Jordan

It is my pleasure, at the outset, to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election and to wish you and the members of the Bureau every success in the discharge of your duties. Your election is a mark of the confidence and high regard in which both you and your country are held by the international community. Your wisdom and your forbearance will be crucial to the successful outcome of the current session. I should like to express deep appreciation for the exemplary manner in which your predecessor conducted the work of the Assembly during his tenure last year. I also wish to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros-Ghali, for his tireless efforts to enhance the Organization’s ability to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. It is gratifying to observe that the membership of the United Nations now encompasses several recently independent States. We share bonds of religious and cultural affinity with some; we share friendships and mutual respect with all. We hope that the principle of universality, which has always been the cornerstone of the United Nations, will soon encompass the remaining 15 peoples and regions, so that this Organization can truly represent the collective conscience of mankind. It is, I believe, fitting to extend heartfelt congratulations to President Nelson Mandela, to Vice-President Frederik De Klerk, and to the people of South Africa. They have together established a new order in their country, one founded on justice and equality. The world rejoices at the return of South Africa to the fold of the international community of nations. The South African people have proved that peace is always possible, so long as all are given the chance to participate in its building. This is a theme that bears consideration. As we approach a landmark in the history of the United Nations - the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation - it is appropriate to look forward rather than back; to take stock of things to come rather than things past. It is appropriate to consider the shape that our global order is taking. South Africa offers a new paradigm, a fresh vision for a changing world. It shows us that a new order must have room for everyone. We must be able to listen to all voices: to the weak and the powerful alike. A new order must be inclusive and must actively encourage participation at every level: for in our ever- more interdependent world, the future of one is the future of all. This, I believe, goes to the very heart of global peace. We are called upon, then, to articulate a new approach. We must protect the rule of law, but we must go further, and ensure that democracy, pluralism and respect for human rights come to govern the life of nations. We must evolve new procedures of cooperation, communication and accommodation. We must promote social responsibility, national commitment and international obligation. Nations must learn to coexist with their neighbours; but more than this, they must learn to work willingly together as partners in the enterprise of peace. Such a transformation is taking place in the Middle East. My region has been synonymous with conflict and war for decades. At last we have an historic opportunity to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, and to fashion in its place a new commonwealth of peace, hope and participation for all. The question of Palestine has been Jordan’s main concern. Family ties, geographic contiguity, and shared history and traditions ensure that this is so. Over the years, Jordan has extended support and encouragement to our Palestinian brethren. Our contributions and sacrifices to the Palestinian cause from 1948 onwards have been widely acknowledged. My country has received successive waves of refugees and returnees, at a huge cost to our economy, imposing an impossible burden on our limited resources. Yet we remain committed to our democratization process, to the protection of civil liberties and human rights, and to the provision of decent living conditions and services for all our citizens. Underlying this commitment is our belief that broad-based popular involvement in civil society is fundamental to its health. This is why Jordan has been able to weather the ravages of war, to survive the long years of turmoil in our region. If Jordan has been on the front line of war, so too has it been on the front line of peace. In those well- known words of Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which my country helped to draft, Jordan has always worked steadfastly for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. We promoted the genesis of the current process with the Madrid Conference of 1991. When the Israeli Government of the day refused to negotiate with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Jordan stepped into the breach, helping the Palestinians to assume their proper role by providing an umbrella for their participation. Now the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, is negotiating directly with Israel. They are installed in Gaza and Jericho, and conduct their affairs as they see fit: their destiny is at last in their own hands. Jordan welcomes these developments, and will continue to do everything in its power to ensure the success of Palestinian autonomy arrangements. On the Jordanian-Israeli track, our common agenda has paved the way for us to agree upon modalities in areas such as water, the environment, energy, territory, borders and regional security. These agreements resulted in the meeting between His Majesty King Hussein and Prime Minister Rabin of Israel, on 25 July 1994, at which they signed the Washington Declaration. This historic document ended the state of war between Jordan and Israel. I myself have just held constructive talks with President Clinton and Foreign Minister Peres, the goal of which is to build a framework of trilateral development as well as an economic equilibrium in the region, and to maintain the momentum towards peace. Jordan and Israel are engaged in substantive talks, seeking just and mutually agreeable solutions to the outstanding issues listed in our common agenda. Our aim 16 is to conclude a treaty of peace based on solid grounds that can withstand the winds of change. Such a treaty, we believe, will delineate our rights and duties under conditions of peace. It will open the door to cooperation at the regional level, so that the benefits of peace may be enjoyed by our peoples. It has always been Jordan’s vision that the Middle East, cradle of civilization and birthplace of the three great monotheistic religions, should be a region of cultural tolerance and mutual interdependence. Important as our bilateral talks with Israel may be, we are keenly aware that no two nations stand alone. Our aim remains a comprehensive peace. Many of the issues we are currently addressing defy the confines of bilateralism and require regional and international participation. One such issue concerns the spiritual significance of the city of Jerusalem. For believers in the three great monotheistic faiths, Jerusalem must be the ultimate symbol of peace and its glorious manifestation. A final settlement on the political and administrative status of the city, however, will occur in negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. Any arrangement reached must serve the needs of the millions of followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The economic dimension of peace is likewise a transnational concern. The economies of the Middle East have been shattered by the conflict. They must be revived if peace is to take root on the ground. Access to more equitable opportunities for economic growth will be vital. International debt relief and write-off strategies should be planned, encompassing improved concessionary terms by the Clubs of Paris and London. But the States of the region must also play their part. Restrictions on trade should be relaxed. We must develop a non-discriminatory approach to sustainable development and economic well-being. We hope that the Middle East-North Africa Economic Summit at Casablanca will build on the achievements of the Regional Economic Development Working Group and prove a useful forum to explore the potential partnership between Governments, private businesses and international financial institutions - for this partnership surely holds the key to the economic future of the region. International changes wrought by the end of the cold war have affected the political situation in the Middle East as elsewhere. The transformation of world power politics has been accompanied by a shift in attitude, modifying the cost benefit calculus of regional States. National strategic objectives can no longer be sought at the cost of others in a supposedly "zero sum game". In the context of a regional security regime, the size, the role and the function of the armed forces in individual States of the region are likely to undergo radical changes. These will favour peace-keeping functions, allowing scarce resources to be released for development needs. ln this context, Jordan fully supports the five dimensions of world peace and security outlined by the Secretary-General. I would like to add that Jordan supports the ongoing effort to streamline the United Nations, and fully endorses the attempt to increase the number of permanent members on the Security Council. We also support the American proposal that peace-keeping operations be strengthened by additional personnel, more effective field capabilities, greater cooperation between the United Nations and participating countries and a more united approach to training. Here again, Jordan is at the forefront of change. Our armed forces as peace-keepers under the United Nations command as far afield as Georgia, Angola and the former Yugoslavia value the opportunity to take part in these missions, for in a very real sense, they allow us to participate in the unfolding world order. Jordan is proud to be involved in shaping global security arrangements. As the peace process develops, it will be necessary to promote a common regional identity and a shared regional vision. All the Middle East must contribute to the articulation of this vision. The key, again, is participation. If the countries and peoples of the region have a say in shaping its future, they will have a stake in its success. And success will accordingly be all the more likely; for the diversity of our region is a positive asset that we must learn to use creatively. We will inevitably differ on certain issues, just as we will agree on others. But we must be able to discuss our views in the knowledge that they will be heard, for honest communication is the basis of genuine involvement in any joint enterprise. In this spirit, Jordan feels honour-bound to register its concern over threats to the process of global reconciliation. Inertia must not be allowed to dominate the conduct of world affairs. Deep-seated conflicts will not disappear by themselves. We urge the international community of States to take swift action to facilitate their resolution. 17 One glaring example is the ongoing situation in Bosnia Herzegovina. The appalling practices of "ethnic cleansing" and genocide continue even as we speak. My country abhors these atrocities. Jordan supports all the international community’s efforts to end this tragic and wasteful conflict, and we have taken positive steps to alleviate the hardship it has caused. Jordan has joined the Non-Aligned Movement’s task force on Bosnia. Our soldiers, who form the second largest contingent of the United Nations peace-keeping effort in the Balkans, are engaged in both humanitarian relief and peace-keeping duties. Jordan has supported the Vienna and Washington Agreements to establish a federation between the Muslims and Croats of Bosnia, and has welcomed the peace plan advanced by the Contact Group, supported by the G-7 summit in Naples. The Serbian challenge to the plan, in the face of Muslim and Croat acceptance, is cause for deep disappointment. I turn now to the situation in the Gulf. The importance of stability and security cannot be overstated. International norms must be observed; the territorial integrity of all States must be preserved. Their sovereignty and political independence must be upheld on the basis of non-interference in their internal affairs. My country also wishes to reiterate its serious concern for the plight of the people of Iraq, where living conditions are deteriorating rapidly. We intend to do our utmost to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people, so far as is consistent with the provisions of United Nations resolutions. The distorted image of Islam remains a cause for grave concern. The attention of this body should be turned to the spreading of Islamophobia, or hate for Muslims. This phenomenon occurs in all manner of ways, from the purely verbal to the bluntly physical. Its proponents deal in inflammatory rhetoric. They preach the inevitability of cultural apocalypse, tarring all Muslims with the brush of fanatical extremism. They ignore the fact that Islam is a broad and adaptable concept and institution. One billion Muslims now live on this earth. Thus, Islam encompasses all shades of political opinion, different patterns of theological thought, and countless varieties of human experience. Jordan urges Member States to join forces in bringing about a better understanding of Islam as a religion, a culture and a civilization. The expression of anti-Muslim sentiment, and other manifestations of Islamophobia, should be monitored and combated by educational campaigns, cultural exchanges and similar endeavours. We have always advocated an interfaith dialogue as the surest way to combat bigotry and stereotyping. More than a decade ago now, I stood before this Assembly and called, on behalf of my country, for a new international humanitarian order. That led to the establishment of the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues. The Commission was charged with investigating a wide range of pressing humanitarian issues. It performed its duties well, producing a series of reports that made clear the scale of the impending global humanitarian disaster. It would be comforting to stand before this Assembly today and tell it that its work has made a significant difference. It would be comforting, but it would not be true. A new international humanitarian order has not come into being. The powerless remain powerless. The dispossessed have not recovered their birthrights. There are more refugees, more street children, more innocent victims of conflict than ever before. What is worse, these issues are still addressed in a piecemeal fashion. It is often said that one should not try to treat a mass of symptoms, but to seek out root causes. Remarkably, it sometimes seems that far from seeking causes we are doing our best to ignore the symptoms. Today, I have tried to address causes. I have spoken of the fundamental need for participation at all levels. I have put before the Assembly a vision of a global order characterized by partnership and communication, tolerance and trust. In some places this vision is on the road to realization; in others, it has seldom been more remote. The alternatives are very clear, and the choice is ours. I pledge my country’s full support to this Organization, for as we move towards the twenty-first century, and as the Organization moves towards its fiftieth anniversary, the ideal that inspired the Charter of the United Nations has never been more important.