YouSaid · the spoken record

Farouk AL-SHARA’

lines on the record: 209
first: 1994-09-24
most recent: 2004-09-24
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

“Israel, however, has not implemented a single one of these resolutions and continues to find protection both inside and outside the United Nations. A lot has been said about establishing a greater Middle East. We are convinced that success in achieving that will remain elusive unless the relevant resolutions are implemented and peace is restored, in 9 accordance with the aspirations of the people of the region and the world.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Syria has consistently stressed the importance of assigning a permanent seat on the Security Council to the Arab States, to be allocated by rotation among the Member States in accordance with the procedures of the League of Arab States. Since its establishment, the United Nations has successfully overcome many acute regional and international crises. Its Charter has had to coexist with some of those crises. At times, the United Nations has dealt with those crises successfully. At other times, it has skirted them without actually coming to grips with them. A case in point is the Palestinian question, which is as old as the United Nations itself. The Arab-Israeli conflict still rages in spite of the fact that the United Nations has adopted more than 600 resolutions on the subject.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Syria is following with keen interest the work of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change appointed by the Secretary-General to review current and future threats to international peace and security and the current state of affairs of the main organs of the United Nations, with a view to submitting proposals on enhancing their roles. Syria will be participating in the deliberations among Member States on the proposals and opinions of the Panel. As we have made clear in past years, Syria supports reforming the Security Council and increasing its membership. In our view, that reform should be based on the principles of universality, effectiveness, democratic participation and geographical representation, particularly of developing countries.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Syria has effectively contributed to the debate on the reform of the United Nations system, the revitalization of the General Assembly and the reform of the Security Council and the increase of its membership. Syria hopes that, at this session, the Assembly will continue to address the urgent questions of peace and development so that a broad consensus will emerge and coordinated measures will be adopted towards resolving those questions. The prime objective of reforming the United Nations is to enhance its ability to face the new threats and challenges. However, reform should be built on commitment to the principles and purposes of the Charter.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is not an exclusive privilege available to one side to the detriment of the other, regardless of the disparities between them. That right should be accorded priority status on our agenda, and it must not be manipulated for political gains. It is heartening to note that some enlightened leaders have taken it upon themselves to shed light on two of the most critical problems of our world: poverty and hunger. In launching the Action Against Hunger and Poverty, they proposed practical collective solutions to preserve man’s dignity. Syria welcomes the Declaration issued by the world leaders in response to the initiative of the Brazilian President to discuss that question.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We believe that the African Union’s conflict settlement mechanisms, including its Peace and Security Council, will strengthen the role of that important continent and its ability to face the challenges of peace and development. In the Millennium Declaration, world leaders underscored the need to create an environment favourable to development and to eradicate poverty at the national and global levels. Have we acted upon those commitments? How far have we gone on the road towards implementation of the Millennium Development Goals? Have we taken the necessary steps and cooperated far enough to give the necessary impetus to efforts towards progress in the entire developing world? Development is a human right to which every human being is entitled.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The two latter conventions define crimes of terrorism and distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate right of occupied peoples 8 to resist occupation in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. My country is following with great concern the developments in the brotherly Sudan. That concern stems primarily from our commitment to the territorial integrity of the Sudan and the unity of its people. We view with satisfaction the positions and measures adopted by the Government of the Sudan to address the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. We believe that the League of Arab States and the African Union can play an important role in the settlement of the crisis. Syria welcomes the increased role of the African Union in seeking effective solutions to the major issues facing the countries and the peoples of Africa.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In that context, we reiterate our condemnation of the heinous terrorist act that killed innocent children in a school in Beslan, Russia. We also call on the international community to condemn the systematic State terror perpetrated by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories against the defenceless Palestinian people, as well as the many massacres perpetrated by Israeli occupation forces, in which innocent children, women and the elderly are killed. During its tenure on the Security Council, Syria strove to support the Council’s efforts to combat international terrorism. It has acceded to most of the international counter-terrorism conventions as well as to the Arab and Organization of the Islamic Conference anti-terrorism conventions.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The draft resolution called for the establishment of a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East region, in particular nuclear weapons, in the context of a collective international monitoring regime under United Nations supervision, which would enhance the role of multilateral international disarmament conventions. International terrorism is a cause for concern for us all. Together we should work to eradicate that dangerous phenomenon by addressing its root causes. It is on this basis that Syria has condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We condemn the kidnapping and killing of innocent people and the targeting of civilians, government institutions, humanitarian agencies, religious establishments, international organizations and diplomatic missions.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Syria was among the first countries of the region to call for declaring the Middle East region a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons. We have seriously worked to attain that objective. We have joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and concluded a comprehensive safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We have also contributed to numerous initiatives to attain that goal, most recently through the draft resolution we submitted on behalf of the Arab Group to the Security Council on 29 December 2003 (see A/58/667, annex).”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“For centuries our region has endured more foreign threats and onslaughts, acts of aggression, misrepresentations of facts and use of force against our peoples than any other region. Its potential has been wasted and its material and intellectual resources squandered, thus preventing it from attaining its development goals and advancing its capacities. The Middle East suffers an explosive situation brought about by Israeli’s expansionist policies, continued occupation and virtual sabotage of any chance for peace in the region. Furthermore, Israel’s acquisition of a nuclear arsenal constitutes a major destabilizing factor in the Middle East region that threatens the future of its peoples.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The world community today bears witness to Israel’s persistent non-compliance with 40 Security Council and 600 General Assembly resolutions, all of which call upon Israel to withdraw from the occupied Arab territories so that a just and comprehensive peace can be established in the region. Soon after the adoption of every resolution Israel would reject it, levelling accusations and heaping insults on the Organization. It has refused to allow entry to members of fact-finding missions, and has even harassed them. Given all those facts, does anyone have the right to ask whether the statements by the representative of Israel mark the beginning of a radical change in the position of his Government, perhaps indicating the pursuit of a policy that respects international legitimacy and is committed to compliance with its resolutions?”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“What the peace process lacks today is a strategic Israeli decision comparable to the Syrian decision to achieve peace in the region. It was rather disparaging that the Foreign Minister of Israel used this rostrum of international legitimacy to ignore the facts and selectively refer to a resolution recently adopted by the Security Council on Lebanon. Israel violates Lebanese airspace, territorial waters, land borders and sovereignty on a daily basis and continues to occupy parts of Lebanese territory. The representative of Israel tried, in vain, to misguide the international community.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We continue to call for the withdrawal of Israel from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967, for guaranteeing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish their own independent State with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, namely, Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the Madrid 7 terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative endorsed by the Beirut summit of 2002. That was the basis of Syria’s serious engagement in the peace negotiations for over a decade. The literature published on the subject recently in the United States and Israel bears witness to the seriousness with which Syria approached those negotiations.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Syria, a neighbouring country directly concerned with events in Iraq — given our historic and geographical ties as well as our common national bonds with the Iraqi people — has spared no effort to guarantee Iraq’s stability, security, independence, territorial integrity and the unity of its people. We stand ready to cooperate with the neighbouring countries and all the parties concerned, including the United Nations, to enable the Iraqi people to govern themselves, manage their resources and establish optimal relations with their neighbours. Syria has repeatedly declared its commitment to a just and comprehensive peace.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Among the strategic mistakes committed by the think-tanks and research centres that owe their allegiance to Israel is to mislead the Israelis into believing that the new Iraq will hasten to conclude peace agreements with Israel and establish diplomatic relations with it before it withdraws from the occupied Arab territories. They ignored the fact that the Iraqis refused to adopt the new flag that was designed for their country after the war simply because its colours somehow bear resemblance to the Israeli flag. The deteriorating situation in Iraq remains a source of great concern for my country and other countries in the region and the world. That state of affairs should prompt all of us to mobilize all efforts to win the battle for peace in post-war Iraq.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Israel bears an important share of the responsibility for the intensification and worsening of the American predicament in Iraq by avoiding the resumption of the peace process despite the hand extended to it in peace by the Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese. I must repeat that Israel bears an important share of the responsibility for the intensification and worsening of the American predicament in Iraq owing to its failure to resume the peace process. The Israeli course of action may come back to haunt it because its continued occupation of the Arab lands is a major cause of the rejection of American policies in the broader Middle East. That is also true in Europe where polls conducted a year ago showed that most of the citizens of the European Union believe that Israel poses a threat to international peace.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“But Israel has not fully succeeded in realizing its goals, and even where it has, that success will be short- lived because Israel has in recent years transformed its regular army into gangs bent on committing systematic killings and war crimes against Palestinian civilians, all perpetrated in the territories it occupies in the West Bank and Gaza. Killing the Palestinians often occurs in the course of house demolitions that terrorize their wretched occupants, who frequently look death in the eye. All this notwithstanding, the defenceless Palestinians have stayed the course and refused to surrender or leave.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Sharon is trying to mislead world public opinion into believing that achieving peace would require only the dismantling of some Jewish settler outposts in Gaza, not withdrawal from the West Bank and the occupied Palestinian territories, let alone withdrawal from East Jerusalem and accepting a just solution to the problem of the Palestinian refugees. Secondly, Israel hoped to divert the attention of the world and camouflage the settlement activities in the occupied Arab territories that have continued unabated, while continuing to build the racist segregation wall and lessening the importance of State terror perpetrated by Israel on a daily basis. Israel has repackaged its policies as an act of self-defence that does not warrant condemnation and denunciation even though it targets innocent civilians.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It has packaged them with great care, breathed life into many of them, and distributed them among the delegations that owe allegiance to it. It was hoping to achieve the following: first, to incite the Americans in particular and the West in general to wage endless wars in the Middle East, in order to underscore the old-new theory of Israel that the Arab- Israeli conflict is not the core of the problems of the region. To prove our point we refer to the argument promoted by Israel that the situation in Iraq and its repercussions are more dangerous and complicated than that prevailing in the occupied Arab territories and Palestine.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“However, some power circles attempted to exploit those great human achievements to further their own narrow interests. They devised new colonialist policies that disappointed the peoples of the world and turned back the clock. At the speed of light, the world forgot about the surge of optimism that overwhelmed many of the world’s leaders as they addressed this Assembly four years ago when they celebrated the third Millennium. Today, a wave of pessimism has taken over the world because of extremist and intolerant policies advanced by some strategic think-tanks that were determined to find a new enemy, under any pretext, after the fall of the Soviet Union. 6 Israel has contributed to the creation of many of those flimsy pretexts.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It can only be solved if the leaders of the world work in earnest and evince the necessary political will to restore credibility to the United Nations and guarantee respect for international legitimacy through their commitment to United Nations resolutions that are based on the principles and purposes of the Charter. Justice and equality, it must be recalled, are at the core of the Charter of this Organization. The peoples of the world were optimistic about the great strides that were made in science and technology and the collective and individual achievements that spanned all fields of human endeavour in the past two decades. They aspired to a globalization with a human face that was based on a dialogue among civilizations, and synergies with other cultures, that would keep the spectre of cold and hot wars at bay.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Is it possible to prove that throughout history military solutions, and not political or economic solutions, have been more effective tools for reform and progress and for saving the lives of millions of people plagued by injustice, poverty and disease? At any rate, while political solutions may not necessarily guarantee full success, military solutions are definitely a recipe for failure. Moreover, while such an argument may sound idealistic, there can be no alternative to political solutions. The current international dilemma is exacerbated by military solutions. There are many examples to prove that argument. We can cite, by way of example, the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places. Left alone, that dilemma will not be solved.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In this context, the peoples of the developing countries are wondering why hundreds of fighter jets and thousands of soldiers would be hauled across the continents and why billions of dollars would be spent to bring about a regime change in certain countries when those resources could have been channelled — even partially — into financing education and development projects in those same countries? When reform becomes a national and an international demand, how can we justify to those seeking reform the fact that the movers and the shakers of the world chose to impose sanctions instead of investing in peace and prosperity and chose to spend billions on war instead of opting for the road that would surely lead to reform and progress?”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is also clear that this deteriorating situation, which the international community acknowledges but has failed to strive in earnest to remedy, will not serve anyone in particular. This is all the more true now that the justifications of the cold war era, with its enormous expenses on armaments, can no longer be invoked and that pre-emptive wars, with the great losses in life and property they entail, have proven useless. The mistakes committed during the world war on terror, regardless of whether they were committed in good faith or in bad faith, have worked as a call to promote and practice terrorism, which has been embraced by an enemy whose whereabouts we do not know. This enemy is committing acts so horrific that they remind us of the Middle Ages.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is no exaggeration to argue that the major challenges today to the questions of peace, security and development stem not only from failing to heed the United Nations Charter but also from manipulating some of its Articles to greatly disrupt and derail international relations and to deliberately upset the international equilibrium that we inherited from the cold war era. Thus, it becomes clear that the surge in extremism, the diversity of its causes and manifestations and the spread of poverty and hunger across large parts of the world are not the concern of only one country, one people or one religion, but, rather, of all peoples, countries and religions of the world.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Secretary-General for his patience and efforts to make the voice of the United Nations heard in a precarious international situation, amid volatile regional conditions, in which force is preferred to law, wrong preferred to right and war preferred to peace. Our world has been going through extremely difficult times since 11 September 2001. That is particularly true of the United States and the Middle East. The 5 United Nations could have very well shared the fate of the League of Nations in the 1930s, although very little thought was given to the dire consequences that such a development would have entailed, given the absence of other alternatives.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. I am confident that your wisdom, drawn from the positions of your friendly country of Gabon, will stand you in good stead in promoting dialogue among the peoples and the countries of the world, in invigorating the role of the United Nations and in preserving its Charter. I also express my appreciation, Sir, to your predecessor, Mr. Julian Hunte, for his efforts to bring the previous session to a successful conclusion.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Do we have at our disposal a better option than to enhance the purposes and principles of the Charter and to pursue the goal of reforming the Organization for the establishment of a more just and more democratic international order? Should we not persevere to safeguard the milestone achievements of international law? Should we not aspire to a system that will not accommodate the arrogance of power nor compromise our fundamental principles? Should we not seek a system that pursues fruitful cooperation among States and encourages openness and a dialogue among civilizations epitomizing the essence of a creative human interaction?”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In that regard, the Millennium Declaration, which was 11 adopted three years ago, represented a good basis, all things considered, to bring about that reform. We hope that the reform will continue to be carried out in a comprehensive, transparent and non-selective manner. We believe that, in cooperation with the Secretariat, Member States have a primary role to play in the consultations on reform and in the decisions to be taken accordingly. In conclusion, our sense of the daunting responsibility that we must shoulder together as members of this international Organization should prompt us to raise some rhetorical questions.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Syria also expresses its satisfaction with the progress made in the Sudanese peace talks, with the signing of the agreement on security and ceasefire arrangements, and ultimately with the comprehensive agreement that will end the conflict in that fraternal country in a way that would preserve the Sudan's unity and territorial integrity. We call for a total lifting of the embargo imposed on Cuba for decades outside the context of international legitimacy. We also welcome the international efforts to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula, and support the Korean people's legitimate aspirations to unity and prosperity. Acting upon the collective responsibility of Member States to promote the role of this international Organization, Syria has actively participated in the deliberations on the reform of the United Nations.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Syria has also presided over Council meetings that were dedicated in full to finding solutions to the predicaments of the friendly people of Africa. On more than one level, the Council has succeed in providing assistance to Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, CÙte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Burundi, Angola and Sierra Leone. My county would like to express its satisfaction at the positive developments that have made it possible to find peaceful solutions to African questions, which have guaranteed the security, stability and territorial integrity of the African States concerned. Syria expresses its total solidarity with the African continent. We call upon industrialized States and others able to do so to provide assistance to the countries of that great continent.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Both instruments define the crime of terrorism and distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate right of people under foreign occupation to resist occupation, in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Syria, which is not pursuing any political agenda, believes that the international community's success in its overall battle against terrorism depends, to a large extent, on its success in addressing the root causes of terrorism, which are often found in poverty, ignorance and injustice. First and foremost, eliminating injustice requires an end to foreign occupation. As a member of the Security Council, Syria has contributed to all the deliberations on the situation in Africa.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Syria is aware that its membership in the Security Council is temporary. However, we appeal to the international community to continue to support the Syrian initiative calling for the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East region. Syria has condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We have supported the Security Council's efforts to counter international terrorism throughout the time of our membership of the Council. Syria has also acceded to the relevant international conventions to combat terrorism, including the Arab Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism and the Convention of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on Combating International Terrorism.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“What is truly regrettable, however, is that some international quarters selectively choose to level false accusations against certain Arab and Islamic States, but not against others, while ignoring the Israeli arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Also ignored have been the repeated appeals by all the countries of the region, with the exception of Israel, to make the Middle East a region free of all weapons of mass destruction. Syria this year translated its words into action by submitting an integrated draft resolution to the Security Council, calling for declaring the Middle East a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction. It is not surprising, however, that those who led the media campaign against Syria stood in the way of adoption of the Syrian initiative.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Therefore, the draft 10 resolution to be adopted by the Security Council must be brought to full maturity, so as to reassure the Iraqi people about their future and to guarantee their independence and sovereignty over their land and resources. The members of the Security Council should unanimously accept such a resolution, and it must enjoy the support of neighbouring States and the international community. Much has been said lately about the dangers of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction paid by countries that already have different types of such weapons. Some have even waged a war under the pretext of eliminating such weapons. As is already known, this danger is not confined to a particular region in the world, but can be found in many other regions.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The way out lies in an international commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq, setting a clear timetable for the withdrawal of the occupying forces from Iraq as soon as possible, drafting a constitution accepted by the Iraqis and establishing a Government that is representative of the Iraqi people, provided that the United Nations plays a pivotal role in Iraq in the various political, security and economic fields. This session of the Assembly has seen intensive discussion among the permanent and elected members of the Security Council on a new draft resolution on Iraq. We must draw attention here to the requirement that any draft resolution to be adopted by the Security Council should allay the misgivings of the Iraqi people in all their factions and affiliations.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The real challenge, we believe is how to extricate Iraq from this predicament and mobilize all efforts to win the battle for peace in post-war Iraq. Our country is directly concerned with developments in Iraq, given our historical and geographic ties and our common national loyalties to the Iraqi people. Syria affirms that finding the way out of this predicament does not lie in focusing on addressing the lack of security in Iraq, thereby increasing the number of troops and using force to bring about security, or on levelling accusations at neighbouring countries.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“That situation notwithstanding, most of the members of the Council were able to stay the course, upholding international legitimacy and the Charter. The war was ultimately waged outside the framework of international legitimacy and those members chose not to its burden. Along with other neighbouring countries, Syria remained committed to the principles of international legitimacy and the Charter. In an unprecedented dÈmarche, our countries unanimously stressed their common concern that, should this war break out, its repercussions on regional security and international peace would be more devastating than the precarious situation prevailing in Iraq at the time. That said, Syria does not base its foreign policy on hatred, nor do we gloat over the misfortunes of others. We do not redefine our policy in response to threats either.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The grave situation in Iraq has become a source of serious concern for our people, who are already plagued by Israeli occupation and continued threats against them. The situation is also a major cause of concern for the international community due to the threat it poses to international peace and security. The credibility of our Organization suffered greatly when the United Nations was unable to prevent the war against Iraq, a war waged outside the context of international legitimacy. For weeks and months, the Security Council was drawn into bitter strife, debating the war resolution prior to the war. The marathon report of the inspectors came out before the inspectors had accomplished the tasks entrusted to them.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“When did the victims of occupation, settler colonialism and population transfer become outlaws and terrorists without a just cause, whose killing by fighter jets and tank fire became sanctioned under the pretext of self- defence? Some people in Washington have asked Why do they hate us?' Some authors with ulterior motives, or self-proclaimed pundits writing for reputable American newspapers or appearing on famous television programmes, volunteer their answers: They hate us because we have skyscrapers and noble values.' They choose to ignore that what is hated are the flawed policies, and not the country and its beautiful landmarks and cherished cultural and humanitarian values.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Are the Syrians, the Lebanese and the Palestinians unrealistic in their demands, or are they asking for the impossible when they stress that the only way out of the spiral of violence and bloodshed is through ending the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, through negotiations to pursue a comprehensive, just and lasting peace on the basis of implementing United Nations resolutions and the Arab Summit peace initiative adopted at Beirut in 2002? The nagging core question here is how much longer Israel continue can to mislead some into believing that it is being victimized while it continues to occupy the territory of others by force, lay siege to Palestinians, destroy their homes, uproot their trees and assassinate them in their occupied land.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“It is regrettable that, after decades of occupation, bloodshed and contempt for international legitimacy, the representative of Israel has yet to realize that the road to peace lies in Israel's implementation of the 37 Security Council resolutions on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the nearly 600 General Assembly resolutions on the same subject, all of which have so far remained hostage to Israeli defiance of international law. 9 It behoved the Israeli Foreign Minister to explain in his statement to the international community in this Hall a few days ago the reasons for his country's refusal to implement this enormous number of resolutions of international legitimacy on the Middle East, instead of ignoring them, considering them null and void, items of the past.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The scourge of the Israeli occupation and continued Israeli aggression has been the main reason for the suffering of our region since the concept of international legitimacy first emerge in the international community. That is the concept on which the Organization was founded and which it came to epitomize. There is a profound paradox that has become the hallmark of our region. Israel was the first State to acquire its legitimacy through a resolution adopted by the United Nations, yet Israel was also the first State to ride roughshod over international legitimacy and it has continued to do so to the extent that Arabs and many others around the world feel as if Israel were a country above the law, one that enjoys the same veto power in the Security Council as the United States.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Our region the cradle of the divine religions and the storehouse of two thirds of the world's oil reserves has been victimized more than any other, suffering greater injustice, being subjected to more disinformation campaigns and enduring greater use of force than any other region. It has to endure a great many external threats that continually lay waste its potential and its material and intellectual resources. No sooner had the peoples of the region begun to enjoy their freedom and independence than they found themselves once again faced with violent and unjust challenges challenges that are worse than any they have known throughout their history.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“New concepts that are totally alien to the Charter, such as pre-emptive war and unilateral and illegitimate use of force, have been invented. In brief, that course of action has turned the clock back contrary to the superficial claims that new prospects were actually being opened. It is regrettable that in the twenty-first century some think tanks provide decision-makers with misleading or false information on the basis of which wars are waged outside the context of international legitimacy and blood is shed. Accusations are made that completely lack credibility, and unbridled claims are advanced in deliberate disregard of any logic developed by States and peoples throughout their history.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“They will open the door to widespread chaos in international relations and to crises that might be more dangerous than those we are currently facing. My country believes that the failure to reap the optimal benefits of the remarkable scientific and technological advances that humanity has made in the past two decades, coupled with the failure to achieve globalization with a civilized, human face, have alienated our peoples and heightened their apprehensions. It has obstructed the dialogue among civilizations and blocked further interaction with other cultures. Attempts by some centres of power in the world to manipulate the profound changes that have taken place in the international balance of power in pursuit of narrow national interests have added insult to injury. Cards have been shuffled and premises have been challenged.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“This is the only forum in which it would be extremely difficult to pass an arbitrary or pre- emptive war resolution that would result in the deaths of innocent civilians and the destruction of their property. Our world today faces daunting challenges that threaten the very foundation of the system of international peace and security. World leaders are therefore called upon to make a sincere and concerted effort and to demonstrate unwavering political will to commit themselves once again to the principles of international legitimacy. Giving precedence to the logic of force, violating the sovereignty of nations and taking actions that affect people's future compromise legitimacy and the principle of equality. Such policies represent a miscarriage of justice and an abrogation of the rule of law.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“It is with deep sorrow that we recall the great loss that the United Nations in general, and the friendly country of Brazil in particular, suffered as a result of the death of 8 Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello and his colleagues in the attack against the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad last month. Many leaders and other representatives of the peoples of the world have gathered together at this international forum. That in itself proves beyond any doubt that this edifice of international legitimacy, and the resolutions that are adopted here, remain the most acceptable and respectable political recourse available to the various countries of the world, be they large or small, rich or poor.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I should like at the outset to congratulate Mr. Hunte on his election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session. I am confident that his wisdom, as expressed in the policies of his friendly country, will promote constructive dialogue among Member States. In the final analysis, constructive dialogue remains the most valid means of addressing the complex problems currently facing the international community. It also gives me great pleasure to express to the Secretary-General and his staff our sincere appreciation for the effort they have made and the hardships they have endured in preserving the status of this Organization, and for not submitting to attempts to marginalize it in the international arena.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)