It gives me pleasure at the outset to join the speakers who preceded
me in congratulating you. Sir, on your election to the presidency of the
General Assembly at its forty-seventh session. My delegation is confident
that your wide experience and diplomatic skill will contribute to the success
of the session.
I should like also to pay tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Samir Shihabi,
for the exemplary manner in which he conducted the affairs of the forty-sixth
session of the General Assembly.
I am pleased also to convey our appreciation and praise to the
Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for this
consistent efforts, in the face of numerous impediments, to strengthen the
role of the Organization in achieving the purposes and principles of the
United Nations Charter, as well as for his Agenda for Peace proposals aimed at
enhancing the role of the United Nations in preserving international peace and
security, ensuring justice and protecting human rights.
I should like too to welcome the new Members of the Organization:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Slovenia, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and
Georgia. Their accession to the Organization's membership is a further step
towards the complete universality of our Organization. It also enhances
international acceptability of the principles and purposes of this great
Organization and boosts its efforts to achieve justice, prosperity, progress
and international peace and security.
Since the last session, international relations and the international
balance of power have undergone profound changes and transformations. Those
changes have resulted in, among other things, the collapse and disintegration
of what was known as the Soviet Union, and the end of bipolarity. The world
has begun to seek the establishment of an alternative order whose features
have not crystallized. In the meantime, there are signs that several of the
cold-war problems such as certain regional conflicts, the dismantling of the
apartheid system in South Africa and the slowing down of the arms race may
be amenable to solution. These developments in international relations have
created new opportunities and new challenges. The challenges must be
confronted by the international community with all seriousness and
determination.' This should be done by strengthening the spirit of
understanding and reconciliation that now prevails in international relations.
However, this optimism should not stop us from conceding that certain old
questions and problems have not been resolved yet. Furthermore, those
developments have created new hotbeds of tension in certain areas of the
world, as evidenced by the eruption of the ethnic conflicts and civil wars
that have cast their shadows on the international arena. Such unwelcome
trends make it incumbent upon the international community to do more to
strengthen the positive trends in international relations so that we may
resolve the residual and the new problems alike.
Within that context, my country supports the efforts of the States of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reach a speedy solution
to the Liberian problem.
We also urge the international community to encourage the Afghans to
settle their differences in a manner that would spare them new confrontation.
And we call on the international community to work seriously to end the bloody
conflict in the Balkans by encouraging the republics of the former Yugoslavia
to settle their disputes through dialogue and negotiation instead of force and
violence.
The international community should redouble its efforts to put an end to
the human tragedy of the Somali people and to take appropriate measures to
reach a rational reconciliation, thereby guaranteeing a dignified life for the
Somalis, who are facing a massive famine.
As for the conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United
Arab Emirates, over the islands of Abu Mousa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, we
would like to state the need to adhere to the international norms and
conventions that prohibit the occupation by force of the territory of another
State. We call upon our brethren in Iran and the United Arab Emirates to
allow reason, respect for good-neighbourliness, and the principle of
sovereignty to prevail, and to search for a peaceful solution to this
conflict, thereby sparing the region an escalation in tensions.
The just cause of the Palestinian people has been with the United Nations
since its inception. Notwithstanding the adoption of numerous resolutions by
the General Assembly, the Security Council and other organs, the Organization
remains unable to implement its own resolutions. As the Secretary-General
states in his report to the Security Council on preventive diplomacy,
"The principles of the Charter should be applied consistently, not
selectively, for if the perception should be of the latter, trust will
wane and with it the moral authority which is the greatest and most
unique quality of that instrument." (A/47/277, para. 82)
Due to clear discrimination against the Palestinian people who remain
under the yoke of Israeli occupation and suffer all forms of oppression,
repression, enslavement and injustice caused by an international community
which employs double standards that people rose up in an intifadah against
Israeli occupation, insisting, properly, on their right to self-determination
and demonstrating that the will of peoples cannot be crushed by repression.
We should like to reaffirm from this rostrum our support for the
intifadah of the Palestinian people against injustice and for that people's
right to liberate their land, to exercise self-determination and to establish
their own independent and sovereign State. We urge the international
community to translate its support of the Palestinian people into practical
measures by pressing for the immediate halting of Jewish immigration to
Palestine and the occupied Arab territories, the complete halting of the
building of Israeli settlements, the protection of the Palestinian people and
the implementation of all resolutions relevant to the Palestinian question and
to the occupied Arab territories, so that peace and justice may prevail in all
parts of the Middle East.
Despite all the encouraging developments in South Africa over the past
two years, recent events have shown that the situation there is still a source
of tension and cause for concern. The recent eruption and escalation of
violence is an ominous sign of a possible explosion that may jeopardize the
process designed to abolish apartheid through negotiation. While welcoming
the steps recently taken by the international community in this respect, my
country will continue its support of the South African people's struggle to
eradicate the system of apartheid, which, it seems, is unwilling to desist
from its racist practices voluntarily and, chameleon-like, is desperately
trying to disguise itself. Therefore, all of us must maintain the pressure on
that regime to make it heed the will of the majority, the will of the
international community and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
The remarkable changes and developments in today's world impose new
responsibilities on the United Nations in performing its role as an instrument
of preserving world peace and security and promoting stability,
reconciliation, development and prosperity for all. Small and vulnerable
countries have taken heart from the Organization's increased capabilities,
especially now that the Organization has achieved marked success in the
settlement of disputes in Cambodia and Afghanistan, in the realization of
Namibia's independence and in supporting the legitimate struggle of the people
of South Africa to dismantle apartheid.
Notwithstanding those positive indications in the Organization's work, it
has been noted that some still continue to dominate the Organization and to
use it, under various pretexts, to serve their own political purposes through
the law of force rather than the force of the law, and by pursuing policies of
political and military intervention as well as economic pressure. The
pressures to which Libya has been subjected are part and parcel of those
policies. The same is true of what has been visited upon the Iraqi people.
Thus, we call for an end to the embargo imposed against the people of Iraq,
for an end to their starvation, for respecting their sovereignty and for
non-interference in their internal affairs.
What has become known as the Lockerbie Case is one of the by-products of
the present international situation and illustrates its effect on small
countries that pursue independent policies and take independent positions.
The case also shows the need to introduce basic changes in the mechanism by
which resolutions are adopted in the United Nations, and especially in the
Security Council, so as to make them more expressive of the will of the
international community. The case also pinpoints the dangers inherent in the
tendency of certain States to use the powers of the Security Council to
achieve their own private objectives and to use double standards in dealing
with issues before the Council in a manner that deals high-handedly and
arbitrarily with the sovereignty and rights of small and vulnerable countries.
The Lockerbie Case was raised and forced upon the Security Council and
dealt with under Chapter VII of the Charter, which does not apply, since Libya
neither threatened world peace nor threatened or committed aggression against
another country, actions it would have to have taken to be liable under the
provisions of Chapter VII, which relates to the maintenance of international
peace and security. Conscious of that, and based on its abhorrence of
terrorism, of which it is a victim, my country expressed, in good will, its
sincere willingness to cooperate in uncovering the facts and circumstances
relating to the case. Upon being notified of the matter, my country took all
required legal measures consistent with international law and conventions that
do not violate Libya's sovereign rights. Regrettably, however, the interested
parties refused to cooperate with the Libyan legal authorities, which had
offered to conduct joint investigations of the two Libyan suspects. When the
States concerned referred the matter to the Security Council, which adopted
resolution 731 (1992) calling upon Libya to cooperate, my country, in letters
to the United Nations Secretary-General, expressed its acceptance of the
resolution and proposed a series of initiatives to implement it. Throughout,
my country has been motivated by a desire to reach a settlement that would
guarantee the rights of all parties and spare the region the dangers of
tension and instability. However, the Libyan initiatives concerning the
implementation of the provisions of the resolution met the same fate as
earlier ones, for the countries concerned rushed to the Security Council to
seek adoption of another resolution imposing unjust sanctions against the
small, peaceful Libyan people, without any legal basis or moral
justification. That action completely ignored my country's declared
commitment to effective cooperation in the implementation of Security Council
resolution 731 (1992), as set out clearly in document S/23917 of 14 May 1992.
The commitment was welcomed by the great majority of the family of nations as
represented in the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, the Organization of
African Unity, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the League of
Arab States, all of which expressed solidarity with the fair Libyan position
from the very start of the crisis. In all of their decisions and final
statements issued in September 1992 those organizations were unanimous on the
following points.
First, praised Libya's cooperation in seeking a peaceful settlement of
the crisis within the context of Libya's national sovereignty, international
law, and the principles of the United Nations Charter that govern relations
between independent States.
Secondly, called on the parties concerned to respond positively to
Libya's initiatives calling for dialogue, negotiation, and non-escalation, in
order to reach a solution to the crisis under Chapter VI of the Charter of the
United Nations and under the auspices of the Secretary-General, in a manner
that would be conducive to ending the crisis and its repercussions peacefully,
fairly and quickly.
Thirdly, called upon the Security Council to lift the measures imposed on
Libya, which has expressed its commitment to resolution 731 (1992)
As part of its initiatives, Libya has recently called on the
Secretary-General of the United Nations to send an international committee to
verify that Libya has met all the requirements of Security Council resolution
731 (1992) related to terrorism. Once again, the parties concerned prevented
the Secretary-General from responding to this proposal, and - at a time when
my country had expected the Council to lift or reduce the unjust sanctions in
the light of Libya's positive response to the requirements of resolution
731 (1992) concerning terrorism, which we unequivocally condemn, and its
complete willingness to provide a fair and unbiased trial for the suspects,
which has been agreed to sought to persuade the Security Council to adopt a
new resolution extending the sanctions for four more months. My country still
calls for a peaceful settlement to this situation, a settlement that will
safeguard the rights of all, maintain the principles of international law, and
save the world from escalation and confrontation.
The unjust sanctions against my country have caused a great deal of human
and material harm, loss and suffering to the Libyan people. My country has
already detailed those losses and damages in official circulating documents of
the Security Council. The embargo has affected numerous sectors, especially
in the fields of health and social services. One example of this is the fact
that the delay in the arrival of medical supplies and instruments has led to
the deaths of a large number of children, and pregnant women who died in
labour. It was also impossible to send abroad over 3,000 medical cases that
can not be treated locally, including cases of heart disease, kidney
transplants, bone-marrow transplants, neurosurgery, and burns. One hundred
and fifty gravely ill patients, who could not be treated locally, died while
being transported overland to airports in Tunisia and Egypt. In addition, the
overuse of land routes to and from the Jamahiriya resulted in an increase in
road accidents during the last four months of this year compared to the same
period in 1991. The number of accidents rose from 2,401 in 1991 to 3,788 over
the past four months. Deaths from these accidents rose from 389 to 528, an
increase of about 35 per cent.
As for economic losses resulting from the air embargo, they have amounted
to $2,157 million as a result of the fall in revenues generated by exports of
fruits and vegetables, in addition to a 44 per cent drop in non-oil exports.
The sanctions also resulted in the interruption of many industrial activities
due to the shortage in means of production and spare parts, not to mention
agriculture. The losses in animal and agricultural production, for example.
are estimated at $1,062,803,000.00 as a result of the non-arrival of medicines
and sera necessary for protecting the livestock sector against animal
epidemics and communicable diseases.
Those who prompted the Security Council to impose these sanctions on our
small, peaceful population which has limited resources and has threatened no
one bear the political, legal, and moral responsibility for the deaths of
women, children, the aged, the handicapped, and the sick. They also bear
responsibility for the decline in the standard of living, the slow pace of
development, the spread of epidemics, and the imprisonment of an entire people
inside its own borders. There is no doubt that all of this relates directly
to human rights. History will bear witness to what is being perpetrated in
the name of the Security Council against a small, peaceful population.
Thus, my country would like from this rostrum to call upon the
international Organization and the international Security Council, out of
respect for the principles of justice, to lift these sanctions, which have
harmed the Libyan people and the peoples of neighboring States. It also
invites the concerned parties to engage in dialogue and to cooperate in order
to reach a solution to this dispute based on sovereignty and mutual respect in
accordance with international norms and laws.
I must put before this international forum some facts that are no doubt
universally accepted. The first fact is that all countries, large and small,
must respect the Charter of the United Nations and uphold international law if
the world is not to slip into a state of anarchy, which is in no one's
interest. The objective of the United Nations should be the protection of the
sovereignty of States and respect for their laws. The second fact is that the
Security Council, the authority entrusted with maintaining international peace
and security, should not become a tool used by some world Powers as a cover
for their hegemonistic designs. The third fact is the need for an
international judicial organ entrusted with trying those who commit acts of
terrorism of any sort or source. Hence, we welcome the call for the
establishment of an international criminal court to look into international
criminal cases.
The consolidation of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region
is high on the agenda of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, for we believe that
security and peace in that region is vital, not only to the coastal States,
but also to the peace and security of the world. Thus, my country remains
convinced that effective security in the region can be achieved only after the
causes of tension that beset the Mediterranean are removed and after the
foreign navies and military bases are withdrawn from it. Moreover,
cooperation among its coastal States should be increased, coordinated and
intensified. That is why my country would like to underscore the findings in
the final declaration of the Tenth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
Countries, which called for supporting the efforts aimed at transforming the
Mediterranean into a zone of peace, security and cooperation on the basis of
the principles of respect for the equality and sovereignty of States,
non-intervention in the internal affairs of others, and the non-use or threat
of force.
My country has consistently affirmed that it supports disarmament because
it is aware of the terrible dangers that armaments pose to our planet. In
this context, Libya submitted to the Assembly a proposal calling on the United
Nations General Assembly to look into the serious phenomena of concern to all
nations, such as international terrorism how to deal with its causes and how
to eradicate it; weapons of mass destruction, and offensive strategic weapons,
which constitute a terrifying danger for all, including those who own them.
The proposal refers also to offering compensation to the peoples who were
colonized and subjected to repression and suppression by their colonizers.
Our proposal deals also with other important issues, such as the question of
refugees, exiles and the kidnapped, in addition to reviewing the Charter of
the United Nations. It proposes studying various economic and social problems
and the ills that afflict humanity with a view to finding a solution for all
these problems and to realizing stability, prosperity and happiness for the
whole world.
In addition to this, it is important to solve certain political questions
which have been with the United Nations since its inception. All those
questions are contained in document A/46/840 of 9 January 1992.
Once again, my country renews its call for disarmament through the
elimination of all weapons of mass destruction of all countries which possess,
produce or stockpile them, without exception or discrimination. My country,
as party to the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty and to the Treaty on the
prohibition of bacteriological weapons and the Geneva Protocol, supports all
efforts aimed at curbing the arms race and at eliminating nuclear weapons.
That is why we welcome the recent agreement between the United States of
America and the Russian Federation further to reduce their nuclear weapons.
My country also welcomes France's accession to the non-proliferation Treaty.
To further expand this tendency, my country supports the establishment of
zones that are free of all nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons,
including Africa and the Middle East. It also supports the proposal of the
Arab Republic of Egypt which calls for declaring the Middle East an area free
of weapons of mass destruction. This objective, however, is obstructed by
persistent difficulties resulting from Israel's continued production,
possession and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction as well as its
testing of these weapons and its refusal to heed repeated international
appeals to submit its nuclear facilities to the safeguards regime of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
In this present era of change one concrete fact emerges, namely that the
international community has not shown the same concern over questions of
economic development as it did in regard to other questions such as those of
political crises. Economic problems, which are a significant factor in the
obstruction of development and growth, are still with us. This does not seem
logical, especially at a time when the world looks forward to a new era of
security and stability. If this new era is to materialize, appropriate
measures should be taken to solve the intractable economic problems of the
developing countries in particular. These include the problems arising from
protectionism, lack of transfer of technology, reverse flows of resources,
external debts and low commodity prices. Furthermore, the imposition of
arbitrary measures and sanctions, such as economic embargoes, trade
restrictions and the freezing of funds and assets by certain developed
countries against a number of developing countries, must be halted. In
addition, it is very important for the international community to honour its
commitments vis-a-vis certain programmes, such as the United Nations New
Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. Africa expects a great
deal from this programme which is supposed to bolster development efforts
started on the continent at the regional level by establishing the African
economic community, and at the subregional level in the form of groupings such
as the Arab Maghreb Union, to which my country is honoured to belong. This
union aims at intensifying cooperation among its member countries and with the
rest of the continent. It also seeks to enter into wider cooperation with
other countries of the world, especially the European Mediterranean countries,
and to enhance cooperation between the countries of the South and the North.
The results of the Summit on environment and development which was held
in the middle of this year are a great achievement that bespeaks the
international community's determination to protect the world's natural
resources. The commitment of the world to preserve the environment was
evident in the agreements on climatic change and biological diversity that
were reached at that Conference. The important thing now is to cooperate
internationally and effectively in implementing the conclusions and
recommendations of the Earth Summit. In this respect, my country welcomes the
decision of the Summit concerning the setting up of a standing developmental
committee and hopes that this committee will become a forum for implementing
the decisions of Agenda 21 which are aimed at preserving the environment while
pursuing development.
Conservation of the environment requires both international cooperation
and national efforts. My country participated in the Rio de Janeiro
Conference and signed its conventions and agreements. At the national level
my country accords top priority to questions of development. Accordingly, my
country has begun to combat drought and desertification through the great
man-made river project which will carry millions of cubic metres of water from
the southern part of Libya to the arable land in the coastal area where the
greatest part of our population lives. Our national plans aim at the
reclamation of thousands of hectares of land for both agriculture and human
settlement. Despite all this, my country still suffers from a severe shortage
of water which is necessary for its economic development plans. This shortage
not only threatens my country, but will imperil the continuation of life in
North Africa and the Middle East unless it is dealt with through international
cooperation.
I must state here that our aspirations after development face certain
difficulties which my country has raised in several regional and international
forums, including the General Assembly. The Secretary-General himself spoke
about those difficulties in his report. An Agenda for Peace. I am here
referring to mines and the remnants of war. During the Second World War,
Libyan territory was used as one of the main theatres for military
operations. Our people have paid an exorbitant material and human price for a
war in which our country had no stake. Since the end of that war, the Libyan
people have continued to suffer from the remnants of the war and the mines and
explosives planted by the warring armies in its territory.
Many regional and international organizations, including the General
Assembly, have adopted resolutions calling upon the countries responsible to
submit the required information and technical assistance needed for the
removal of those mines and remnants, and to pay compensation for the damage
caused by them.
Today, we reiterate our call to those countries to act in a responsible
manner, to respond positively to the appeals of the international community
and to implement the provisions of General Assembly resolutions relating to
the remnants of war.
The environment in my country is also threatened by the harmful effects
of pollution in the Mediterranean, caused by the wastes poured into its water
by foreign navies stationed in the area, the over-consumption and
over-production of the developed Mediterranean countries and the dumping of
hundreds of tons of pesticides and combustibles in its waters. This has
caused an environmental imbalance that is being further aggravated by the
exploitation of the Mediterranean by countries from outside the region.
Human rights issues are the focus of the international community's
attention and are at the top of its scale of priorities. While appreciating
the role of the United Nations in ensuring the exercise of human rights and
basic freedoms, we must state that those rights are not scrupulously respected
in a number of regions. In addition, the double standards and the selectivity
that mar the conduct of certain countries in the area of protecting human
rights have prevented the United Nations, and especially the Commission on
Human Rights, from effectively performing their role in this area. We hope
that the World Conference on Human Rights, to be held in Vienna in mid-1993,
will afford us opportunities to deliberate on all these questions and will
adopt practical measures to deal with them and identify the ways and means
whereby human rights may be protected and defended against violations.*
My country attaches great importance to human rights and to the dignity
and welfare of man. This was reaffirmed in the great green document on human
rights, which includes numerous basic principles for the promotion of human
rights. This has been crowned by effective and legal procedures, such as the
law on enhancing freedoms, which was promulgated in 1991, the establishment of
a national human rights commission and an international committee for the
Qaddafi human rights award. Furthermore, Libya has acceded to most
international agreements and instruments relating to human rights and measures
are being taken to meet our commitments arising from accession to these
agreements and instruments.
One of the items on the international agenda is the setting up of a new
world order. There is no doubt that such a world order will not function
properly and effectively unless we overcome and rectify certain shortcomings
of the United Nations, since the Organization will be the world body that will
play a fundamental role in the management and coordination of that new world
order. Thus, the most urgent task now is to reinvigorate the United Nations,
restructure and democratize it. My country welcomes the efforts being made at
present to reform the Organization and enhance its effectiveness, including
the encouraging initiatives of the Secretary-General.
However, a great deal remains to be done in this respect, such as
ensuring full respect for the Charter, and consistent adherence to its
provisions, without selectivity and without any breach of its principles. We
must also ensure that the Organization is not dominated by any one and that
its resolutions are respected and implemented non-selectively. Furthermore,
the role of the General Assembly should be strengthened in a manner that would
ensure the effective and full implementation of all its resolutions, as those
resolutions are the true expression of the sum-total of the positions of all
the Member States. Also, the current composition of the Security Council
should be reviewed and expanded in order for it to reflect the increase in
membership of the United Nations. It is also highly important to review some
of the provisions of the Charter. We would like specifically to focus
attention on the veto right in the Security Council. My country was the first
to call for the abolition of that privilege, because it is one of the main
impediments to the most important role for which the United Nations was
established, namely, the maintenance of international peace and security. We
have lately felt satisfaction at the expansion of this call. Many countries,
including some current members of the Security Council, have voiced similar
views, and have come to share our conviction that a system of collective
security that continues to be subject to a veto by some countries can never be
depended on to maintain peace and security.
In a few years time, we will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the
United Nations. Over the past four decades, the Organization has performed a
remarkable role in decolonization and has worked tirelessly for the
consolidation of international peace and security. It has taken many
initiatives towards the achievement of economic development and social
well-being. Hence, my country's welcome for the call to convene an
International Conference on Human Rights in 1993 and an International
Conference on Population in 1994, as both conferences will afford an
opportunity for the re-assessment of international programmes of assistance to
developing countries, with a view to achieving an optimum balance between
population growth and development resources.
My country welcomes also the call for convening an International
Conference on Women in 1995, and attaches great importance to the World Summit
for Social Development, because it will give political impetus to national,
regional and international efforts and activities aimed at meeting the social
needs of many developing countries.
As all those world conferences will take place under circumstances of
international change and transformation, my country looks forward to their
results and hopes that they will lead to the laying of solid foundations and
the formulation of clear-cut approaches that would lead to international
efforts aimed at the strengthening of peace, security and stability for all as
well as the creation of opportunities for the progress of all mankind.
In these critical times and in the context of this unstable international
situation, the small countries of the world look towards the United Nations
with all their hopes for a brave new world of peace, security, justice and
equality for all that would be built by the hands of all nations alike, large
and small, wealthy and poor; a brave world in which the values of freedom,
democracy and human rights are upheld and which will be free of violence,
injustice and dictatorship; a world of love and brotherhood, where God's light
shines above the whole Earth the one God, who is Lord of the universe. We
sincerely hope that the United Nations will rise to the great challenges that
face it. The President of the Assembly can count on my country's cooperation
in every endeavour that will promote, enhance and realize these principles and
objectives I have spoken of. With peace and love from the small, peaceful
Libyan people to all your peace-loving peoples.