Tunisia

It gives me great pleasure at the outset, Sir, to extend to Mr. Opertti my sincere congratulations on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. We are confident that his political perspicacity and wide knowledge of international affairs will guarantee the success of the work of this Assembly. His election is an acknowledgement by the international community of the active role that his friendly country, Uruguay, is playing at both the regional and the international level for the establishment and enhancement of cooperation between peoples and the consecration of the universal principles of peace and justice. I should also like to extend to his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, my warmest thanks and appreciation for the competence and dedication he demonstrated in discharging his responsibility in order to strengthen the foundations of change and structural reform of our international Organization so as to enable it to enter the next century with the necessary efficiency and effectiveness. I also wish to pay tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his continuous and dedicated efforts to strengthen and restructure the Organization and for his eagerness to bolster international peace and security and the peaceful settlement of conflicts. The last decade of the twentieth century has been characterized by fiftieth anniversary celebrations commemorating the creation of many international institutions, including the United Nations. As the international community moves towards the twenty-first century, it is called upon to evaluate its accomplishments 20 in giving effect to the principles and goals of the United Nations and in delineating the contours of the future with a view to ensuring security, peace and development for all the peoples of the world. In this regard, ensuring a better world for future generations — a world in which security, justice, stability and prosperity for all prevail — remains the highest common goal, whose achievement requires efforts by all. This requires the international community to show an unwavering determination and to sustain efforts to establish a world order, built by all States, consolidating the objectives and principles of the United Nations and fulfilling the spirit and the letter of the Charter, on the basis of international legitimacy and the principles of democracy, equality and equity among States. The new approach adopted by the international community in the process of reform, which covers all United Nations structures and fields of activity, offers an opportunity for consolidating the principle of democracy as a basis for international relations. In this connection, Tunisia attaches great importance to strengthening the role and prerogatives of the General Assembly in all the areas of its competence as provided for in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly with regard to the development and maintenance of international peace and security. We wish to emphasize once again the need to revitalize and enhance the role of the General Assembly, given its universality, representativeness and democratic character. Strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly should go hand in hand with the reform of the Security Council so as to confirm the principles of transparency, pluralism and democracy. These are values which should prevail in international relations and guide the activities of our Organization and its various bodies, including the Security Council, in order to enhance and develop its role in the maintenance of international peace and security, which, in recent years, has become increasingly important. Just as we expect the Security Council to act effectively and to fulfil its mission in the best way possible, we also stress the need to give that body a globally representative character that takes into account the interests of developing countries and reflects the reality of the world following the end of the cold war by expanding its membership to include all regional groups. In this respect, we stress our support for the request of the Group of African States, reaffirmed at the Ouagadougou summit, which calls for the allocation of two permanent seats to be occupied on a rotational basis by States from Africa, with the enjoyment of the same privileges as those of the current holders of permanent seats. However, the process of Security Council reform should not be limited to restructuring that body. The rationalization of the Council’s working methods is needed so as to strengthen and consolidate one of the Charter’s most important principles, that of compliance with and respect for international legitimacy by all. In this connection, we emphasize the need to review the veto right, whose use should be confined to the areas covered by Chapter VII of the Charter. We also believe that the sanctions regime practised by the Security Council should be reviewed to ensure the protection of populations, prevent their suffering and guarantee their right to development and to a life of dignity, and take into account the interests of neighbouring countries which have economic and commercial relations with the country targeted for sanctions. A specified time-frame should also be set up for the implementation and lifting of sanctions. In this connection, we stress the necessity of respecting Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and of implementing the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, including those resolutions dealing with Kuwaiti prisoners and missing persons. As we pay tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his efforts to contain the crisis between Iraq and the United Nations Special Commission, we call upon him to increase his efforts and to undertake the required initiative for a comprehensive review of the situation with a view to finding a solution acceptable to all parties which would accelerate the lifting of the sanctions imposed on the brotherly Iraqi people. Regarding the Lockerbie issue, Tunisia has expressed optimism over the recent developments, which could accelerate the achievement of a just and satisfactory settlement of this issue, taking into account the willingness demonstrated by the brotherly country of Libya and other concerned parties to deal in a positive manner with the ideas already put forward. We encourage all parties to move ahead in that direction so that the embargo imposed on the brotherly Libyan people can be lifted. With respect to the Middle East peace process, Tunisia has since the very beginning supported and worked relentlessly for its success. We wish once again 21 to express our deep concern about the present status of the process. We warned that setbacks and deadlocks would result from Israel’s continued policy of fait accompli and its refusal to honour its commitments and to implement the agreements that were concluded. We believe that it will not be possible to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Middle East question without Israel’s compliance with international legitimacy represented by the relevant United Nations resolutions and based on the principles outlined in the Madrid process, particularly that of “land for peace”. Tunisia, which supports the just Palestinian cause, welcomes the resolution adopted by the General Assembly at its last session enhancing the status of Palestine as observer at the United Nations. We hope that this step will soon be followed by international recognition of an independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital. Increased efforts by the international community to consolidate democratic relations among States and to strengthen international legitimacy in the conduct of world affairs are imperative for the foundation of a balanced international order that guarantees a better life for future generations and promotes conditions of stability in the security, economic and social dimensions. With regard to security, many regions of the world continue to be torn by war and conflicts, and their populations still endure suffering and tragedies due to the absence of stability and security. In our view, the best solution to these problems is to pre-empt crises through preventive diplomacy so as to eliminate their causes in the fastest and most effective way. The international community has successfully adopted this right approach and has been able to contain a number of conflicts through mediation, good offices and other peaceful means. The United Nations has also achieved considerable successes in the context of peacekeeping operations in many parts of the world, enabling it to contain conflicts either by interposing itself between the belligerents or by supervising the conclusion of peace agreements or by following up on their implementation. In addition, the United Nations has intensified cooperation with regional organizations within the framework of respect for the national sovereignty and political independence of States, and non-interference in their internal affairs. Nevertheless, these efforts remain insufficient, given the challenges that persist in many regions of the world, in particular, the African continent. Africa continues to face difficulties and diverse problems which are increasing its burden and hindering its efforts to achieve stability and development. In this respect, Tunisia has welcomed the Security Council’s initiative regarding the situation in Africa. We believe that the Secretary-General’s report in this regard was well timed, expressing concern about the situation and offering help to the African continent to find solutions capable of enhancing its security and development. We hope that this orientation will be confirmed by continued United Nations support for the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution of the Organization of African Unity through adoption of practical measures designed to help the integration of African States in the world economy. We believe that a lasting peace can be established only through total dismantling weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, whose formidable arsenals constitute a continued threat to humanity. It has become clear that the current nuclear non-proliferation regime cannot by itself eliminate the danger that the arms race poses to humanity with its ominous implications. Therefore it has become imperative that the international community increase its efforts to adopt practical measures aiming at eliminating all weapons of mass destruction, without exception, and banning their proliferation and stockpiling. While working towards that objective, the international community should strenuously endeavour to ensure the safety of non-nuclear States and to prohibit the use and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and peoples of those States. We also emphasize the need for creating nuclear- weapon-free zones so as to put an end to continued threats to the security of countries and to open new vistas for the establishment of peace, security and stability throughout the world. In this context, Tunisia calls for the urgent creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, considering that all the countries of the region except Israel have adhered to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. With regard to conventional weapons, we express our satisfaction at the signing at Ottawa of the 22 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. Tunisia hastened to sign that Convention, believing that an end should be put to the great suffering that unarmed civilians are enduring because of these weapons. Hence, the necessary legal measures are being taken for Tunisia’s ratification of the Convention. We believe that peace and security cannot be established in the world without achieving economic and social development and ensuring conditions of well-being and dignified living for all peoples. Meeting the major challenges confronting developing countries starts with the establishment of a world economic order founded on equality and solidarity so as to enable developing countries to be integrated in the world economy and to attract the required flow of capital and direct investment needed to support their development efforts. The financial crisis that certain developing countries are experiencing confirms our belief that the economic globalization in which we have placed high hopes has, despite its positive aspects, negative repercussions on the world economy, particularly on the stability of the economies of developing countries. We call upon the international community and all United Nations agencies, in cooperation with the Bretton Woods institutions, to speed up taking the necessary measures that will overcome the negative aspects of globalization. Therefore, we support the search for effective multilateral mechanisms to control international capital flows and monetary fluctuations in order to ensure fair competition and to organize financial transactions on sound and solid bases. In this context, my country supports the initiative taken by the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries to establish a high-level mechanism of consultation between the Movement and the Group of Eight most industrialized countries. We also believe that in the absence of a radical solution to the debt problem, efforts to liberalize the economies of developing countries will remain insufficient. In this regard, I would like to recall the proposal made by Mr. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia, with respect to finding a solution to the problem of external debt by applying those debts to the implementation of environmental, social and other priority projects in developing countries. Working for the adjustment of the globalization process is not, in our opinion, limited to the pivotal role played by international organizations and financial institutions. Increasing efforts at the national and regional levels are also needed. In this context, Tunisia has striven to make its financial structures more efficient and to strengthen the factors of sustainable development through concentrating on the enhancement of human energies, establishing the state of law and institutions, protecting human rights and public freedom and strengthening democracy, which is based on the participation of civil society with all its components in decision-making. Aware of the importance of economic and geographic groupings in advancing the economies of developing countries, promoting man and facing the challenges of globalization, Tunisia has adopted a comprehensive strategy that reconciles the imperatives of security and the requirements of cooperation with economic complementarity and solidarity among States. That strategy is also based on strengthening the Maghreb area, establishing partnership with the European Union through the creation of a free trade zone and consolidating its relations with all countries, particularly those of Africa. The international conferences which have been held in recent years, particularly the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, the Beijing Conference on Women and the Copenhagen World Summit on Social Development, have enabled the international community to develop coherent plans of action, addressing many social problems which still hinder the progress, the stability and the security of peoples. Tunisia calls for increased efforts to ensure full implementation and genuine follow-up of the decisions, recommendations and plans of action adopted by those conferences and for the necessary measures to apply them. While we recognize the responsibility of States in implementing economic policies which ensure the right of their citizens to development, we also emphasize the need to establish equitable international economic relations which take into account the right of all countries, particularly developing countries, to comprehensive and sustainable development. We also call upon United Nations organs, funds, programmes and specialized agencies to shoulder their responsibilities and help developing countries carry out their economic programmes. 23 The continued shrinkage of resources allocated for United Nations economic and social activities is a matter of concern to us. Therefore, we call again for the implementation of General Assembly resolutions stressing the need to provide additional funds for development. We also urge the international community, and particularly rich countries, to honour their commitments so as to give impetus to their efforts in the area of economic and social development. The year 1998 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This coincides with the start of the evaluation of the follow-up of the recommendations adopted at the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights. We believe that the international community should take this ideal opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to promoting and protecting human rights as well as to develop a clear plan in this regard for the future. Tunisia takes note with satisfaction of the pioneering role played by the United Nations in promoting human rights, a matter which is in the forefront of its priorities, in accordance with an approach based on a comprehensive and coherent vision of those rights. Tunisia has contributed to the formulation of that approach. Nevertheless, we feel that these achievements are not enough. Poverty and exclusion continue to disrupt social stability in many countries. These are phenomena which also threaten the gains made in the field of human rights and constitute challenges which should be met with the required efficiency and effectiveness. The international community should, in our opinion, confirm the values of tolerance and disseminate them as a basic platform for promoting human rights and deepening the culture of human rights among societies throughout the world. We also emphasize that great importance should be given to the right to development and the need to remove all obstacles to the effective exercise of that right. In implementing its social and economic policy, Tunisia has adopted a comprehensive and integrated strategy aimed at the advancement of human beings. It has worked to honour all the commitments it has made by adhering to human rights conventions. At the initiative of the President of the Republic, many amendments to enact legislation have been introduced with a view to strengthening democracy and pluralism, promoting and safeguarding human rights, disseminating the culture of human rights, strengthening national institutions and mechanisms working in this field and protecting individual and group liberties as well as the rights of women and the child. In the area of social and economic development, Tunisia has increased its efforts to ensure a dignified life for members of all social sectors. It has focused its policy in this field on the enhancement of social integration, the struggle against poverty and the promotion of employment for all. In formulating its policy, Tunisia has been eager to involve all components of civil society in defining a comprehensive strategy and in taking necessary measures to carry out programmes of economic and social development. Social solidarity is one of the pillars of Tunisia’s policy in combating poverty and all forms of exclusion. The National Solidarity Fund, set up in 1992 at the initiative of the President of the Republic and subsequently reinforced by the creation of the Tunisian Solidarity Bank, has provided funds for many projects for low-income groups and has made possible the integration of underprivileged regions into the national economy. With respect to the consolidation of its employment policy, Tunisia recently formulated a comprehensive strategy manifested in the adoption of a national declaration on employment. That declaration was drafted following broad consultations in which all the country’s active forces took part; this was signed by all of our political parties, trade unions and professional associations. Tunisia’s approach to the formulation and implementation of its economic and social policy is based on the conviction that the phenomena of exclusion, marginalization and social discrimination create threats to the very foundations of stability and security, which are essential for the progress and prosperity of peoples. The struggle against those phenomena is the most appropriate means for eradicating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, organized crime and drug-trafficking. In that connection, we once again urge the international community to increase its efforts to combat terrorism by setting up a global strategy and taking the necessary legal measures to contain and uproot that phenomenon. Increased international awareness of the great danger of the drug phenomenon, which was illustrated in the convening of a special session of the General Assembly in June 1998 on the common struggle against drugs, 24 encourages us to support the efforts being made by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to formulate a draft United Nations framework convention against organized crime. We hope that these efforts will succeed, for the international community is in urgent need of such an instrument. In the same context, Tunisia welcomes the recommendations of the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, held recently in Lisbon, and stresses the need to ensure that the implementation of the decisions taken at that conference is followed up. This will allow us to deal with the concerns of young people, develop their sense of responsibility and properly prepare them to assume the responsibility of managing tomorrow’s world. The Diplomatic Conference held at Rome in June and July 1998 on the creation of the International Criminal Court and the extensive participation of Member States and non-governmental organizations in that Conference, testify to the great importance we all accord to the creation of such a court, whose task will be to deal with heinous crimes against humanity and to punish their perpetrators. Tunisia participated in the Conference and voted in favour of the statute of the Court. While expressing satisfaction at the agreement reached on the creation of the Court, we would like to stress once again the importance of ensuring its independence and neutrality. Given the need to respect the principle of national sovereignty, Tunisia supports the consensus reached on the complementary character of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and on the need to accord priority to national legal systems, which should retain the initiative of prosecution. We look forward to the advent of the new century with high hopes, and we call upon all States to evaluate what we have achieved so as to pursue joint action, to confront remaining challenges and to spare humanity from suffering like that which it has endured throughout the current century. This is a task that requires firm political will from all of us in order to meet the aspirations of our peoples to security, stability, growth and cooperation. Our devotion to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, the consolidation of international legality and democratic practice among nations, and the implementation of the process of the reform of the United Nations system to serve those principles and goals are undoubtedly the best means by which to lay the foundations of a better world, a world which we shall shape and build together for future generations.