Vietnam, 2003

On behalf of

the delegation of Viet Nam, I wish to warmly

congratulate Julian Hunte on his assumption of the

presidency of the fifty-eighth session of the General

Assembly. I believe that under his able guidance this

session will come to a fruitful conclusion. I also take

this opportunity to express our great appreciation for

the significant contributions made by Mr. Jan Kavan

during the previous session of the General Assembly.

Earlier last month, we were all shocked and

shared in the boundless grief over the tragic demise of

our dear Sergio Vieira de Mello, United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights and Special

Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, and

his colleagues in the barbarous bombing of the United

Nations offices in Baghdad. We will not be discouraged

by that loss. Instead, we should pursue even further the

efforts of the United Nations to help the Iraqi people to

restore stability and reconstruct their country.

We are living in a world full of events with

profound implications for the various aspects of

international life. They include the war in Iraq, the

bombing of the United Nations offices in Baghdad, the

outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

(SARS), increased violence in the Middle East, as well

as continuing terrorist attacks in various parts of the

world. Coupled with poverty, disease, floods, droughts

and conflicts, they continue to take many innocent

lives. This breaks our hearts and should not be

condoned, especially when mankind has entered the

third millennium of human civilization. We must make

full use of the great achievements registered in the

areas of science and technology and economy and

trade, uphold the values of civilization, and serve the

common development and prosperity of all nations.

Strengthening international peace and security

and enhancing development remain our primary task.

Only in an environment of peace and stability can

nations concentrate their energy to meet the challenges

of development and to achieve poverty eradication.

Healthy, equitable international relations can be built

only on the principles of the United Nations Charter

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and international law, in particular the principle of

respect for national independence, sovereignty and

territorial integrity and the principle of non-

interference in the internal affairs of States.

Development cooperation and international

economic and trade relations can be built only when all

participate on an equal footing, on the basis of mutual

benefit and with favourable assistance to developing

countries. However, there continue to be certain egoistic

tendencies that are contrary to that good. Protectionist

measures, including anti-dumping measures, have been

imposed to prevent developing countries’ products from

entering developed countries’ markets. That runs

counter not only to World Trade Organization (WTO)

agreements but also to normal trade practices.

A typical case was that of the recent unfair

lawsuit against the sale of Viet Nam’s catfish in the

United States market. The same story recurs in the case

of cotton-growers in Burkina Faso and again in the

case of indigenous cultivators of medicinal herbs in

Brazil. These examples should serve as a further lesson

that developing countries will always be at a

disadvantage in the current international trade system,

as the Secretary-General himself recently observed. By

the same token, the failure to reach agreement at the

fifth WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancún is truly

regrettable. We must enhance efforts to restructure the

world trade and financial systems to make them more

democratic and open, giving developing countries a

better chance.

Despite the considerable efforts by the United

Nations to achieve the goals set out in the Millennium

Declaration, there is still a long way to go to meet

common needs and expectations. Today, global

problems increasingly affect human security and

survival. The SARS outbreak and AIDS were examples

of how devastating such problems can be.

We must be resolute in solving global problems,

especially those related to development, poverty

eradication and disease prevention. Priority should be

given to building cooperative frameworks based on

reliable partnerships, mutual respect, shared responsibility

and the serious undertaking of commitments. Practical

and effective measures must be taken to pursue the United

Nations Millennium Development Goals and the

commitments made at various international

conferences. In that regard, we welcome the efforts of

the Secretary-General to elaborate a road map for the

implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

We also call upon developed countries to better fulfil

the commitment of allocating 0.7 per cent of gross

national product to official development assistance.

Multilateralism is crucial to resolving global

issues. The United Nations, the universal Organization,

continues to play an important role in the fields of

peace and development and in building healthy

international relations; to meet the confidence and

expectations of nations, it must do so more effectively

and practically. That requires a stronger and more

democratic United Nations and Security Council,

ensuring the better representation of the developing

countries and those able to make a positive

contribution to common objectives. I wish to reaffirm

Viet Nam’s support for Japan, Germany, India and

other capable members from various continents being

among the future permanent members of a reformed

Security Council.

Following the events of 11 September 2001, the

world has made great efforts to combat terrorism. The

message is very clear: terrorism must be condemned

and eliminated from human civilization. As this

common fight may be long and arduous, we need to

cooperate on the basis of the principles of the United

Nations Charter, as well as to join in an endeavour to

solve, inter alia, the problems of poverty, injustice and

oppression, which give rise to terrorism.

Viet Nam supports international efforts aimed at

disarmament and at the peaceful resolution of conflicts

on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and

legitimate interests of the parties concerned. We call

for an end to embargoes and sanctions imposed against

other countries, especially the unilateral embargo

against Cuba that for many decades has caused its

people to endure untold suffering.

Peace, security and reconstruction are now the

most urgent tasks in Iraq. Viet Nam reaffirms its

support for Iraq’s independence and sovereignty. We

hope that stability will soon be restored and that a

Government chosen by the Iraqi people will be

established at an early date so that they can focus on

national reconstruction and development in keeping

with their self-determination. The United Nations

should continue its worthy, active role in resolving the

Iraqi issue and in reconstructing the country. In that

regard, Viet Nam has decided to contribute

humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people.

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Viet Nam reaffirms its consistent support for the

just cause and inalienable rights of the Palestinian

people. We call upon the parties concerned to exercise

restraint, to persevere in negotiation and to accelerate

their pace on the road to a just and durable peace in the

Middle East that takes due account of the legitimate

interests of the parties. Any unilateral action can only

worsen the already volatile situation in the region.

Viet Nam supports peaceful efforts aimed at

denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We hope that

the negotiations initiated through the six-party talks in

Beijing last August will lead to a satisfactory

conclusion for the sake of peace, stability and

development on the Peninsula, in the region and in the

rest of the world.

In our region, faced with complex and rapid

developments and challenges in the international and

regional landscape, the Association of South-East

Asian Nations (ASEAN) has produced new initiatives

and concrete steps to strengthen its solidarity,

resilience and equitable development while further

intensifying its relations with friends and partners

abroad. At its forthcoming Summit, to be held early

next month in Bali, Indonesia, ASEAN will redouble

its efforts to realize ASEAN Vision 2020, the Hanoi

Plan of Action and the Hanoi Declaration on narrowing

the development gap for closer ASEAN integration.

As an outward-looking association, ASEAN

continues to attach great importance to broadening and

deepening its relations with other countries. China,

Russia and India will accede to the ASEAN Treaty of

Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia, thus

making the Treaty the code of conduct in inter-State

relations. Having adopted the Declaration on the

Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, ASEAN

and China are embarking on a search for concrete ways

to implement the Declaration, thus contributing to

confidence and cooperation in that important part of

the world. In the economic field, ASEAN has been

discussing closer economic partnership, including a

possible free trade agreement, with its dialogue

partners — the United States, the European Union,

Russia and India, to name only a few.

Viet Nam consistently pursues a foreign policy of

national independence, self-reliance, openness,

diversification and multilateralization of international

relations, and being a friend and reliable partner in the

international community. Along those lines, Viet Nam

has increasingly enhanced friendly and cooperative

relations with other countries as well as with regional

and international organizations. At present, we are

actively preparing for Viet Nam’s early admission to

the World Trade Organization. With an annual

economic growth rate of approximately 7 per cent, a

favourable and secure investment environment,

hospitable people, beautiful landscapes and other

rewarding discoveries, Viet Nam continues to be a

most attractive country for investors and tourists. Later

this year, we will host the South-East Asian Games, the

largest sports event in the region. Next will be the

Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in 2004,

followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

(APEC) Summit in 2006. We are confident that we will

live up to expectations.

Today’s challenges, both old and new, are

becoming global; they require measures of a more

global and multilateral nature. The United Nations

therefore plays an important role in coordinating

international efforts to effectively respond to those

challenges and to work for peace and development. In that

regard, the principles of the United Nations Charter must

be upheld, and their actual implementation must be

ensured. For its part, Viet Nam, as a responsible Member

State and reliable partner, will continue to contribute

actively to that common endeavour.