Kuwait

On behalf of the delegation of the State of Kuwait, I wish to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the forty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly. Your election. Sir, reflects an appreciation of your country, Bulgaria, and your personal merits and skills, which will prove instrumental in guiding our deliberations towards the attainment of our common goals. On a bilateral note, it is my privilege to underscore the close ties that exist between our two countries, as shown in numerous concrete steps. In your current post, you succeed His Excellency Ambassador Samir Shihabi, the Permanent Representative of our sister country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who demonstrated outstanding skills and capabilities in his stewardship of the preceding session. His leadership was effective indeed throughout his term of office. This was no surprise to us, especially as Mr. Shihabi represented a sister country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has made and continues to make generous and sincere contributions, that are appreciated by all, to the promotion of peace and security throughout the world. It gives me special pleasure to commend the outstanding role played by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, since his assumption of his office at the beginning of this year. The world Organization has now become the true focal point of international relations and the beacon of hope for the peoples of the world. In less than one year in office, the Secretary-General has demonstrated an impressive ability to face up to the evolving challenges on the world scene, and has managed to address the varying concerns in accordance with the established principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the overall mission of our organization. The Secretary-General's endeavour to redefine the role, function and orientation of the United Nations is characterized by precise thinking and clear vision, resolve and flexibility, both in concept and in enforcement plan, as demonstrated by the set of important recommendations contained in his report "An Agenda for Peace". In his approach, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali has proved that he truly represents a symbol of the interface and interaction of various human civilizations, a role that his home country, Egypt, has played throughout its long history. In the same vein, we should not fail to underscore with a deep sense of appreciation the great achievements of the former Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, during his tenure. Mr. Perez de Cuellar should be recognized for his integrity in fulfilling his mandate in accordance with the provisions of the Charter and for his untiring efforts to promote peace on the basis of justice and to enhance the role and effectiveness of the United Nations. Kuwait recognizes with deep appreciation those achievements, salutes Mr. Perez de Cuellar and wishes him success in all he does. The international scene has undergone fundamental changes over the past two years, the most significant of which has been the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the spread of democratic orientation across Eastern Europe. That, in turn has led to the creation of States and entities that have joined the United Nations membership, thus consolidating further its universality. Kuwait takes this opportunity to extend its sincere congratulations to all those States that have been admitted recently to the United Nations membership. We trust that this new membership of the international community will represent a constructive addition to and consolidation of the edifice of world peace. As we draw nearer to the twenty-first century, we look forward to the emergence of new roles for the United Nations. The United Nations should not be content with peace-keeping, the ending wars that have broken out, and the defusing of volatile situations. Rather, the United Nations must make a more direct contribution to the containment and defusing of disputes in their early stages before they erupt into vicious conflicts. It must also shoulder the role of peacemaking. The United Nations should not be content with ensuring stability, despite the vital importance of that role. It must be a force for ensuring peoples' welfare and the fulfilment of peoples' aspirations. In today's world, the concept of peace transcends the framework of peace between states and embraces the peace of whole societies and peoples. As we work together on the formulation of the new world order and strive to make it one of the principal stanchions of the stability which we hope will reign in our world and imbue international relations, we are called upon to ensure the rule of international law through the strengthening of the United Nations role and the scrupulous application of its Charter. In our view, this will provide a genuine framework for the new world order and for the achievement of its lofty goals. Despite the fact that international relations in our world today are anchored in the tenets of the United Nations system, we believe that an effective and viable United Nations should be complemented by a more aggressive role for the regional organizations which would be instrumental in addressing many unresolved disputes and issues. The League of Arab States and the Organization of African Unity, for example, should be entrusted with supporting roles in dealing with the problems of Somalia; the European Community should play the leading role in the resolution of the escalating problems in the Balkan region; and the Organization of American States can become the leading player in dealing with the problems of Haiti and El Salvador. In the context of this desired role for regional organizations the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) stands out, especially through its firm support of Kuwait's struggle to defeat the Iraqi aggression. That unprecedented role of the GCC could perhaps be followed as a model in rallying a larger international effort when necessary. Kuwait believes that the Non-Aligned Movement, especially in the wake of its recent summit in Jakarta, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as the Group of 77, are models of regional organizations whose capabilities should be directed at facilitating the evolution and maintenance of world peace. In this sense, they are natural mini-counterparts of the United Nations, and they represent major dynamic forces that perform a coordinating function among their members. From this perspective we believe that the efforts undertaken by the United Nations in the liberation of my country, Kuwait, from the Iraqi aggression and occupation could perhaps be perceived as a new approach in the crystallization and enforcement of the concept of collective security, which preoccupied this world body since its inception, and was a hope in the minds of the authors of its Charter. Thus, the Kuwait case established a precedent when it demonstrated that the Security Council's resolutions can be implemented, as, indeed, they must be implemented. The Security Council has clearly succeeded in consolidating the underpinnings of peace and the elimination of many hotbeds of conflict in several regions of the world, in the aftermath of its successful moves to ensure the liberation of my country, Kuwait, from an invasion which, by its very nature, represented a challenge to the Charter of the United Nations and to the norms of international law that regulate relations between civilized nations. However, certain residual results of the Iraqi aggression still exist, and will continue to exist so long as the Iraqi regime persists in its refusal to comply fully with the relevant Security Council resolutions and tries to circumvent those resolutions and to renege on its previous formal commitments. For instance, there are still Kuwaiti and third country prisoners held hostage in Iraqi jails despite the intensive efforts and international pressures deployed to secure their release. Furthermore, the patently false claims repeatedly made by Iraq, in contravention of international treaties and commitments, continue to shake the parameters of stability throughout the region. Iraqi falsehoods also jeopardize the main objective of the input of the United Nations in providing the technical framework for the Iraq-Kuwait boundary demarcation process. This exercise is a major achievement on the part of the United Nations in regard to security and stability in the region. The Security Council's recently adopted resolution 773 (1992) welcomed the decisions of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission and underlined the Council's guarantee of inviolability of the international border between the two countries and its decision to take, as appropriate, all necessary measures to that end, in accordance with the Charter. Furthermore, Iraq continues to refuse to accept legal responsibility for its plundering of property owned by the Kuwaiti private sector and by Kuwaiti individuals, and continues to refuse to recognize the need to return all stolen property. Iraq also refuses to implement Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) regarding the provision of essential humanitarian needs for the Iraqi civilian population and the payment of its dues to the United Nations compensation fund. In addition, Iraq, under all pretexts, shies away from any businesslike cooperation in regard to the fulfilment of its obligation to disclose all its stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and in regard to the elimination of such weapons. All of this places a new responsibility on the international community in general to bring further pressure to bear on Iraq, to remain vigilant to its practices and schemes, and to ensure its complete implementation of all the relevant United Nations resolutions. The principle of collective responsibility still stands, and the lessons drawn from that painful and bitter experience should be fully understood and never forgotten. Kuwait believes that security in the Gulf region is part and parcel of world security. This means that it is essential that all of us respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all the States in our region. It also means non-interference in the internal affairs of those States, as well as the non-use of force or of the threat of force in the settlement of any dispute that may arise between them. From this premise, we have been following with grave concern the recent developments, with all their ramifications, in regard to the Abu Mousa island. In our view, these developments will have a direct impact on regional peace and stability. Hence, we are all duty-bound to work towards averting their repercussions so that the good-neighbourly relations that we already have with the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran may be preserved. While we declare our full support for our sister State of the United Arab Emirates, we hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran will abide by the agreement regarding the island of Abu Mousa and will accept the application of international conventions for the peaceful resolution of disputes. We trust that, in the final analysis, prudence and wisdom will reign supreme in regard to this issue. As of late last year, we have seen a promising peace process under way in regard to the Middle East problem. The new realities and momentum that emerged following the Madrid conference should be maintained, with a view to securing the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) on the basis of the exchange of land for peace. It has become clear that land and peace are worth any price. The international community has thus a special responsibility to nurture the ongoing peace efforts and to ensure that the current peace talks, in all their aspects and forms, will bring to fruition the efforts that the United Nations has made with a view to guaranteeing the national rights of the Palestinian people particularly its right to self-determination and statehood - and the complete withdrawal of Israel from the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the holy city of Al-Quds. We call upon the United Nations to prompt Israel to abide expeditiously with its obligations under international law and not to squander this historic opportunity. The peace process and the attendant efforts should follow an integrated approach in addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict that takes into account the United Nations resolutions regarding the question of Palestine and the Middle East issue. In specific terms, this means that Israel must withdraw from southern Lebanon in accordance with Security Council resolution 425 (1978), and that the Lebanese people must be supported in consolidating their national-reconciliation efforts and in rebuilding their national institutions. It also means Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian Arab Golan and the implementation of the relevant United Nations resolutions in order that a just and lasting settlement of this long-running conflict may be reached. The ongoing plight of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina gives rise to deep fears and apprehensions throughout the Islamic world and in the world at large. We categorically reject all practices that aim at the liquidation of the identity and existence of a people, a nation and a State on ethnic or religious grounds. We support the struggle of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and demand the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions. We call upon the United Nations, along with its specialized agencies, to expand its role there, and we hold that regional organizations, particularly the European ones, should play a more active role in alleviating the suffering of that people. It is our collective responsibility to contain the ramifications of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina before they spill over into neighbouring countries. If the United Nations has been seized of this tragic issue since the very beginning, then we believe that there are other turbulent areas in the world that deserve active involvement on the part of the United Nations together with the competent regional organizations, with a view to containing and resolving the disputes afflicting those regions. In our view, this is a sound approach to underlining and enhancing the credibility of the United Nations and to defining clearly the parameters of the new world order. We are duty-bound to support both the United Nations and the regional organizations in a concrete fashion that gives real meaning to the concept of common security and stability and the principle of common destiny. The tragedy of the Somali people is cause for deep concern on our part, given the common values we share with them. The fratricidal strife in Somalia is extremely painful to us. Despite the slight improvement over the past few weeks in the delivery of food and medical supplies and in the control over the distribution thereof, Somalia continues to bleed, and it has now become incumbent upon all nations to provide more material assistance to Somalia and to strengthen their support for the Secretary-General in his endeavours to expedite the attainment of a set of noble goals, namely, the protection of an entire people from annihilation and the delivery of adequate supplies of food and medical services to that people. We in Kuwait, in view of our solidarity with the friendly peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Somalia and in line with our humanitarian obligations and our commitment to alleviate human suffering, have shipped thousands of tons of food, medical supplies and basic human needs to those two countries. Furthermore, we have made direct financial contributions to the relevant specialized agencies in order to ensure their ability to operate in those areas. We shall continue to provide humanitarian relief assistance out of our deep belief in social justice. We follow with deep concern the persistent instability in Afghanistan and the continuing strife among the partners in the coalition Government. We call upon the Muslim people of Afghanistan to put aside their differences and to move towards national reconciliation. National efforts should in fact focus on building up national stability and security. Any political breakthroughs made by the United Nations will add to its growing record of achievements. But such accomplishments will remain fragile unless followed by more efforts to promote social stability and economic development, with particular emphasis on health, social services and combating ills of epidemic proportions, especially drug abuse. Moreover, the United Nations should explore new avenues to ease the foreign debt burden on the developing countries and to try to bridge the gap between wealthy and poor nations by means of a more earnest and constructive dialogue between North and South, with a. view to ensuring economic equity anchored in social justice. One of the aims of such dialogue should be confidence-building between donor and recipient nations. Such confidence will lead to joint efforts in a bid to stimulate the inflow of investments with a better economic and social return for both sides. This will indeed be yet another manifestation of an interdependent world community of nations. It is against this conceptual backdrop that we view the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), known as the "Earth Summit", held recently in Rio de Janiero. The focus of the Rio Conference brought to the fore the growing world-wide interest in gaining a better understanding of the political, economic, and social aspects of human life. Despite the fact that the UNCED did not achieve all its expected goals, one of its major contributions was that it highlighted for the whole world, in an unprecedented manner, the importance of the issue of environment and made it abundantly clear that ecological concerns do indeed transcend both national and regional disputes. It has deepened our sense of belonging to a single "global village". The current changes and new challenges on the international scene are bound to cause dramatic transformations in many established concepts and assumptions that still dominate international relations. A case in point is the growing interest in the issue of human rights. In an evolving world, not only should human rights be defined in instruments but the concept of human rights should be expanded to include the genuine guarantee of the exercise of those rights to freedoms and human dignity, in addition to the satisfaction of basic human needs and the liberation of man from fear and want. Guaranteeing human rights has become a major demand of today's world and the international community continues to make it clear, time and again, that it will not condone any breech or violation thereof. Respect for State sovereignty should be in consonance with the guaranteeing of human rights. In conclusion, we note that the recent radical, international changes have placed before the United Nations enormous challenges and responsibilities. The growing confidence in its role and in the need for it to perform its functions make it imperative for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to the world Organization. It would be both unfair and inappropriate for us to keep adding to its responsibilities without providing it with sufficient material and political support to enable it to fulfil its mandates effectively. This means that the international community should put at the United Nations disposal adequate resources and powers, commensurate with its responsibilities. The Secretary-General has shown that while the United Nations is prepared to discharge its functions, the Member States are in turn expected to honour their obligations in full. This complementarity between the United Nations system and its Members will straighten out the relationship between mandates and resources. Thus we can eliminate the imbalance between what is required and what is available and the potential causes of friction that go with that disequilibrium. Under such circumstances, the world body would be able to live up to the expectations of the international community in the areas of peacemaking and peace-keeping, along with all the attendant profits in terms of stability, security, development, progress and welfare.