YouSaid · the spoken record

Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa,

lines on the record: 229
first: 2007-09-24
most recent: 2019-09-24
sittings or episodes: 10
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“As Arabs, we accept peace as a strategic option. We are committed to international legitimacy, ending old conflicts and hostilities and beginning a new chapter for a historic rapprochement between the peoples of the region that will lead towards a better future characterized by understanding, stability and prosperity. Developments in the Kingdom of Bahrain in recent years have been characterized by dialogue and understanding, a process inaugurated by our leader, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, as part of his extensive reform programme that aims at strengthening democracy, political reform and the promotion and protection of human rights.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Moreover, there is an urgent need to rid the Middle East and the Gulf region of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, while safeguarding the rights of all countries to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in accordance with the comprehensive safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In order for the Middle East to enjoy stable and lasting peace, it is incumbent upon us to re-evaluate our outlook on the region and to consider the possibility of developing new regional frameworks to address and overcome long-standing challenges. Now is the time, for example, to consider the establishment of an organization that would include all States of the Middle East, without exception, to discuss long- standing issues openly and frankly, in the hope of reaching a stable and durable understanding between all parties.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It is also important to have a resolution of the issue of the occupied islands of the United Arab Emirates, either through direct negotiations or by referring the issue to the International Court of Justice. That would be a significant step towards strengthening trust between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran. The Gulf region, which is an integral part of the world economy, has experienced destructive wars during the past three decades. It will not be able to endure a new war, due to the severe consequences on the world economy. The Kingdom of Bahrain therefore reiterates its call for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, in order to avoid the scourge of war in the region and to enhance world peace and stability.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The Middle East faces many acute issues in desperate need of settlement, the most pressing of which is the need for a just, comprehensive, lasting and peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question based on ensuring security for all the peoples of the Middle East region, including Israel. Such a settlement must take place within the framework of international legitimacy and the relevant terms of reference, where the choice will be just peace, as called for in the Arab Peace Initiative. In that regard, there is also an urgent need for a peaceful settlement on the Syrian track, including withdrawal from the occupied Arab Syrian Golan and the remaining Lebanese territories. It also requires a halt to Israeli incursions into Lebanon, whose stability must be supported.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We need to develop collective security arrangements that bring together our security efforts while ensuring respect for existing borders between States and avoiding encroachment on their sovereignty. On the issue of terrorism, we consider terrorism to have many faces — whether in the form of the heinous crime perpetrated in Islamabad a few days ago that led to the deaths of scores of innocent people, or agitation and incitement from afar or a variety of other manifestations. We should be clear and decisive in confronting terrorism in a comprehensive manner so as to defeat it both in the field and ideologically. We believe that the struggle against terrorism is a battle that we should wage, united, if we are to get rid of its evil.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“(spoke in Arabic) The Kingdom of Bahrain therefore supports efforts to reform, renew and reinvigorate the international Organization and its organs to be more responsive to the needs of a new world. We agree with the view of the Secretary-General, set out in his annual report (A/63/1), that we need a stronger, more effective and more modern Organization. We look forward to the structural reform of this international Organization to enable it respond more effectively to the challenges faced by the international community and to increase its capacity to deal with such issues. We must make every effort to address such shortcomings as threats to the international security system emanating from a wide range of external sources, including extremists, terrorists, drug traffickers, money launderers and intellectual property pirates.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We bear the historic responsibility to establish transparent new regulations based on the interests of all States Members of the United Nations and to prepare a framework that can contain any future financial crisis. The fact is that multilateral cooperation is fundamental to addressing these challenges, as no country alone can resolve such issues and crises or isolate itself from their consequences. As the Secretary-General said in his opening statement, (spoke in English) “Nations can no longer protect their interests or advance the well-being of their peoples without A/63/PV.13 27 08-53122 the partnership of other nations.” (A/63/PV.5, p. 1).”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Having spoken of energy and climate change issues, I must now turn to the food security crisis, which is a result of high food prices and which in 2007 increased the number of hungry people in the world by about 50 million. We believe that the solution to that crisis lies in working together to implement solutions, such as reducing biofuel production, changing consumption habits and investing in sustainable agricultural methods. The shock that has recently affected the international financial system has almost resulted in a global economic catastrophe. That shock has revealed the weaknesses and fragility of the current financial system and its propensity for rapid and widespread dislocation.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Given its universal impact and implications, energy and its various sources are in need of a holistic, global approach, yet they are dealt with in a fragmented, piecemeal manner. That unsatisfactory situation leads us to suggest the establishment of a truly comprehensive energy organization. Such an organization would bring a joint international perspective to determining the role and usage of hydrocarbons, nuclear power, new and renewable energy sources, and would introduce innovative solutions to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Such a body could provide accurate assessments of global energy demand and supply and bring energy data under one roof. It would also provide any objective advice that might be required on an optimal energy mix that is both safe and environmentally sound.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The peaceful use of nuclear energy has become a preferred option for many countries, and here the Kingdom of Bahrain therefore shares the concerns of the international community. Therefore, future agreements on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes must be made within a strengthened non-proliferation regime, with improved safeguards and an expanded verification mechanism, in order to ensure that our peoples are not put at risk. Indeed, a highlight of the twenty-eighth Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council, held last December in Doha, was the acknowledgment of the right of countries of the region to seek nuclear expertise and to possess nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, in close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“As the world prepares to meet to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009, global demand for energy is rising fast, as populations increase and some developing countries undergo dramatic economic growth. The International Energy Agency predicts that the world’s energy needs could increase by 50 per cent by 2030. We therefore look forward to the meeting to be held in Poland later this year in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen in 2009. We are hopeful that all sides will realize the importance of the climate change issue and will commit themselves to addressing the overriding interests of the future of our planet and of future generations. Our hope is that a comprehensive and effective agreement can be concluded and implemented.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“In addressing these important issues, we must not lose sight of the impact of disasters, both natural and man-made, in holding back progress towards achieving the MDGs. It is thus imperative that States integrate disaster risk reduction into their development plans. We simply cannot afford to ignore or delay these development issues. Nor can we dismiss them as soft issues, for if action is not taken soon, they will become real threats to global security and prosperity. The Kingdom of Bahrain therefore fully supports the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction and plans to host the launch of the report in May 2009. As we all know, the issue of climate change is of utmost importance.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“These challenges make achieving the MDGs difficult for many States, to a degree that affects their economic development and increases the rate of poverty in them. We therefore need an urgent and effective response from the international community to deal with those pressing issues in order to achieve the MDGs. Yet, as we review our progress to date, the global effort to achieve the Goals has been uneven, at best, to the point that we are today on the verge of a development emergency. A/63/PV.13 08-53122 26 The Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes the opportunities provided by the high-level event on the MDGs, held on 25 September, and the high-level meeting on Africa’s development needs, held on 22 September, to renew the commitments of all States.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“These General Assembly meetings provide a valuable opportunity for all of us in the international community to reflect on the challenges, problems and issues facing us all in order to form a more comprehensive view of the issues, to understand their causes, be it through success or failure, and to work together to develop a shared vision of the future and the tools necessary to achieve our aims and realize our vision. Today, the international community faces many challenges in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), notably those related to energy, the environment, natural disasters, food shortages, education and the financial crisis that has recently shaken the world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“May I, at the outset, convey my heartfelt congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session and assure you of the commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain and its delegation to working closely with you towards achieving our shared objectives. I have no doubt that your experience and abilities will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of this session. I also want to take this opportunity to thank your predecessor, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, for his leadership of the General Assembly at its previous session and to express our continued and deep appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his ongoing, unflinching dedication and initiative in addressing the many challenges facing the United Nations and the world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We hope in this context that the High-level Dialogue to be held by the General Assembly on 4 and 5 October will contribute to reinforcing the values of tolerance, understanding and respect for religions and cultures. The Kingdom of Bahrain reaffirms the importance of joint efforts towards a new international environment, in which we can achieve our hope and aspiration to live in peace, security and stability in a world in which mankind will also live in respect, dignity and humanity; a world in which nations will achieve development and build prosperity and well- being; a world that will accept the cultures of others in peaceful coexistence, free from hatred and intolerance; and a world that believes in the unity of human destiny and will work to attain security, prosperity, justice and peace for humankind.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Here I wish to commend the high-level event on climate change, convened by the Secretary-General on 24 September 2007 in New York, on the theme “The future in our hands: Addressing the leadership challenge of climate change”. Our faith in a single human destiny requires us to consolidate a culture of peace, brotherhood and dialogue among all nations and peoples and to abandon phenomena of hatred, discrimination and division — including what has been dubbed Islamophobia — which some are promoting to incite upheaval and hatred between peoples in order to serve their own narrow political agendas and interests. Those individuals forget that Islam is a monotheistic religion and that it stresses brotherhood, love, coexistence and tolerance.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In order to promote friendly relations and cooperation between members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Bahrain reaffirms the right of the brotherly United Arab Emirates to recover its three occupied islands. It hopes that the two countries will increase their efforts and their contacts to resolve this issue either through direct negotiation or by referring it to the International Court of Justice. Global climate change has become one of the most dangerous challenges threatening the world and its inhabitants. Climate change not only has an impact on the environment, but also severely affects the world’s economic and social order and hinders development. We therefore call upon all States to cooperate in order to identify solutions and ways to deal with this phenomenon.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“It therefore urges the parties concerned, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, to be more transparent and to cooperate fully with the terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) so as to build tranquillity and peace of mind among neighbouring States in the Gulf. The Kingdom of Bahrain reaffirms the right of all States to utilize nuclear power for peaceful purposes. It also demands that Israel place all its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguards regime of the IAEA and become a party to the NPT in order to promote the Treaty’s universality.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We hope that Lebanon will overcome the current crisis so that its people can live in security and peace. The stability and unity of the Sudan are fundamental pillars of the political, economic and social unity of Africa. We commend the decision of the brotherly Sudan to agree to the deployment of a United Nations-African Union hybrid force in Darfur. In that context, we hope that the parties to the conflict in the Sudan will come together for the sake of their country and its prosperity. The Kingdom of Bahrain recently joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), because of its belief in the Agency’s important role in strengthening nuclear non-proliferation. In order to avoid a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, the Kingdom of Bahrain underlines the importance of freeing the region from nuclear weapons.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We stress here how important it is for neighbouring States, the Arab League and the United Nations to continue to support the legitimate Iraqi Government and its efforts to maintain security and stability in Iraq and to preserve its Arab and Islamic identity. It seems clear that the attainment of stability in Lebanon is closely bound to free national reconciliation, and to strengthened national, Arab and international efforts and support for Lebanon’s legitimacy, with a view to preserving its security, safety and stability. Lebanon is an integral part of the system of regional peace and security in the Middle East and as such should be supported. We express our regret at the assassinations of many politicians, officials and innocent people in Lebanon.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Such a State should also be able to engage in development and to live in peace and stability with all States in the region, including Israel, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, United Nations resolutions and other relevant international agreements and terms of reference. The second front is represented by the events in brotherly Iraq, whose people suffer from continued insecurity and instability as a result of the ceaseless waves of violence and the killing of innocent people. It is our view that the responsibility for breaking out of this vicious circle and achieving national reconciliation and stability lies primarily with the Iraqi people and their political leadership. To enable Iraq to do that, there must be no interference in Iraq’s internal affairs, and its borders must be fully respected.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In this respect, we welcome the initiative of President George Bush of the United States to convene an international conference on Middle East peace this year. We hope that this will mark the beginning of a new stage in dealing with the core issue of the Arab- Israeli conflict in a just and equitable manner, putting an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and to the occupation since 1967 of the Palestinian territories, the Syrian Golan and other occupied Arab territories in sisterly Lebanon. It should also lead to the establishment of an independent, contiguous and viable Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Therefore, the time is now right to enable everybody to participate effectively in a universal system based on a just multilateralism that guarantees collective work towards achieving common goals. We, as the United Nations, pledged in the Charter, in the name of our peoples to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights. That calls upon the international community promptly and effectively to address threats to international peace and security. At the forefront of those threats are the ongoing regional issues that the Middle East faces on various fronts, the most important of which is the situation in the Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Social and economic achievements, under the patronage also of His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince and Commander-in- Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, have continued unabated. They are based on strategies and policies designed to ensure the welfare of all citizens by encouraging investment, strengthening the national human rights machinery, reforming the labour market and developing the education sector. In the decades since the establishment of the United Nations, our world has witnessed both unipolar and bipolar world orders. Worldwide events and the ensuing results proved that such orders were not enough to guarantee security, peace, stability and prosperity in the world.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In this respect, the Kingdom of Bahrain is proud, by the grace of God, to have witnessed comprehensive political developments in its democratic march forward, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain, where free and fair elections were held with broad participation. Meanwhile, its comprehensive development efforts were crowned by the United Nations presenting the 2006 Special Citation of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme Scroll of Honour Award to His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. This reflected international appreciation for the developments that continue to be witnessed by the Kingdom, especially in the field of urban development.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“At the same time, international peace requires respect for international legitimacy, the rule of law and justice. Since comprehensive development is a national and international requirement, it is important that we collectively and seriously face threats regardless of their forms or manifestations, such as conflict, war, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, environment disaster, poverty, backwardness and extremism, in accordance with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions and decisions adopted by the General Assembly, including the United Nations Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2). The resolution containing the Millennium Declaration was a unique and pioneering endeavour which embodied a consensus among the world leaders who set out the goals we must reach in this new millennium.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In that respect, we want to express our appreciation to all delegations that displayed a spirit of cooperation with her during her presidency. I have the pleasure also to thank His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his ongoing efforts to strengthen and develop the role of the United Nations. We are confident that the Secretary-General’s long experience as an able diplomat will enable him to undertake further efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of our international Organization. In our joint endeavours to achieve world peace, prosperity and justice, we must address the challenges and dangers confronting our world today from a standpoint of faith in our one human destiny. We should realize that international security is based on joint efforts to guarantee regional security and the stability of States.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“It is my pleasure to congratulate you, Sir, upon your election as President of the Assembly at this session. There is no doubt that your expertise and your knowledge of international affairs will ensure anther successful session this year and will contribute to fulfilling the aspirations of our peoples for the United Nations. I take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks and appreciation to our dear sister, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session, and to commend her for the way in which she so ably and wisely guided the work of the Assembly. As a result, serious ideas were put forward that yielded tangible results for the development of the Organization and the revitalization of its role.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)