Uzbekistan

Allow me first of all to offer my sincere congratulations to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Mr. Didier Opertti, on his election to the post of President of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session and to wish him every success in this important task. I am confident that his long experience and abilities will contribute to the successful outcome of the current session of the General Assembly. I should also like to express our appreciation to the previous President of the General Assembly, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his energetic and professional work. I would like to take this opportunity to draw the Assembly’s attention to the problems that are of greatest concern to the States of our region. The international community fully recognizes the danger of recent developments in Afghanistan, South Asia and the Republic of Tajikistan. There is an enormous potential for conflict in this subregion today. The threat that the Afghan conflict may explode and spread to neighbouring States remains a real one. Uzbekistan has repeatedly appealed to the international community from this rostrum for assistance in resolving the Afghan problem. This goal should be served, inter alia, by our initiative to impose an arms embargo on Afghanistan. The appeal to halt deliveries of weaponry and matériel to all parties to the conflict has been reflected in numerous Security Council resolutions and awaits the creation of an effective mechanism within the United Nations so that it can be implemented. The Six Plus Two group, with the participation of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, as well as the United States and the Russian Federation, which was established as a result of a proposal by Uzbekistan, is today, in our opinion, the only effective international mechanism within the United Nations capable of launching the peace process. Its task is not to condemn the warring factions, to criticize them or to support one of them against the others. We are united by a common goal, which is to find a path to stability, security and peace. A great deal of interest is now focused on energy projects and transport communications in the region. However, the implementation of these projects should not cause confrontation, but should on the contrary promote stability and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the States of the region. Given the ongoing hostilities in Afghanistan, the importance of the Six Plus Two group as a full-fledged negotiating instrument is growing. Within that framework — and with the cooperation of the inter-Afghan forces — it is possible not merely to elaborate the terms of reconciliation but also the necessary measures to restore statehood to that country and bring about its economic revival. In that connection, we fully support the decisions of the meeting of the Six Plus Two group held at the level of Ministers for Foreign Affairs, which took place on 21 September of this year in New York. We also commend the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi. Recent developments in Afghanistan have confirmed that one of the most important conditions for the restoration of peace in the Islamic State of Afghanistan is the achievement of consensus at the regional level and the elaboration, under the aegis of the United Nations, of a 17 single position to be taken by the countries that have an influence on events in that country. Cooperation with the Afghan factions in order to reach a speedy settlement of the Afghan conflict is the ultimate goal of the proposed on-site meeting of the Six Plus Two group in Tashkent. We hope for further support for this proposal from interested States and the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan. The problems that affect the vital interests of Uzbekistan, in particular the establishment of lasting peace in Tajikistan, the cessation of war in Afghanistan, the imposition of an arms embargo on the Afghan zone of conflict, the establishment of a Central Asian nuclear- weapon-free zone, the construction of transport communications and the revival of Aral Sea are all part of global international processes that are under way and could be implemented under the aegis of the United Nations. I believe that the events of the last decade have convinced everyone that no State can, on its own, resolve transnational security problems such as illicit drug- trafficking, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of their components. The Government of Uzbekistan welcomes the efforts of the United Nations to counter the spread of narcotic drugs and to implement the Political Declaration adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, held in New York in June 1998. Today, in some European countries, up to 90 per cent of the narcotic drugs consumed originate in Afghanistan. The international community is aware of the need to take coordinated action to counter illegal trafficking in narcotic substances and to implement the principles of international cooperation in this area on the basis of mutual assistance and solidarity. However, we believe that these principles should also reflect specific regional aspects. In particular, once again we call for the elaboration of special programmes to plan for concrete, joint action by the States of Central Asia and the European Union. Unfortunately, terrorist acts have become a common occurrence in many countries. Existing international mechanisms to fight terrorism, including political isolation, economic sanctions and direct military intervention, are not achieving results. We should have no illusions about this phenomenon. Today we need coordinated and targeted action by the entire international community. In that connection, we welcome discussion of one of the most complex issues in international law: the possibility of and need for a new approach to the problem of terrorism. The importance of resolving this whole set of problems is obvious. In this connection, Uzbekistan has taken the initiative to establish within the framework of the United Nations a commission for the prevention of terrorist activities and for fighting international terrorism. The main task of such a commission would be to formulate recommendations on questions relating to the fight against international terrorism. Making use of legal norms, the United Nations could prosecute the organizers and perpetrators of terrorist acts. If Member States support this initiative, Uzbekistan will take an active part in bringing it to fruition. Uzbekistan has consistently taken steps to ensure peace and strengthen regional security. One of these is Uzbekistan’s initiative to establish a Central Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone. Considerable progress has already been made to implement this idea. Allow me to cite the closing statement of the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-second session, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko: “In a decision designed to further promote the regime of nuclear nonproliferation, the Assembly adopted a consensus resolution supporting the initiative to establish one more nuclear-weapon-free zone, in Central Asia. The significance of that step became even more apparent in the light of the recent nuclear tests in southern Asia”. (A/52/PV.92) Here, let me express our special gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and to the Under- Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, for their well-informed and strong support of this initiative. When considering potential threats to national security, we ought today to give special attention to problems of ecological security and environmental protection. It is common knowledge that the drying up of the Aral Sea has caused many complex ecological, socio- economic and demographic problems, whose origins and gravity are international, even global. The Aral crisis is one of the most serious of the world’s ecological and humanitarian disasters. It has had a direct impact on more than 35 million people who live in the Aral Sea basin. A number of decisions have been adopted at international and regional meetings on the problem of the Aral Sea. But these have not been backed up by practical 18 action. We are obliged to say that the idea is gaining ground in the international community that the Aral crisis can be contained through humanitarian operations. That is not the case. This is an extraordinary ecological problem that requires the establishment within the United Nations system of a regional commission on the ecology of Aral Sea. This initiative is justified by the need to formulate and implement a specific long-term strategy and programme for resolving the Aral crisis on the basis of the principles of sustainable development, maintaining the standard of living of the people of the region, and ensuring a decent life for future generations. Modern Uzbekistan is in the process of establishing a State based on the rule of law, a civil society and an effective, socially oriented market economy. It has an acute need for the experience and know-how of international bodies. At the same time, our republic is devoting great attention to the question of recruiting Uzbek experts for the activities of a variety of United Nations bodies. Let me stress that the level of training and knowledge of Uzbek specialists is fully in keeping with the requirements for recruitment to the bodies and specialized agencies of the United Nations system. I am confident that specialists from Uzbekistan can and should contribute to the work of international organizations. In conclusion, I should like to stress in particular that our relationship with the United Nations is intended not only to obtain assistance and support, but primarily to enable us to play our full part in the successful implementation of the purposes and principles of the United Nations and to give fresh content to the activities of the Organization.