It gives
me great pleasure, Madam, to extend my warmest
congratulations to you and your country, the Kingdom
of Bahrain, on your assumption of the presidency of
the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. I am
fully confident that your vast experience will guide the
work of the Assembly to a successful conclusion.
Allow me to pay tribute to your predecessor, His
Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson, for the manner in which
he conducted the work of the previous session.
I would also like to commend Mr. Kofi Annan,
the Secretary-General, for his efforts to equip this
27 06-53317
Organization with the appropriate tools to properly
respond to world events and challenges.
This session is convening in difficult times and
amid important changes. Despite the successes
achieved by the United Nations in establishing the
Human Rights Council, the Peacebuilding Commission
and the Central Emergency Response Fund, numerous
dangers and challenges still lie ahead. The situation in
the occupied Palestinian territories remains very tense
as a result of Israel’s actions, including killing,
terrorizing, collective punishment, the demolition of
homes and other practices that run counter to the noble
objectives of the peace process. There are requirements
and obligations that must be fulfilled in order to reach
a peaceful settlement between Israel and the
Palestinians.
Hence, we express our support for the call by the
League of Arab States to refer the entire Arab-Israeli
conflict to the Security Council, in order to find a
lasting, comprehensive and peaceful settlement. That
call reaffirms the commitment of the Arab States to
peace — as a strategic option and a basis for peaceful
coexistence between the Arab countries and the State
of Israel as envisioned in the Arab peace initiative.
The world has recently witnessed the tragedy of
the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, with the resulting
destruction and huge loss of life and property. We
affirm our support to the brotherly Lebanese people in
that brutal crisis. We welcome the adoption by the
Security Council of its resolution 1701 (2006) and
hope that it will enhance security and stability in the
region. The positive response to the Secretary-
General’s call for greater participation in the enhanced
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is
a clear indication of the support the international
community accords to Lebanon.
My country is deeply concerned by the
deteriorating security situation and the internal
violence in Iraq. We call upon all parties in Iraq to give
precedence to their national interests and to support
their National Government in accordance with a
conciliatory political programme that would look after
the interests of all segments of the Iraqi people.
We welcome the conclusion of the Abuja Peace
Agreement between the Sudanese Government and the
rebel groups, and we hope that it will stop further
bloodshed among the brotherly Sudanese people. We
look forward to seeing a positive and effective role by
the Security Council in the Sudan, in cooperation with
the Sudanese Government.
Although the African continent enjoys immense
natural and human resources and potential, it is
plagued by conflict, the spread of disease and poverty.
While we support the efforts of the African
Governments to deal with those difficulties, we also
call upon the international community to do all it can
to help the African countries to reinforce their efforts.
Environment is the common heritage of all
mankind. Conserving the environment is therefore a
duty shared by all countries, and we hope that during
this session further light will be shed on environmental
issues. Aware of the importance of striking a balance
between achieving development, on the one hand, and
protecting the environment, on the other, my country
has launched a national strategy aimed at protecting the
environment that incorporates environmental
considerations at all stages of planning.
We are making concerted efforts to protect our
environment, our territorial waters and our economic
areas from pollution. We are also cooperating with a
number of national, regional and international
organizations and agencies in protecting our natural
resources and preventing their deterioration.
All are agreed that globalization has positive
aspects. However, it has been noted that in some cases
globalization has hurt the interests of developing
countries. For that reason, my country supports the call
for the establishment of a world trade order that is
non-discriminatory and multidisciplinary. Such a
framework would seek to achieve a balanced outcome
in the decisions of the Doha Round of negotiations. It
is our hope that current negotiations on multilateral
trade issues, especially those related to agriculture and
the service sector, will achieve success in a way that
serves the interests and rights of all States equally.
We look forward to seeing the international
financial, economic and trade institutions play a
positive role in bridging the growth gap between
developed and developing countries. We urge those
institutions to provide support to developing countries
to help them to attract investment funds and to gain
access to global markets for their exports, without any
restrictions or protectionist measures. In this regard,
we welcome the offer of the brotherly State of Qatar to
host the International Conference on Financing for
Development in 2007.
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My country supports the call for a review of the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
(NPT) with a view to closing loopholes in the Treaty
and guaranteeing the right of all States parties to obtain
nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. While we
favour a Middle East region free from all weapons of
mass destruction, we also call on all parties to the
current talks on the Iranian nuclear issue to keep the
door open to negotiation, since direct dialogue remains
the best way of reaching a suitable compromise on
pending contested issues.
An effective international counter-terrorism
strategy requires a balance to be struck between
security considerations and respect for human rights
conventions. It is really not wise to endanger the
security and stability of States on the ground of
combating terrorism, nor is it fair to subject innocent
people to injustice or mistreatment on the basis of mere
suspicion.
Bearing in mind that human beings are the centre
and focus of development, my country has designed
policies aimed at the self-fulfilment of Omani citizens
and the development of their potential. Social welfare
programmes for individuals with special needs are a
key element in the rehabilitation of those groups, so
that they can participate in society alongside other
citizens. In cooperation with the International Labour
Organization, my country has also adopted a
rehabilitation strategy focusing on local communities.
Emphasizing the comprehensive nature of the
development process, my country has devoted special
attention to the role of women by encouraging them to
participate in development. We have introduced a draft
national strategy for the advancement of women, which
is the result of cooperation between governmental
bodies and civil society organizations.
The Sultanate of Oman takes pride in its
achievements in the area of childcare. Because of the
importance of childhood in securing out investment in
human resources, children are given priority in our
comprehensive development programme. Our national
committee for child protection and welfare was
established by Royal Decree No. 71 of 1997.
Today, more than ever before, we need an
effective United Nations that is able to shoulder its
responsibility for the maintenance of international
peace and security. That can be achieved only through
concerted efforts and political will on the part of
Member States, which will enable the Organization to
carry out its mission and responsibilities in the best
possible manner.