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

“It was indeed an unusual event in United Nations history. The historic Millennium Summit Declaration confirmed unequivocally and clearly the commitment of all the Heads of State and Government of the world to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations. We believe that the absence of any substantial difference between the Charter and the Declaration is an important achievement in itself. The historic Declaration issued by the Millennium Summit may be considered, in one way or another, as a renewed vote of confidence in the Charter, particularly, as the world has recently witnessed major changes and dangerous challenges. One may therefore conclude that the principles and purposes adopted by peoples and nations do not undergo major changes with the passage of time.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of this General Assembly session. We are confident that the posts you have assumed in your country and the international respect that you enjoy will facilitate the task entrusted to you in leading the deliberations of this session of the General Assembly to their desired objectives. I would also like to express our appreciation to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Namibia for his efforts in leading the work of the previous session to a successful conclusion. I would be remiss if I failed to thank the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his efforts to maintain the principles and purposes of the Charter and for the distinguished role he has played in crystallizing the idea of convening the Millennium Summit last week.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We support Cuba's call for differences between the two countries to be resolved through dialogue and on a basis of equality, mutual respect and good- neighbourly relations. As we bid farewell to the twentieth century, the human race is still yearning for a world free of war, injustice, ignorance and poverty, a world governed by international relations based on cooperation, mutual respect, greater justice and true equity. Those are the yearnings which the peoples of the world hope to see realized next century, so that coming generations are guaranteed a better life and a more prosperous and humane future.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We are convinced that the Afghan problem can be solved only if the fighting ceases and negotiations are begun on achieving national reconciliation and finding an acceptable and lasting political settlement that results in security and stability for our friends the Afghan people. Syria expresses its full support for all measures to ensure peace, security and stability on the Korean peninsula. It expresses its support also for the aspirations of the Korean people for national unity achieved by peaceful means and free of foreign intervention. 18 Syria once again highlights the need to take all necessary steps, at the earliest possible moment, to end the economic, trade and financial embargo on Cuba imposed by the United States of America for almost four decades.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Syria also calls on the Security Council to put an immediate and final end to the sanctions against Libya, as Libya has honoured all its obligations under Security Council resolutions. We would emphasize that we fully support the Libyan requests for the sanctions to be ended. In the light of the fraternal relations which Syria maintains with the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran, we call on these two neighbouring countries to hold talks to find a peaceful solution to the dispute over three islands in the Gulf. The continuing tragic situation in Afghanistan is a source of great concern to us.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Let us not waste long and arduous years of negotiations: Syria is eager not to miss this opportunity to achieve peace; if it is missed, then Israel alone should take the blame. Syria reaffirms once more its great concern for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and calls for an end to the suffering of the fraternal Iraqi people. It calls for economic sanctions to be lifted, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. It also calls for no action or measure to be taken outside the United Nations context. At the same time, we ask Iraq to implement the remaining Security Council resolutions in a manner that guarantees a just solution to the problem of Kuwaiti prisoners of war and other detainees.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Specifically, it must withdraw from the Golan Heights to the 4 June 1967 line; from south Lebanon; from the western Bekaa, and also from Jerusalem, the city of peace. Settlement activities in the occupied territories and the destruction of Arab houses must stop. Last but not least, Israeli words about peace must be translated into deeds, so that students in Israel do not think that peace education means continued occupation by force of other peoples' lands. During the past few weeks, major efforts have been made by the United States of America, and by the European Union, the Russian Federation and other countries. We hope that these efforts will continue until Israel realizes how fair Syria's position is and how ready Syria is to resume negotiations at the point where they left off.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Needless to say, trust in the United States of America does not, by itself, constitute a peace agreement; rather, it is a fundamental part of an agreement whose remaining elements — normal, peaceful relations and security arrangements based on the purposes and principles laid down under United States auspices and with its participation — still need to be fleshed out. So we were not surprised, yesterday, by the address of the Foreign Minister of Israel before this Assembly, when — under the flag of peace education — he requested leaders and teachers to stress to their peoples and students the importance of peace, totally ignoring the fact that the Israeli occupation is a major reason for the absence of peace in the region. Peace education requires first and foremost an end to Israel's occupation of Arab territories.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“What Syria is calling for cannot be considered a “precondition”, as the Israeli government claims: if we were to accept that it was, as the Netanyahu Government also claimed, we would have to conclude that any agreement between negotiators on any single component of any a peace accord would always be considered a “precondition” if any move were made to conclude any other component of a peace accord. And that would invariably take negotiations, back to square one after each step forward, endlessly back and forth. Also, we draw the Assembly's attention to the falsity of the Israeli claim that Syria wants to get a particular result in the negotiations before they have even started.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“None of these can now be called into question or circumvented. They all have been duly deposited with the United States Administration, with the agreement of the parties concerned. Hence Syria's call to reaffirm that trust, including complete Israeli withdrawal to the lines of 4 June 1967, and resumption of peace talks with Israel from the point at which they were suspended in order to address pending matters until both sides agree on full peace.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“As the time for the next review of the NPT approaches, Syria renews its call for transforming the Middle East into a nuclear-weapon-free zone under United Nations auspices, as a serious contribution to the creation of a propitious climate for the regional peace, security and stability to which we all aspire. The international community looked to the peace process that began at Madrid in 1991 as the most 17 important, most serious initiative for ending a conflict that has been raging for decades, one that has bled the huge economic and human energies of the peoples of the region. The Madrid framework, the guarantees offered by the United States, the results reached based on relevant Security Council resolutions, the principle of land for peace, all constituted obligations and commitments accepted by all parties concerned.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“There will be no successful non- proliferation regime without achieving universality for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Syria, the other Arab States and most countries of the world have appealed to the five nuclear States, in the light of the 1995 extension of the NPT, not to exclude any State from acceding to the Treaty, so that the world may be spared another nuclear arms race. A new nuclear arms race has actually taken place in South Asia since the extension of the Treaty. In the Middle East, Israel remains the only State in the region that refuses to accede to the Treaty and to submit all its nuclear installations to the safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The answer is nothing, except for the marginalization of the role and status of the Security Council and the extension of its activities beyond the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, both when events have required it and, at times, when they have not. It seems that the premeditated marginalization of the role of the Security Council and the fact that the reform process has been almost dormant are being used by some as a pretext for ignoring the Charter and violating the sovereignty of States through the use of regional military organizations as a substitute for the Security Council. The world today cannot endure a nuclear arms race that threatens the security and the very survival of mankind, particularly in the absence of a just and stable international order.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The Non-Aligned Movement has been enthusiastic about this issue and has given it serious consideration at all its conferences. Its member States know full well that they lack influence in the Security Council commensurate with their numbers and reflecting their legitimate concerns. At the same time, Germany and Japan, following major international transformations, have become aware of how important it is for them to become permanent members of the Security Council. Here Italy has played an important role in seeking a third way between the North and the South. No solution has yet emerged that could attract consensus on the subject among members of the United Nations. The unavoidable question for us all is what has so far been achieved in the process of reforming the Security Council and promoting its role and status.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“But here it must be said that illegitimate intervention outside the framework of the Security Council is not as bad as completely ignoring dangerous and bloody crises such as those beyond what might be called the line of death and hunger: a line stretching from the Horn of Africa, in the east, to Angola, in the west, and then to Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. Many suffering Africans who live along this bleeding line and who lack the most basic necessities may well envy the inhabitants of Kosovo, who at least had food and medicine during their ordeal. Since the end of the cold war hopes have been pinned on the reform of the United Nations and on an increase in the membership of the Security Council with a view to achieving a more democratic and fairer representation in this international organization.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Clearly, many are dissatisfied with the use of humanitarian pretexts to launch military intervention outside the framework of the Security Council. It began with the intervention in Somalia in 1992, whose repercussions included the collapse of all State institutions and the carving up of the capital, Mogadishu, among fighting warlords. This trend continued with the intervention in Kosovo, where the fate of the people remains in the balance, although the intervention succeeded in supplying the people with medicine and food.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We are convinced that the best framework for facing up to these challenges and phenomena in a serious and effective manner is a United Nations truly respected by all its Member States, one based on collective action by the States of the North and of the South, all according to their own potential and capacities. Marginalizing the role of the United Nations, using it only on selected occasions and as a cover for initiatives and decisions adopted outside the Security Council, will serve the interests of no one. The problems and challenges facing mankind are truly grave and dangerous both quantitatively and qualitatively. We believe that no one State, however powerful and wise it is, can meet these universal problems and challenges alone, much less find lasting, solid solutions to them.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The impact of impressive scientific and technological advances in communications and in the flow of information on such events will not be limited to a momentary pinprick of conscience when we see them on our television screens. It could well go beyond this in the future, resulting in concrete action by large groups and 16 could in turn threaten the stability and sovereignty of States, especially those whose populations encompass many ethnic groups and religions. It is regrettable that these grave challenges and phenomena will be carried over into the next century, perhaps for years or even decades, without a remedy.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Through succeeding waves of migration, various religions and ethnic groups have become part of the social fabric of most societies in the world, especially in Western countries. The tragedy of such wars and conflicts is therefore a source of concern for most countries of the world, particularly the United States of America, which has the largest number of ethnic and religious groups of any country in recent history. That fact explains the interest the United States takes in regional conflicts, particularly those in the Middle East, which have repercussions at the domestic level in the United States. Such American interest is commensurate with the varied impact of these conflicts, although one should not disregard the other economic and strategic interests.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We hope that there will be an end to the contrariety by which the industrial countries demand that developing countries open their markets and borders to their products while the developing countries are finding it difficult to export their goods because of protectionist measures and obstacles, including the prevention of the transfer of technology and the refusal to allow developing countries to integrate such technology into their industrial processes. If we were to look back at the ethnic and religious wars and conflicts that spread with the end of the cold war and that reached the heart of Africa, Asia and even Europe, we would find it difficult to imagine their repercussions being confined within closed borders.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The financial crisis that affected the economies of the countries of South-East Asia two years ago reflected that mutual effect when its repercussions reached Brazil and even some other countries in South America. There must, therefore, be a constructive dialogue between developing and developed countries, a dialogue based on common interests, genuine interrelations and mutual responsibilities aimed at ensuring sustainable development and social justice.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Neither should we forget that the pollution of the environment in the countries of the North is primarily the result of industrial production of all kinds, both sophisticated and basic, at a time when environmental pollution in the countries of the South is primarily the result of the lack of a minimum of small, basic industries capable of making products to deal with environmental pollution or of employing the means to do so. In this context, we should like to reaffirm our belief that weakening the economies of the developing countries does not necessarily serve the interests of the economies of developed countries, because it weakens the purchasing power of the former, which, in turn, negatively affects the rates of economic development of the latter.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Given that fact, it is natural that people's understanding of each other's problems and concerns should increase and that ultimately a common awareness will develop to enable everyone to face the threats and challenges that await humankind everywhere on this planet. Like poisonous waste from industrial development, the epidemics resulting from underdevelopment and poverty know no borders or obstacles. Drugs would not have spread in some States in the South had it not been for the many traffickers and users in the countries of the North.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“If the advocates of market theories and globalization, and their political leaders, were to recognize that at present the poor are becoming poorer while the rich become richer and that the gap between developing and developed countries is becoming wider in every area — whether in the economic, commercial, technical, health or environmental spheres — an element of pessimism would, unfortunately, mar the feeling of optimism with which we hope to welcome the dawn of the twenty-first century. Optimism about the future is desirable because it prevents humanity, both at individual and society levels, from falling into the trap of despair and frustration. Optimism is also justified because progress in research, science and knowledge shrinks distances, eliminates obstacles and opens doors and minds in the South as well as in the North.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“They will continue as usual to follow their economic, educational, political and social development plans and programmes, knowing that the end of the twentieth century will not automatically mean an end to current regional conflicts. Neither will it automatically raise levels of development or rid developing countries of the debt burdens under which they are languishing.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations. We are confident that the presence of these States in the international community will buttress the role of the United Nations and uphold its principles. 15 Leaving the last century of the second millennium and entering the first century of the third millennium does not in itself mean the end of an era and the beginning of a new one in the life of humankind. States and peoples will take with them into the next century their concerns, aspirations, successes, failures, challenges and hopes.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Mr. Gurirab on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. I am confident that the struggle for freedom of his friendly country, Namibia, and his wide-ranging knowledge of international issues will facilitate his lofty task and will lead the deliberations of the Assembly at this important session to a successful conclusion. I should like to express my thanks to the Foreign Minister of Uruguay for his efforts and wise leadership of our deliberations in the General Assembly during the previous session. I should also like to express our gratitude to the Secretary-General of our Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his attempts to uphold the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Peoples of the world have pinned their hopes on the United Nations Charter, which specifies among its purposes the importance of maintaining world peace and security, developing relations among nations based on respect for equality and self-determination of peoples, achieving international cooperation in the economic, social and cultural fields and enhancing basic freedoms for mankind everywhere. Let us work together seriously and confidently on the basis of these principles and objectives. Let us not disappoint future generations. This is not an easy task, but it is certainly a noble one, which deserves our efforts, sacrifice, patience and wisdom.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an important occasion for re- emphasizing the fact that all human rights are universal and interrelated and that the international community should address human rights in a just and comprehensive manner, free of double standards and manipulations for political purposes or to interfere in the internal affairs of States, and taking into account the national characteristics and the historical, cultural and religious elements of each people and nation. Humankind continues to aspire to a world free of wars, poverty, ignorance and injustice, a world in which justice, security, stability and sustainable development prevail.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The Syrian delegation participated in the discussions relevant to reforming the United Nations in the spirit of collective responsibility of Member States to enhance the role of this international Organization. We believe that Member States do have a major role to play in consultations concerning the reforms and in the resulting resolutions.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We emphasize the principles of equal sovereignty among States and equitable geographical representation according to the provisions of the Charter. Syria also believes that the exercise of the right of veto should be reduced and that its scope should be limited. We support the position of the Non-Aligned Movement concerning the concept of general agreement, specifically that such agreement should, in conformity with the provisions of Article 108 of the Charter, require a majority of two thirds of Member States. The Secretary-General?s proposed plan for reform was a positive step to improve the Organization?s efficiency and enable it to cope with the changes required in the next stage.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We second Cuba?s call for the resolution of differences between the two countries through dialogue, on the basis of equality, mutual respect and good- neighbourly relations. 12 Syria is extremely concerned about the general situation in Afghanistan and the continuing bloodshed. Syria strongly condemns the killing of the Iranian diplomats in Mazar-i-Sharif. This was a violation of the principles of international law and of the tolerant values of Islam. We call upon all parties to exercise self-restraint and to work towards reaching a peaceful solution and national reconciliation. Syria supports the stand of the Non-Aligned Movement which considers the reform of the Security Council, its democratization and the expansion of its membership as part and parcel of a package deal that is not subject to a specific timetable.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We call on them to put the national interests of Somalia above all other considerations and to cooperate with Arab, African and international efforts towards the realization of national reconciliation so as to guarantee the return of security and stability for the Somali people. Syria supports the measures taken to ensure the achievement of peace and security in the Korean peninsula, and we also support the Korean people?s aspirations to achieve unity. Syria stresses anew the urgent need to take all necessary steps, as promptly as possible, to end the economic, commercial and financial sanctions imposed by the United States against Cuba for more than three decades now.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Syria follows with great concern the sharp conflicts sweeping some African countries. While expressing its solidarity and support to the peoples of Africa, Syria calls on the international community to make the necessary efforts in close cooperation with the Organization of African Unity to find solutions to these conflicts in a manner that consolidates peace, stability and security on the African continent. The international community is also called upon to give all types of support to enable African States to eliminate the scourge of poverty and free themselves of the burden of debt in order to achieve sustainable development. We are also following with great concern the situation in the Republic of Somalia. We urge all the Somali parties to respect their undertakings and implement the agreements reached among them.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“We also condemn killing innocent civilians everywhere, just as we condemn the State terrorism exercised by Israel against the Arabs. We believe that resorting to force and violence in international relations, in contravention of the United Nations Charter and the principles of international law, does not promote international legitimacy but leaves the door wide open to the law of the jungle. In this regard, Syria finds the United States attack on the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical facility in Sudan to be unjustified. We believe that this attack constitutes a violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. From this perspective, Syria supports the request of the Sudanese Government to the Security Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate the American allegations relating to that installation.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In the meantime, Iraq is called upon to implement the remaining Security Council resolutions in a way that guarantees a just resolution to the issue of Kuwaiti prisoners of war. Syria also calls for an end to the sanctions imposed on Libya, for it is our belief that it is possible to address this crisis in an appropriate legal framework, separate from any political motivation. We fully support the Libyan demand for a solution to this problem on a just basis. Syria stands against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; we condemn it on all fronts. We differentiate between terrorism and the legitimate struggle of peoples against foreign occupation and for self- determination and national liberation, which cannot be considered terrorism.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The entire peace process is on the wane and will be so long as the Israeli Government rejects the principle of land for peace and attempts to impose on the Arabs a peace based on occupation and settlerism. However, Syria has been and continues to be committed to peace; we consider it a strategic option that requires the resumption of negotiations from the point at which they stopped on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and that continues to build on the commitments and undertakings reached until a just and comprehensive peace is established in the region. Syria stresses its concern for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and calls for alleviating the suffering of our brotherly Iraqi people and lifting the sanctions imposed on them according to a specific timetable.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“11 What the region and its peoples need is not the establishment of alliances and axes but the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace, based on the full withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 and from the south of Lebanon and its western Bekaa, in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and the land-for-peace principle. In addition, the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people must be safeguarded, including their right to self- determination and the establishment of their independent State on their national territory. The peace process faces a real crisis. It has been in a stalemate on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks for over two years. It faces erosion on the Palestinian track, as well, due to Israeli intransigence.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The insistence of the Israeli Prime Minister on pursuing a policy hostile to peace and his rejection of the rights of the Arabs to regain the occupied territories under the pretext of security for Israel alone — at a time when Israel?s military arsenal is considered one of the mightiest and most modern in the world — constitute a challenge not only to the Arabs, but also to the will of the international community as a whole. It seems clear that Israel does not limit its conception of security to the Arab territories it occupies; rather it is working to establish a military alliance in the region which will undermine the peace process and put the region on a path fraught with dangers, tension and the potential for explosion.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“International efforts to contain this conflict have been unrelenting every time it has exploded, because the Middle East, with its singular strategic position, its tremendous material and spiritual wealth and its renowned cultural heritage can be considered the most sensitive parameter for measuring the state of world peace and security. The peace process that was launched in Madrid was seen as a new beginning to settle this conflict with the end of the cold war. The Madrid terms of reference, the American assurances and the results reached constituted a firm basis which cannot be ignored under any circumstance.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“However, the imminent issuance of a European monetary unit may contribute to establishing a more stable international financial and economic system. In any case, we believe there is no alternative to opening a serious dialogue within the framework of the United Nations between developing and developed countries and international monetary institutions in order to lay a solid foundation for international cooperation which might save the world from economic surprises and social upheavals and also contribute positively to the interests of all countries in the world, in the South as well as the North. Since its beginning, the Arab-Israeli conflict has been given high priority on the agenda of the international community.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Furthermore, the continuing marginalization of developing countries in international economic decision-making and the continuing severe restrictions on access by such countries to international markets and financial and technological resources render these countries unable to benefit from the promised opportunities of globalization. Strengthening development indicators and increasing levels of productivity are the more durable means of limiting the effects of economic crises and reducing the effects of financial upheavals, especially in developing countries. At any rate, we believe that such crises and shake-ups may happen from time to time and may touch every country, no matter how immune it may seem, so long as the most powerful and prevalent monetary unit in the world — the United States dollar — is not stable.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Rather, such effects go beyond those countries to the countries exporting capital and investments, which were also tempted by quick profits without paying much heed to the consequences. What is going on in the world now under the banner of globalization is a cause for concern, because it gives priority to profit over other development factors: economic, social, cultural and environmental. It also strives to confine the role of the State to providing guarantees and protection to major market forces, ignoring the responsibility for the achievement of social justice for the peoples.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Anyone who reads the statement issued by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the five permanent members of the Security Council, issued at the beginning of this session of the General Assembly, will have a headache and will be severely frustrated at seeing this world face so many regional conflicts and so many complicated crises without any light at the end of the tunnel. Thirdly, we have the recent economic and financial crises in the world, particularly following the collapse of financial markets in South-East Asia and the accompanying sharp decline in the prices of raw materials, especially oil. All of this has proven that economic globalization is a two- edged sword and has repercussions which cannot be confined to those countries tantalized by rapid prosperity generated by an inflow of capital and foreign investments.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Syria and 10 all Arab countries call for turning the Middle East into a nuclear-weapon-free zone, as a serious contribution to halting the nuclear-arms race. Secondly, in the post-cold-war era regional conflicts have multiplied, becoming more fierce, and with varying forms and motives. This has happened to such an extent that the United States, which is now the only super-Power in a unipolar world, and the Security Council, the body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, are no longer able to contain these conflicts, let alone find just solutions to them.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This proliferation has also gained a sort of legitimacy based on the fact that Israel?s possession of nuclear weapons was not spoken of during the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. My country, Syria, Arab countries and most countries in the Non- Aligned Movement appealed to the five nuclear-weapon States during the review and extension conferences for this Treaty not to exempt any country from adhering to this Treaty, so that the world will not face a new nuclear arms race. Unfortunately that urgent call fell on deaf ears. Those who now assume that nuclear-arms proliferation will be limited to a few countries are mistaken.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Following the end of the cold war a decade ago, many, especially in the countries of the North, believed that this planet, which is home to approximately 6 billion people, was going to become a more stable, secure and prosperous world. That conviction proceeded from the notion that the bi-polar system was unable to achieve international security except in the framework of a balance of terror. Nor was the old system able to resolve regional conflicts due to competition for areas of influence. The question now before the international community is the following: were these convictions justified? Or did wishful thinking leapfrog reality, ignoring the following salient facts? First, nuclear weapons, which are unparalleled in their destructive capability, have proliferated since the end of the cold war and have now reached India and Pakistan.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I have the pleasure of congratulating you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly. We are confident that your wide-ranging expertise in international affairs will facilitate your task and lead the deliberations of this session to a successful conclusion. I should like also to thank your predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his wise leadership and invaluable contributions during the preceding session of the Assembly. Nor can I fail to express our thanks and appreciation to the Secretary- General of our Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the efforts he is exerting to enhance the role of the United Nations in international affairs.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Today, as we stand at the threshold of a new century, we all face great challenges which require us to find the appropriate enabling environment for future generations to live in peace, security and cooperation within the context of international relations free of violence and confrontation. This is the hope of our peoples and this is what we must strive to reach as we look forward to a better future that is more just and more humane for the benefit of all mankind.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Such an amalgamation of issues would only further the opportunities to politicize human rights issues and their use as a means to exert specific pressures, to impose preconditions or to intervene in the internal affairs of States. Humanity has pinned great hopes on the United Nations, an Organization born of a world war which was destructive to great hopes. Humanity entertained the expectation that the Organization would succeed in outlawing war, ending all forms of aggression and championing the right of peoples to self-determination. It further expected it to succeed in achieving development and in eradicating poverty and underdevelopment.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)