Oman

Mr. President, please allow me at the outset to congratulate you on your assumption of the Presidency of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly. Your unanimous election to this high office attests to the respect accorded by the international community to your friendly country, Côte d’Ivoire. We are confident, in view of your qualifications credentials and diplomatic skills, that you will steer the work of this session to a successful conclusion which will further the noble causes and principles of the United Nations, which are aimed at bringing peace and prosperity to the world. I would like to assure you of my delegation’s cooperation with your endeavours to achieve this common goal. I should like also to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to His Excellency Samuel R. Insanally, the Permanent Representative of the friendly country of Guyana, for the exemplary manner in which he presided over the work of the previous session of the General Assembly. Furthermore, on behalf of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, I should like to pay special tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his dedicated and continued efforts aimed at resolving complicated conflicts by peaceful means. This forty-ninth session is being held amid increasing prospects for and optimism about the creation of a world in which atmosphere of peace, interdependence and peaceful settlement of disputes will prevail. Our Arab region is currently witnessing radical and important changes where hatred and animosities between the Arabs and Israel are slowly vanishing and giving place to a new climate of understanding, dialogue and coexistence. We are totally convinced that there is no alternative means by which the Arabs and Israel may resolve their differences other than negotiation. While some promising and positive results have been achieved, we are still at the beginning of a long process and we have a long way to go towards resolving deep-seated differences. We therefore appeal to the international community to continue to lend its support to the efforts aimed at bringing peace and security to the region. In South Africa, my country has participated with many other countries of the world in the inauguration ceremony of President Nelson Mandela. That historic event could not have taken place were it not for the courageous policies of both President Mandela and Vice President de Klerk in their approach to power-sharing based on equality. Thanks to the positive steps taken and the wise policies pursued by President Mandela in forming a National Coalition government that embraces various political parties, South Africa has been able to resume its rightful place in this Assembly, and can now play its natural role in regional and international forums. In Mozambique, the peace process is making significant progress. Moreover, we are witnessing an increasing normalization of relations amongst Asian 16 countries. We also witness more integration and interdependence in the economic relations in Europe and in North America. And last but not least, we note with satisfaction the peaceful resolution of conflicts in Latin America and the unprecedented tendency of its peoples to opt for peace, development, and social and economic betterment in their countries. We have to cover a lot of ground before we achieve the building of the world envisaged by the Charter of this Organization. The prevailing climate of concord affords us an opportunity to enable this Organization to face up to the challenges and unresolved problems and to address such problems in the light of the new realities. My country views with satisfaction the steps that have been achieved so far on the Palestinian-lsraeli track. We have always called for a just, lasting and peaceful solution to the situation between the Arabs and Israel through direct negotiations. Therefore, my country has welcomed the outcome of the Palestinian-lsraeli negotiations which culminated in the signing of the Cairo Agreement on the implementation of self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. This Agreement is now being implemented, the Palestinian Authority is now a concrete reality and is exercising its different functions in such areas as education, health, taxation, tourism and social affairs. There are other functions stipulated in the Agreement which, we hope, will be exercised at the earliest possible time, by the Palestinian Authority. The expansion of the competence of the Palestinian Authority to other Palestinian areas in the West Bank will undoubtedly strengthen the peace process and contribute positively to security and stability in the area. Such significant steps could never have been achieved had not the Palestinian Liberation Organization honoured its obligations under the Declaration of Principles signed in Washington and under the Cairo Agreement. In order to achieve peace and enable the Palestinian people to take advantage and reap the benefits of the vigorous efforts exerted in this context, the international community should extend the necessary assistance to the Palestinian Authority so that it may be able to discharge its many responsibilities and rebuild the infrastructure, which has been severely damaged. Support for the Authority will not only serve the cause of security and stability in the self-rule areas alone but in the region of the Middle East in its entirety. The desired just and lasting peace will prevail only through complete withdrawal by Israel from the entirety of the occupied Arab territories, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), and in application of the land-for-peace principle. My country has followed with interest another significant step in the peace process, namely that on the Jordan-lsraeli track, which was highlighted by the signing by His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan and the Israeli Prime Minister of a declaration that ends the state of war between the two countries and masks the movement towards the establishment of a comprehensive peace. My country has supported these positive and important steps. Mindful of the fact that comprehensive peace is an aspiration of the present and future generations, we emphasize the critical importance of a complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Jordanian territories. We believe that it is crucial for Israel to demonstrate the necessary flexibility to reach an agreement on the question of water in order for both countries to move forward towards the long-awaited lasting peace. We look forward to similar positive and important steps in the peace process on both the Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli tracks. We are confident that the co- sponsors of the Middle East peace process as well as the parties concerned are fully aware of the fact that unless significant and substantive progress is made on those two tracks, the peace process will remain incomplete and will make the region’s peoples prey to suspicions, mistrust and instability. Therefore, efforts must be made in the coming phase, to achieve concrete progress in this direction. Israel must declare its readiness to withdraw completely from the Syrian Golan Heights and from the Lebanese territories it now occupies. We are confident that if Israel were to take such an undoubtedly positive step in the peace process, the peoples of the Middle East would be able to work together towards the consolidation of peace and the promotion of economic development on a large scale in the region. Mindful of the need to support the peace process and given the awareness that national and regional security are inseparable, the Sultanate of Oman has actively participated in the meetings of the five working groups emanating from the multilateral negotiations. Although the latter are no substitute for bilateral negotiations, they constitute a significant tributary that has the potential of giving a rather significant boost to the process in the direction of the desired just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. 17 Given the pivotal importance of water resources for the future security and peace of the Middle East, the Sultanate of Oman accords a very high priority to the discovery and development of new water resources side by side with the promotion of sea-water desalination technology in order to make such technology more cost effective. Within the framework of multilateral negotiations in the Middle East, my country hosted the fifth meeting of the Working Group on Water Resources held from 17 to 20 April 1994. The meeting resulted, inter alia, in the endorsement of the Omani proposal to establish in Muscat, the Omani capital, a regional centre for the research aimed at the development of desalination technology. Given the great significance we attach to the establishment of that centre, as it will have a decidedly positive impact on the economic development of the States of the Middle East, we look forward to the cooperation of all in this regard in order to make the transfer of water- resources technology cost effective to the region so as to help in raising the standards of social and economic development and, thereby, in consolidating the peace and stability of the region. We in the Gulf region are committed to the achievement of the highest level of stability, cooperation and development in all our countries and to the development of our multilateral and bilateral relations. This naturally embraces the settlement of all bilateral differences. Consequently, we view with satisfaction the agreement between the State of Bahrain and the State of Qatar to have recourse to the International Court of Justice with regard to their differences over the disputed islands and the maritime borders. We also hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Arab Emirates would settle their differences regarding the islands of Abu Moussa, the Greater Tumb and the Lesser Tumb as soon as possible, in an amicable and peaceful fashion. This could include having recourse to international arbitration in view of the mutual interests the two countries share in various spheres. There is no doubt that such regional efforts will contribute to the consolidation of regional security and serve the cause of international peace. We have noted recently that there has been considerable progress in Iraq’s implementation of the resolutions relating to the destruction of weapons of mass destruction, particularly the agreement on the installation of a long-term monitoring system, which should now be put into effect for a suitable period. In the meantime, the Security Council should proceed to make the necessary contacts with both Iraq and Kuwait to implement its resolution 833 (1993) regarding the demarcation of international borders between the two countries through the acceptance and legal ratification by the parties in accordance with established international norms and practices in matters relating to international borders. We believe that it is an opportune time to take more positive steps to enable Iraq to perform its regional and international role in a peaceful context and to help the brotherly Iraqi people to put behind it the years of embargo and to make up for what it has lost in terms of social and economic development. The future of the region should be based on the conviction that it is imperative for States to develop and further their relations and to overcome their outstanding differences in a manner that safeguards the interests of all parties. The interdependent nature of today’s world makes it impossible for States to pursue an individualistic approach that disregards the interests of others. We therefore believe that the peaceful conduct of relations and the pursuit of constructive political dialogue are the best guarantees for present and future security and stability in the region. We aspire after a more stable, more developed world that would be totally free from ethnic and regional conflicts, a world that would be able to ensure the progress of mankind towards a better way of life by channelling the disposable economic resources to the financing of scientific research which may benefit social and economic development. While we are fully aware of the fact that the international community has made real progress in changing to the better in many important areas, it is nevertheless regrettable that there remain many factors which make other parts of the world prey to political, ethnic and regional conflicts. It is now abundantly clear that the United Nations is losing its ability to address all these crises. While we sympathize with the sufferings of many peoples that are victims of such crises, we believe it is high time the international community set up a new and unambiguous rule that should be followed in dealing with such problems. It is evident that the present mechanisms available to the United Nations and other international organizations are no longer able to perform their humanitarian role. It is not possible for the United Nations to go on feeding whole peoples indefinitely, and it is, therefore, high time for the leaders of countries immersed in such tensions and conflicts to realize that the United Nations will not be 18 responsible for their actions towards their peoples, and that the States of the international community are no longer able to rebuild for them what they themselves have destroyed. Funds should not be made available to rebuild countries which destroy their own infrastructures with their own hands. All peoples should contribute effectively to the development of the world economy rather than be a burden on it. The United Nations cannot play a peace-keeping role in each and every conflict that erupts in the world. Peace- keeping forces should not be dragged into regional conflicts except to the extent to which regional organizations and States are willing to shoulder their full responsibility in this regard. If deemed necessary, this should take place only following the consent of the parties to conflict and on the basis of clear goals and mandates linked to a definite time- frame. Regional organizations have a vital role to play in the resolution of the disputes that exist in many parts of the world. Although that role parallels and is complementary to the efforts of the United Nations, we have noted that, regardless of how important and necessary it is, it is almost non-existent in the political arena. While we value the efforts of the peace-keeping forces in Somalia, we believe it would have been possible to avoid the negative aspects that became evident in that operation had full use been made of the Organization of African Unity, the competent regional organization qualified to bring about national reconciliation and the establishment of national authority. The United Nations could have lent a helping hand by providing expertise and advice, as well as political, financial and humanitarian support. Regional arrangements, whether in Asia, Africa or in any other continent, in no way detract from the role of the Security Council as the principal body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. Rather, such regional arrangements could help lighten the Council’s workload and instil a sense of partnership and a spirit of caring into international affairs. As the possibility of the failure of some peace-keeping operations cannot be ruled out, it is necessary to face the facts and to draw object lessons from them if the United Nations is to avoid sliding into the repetition of the same mistakes. Tragic events are taking place in Rwanda as a result of the continuing political and ethnic strife that has led to the outbreak of violence, to the horrendous massacres, which claimed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, and to the destruction of the infrastructure of that country’s economy. Great numbers of Rwanda’s people are now living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries under unimaginably tragic circumstances. Hunger and disease claim the lives of hundreds daily. In view of this horrendous suffering, my country calls upon the Rwandese parties to stop the bloodshed and work towards national reconciliation in accordance with the Arusha Peace Agreement so that peace and stability may be restored in Rwanda. The mediation efforts undertaken so far to bring about peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina have proven to be insufficient, due mainly to the imbalance of power between the Bosnian parties. The main cause of imbalance in this regard is the denial to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina of their right to fight for their existence through the imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on that small State, in total disregard of its right of self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The arms embargo should be imposed on the aggressor. And who is the aggressor in the Bosnian case? All the facts available to the United Nations and its agencies regarding the situation in Sarajevo and in other Bosnian cities prove that the Serbs are the aggressors, and in the most inhuman terms. While my country welcomes the structural reforms undertaken with a view to ensuring the optimum utilization of the resources available to the United Nations with the greatest degree of efficiency and flexibility, it feels that the ability of the Organization to discharge its duties and perform its role depends to a very large extent on the willingness of the Member States to live up to one of the main responsibilities of membership - the prompt payment of their financial contributions, including their prompt contribution to peace-keeping operations. As we approach the second summit meeting of the Security Council, we ought to accord due attention to the issue of the expansion of the Council’s membership in accordance with the different trends prevailing in the world, while constantly preserving the principle of equitable geographic balance without prejudice to the level of decision-making in the Council. We therefore subscribe to the view that no hasty decision should be taken in this respect and that more time should be given to the regional groups to expound their views in this regard. 19 My country has noted with satisfaction the successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the long-range General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1994 and the establishment of the World Trade Organization. This has helped prevent the world economic order’s turning into a hotbed of tension and strife between the various regions. However, my country and the developing countries in general, some of which have acceded to those agreements or are in the process of so doing, request that their particular circumstances be taken into consideration when implementing the new agreements. It is expected that our developing countries will have to make sacrifices in order to support the world economic order arising out of the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, particularly in the short and medium terms. Therefore, we hope to find support from the new World Trade Organization that would be proportionate to what we have to offer. We are particularly interested in the developmental aspect of these agreements, as we are interested in strengthening and developing the service sector in our countries through the assistance offered by the advanced economies and the international organizations. In the area of disarmament, we hope that the international support to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction will give impetus to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to draft a comprehensive test-ban treaty that would be an important step towards ridding the world of nuclear terror. In this context, we support the efforts aimed at establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones, particularly in the Middle East, which is one of the world’s most sensitive regions. At present, thanks to the prevailing spirit of concord and the ending of the cold war between the East and West, we witness a robust movement towards the consolidation of peace and security. The world is beginning to realize that a climate of concord and harmony is the most viable means of establishing an international community characterized by constructive cooperation and mutual benefit, and that such a development will be in the interest of mankind and its well-being. Today, on the threshold of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, we hope that the outcome of this session will be more compatible with the principle of international partnership and solidarity so that humanity may be able to lessen and cure the ailments that sill undermine the twentieth century and thus ensure that the twenty-first century will be a century of hope, peace and security for all human beings wherever they may be on the face of the Earth.