YouSaid · the spoken record

Abdurrahman Mohamed SHALGHAM

lines on the record: 33
first: 2006-09-24
most recent: 2007-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“It is time to address the issue of Palestine more seriously and to refrain from attempts to impose a fait accompli on the Palestinian people, depriving them of their legitimate rights. The tragedy that has befallen brotherly Iraq and that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths, injuries and refugees, requires an urgent United Nations initiative to stop the bleeding, resolve the crisis, ensure the withdrawal of the occupation forces, restore Iraq’s stability and sovereignty, maintain Iraq’s territorial integrity and empower the Iraqis to control their own resources and freely decide their own destiny, while enabling all citizens to participate in the administration of their country without the marginalization of any group by any other group, so that peace, security and prosperity may prevail in that country.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“More than half of them were displaced to various parts of the world and those who remain have been subjected to a bloody and vicious Israeli occupation and to systematic violations of international humanitarian law: houses are demolished, lands are confiscated and Palestinian agricultural land is bulldozed. Under siege and denied food and medicine, inhabitants are expelled and unarmed citizens killed while the building of an apartheid wall continues. The oppression to which the Palestinian people are subjected and the failure of the United Nations to protect them and to aid them in attaining their rights the right of return, the right to self-determination and the right to establish an independent State on all Palestinian land are factors that prevent the restoration of peace and security in the region.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Similarly, countries that waged war on the territories of other countries have a responsibility to remove the mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive remnants of war they left in those countries. They must provide the necessary maps, equipment and technical know-how to reclaim and rehabilitate damaged land in those developing countries. I call upon all Member States to aid the African Union in its efforts to ensure that all African countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The Palestinian people have lived in great misery for more than half a century, since their land was seized.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Such partnerships should facilitate dialogue between North and South on the basis of respect for sovereignty, equality and sharing of benefits, and should ensure that we reach the agreed goal of devoting 0.7 per cent of the developed countries’ gross national income to official development assistance (ODA) to developing countries. Such partnerships must likewise ensure the appropriate application of all multilateral free trade principles and must strengthen World Trade Organization measures regarding preferential treatment for developing countries, including making it easier for developing countries to join that organization. Countries with a colonial past bear the largest share of responsibility to provide aid to developing countries and to compensate them for the damage they suffered during the colonial era.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In our campaign to fight terrorism, it is imperative that we coordinate our efforts to finally put an end to foreign occupation, enable peoples to exercise their right to self-determination and prevent interference in internal affairs. We urgently need to implement the pledges that we adopted in the Millennium Declaration, the Doha Declaration and the outcomes of the Monterrey and Johannesburg conferences so that we can make ideal use of our planet’s resources, end conflict, poverty, illiteracy and disease, provide all people with safe drinking water, safeguard the environment and achieve sustainable development. It falls upon the shoulders of the United Nations, in particular the Economic and Social Council, to establish international partnerships for development which can achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“We believe that the time has come to heed this call and establish a precise definition of terrorism that would protect human rights and halt the practice of confusing terrorism with the legitimate right of people to fight against foreign occupation and to exercise self- determination and attain independence. Ending terrorism will require practical measures to eliminate its root causes, including effective action to promote human rights for all peoples, putting a stop to acts of aggression and the occupation of the land of others, fighting poverty and encouraging democracy. Foreign occupation is the worst form of terrorism, because occupation forces subject entire peoples to measures which violate the most basic principles of human rights and commit daily crimes against those peoples in order to maintain their occupation.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“For this reason, Libya initiated its voluntary abandonment of all programmes related to WMDs and their means of delivery. Libya hopes that all nations that possess such weapons or related programmes will follow its exemplary behaviour. International cooperation, under the auspices of the United Nations, has achieved good results in the fight against terrorism. However, concentrating on the fight against this phenomenon, while ignoring its root causes, will not bring terrorism to an end. Libya was among the first countries that called for coordination of international efforts to fight global terrorism. Since 1992, Libya has called for a special session of the General Assembly to study this phenomenon and to take the necessary measures to combat it by eradicating its root causes.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In cooperation with Cuba and Nigeria, Libya established the South-South Programme for health care in Africa and, in 2006, launched the Gaddafi Programme for African women, children and young people, which provides health care and educational services in Africa. Libya has provided humanitarian aid to numerous countries in order to alleviate the effects of disasters. Recipient countries have included Niger, Chad, the Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia, Pakistan and Mauritania. Libya has also provided substantial aid to several African countries to combat desert locusts. In the field of disarmament, Libya believes that comprehensive and complete disarmament, beginning with the elimination of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), is an essential prerequisite for the consolidation of international peace and security.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Libya has been a key mediator in the resolution of a number of conflicts and disputes, especially in Africa, and has dispatched peacekeeping forces to the Central African Republic, monitored the border between Chad and the Sudan and taken part in the United Nations mission in Darfur. Libya has also begun to nominate personnel from the Libyan police force to serve in United Nations missions in a number of African places. Libya has established partnerships with a number of countries, in the field of development, particularly in Africa. Additionally, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Libya is implementing numerous projects that provide food in a number of African and Arab States.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Libya strongly believes in the objectives of the United Nations and consistently meets its obligations to the Organization. Among Member States, Libya was the second-largest African contributor to the United Nations budget and to the budget of peacekeeping operations in the biennium 2004-2006. Furthermore, Libya provides a large share of voluntary contributions to serve the goals of the United Nations. Moreover, Libya is one of the countries that have most often resorted to the mechanisms of the United Nations to resolve international disagreements. For example, it resorted to the International Court of Justice to resolve its border problems with Chad, Tunisia and Malta and has accepted and implemented the rulings of the Court.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“As a member of the Council, Libya would strive to emphasize the central role played by the United Nations in achieving international peace and security; to strengthen respect for international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter; to enhance pluralism in international relations through the United Nations; to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations in solving international problems; to contribute to United Nations reform; to work to increase cooperation and coordination between the Security Council and the other organs of the United Nations, particularly the General Assembly; to encourage swift and effective international cooperation and coordination in disaster management and in the protection of human rights; to contribute to the creation of permanent solutions to international problems based on justice, equity, and respect for the principles of international law and to encourage further cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in the areas of conflict resolution, consolidation of peace and support for development in Africa.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Libya has therefore submitted its candidature for non-permanent membership for the coming period 2008-2009. This candidature enjoys the support of the African Union as expressed in its resolution EX.CL/DEC. 308 (IX) issued in Banjul on 29 June 2007, of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in its resolution ORG 33/2 issued in Baku on 21 June 2006 and of the Arab League in its resolution on 6 September 2006. Libya’s firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, its notable contribution to international peace and security and its support for development, especially in Africa, demonstrate that Libya is highly qualified for membership in the Security Council.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“While we encourage the current negotiations regarding reform of the Security Council, we stress the fact that Libya adheres to the Common African Position, issued at the fifth African Union Summit, held in Sirte on 4 and 5 July 2005. This position was confirmed at subsequent African Union summit conferences. It calls for the African continent to be granted five non-permanent seats and two permanent seats with all the privileges that other permanent members enjoy, including the right of veto. Libya seeks the support of all Member States for a seat on the Security Council so that it may continue to carry out its efforts to achieve the objectives of the United Nations, building on its experience of non- permanent membership in 1976 and 1977.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The Security Council would thus become an instrument for implementing General Assembly resolutions and we would overcome the obstacles caused by the veto, which puts international decision-making power in the hands of the permanent members of the Security Council and greatly encourages selectivity and double standards in dealing with international problems. In our efforts to reform the Security Council, we must consider a new formula for permanent membership in which membership would be awarded to geographical groups and not to specific countries. In this regard, we demand that the African Union since Africa is the only continent which has no representative among the permanent members be granted permanent membership in the Security Council with all the privileges enjoyed by other permanent members.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“In order to achieve this, Libya calls, from this podium, for a high-level summit meeting to be held at the United Nations in Geneva within the framework of the sixty-third session of the General Assembly, in 2008. Such a meeting would be devoted to the reform process of the United Nations and the expansion of the Security Council. Holding such an important meeting in Geneva, a city that lies at the centre of the world, would provide the opportunity for all world leaders to attend, to present constructive proposals and to participate in decision-making regarding this thorny issue that concerns the entire world. True reform of the United Nations means putting decision-making powers in the hands of all of its Members, that is to say, in the hands of the General Assembly, where all countries have equal vote.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“Other ideas, however, involved consolidating the control of the powerful States over the United Nations bodies and the concept that those with privileges in the Security Council should maintain those privileges and reject any active role for other actors in that respect. That latter attitude cannot lead to any true reform contributing to the realization of the purposes embodied in the Charter of the United Nations. A realistic assessment of progress made in the process of United Nations reform, especially in light of the impasse in negotiations regarding Security Council reform, leads us to the conviction that there is an urgent need for a new world summit conference that would push forward the reform process and bring to a conclusion the work that we began two years ago.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“The reform of the United Nations has been the central issue in our deliberations in the General Assembly and in a number of other forums over the past two years. We were able to move forward towards achieving our goals on some aspects of the reform process. However, there is still a long way to go, especially in the absence of real progress towards reforming the Security Council and enhancing the role of the General Assembly. That issue has been the subject of intensive consultations in which many ideas were put forward, some of which were realistic and based on the principles of equal sovereignty for all nations and equitable geographical representation.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“At the outset, I would like to congratulate the President on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. I am confident that, thanks to his experience and wisdom, he will lead the work of this forum to the best results. I would also like to take this opportunity to express our satisfaction with the manner in which Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa conducted the deliberations of the General Assembly at its previous session and the efforts she made for United Nations reform and, with regard to several controversial issues, to arrive at solutions acceptable to all. I also wish to express our gratitude for the efforts exerted by His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, since his appointment as Secretary- General, to implement the resolutions of the United Nations and to achieve the purposes of the Charter.”
2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)
“No matter how optimistic we may be, this catastrophic situation will not end as long as there are occupation forces in the country, forces that feed divisions inside Iraqi society and encourage sectarianism in Government institutions. We believe it is high time to stop the bloodshed in Iraq and find a solution to end the crisis so that all Iraqis may enjoy peace and security, as well as their basic rights, in a unified and democratic Iraq enjoying full sovereignty and free from foreign forces and bases.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The recent Israeli aggression against Lebanon and its targeting of the infrastructure and civilians there emphasize the need for urgent action to compel the occupation forces to withdraw from the Sheba’a farms and return them to Lebanon. Additionally, urgent action is needed regarding the withdrawal from and return to Syria of the occupied Syrian Golan. The Israelis should be forced to pay reparations for the damage they caused in Lebanon due to their brutal aggression. The situation in brotherly Iraq is a cause of sadness and concern. It is, in fact, a catastrophe brought about by an occupation that has left behind tens of thousands of dead and hundreds of thousands of wounded and handicapped persons.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Libya therefore reiterates its emphasis that any proposed solutions that seek to impose a fait accompli will not resolve the Palestinian question, nor will they provide peace for the area. The only solution that can achieve peace is to guarantee the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homes and to establish a democratic State on the land of historical Palestine, in which Arabs and Jews live on equal footing, similar to South Africa, where blacks and whites manage to coexist after decades of conflict 25 06-53341 and bloodshed. Unless that is achieved, the region will continue to live in a state of conflict, in which no one will enjoy any peace or security.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The big Powers that waged wars on the territories of developing countries must bear responsibility for demining and removal of explosive remnants left in those countries. They should begin immediately to provide maps and the necessary technical equipment for the rehabilitation of the affected lands in some of the developing countries. The massacres and repression that are committed by Israeli occupation forces in occupied Palestine against the Palestinian people and the flagrant violations of human rights confirm that the so-called peace process is but a mirage that will not yield any results, particularly given the inability of the Security Council to take any action to protect the Palestinian people and to compel the occupation force to respect its commitments and stop its aggression and crimes against the Palestinian people.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“All this should be done within the framework of respect for sovereignty, equality and the sharing of benefits, guaranteeing the achievement of the agreed goal of a 0.7 per cent allocation of the gross national product of developed countries as development assistance to developing countries. Furthermore, such a partnership should guarantee the appropriate application of all principles of free multilateral trade and the enforcement of all measures related to special and preferential treatment for developing countries, within the framework of World Trade Organization, including facilitating the accession of developing countries to that organization. Countries with a colonial past bear the greatest responsibility for assisting developing countries as compensation for the damage caused them during the colonial period.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We hope that human rights issues will not be used as a means of pressure against small nations. We emphasize that attempts by some States to use protection of human rights as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of other States will only lead to the destabilization of peace and security, causing more problems rather than solving outstanding ones. Sustainable development is a major challenge facing developing countries. It is incumbent upon the United Nations to establish an international partnership for development that aims to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, based on the activation of dialogue between North and South.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Fifteen years ago it called for a special session of the General Assembly to study this phenomenon and develop measures to combat it and eradicate its root causes. It is high time to respond to that call so that we can coordinate our efforts, under the auspices of the United Nations, to study this phenomenon and reach a clear definition of terrorism that distinguishes between terrorism and the legitimate struggle of peoples for self-determination and independence. The change of the Human Rights Commission into the Human Rights Council reflects the great attention the international community gives to enforcing human rights and guaranteeing basic freedoms. We hope that the inception of this Council’s work will constitute a beginning towards addressing the issues impartially and non-discriminately, free from selectivity and double standards.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“African peoples look forward to the assistance of the United Nations in the consolidation of peace in order to implement development programmes and combat poverty, disease and illiteracy. Terrorism is a phenomenon that threatens international peace and security. Such a threat cannot be countered by the action of a single State or group of States. Furthermore, it is a problem that cannot be resolved through attribution to a particular religion or nationality. It is also shameful and unacceptable to describe the legitimate struggle of a people against foreign occupation as an act of terrorism. Libya was among the first States that called for coordination of international efforts against international terrorism.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Under international law, all States have the right to conduct research and develop their scientific capabilities for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 06-53341 24 Libya strongly rejects the use of double standards when dealing with this issue and the practice of discrimination between States with respect to nuclear non-proliferation. The establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission is an important step in promoting peace in countries emerging from conflict. We hope to see soon the achievements of this new body in Africa, where the African Union has been able, with the assistance of the international community, to achieve peace in several African countries.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Maintenance of international peace and security is a noble goal of the United Nations. Undoubtedly, general and complete disarmament, starting with weapons of mass destruction, constitutes the essential component for achievement of this goal, which, however, will remain beyond reach unless all Member States cooperate in good faith and in a fully transparent manner. Libya has voluntarily abandoned all its programmes related to weapons of mass destruction and has expressed the hope that all States in possession of weapons of mass destruction or programmes for such weapons will follow its example. It is important not to confuse weapons of mass destruction and nuclear non-proliferation with programmes for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“It submitted draft resolutions on this subject at the thirty-fourth session of the General Assembly and the six following sessions. Libya holds that this prerogative of the permanent members is the greatest of the obstacles preventing the Council from fulfilling its mandate. It therefore renews its call for abolition of the veto and urges the Assembly to take steps to restrict use of the veto until it is finally abolished. Within the framework of the current consultations on reform of the Council, we would like to reaffirm Libya’s adherence to the common African position issued by the Fifth African Union Summit, held in Sirte, Libya, on 4 and 5 July 2005, and later confirmed by the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa on 4 August 2005.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Consequently, it is the General Assembly, in which all the peoples of the world are represented, that should take decisions on peace and war, and the power to apply Chapter VII of the Charter should be vested solely in the Assembly. The Security Council, with its limited membership, cannot be entrusted with such momentous decisions. If we fail to agree on such a change, we must find a new formula for granting permanent membership of the Council. Permanent membership should be conferred on geographical groups rather than specific countries. We therefore demand that the African Union become a permanent member of the Security Council, as Africa is the only continent without a permanent seat on the Council. More than three decades ago, Libya called for abolition of the veto.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Such reform should place the power of decision-making in the hands of all members of the Assembly, a forum in which all States are entitled to vote. The Security Council will then become an executive tool for implementing the decisions of the Assembly. We can thus remedy the current situation in which the Council has become a domineering and inequitable body, applying double standards, lacking democracy and open to abuse of the veto. History bears witness to the fact that the Council has never achieved peace and security in the world. On the contrary, it has served as a tool for aggression and wars and for the curtailment of peace mechanisms.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“However, there is still a long way to go, since any reform that does not include the Security Council and enhance the role of the General Assembly will be of little value and will not meet the expectations of our peoples. Unfortunately, our quest for reform of the Security Council has met with further encroachment by the Council on the functions and powers with which the General Assembly was endowed by the Charter. It is therefore incumbent on the Assembly to take immediate action to prevent the Council from infringing further on its authority. We also take this opportunity to call on the permanent members of the Security Council not to hamper the reform efforts but rather to promote a genuine reform of the Organization.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“My delegation has already congratulated the President on her assumption of her high office. I would like to reaffirm our confidence in her ability to accomplish her task and to lead our deliberations to a successful conclusion. I also wish to express our gratitude to her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, Foreign Minister of Sweden, for his conduct of the work of the General Assembly during the previous session. Lastly, we are indebted to the Secretary-General for his efforts to advance the process of reform at the United Nations and fulfilment of the purposes and principles of its Charter. Last year our efforts were focused on reform. Some progress has now been made, and we have established the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)