upcoming visit to the Central Asian region.

The Republic of Uzbekistan supports proposals

made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the United

Nations reforms. This is necessary for an appropriate

adaptation of this Organisation to the dynamic changes

in the international arena. Uzbekistan is one of those

States that considers the United Nations Security

Council reforms to be part of the evolution of the entire

United Nations system.

The current structure of the Security Council

reflects the realities of a past era. The world has

changed since then. We believe that Japan and

Germany have a legitimate right to permanent

membership in the Security Council. All necessary

grounds for this are present.

In conclusion, I would like to recall that it has

been ten years since Uzbekistan became a United

Nations Member, and it is very gratifying to see the

United Nations family expanding. We congratulate

Switzerland and the Democratic Republic of Timor-

Leste on their decision to become fully-fledged parties

to the multilateral cooperation and dialogue of the

United Nations. It should mean that the idea of peace

and noble principles of the global security system are

the order of the day.