YouSaid · the spoken record

Laisenia QARASE

lines on the record: 60
first: 2000-09-24
most recent: 2004-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“The General Assembly will be pleased to hear that our communities themselves, through their religious and cultural organizations, are coming forward to join with the Government in the making of a unified State. The climax of our national week of prayer and forgiveness will be an interfaith service. We recognize that human effort alone is not enough for what we want to achieve. Just as this great Organization seeks a world of harmony bound together by common ideals, we in Fiji want our own United Nations, a united nation where our citizens live together happily and nationhood is fulfilled.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The aim is to bring people together and to create a sense of national purpose and patriotism. All the great faiths represented in Fiji will be part of that. Each contains in their teachings the jewels of truth that gleam for all humanity. Each has an important capacity for peace-making. Each can make a valuable contribution to increasing understanding and resolving differences. In those eight days in October, therefore, our religious leaders will join with other citizens of good will in this fresh search for togetherness. The promotion of unity has been a pressing national priority since my Government came to office, four years ago. We understand that it will not come quickly.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The challenge now is to extend this to representation in Government. As a parliamentary democracy, we are committed to Government based on the free will and consent of the people. But, at the same time, we want to ensure that each community has a direct voice in national decision-making. It is that desire for inclusion and equity that has led us to adopt measures to close the social and economic gap between Fijians and the other communities and between the affluent and the disadvantaged and the poor. Increasingly, we are finding that faith in God is a powerful instrument for forming bonds across the racial divide. We may follow different beliefs, but a common focus on the divine is lighting the way forward. When I return to Fiji, the country will be getting ready for eight days of prayer, forgiveness and reconciliation.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Although we have learned to co-exist without the racial violence and hatred common elsewhere, we are still a country divided, especially in politics. From independence, in 1970, we tried hard to create multiracialism founded on mutual respect, mutual care 14 and understanding. But, unfortunately, during elections the overwhelming majority of voters still make their choices along ethnic lines. It is not because they are against candidates from other communities, it is just that they find security and comfort in choosing representatives from their own community. Since my Government came to office, in 2001, we have been engaged in a new quest for unity. Our vision is for a peaceful, unified and prosperous Fiji. Politically, we wish to build on the concept of guaranteed representation for our different communities in Parliament.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“But that is not to say that we are unconcerned about other communities whose members are fellow citizens with equal rights and responsibilities. Members of the Assembly are aware that Fiji has a multiracial society. The ethnic Fijians and Rotumans are the indigenous community. Collectively and communally, they own close to 90 per cent of all land in the country. Settlers from India came some 125 years ago and now comprise the majority of tenants of native land. Europeans, people of mixed ancestry, Chinese and other Pacific islanders complete Fiji’s colourful cultural tapestry. We are proud of that national diversity. It gives our country its distinctive character and its still unrealized potential.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“They give us our identity and oneness as indigenous communities and as Pacific island peoples. I appeal to the General Assembly to bring before it for adoption at the earliest opportunity the draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. I request the Secretary- General to expedite that process. While we acknowledge the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments in the promotion of human rights, we also recognize that they are primarily concerned with the rights of individuals. Indigenous Pacific island communities see a United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples as being vitally important for the international recognition and acceptance of our right to self-determination and, indeed, to our very survival as ethnically and culturally distinct peoples.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is also our hope that the Barbados + 10 review will renew the call for those States that have yet to sign or to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to do so, for the sake of our planet. My Government commends the initiative taken by the International Labour Organization in its World Commission Report on the Social Dimension of Globalization. It is the international community’s responsibility to ensure that for both developed and developing countries, and for big and small countries alike, globalization means a fair and equitable spread of opportunities — opportunities manifested in new investments, more jobs, decent work and improvements in education, health and other social amenities. For us in the Pacific, as small island nations, there is another area of increased concern. We take great pride in our culture, customs and traditions.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The consequence is that many small island developing States, already disadvantaged by their smallness, distance from export markets and regular devastation from natural disasters, are now faced with serious uncertainty over their economic prospects. We therefore welcome the holding by the United Nations of a special conference of small island developing States early next year to review the Programme of Action for those countries, the Barbados + 10 review. I very much hope that review will lead to new international commitments of assistance to disadvantaged small island developing States. Those commitments must underpin economic survival and a sustainable future, as the world moves inexorably towards a free and open trading system.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Now, as we begin negotiations with the European Union for the continuation of those arrangements, we are finding to our dismay that the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) insistence on free and open trade will effectively mean for many ACP countries, including Fiji, a massive loss in export earnings from reduced prices. For our sugar industry the direct consequence will inevitably be that the price the cane farmers receive will fall substantially below their production costs. That is despite the urgent and comprehensive reforms we have embarked upon in our sugar industry to make it more productive, efficient and competitive. Those WTO hurdles are made more difficult by the loss of competitive margins through the withdrawal of schemes like the Generalized System of Preferences.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“At the same time, Fiji values its trade and economic ties with Taiwan. It is our fervent hope that their people will resolve their future peacefully through dialogue and consensus. For the past 29 years, close to 80 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) have been the beneficiaries of a historic development partnership with the European Union. I pay tribute to the leaders of Europe and the ACP who pioneered that unique international North-South arrangement. Generous assistance in trade, aid and investment has contributed in very significant ways to the livelihood of millions of people from poorer States.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“May I also add that Fiji would endorse the inclusion of South Africa and Brazil as permanent members. Let me say that we greatly value the assistance of Australia, New Zealand and the United States in securing our region as a zone of peace. It was heartening to see the two Koreas marching and participating under a single banner at the Olympic Games in Greece. It is our prayer that that will lead to more substantive progress in the reunification of the Korean people. We are glad to see the People’s Republic of China growing in stature and developing so quickly. Fiji enjoys steadily strengthening relations with China and wants to see those relations expanded further. It is committed to its diplomatic recognition and official relations with the 13 People’s Republic of China.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We look to the United Nations and other international organizations to help us get a just return from that major natural resource. Fiji commends those countries that have already worked with us to reach that goal. We would like to express particular thanks to the United States for its regional fisheries treaty with certain Pacific island nations. Our island countries have now entered a new phase of cooperation in the tuna industry through the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Convention, which came into effect in June this year. In addition to reinforcing regional cooperation, Fiji and its neighbours are giving special attention to their relationships with countries in the wider Asia- Pacific region. We strongly support a role for Japan and India in an enlarged and strengthened Security Council.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Through the Pacific Islands Forum, and with the assistance of Australia and New Zealand, we are currently preparing a Pacific plan to pool resources and efforts for the strengthening of collective interests. We will come together to combat the threat of terror and to improve law enforcement and our defences against terrorism and transnational crime. There will be a cooperative approach to social and economic development, and especially for advancing trade, investment and tourism. We will stand united to guard our oceanic heritage, which is a treasure for all humanity. Our region has the world’s largest remaining, sustainable tuna fishery, which is an essential source of food for the global market. But more than 95 per cent of the value of the mid-Pacific Ocean tuna catch goes to distant-water fishing nations.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“That has cost us 35 precious lives, but we remain strong in our resolve to continue serving where we are needed. Peacekeeping personnel from Fiji are working in Liberia, the Sinai, Kosovo, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands and Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. My Government is now giving careful consideration to requests from the United Nations to assist it with security personnel in Iraq. I would like to take this opportunity to express to the United Nations and to those countries that have assisted Fiji on a bilateral basis our gratitude for their help in making it possible for us to honour our commitment to international peace and security.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We in the Pacific have no immunity from this global epidemic. We would welcome continued assistance from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to supplement our regional campaign to contain this scourge. The United Nations must continue to resist external interference in any form, which undermines the sovereign right of every Member State to determine its own destiny. However, where there are internal crises and disorder and the United Nations mandates intervention for peace, we are ready to contribute. We consider it an honour to serve the cause of peace under the flag of the United Nations and regional organizations like the Pacific Islands Forum. Fiji’s soldiers and police officers have been taking part in United Nations peacekeeping operations since 1978.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The plea from Fiji is for United Nations member countries to strengthen their joint resolve to oppose political terror everywhere. This is a critical time in history. The United Nations is called upon to mobilize all its experience, skills and powers to create concord among nations. That was its founding principle. It is the principle that must continue to drive and sustain the United Nations. Fiji, as always, is committed to the maintenance of peace and security and to a world free of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. We want an end to ozone-depleting pollution and the elimination of other hazards to the environment. The international community must continue to fight poverty and disease. HIV/AIDS has become more than a health crisis. For some countries it is now a security threat.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The perpetrators of the slaughter of innocents in Russia gave a new dimension to wickedness. They defeated their own cause through the ruthless and indiscriminate shedding of the blood of children. Nothing can justify what they did. The United Nations must be united against such infamy. Let us express our sympathy and solidarity with the ordinary people of Iraq caught in that country’s terrible cycle of violence. Let this forum give them our full and unreserved support in the struggle for genuine democratic Government and the regaining of their national sovereignty. May their hopes for a peaceful future and lasting stability find fulfilment. We feel for the families of the people killed by terrorists outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta. We 12 want them to know that their pain is shared in this family of nations.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Fiji and other small island nations of the Pacific region applaud the fine example set by the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in their shared approach to managing the responsibilities of that high office. Today we are confronted by events that cast a shadow over humankind and the United Nations vision of peace. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues. As relief efforts proceed, our thoughts are with the refugees of Darfur. We urge the Government of Sudan to do everything in its power to bring that tragedy to an end. We think of those whose lives have been devastated by the destructive fury of hurricanes in the Caribbean and on the Atlantic coast of the United States. We extend to them our deepest sympathies for the loss of life and property.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“I would like to extend to the General Assembly the warm greetings and good wishes of the Government and people of the Republic of the Fiji Islands. I would also like to warmly congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of the fifty-ninth session. I pledge to you our support and cooperation. That reflects our respect for your country, with which we have enjoyed close relations through our common membership of the African, Caribbean and Pacific partnership with the European Union. I also wish to express Fiji’s warm thanks to Mr. Julian Hunte of Saint Lucia for his very able leadership of the fifty-eighth session.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“At Johannesburg, we all agreed to promote partnerships to assist developing countries in dealing more effectively with the basic needs of their peoples. From our experience with our trade and development partnerships, with Australia and New Zealand and with the European Union, the Pacific Islands and ACP countries commit themselves to working closely with the United Nations system and other multilateral organizations, like the World Trade Organization, in promoting similar partnerships with other developed countries.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“In Johannesburg, Japan was more forthcoming than most affluent countries in its willingness to act on the Summit agenda and decisions. It is already playing a very positive role in the South Pacific. Fiji reiterates its support for Japan as a permanent member of the Security Council, along with China. In concluding, let me reaffirm that, in a world still threatened by conflict and war, the Pacific Island Forum and the ACP Group stand firmly for peace. We say the best way of securing that and protecting our precious planet is to uphold the multilateralism represented by the United Nations and its family of nations. For peace to endure, the United Nations must continue to ensure that development and opportunities for economic and social progress are spread and shared evenly among all its Member States.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We appeal to all those who are part of our wider Pacific community to embrace the way of peace and to constructively engage in cooperation for development. We welcome China's increasing presence and involvement in supporting and assisting development in our region. China and Taiwan have longstanding differences. All of us in the Pacific want to see them resolve their dispute amicably through dialogue and a common vision. We welcome the peace mission by the Prime Minister of Japan to normalize relations with North Korea. We hope that his visit will also have the added impetus of encouraging North and South Korea to intensify their contacts and dialogue for a peaceful accord between them. Japan, itself, is setting an example of how a developed nation can use its resources to help others.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“It has been a great honour for us to serve the international cause of bringing peace and order to that part of the Middle East. Fiji reaffirms its willingness to continue its participation in United Nations and international peacekeeping operations. All this has cost us dearly in lost lives, but it is a price we are willing to pay for international peace and security. We live in uncertain times. The world is troubled. We look to the United Nations to provide steadiness and balance at the centre. We look to it to maintain peace on earth and hope for humanity. Member countries of the Pacific Island Forum have committed themselves to promoting and safeguarding the Pacific Ocean as a region of peace.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We believe it has a 4 continuing role and a future, given the commitment of the membership to its governing principles. I am pleased to assure the Assembly that the Pacific Island Forum and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group strongly support our Secretary-General's new emphasis on preventive diplomacy. Conflict prevention and peace-building should continue to be the central considerations in involvement by the United Nations in ongoing efforts to deal with conflict and crisis situations in the Middle East and elsewhere. We congratulate the United Nations on the success of its various peacekeeping operations. Fiji's participation in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), after more than 24 years, will conclude in December this year.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Next week will see the commencement of formal negotiations between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries on new partnership arrangements under the Cotonou Agreement. The ACP States look forward to strengthening the partnership with the European Union started under the Lomé Convention in 1975. It is also their hope that the new economic partnership agreements will incorporate commitments made by the European Union member countries at Johannesburg. The United Nations was conceived to seek the betterment of people and to foster security and peace in the world. It has had its failures, and it still has its critics. But let us not forget the successes and its influence for good. Consider where we would be without the United Nations.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The developing countries hear huge amounts of free-market rhetoric from the rich nations, but it is completely cancelled out by the reality of continuing protectionism. There is no level playing field for the poorer nations, only a steep and slippery slope. That is why we must move carefully into an integrated system of world trade and allow special treatment for those developing countries that are especially vulnerable. It is in furtherance of this that I make a plea for the acceptance of small island developing States as a special case for trade and aid assistance. This would bring them into line with the least developed and landlocked developing countries.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“This will establish a commission to secure long-term sustainability. The Convention recognizes that the standards of other regions cannot be applied to us and that our interests will be safeguarded against more powerful and economically superior Powers. We very much welcomed the undertaking by a number of countries in Johannesburg to permit quota and tariff-free market access to the least developed of the developing countries. We urge them to extend the same access conditions to developing island States. We know that free trade, as espoused by the World Trade Organization, is the ideal. All nations will trade on the same basis of equality and fairness, but what a large gap there is between the ideal and the reality.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We are angered by the indiscriminate commercial exploitation of our tuna by distant-water fishing fleets. They have no compunction about using purse seine methods and drift nets, which take huge amounts of small tuna and destroy other species. We call on those nations to act responsibly and to stop this ruthless exploitation. The reality is that more than 95 per cent of the annual value of the South Pacific catch is taken by them. Where arrangements for fees to be paid do apply, the return to the region is less than 3 per cent of the annual commercial worth of the harvest. Obviously, we must redouble our efforts to improve our ability to receive a fair share of these resources from harvesting and processing. The next step is to bring into effect the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Convention.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Ten years of combined effort, negotiation, lobbying and painstaking legal drafting led to the adoption of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention in 1982. When it came into force, international law allowed us to lay claim to huge areas of marine-resource jurisdiction through archipelagic regimes and 200- nautical-mile exclusive economic zones. We established the Forum Fisheries Agency to coordinate our efforts to get the best returns from valuable tuna stocks. There was a successful conclusion to negotiations with America for a regional fisheries agreement. I pay tribute here to the United States for its willingness to reach an accord and for agreeing to its extension to 2013. We still have much to do, however, to consolidate our position and to ensure that we bring an end to exploitation, which continues unabated.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Rising sea levels caused by global warming will lead to the disappearance of some islands. They will sink beneath the waves. Do not therefore be surprised if in future environmental refugees from Oceania are forced to seek sanctuary elsewhere. The world should also not be surprised at the strong call from the Pacific for the adoption and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. We praise those nations that have signified their intention to ratify. To those who have not done so, we pose the same question we asked in Johannesburg: Will you display the courage, generosity and largeness of spirit the world needs from you? Will you join fully in saving the Earth from the gross abuse and destruction of its resources? We have done much in the Pacific to secure our ownership of the rich regional tuna fishery.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We are told there is no risk, but when we propose payment of compensation if there should be an accident, there is instant rejection. The danger these shipments pose to us is underscored by the disaster off the coast of South Africa, where a freighter ran aground with a hold full of toxic chemicals. We read of a ship carrying hazardous cargo on fire in waters off Britain. We do not want the Pacific put at risk in this way. We know too well the legacy of radioactivity from nuclear-weapons testing. People in parts of the Pacific continue to suffer from the fallout. We are still waiting 3 for those who committed these acts to take full responsibility for what they have done. There are real hazards to low-lying atolls from another by-product of this era of environmental crisis.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The policy's objective is to improve our understanding of the Ocean, maintain its health and ensure environmentally sound use of its resources and riches. It also recognizes that we cannot take on this task alone and that we will therefore need to develop partnerships and promote Pacific cooperation. For Pacific islands peoples, the ocean environment is an integral part of their ethnic and cultural identity and way of life. It is because of the importance of the sea and its resources to them that they are so adamantly opposed to any action which exposes the Pacific Ocean to pollution, hazardous waste and the destructive effects of nuclear and missile tests. Recently, radioactive materials have been trans- shipped across the Pacific in arrogant defiance of our protests.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“This almost boundless body of water contains great biological diversity, the most extensive coral reefs in the world, seabed minerals and the largest sustainable tuna fishery. Humankind still does not know what forms of natural energy it may produce. It is our responsibility, as people of the islands, to protect and nurture the Pacific. We must do so not only for ourselves, but for people everywhere. For the first time, we have adopted a regional ocean policy which lays out the guiding principles for promoting the Pacific as a maritime environment in support of sustainable development. These principles are based on international law, reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international and regional agreements.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“It was a significant achievement for us that the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development had a comprehensive section on oceans and numerous allied issues. The Summit specifically recognized that oceans, islands and coastal areas are essential to the Earth's ecosystem and critical to food security and the economic welfare of many developing countries. While the island States are small in population and area — in contrast to the billions who occupy the large land continents — we have something no other international grouping possesses. Our Pacific heritage gives us sovereign authority over nearly one sixth of the Earth's surface. The Pacific has been described as the last frontier, its depths still largely unexplored, its total resources unknown.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) in Fiji in July lent the weight of 78 States, with 650 million people, to the anti-terrorism campaign. Its Nadi Declaration strongly condemned the 11 September attacks and terrorism in all its forms. ACP countries want terror to be fought politically, legally and operationally and in keeping with the United Nations Charter. We made the point that the root causes of terrorism, including poverty, underdevelopment and oppression, must be treated. The member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum are heartened that at last there is an awakening to the importance of the oceans. The international community is starting to see that the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans are vital to the survival of the human race and this planet.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The Pacific's response to the heightened threats of terrorism and transnational crime is contained in the Nasonini Declaration on regional security. This was adopted at the recent meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, which I had the honour to chair. The Declaration binds the Pacific Islands Forum States to the implementation of internationally agreed anti- terrorism measures, such as Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the special recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force. Forum countries have undertaken to introduce legislation and other measures to combat terrorism and terrorist financing. We will similarly act against drug trafficking, people smuggling and money laundering, in accordance with work undertaken by such organizations as the United Nations.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We in the Pacific share America's pain. We cannot feel it in all its intensity, but we have a sense of the anguish and the anger. Our thoughts and prayers have been with the American 2 people. We remember the innocents of so many races and faiths whose blood was spilled by hate, including those killed in Kenya, Tanzania and other places, through wanton acts of terrorism. Let it be known that the small nations of the Pacific join the United Nations and all right-thinking countries in the fight against terrorism. In the Pacific Ocean, we are far from the world's centres of power and areas of conflict and tension, but we are very conscious that, today, no country is beyond the reach of fanatics all too ready to kill and maim at random.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Today I thank the Member States of the United Nations and the United Nations system for their support and understanding during our period of crisis. They stood with us, with words of quiet encouragement, and expressed confidence in our ability to resolve our own difficulties. There were others who were judgmental and strident. Their approach was not helpful. We remind them of the founding principles of the United Nations: respect for national sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States. Countries have the right to seek, and to put into effect, their own solutions to their problems. Not far from this site is the desolate and empty space of Ground Zero. It is a scar not only on the face of this city; it is a scar on the world, a terrible reminder of an unspeakable act of horror.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“However, with God's help and with the support of our own citizens and the understanding of friends overseas, we have passed through the worst. We returned to parliamentary democracy through general elections in August last year. We have been welcomed back into the Commonwealth and granted leadership of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). Recently, we hosted the third summit of ACP leaders, as well as the thirty-third meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum. Our economy is growing again, and we have just concluded a successful national consultation on strategies for development. We have also embarked on a reconciliation effort to strengthen peace and harmony in our multiracial society.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Please accept, Mr. President, the warm congratulations of the Republic of the Fiji Islands on your election to lead this forum. I also extend my appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea, for his guidance of the General Assembly during the past year. We also wish to congratulate Switzerland on its admission to the Organization, as well as East Timor on its imminent membership of the United Nations. Their membership gives them a direct share in the collective responsibility of the United Nations to promote world peace, security and development. When I last spoke here, in September 2000, my country was in the throes of its most dangerous crisis, following an armed uprising against the elected Government.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We express the hope that the same spirit of goodwill and readiness to enter into dialogue will also spread to the great country of China, between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. With regard to the very important country of Japan, I reaffirm Fiji's support for Japan's admission as a permanent member of the Security Council. The Secretary-General's report (A/54/2000), We the Peoples has inspired the entire United Nations community with its vision of a more humane and more holistic future for our children and our world. We agree entirely that the United Nations should focus not just on the relationship between and among States, but, increasingly, on the well-being and development of the peoples of this world. Once again, I extend my congratulations to you, Mr. President, and best wishes for a successful Millennium Assembly.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“With regard to Fiji's continuing participation in United Nations peacekeeping activities, I am pleased to confirm our positive response to the Secretary-General's request for a further increase in our troops serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. In that connection, I commend the efforts of all those involved in the Middle East peace process. Fiji earnestly hopes that the negotiations will be successful in resolving longstanding differences and bring about long-term peace in the region. We in Fiji have been greatly inspired by the positive developments on the Korean peninsula, with the growing rapprochement between the South and the North.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Indeed, as the interim Prime Minister in the transitional Administration in Fiji, I am committed to building a united Fiji with a multi-ethnic and multicultural society in which all the different communities can live together in peace, harmony and prosperity, in which the aspirations of the Fijians and Rotumans are realized and the paramountcy of their interests is secure and in which the provision of important social services, such as education and health, to all our communities is a priority, so that the quality of life and standard of living of all our people are continuously improving. Fiji commends and supports the Brahimi report (A/55/305) on peacekeeping. It is a timely and thoughtful report which, if implemented, will considerably enhance the ability of the United Nations to carry out its peacekeeping tasks.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I again assure the international community that within the two years of our transitional Administration we shall return Fiji to constitutional democracy. A new constitution will address the concerns of indigenous Fijians and Rotumans about their future. At the same time, however, it will also maintain and protect the equal fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens and groups, without distinction on the basis of ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, or economic and social status.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I believe sincerely that the most enduring foundation for unity in Fiji is one that is built in a spirit of give and take, of justice and fairness for all and of responsibility for one another. Very recently the United Nations launched a Decade, from January 1995 to December 2004, on the theme, Indigenous people: a new partnership, which seeks the formation of new relationships, founded on mutual respect and understanding between indigenous peoples and States and the United Nations. In the context of Fiji, what we hope to build is a new 4 partnership between the indigenous Fijian and Rotuman communities and the other communities, as the basis of living together in our multi-ethnic and multicultural society in the twenty-first century.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We have to build and reinforce foundations for living together in all aspects of our lives in our multi- ethnic and multicultural society. We are making good progress in education, and proposals are now under consideration to broaden the curriculum in schools to include compulsory study of the Fijian language, Fijian culture and the ethno-history and ethno-geography of Fiji. We also need to encourage and promote more social interaction and cohesion at the neighbourhood and community level. Most important, it is my sincere hope that the Council for National Reconciliation and Unity will develop a consensus on national leadership and power-sharing in Fiji.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I should also mention a new initiative I have taken to deal with the inter-ethnic crisis in Fiji: the establishment of a Ministry of National Reconciliation and Unity, together with a Council for National Reconciliation and Unity. It is my sincere hope that the Council will bring together the representatives of the various communities in our rich, multicultural society, as well as representatives of the various sections of the wider community, including employers, trade unions and civil society, to discuss and make recommendations on various ways by which we can promote greater intercommunal understanding and cooperation. What we have realized is that it is not enough simply to focus attention on the constitution as the framework for our different communities in Fiji to live together peacefully and harmoniously. We need to do more.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“However, as the civilian interim Administration, we have ourselves taken over from the army, and, as I have said, we are firmly committed to returning Fiji to constitutional parliamentary democracy. We intend to promulgate a new constitution in August next year. General elections will then follow within 12 months. The new constitution is to be prepared by a constitution commission, which we shall appoint early next month. It will be representative of all our communities and will consult widely throughout the country, giving the public at large every opportunity to submit their advice and recommendations on the new constitution.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It was this fear and anxiety about their future as the world's only indigenous Fijian and Rotuman community of just over 420,000 people that led to mass demonstrations and ultimately the coup d'Ètat on 19 May this year. It also manifested itself in the mass looting of shops, the destruction of property and threats to people and their families. Unfortunately, and tragically, the victims were mainly members of our Indian community. It was in this serious and deteriorating law and order situation that the Fiji military forces responded to a request from our police to take direct control of law and order and the protection of citizens. To facilitate this, on 29 May the Fiji military forces abrogated our 1997 Constitution.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“With regard to our general standards of living, even though indigenous Fijians and Rotumans own 84 per cent of the land in Fiji, they have, on average, the lowest level of household income, and they also lag well behind the other communities in almost every aspect of life in a rapidly expanding market-based economy. I have explained all this to highlight the delicate and sensitive nature of our multi-ethnic and multicultural society in Fiji. The crux of our political crisis in Fiji is that the indigenous Fijian and Rotuman communities felt threatened by certain policies which the non-indigenous leadership of the People's Coalition Government had implemented following their decisive victory in our national elections in May 1999.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)