Kuwait

It gives me great pleasure to extend to Mr. Opertti and his friendly country, on behalf of the State of Kuwait, our sincere congratulations on his election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. We are confident that his extensive and incisive knowledge of international affairs will greatly help him to guide the Assembly?s deliberations to success. Let me assure him of our delegation?s willingness and desire to cooperate with him in a businesslike and constructive manner in order to achieve all the objectives of this session. I also wish to express our appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his remarkable stewardship of the previous session. Allow me take this opportunity to commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his tireless efforts to reform the United Nations, to restructure it, and to streamline and revitalize it in various fields, with a view to making it responsive to the demands and challenges of the twenty-first century. In this regard, we welcome the statement made by the Secretary-General before the general debate, when he presented his report on the work of the Organization. We note with satisfaction that some essential proposals for reform presented by the Secretary-General have been implemented. We hope that the reform exercise will continue with the full backing of all Member States. The reform of the Organization and the enhancement of its effectiveness for the fulfilment of its objectives and the attainment of its priorities depend in large measure on the political will of Member States and the extent of their commitment to their obligations under the Charter and the resolutions of its various organs. We consider it unrealistic to expect the United Nations to deliver more while we provide less. Frankly, Kuwait feels that the success of the reform exercise hinges primarily on the availability of adequate funding for the various mandated activities. Such funding depends on the payment by all Member States of their assessed contributions to both the regular budget and the peacekeeping budget. In this regard, I am pleased to report that the State of Kuwait continues to fulfil its financial obligations in full and on time. It is our fervent hope that this obligation will be honoured by all Member States of the Organization. The reform and restructuring of United Nations organs has become a practical necessity required for the common interest of all Member States. There is no doubt that the circumstances in which the United Nations was established over 50 years ago have changed, and that vast developments which could not be overlooked have occurred at various international and regional levels. Therefore, Kuwait is in favour of restructuring the Security Council so that its composition and membership reflect current political and economic realities. The change should also ensure greater efficiency in the discharge of the primary responsibilities of the Council, as set forth in the Charter, regarding the maintenance of international peace and security. It is clear now, after five years of debate in the Working Group on the expansion of the membership of the Security Council and the reform of its methods of work, that reaching a consensus on the optimum increase in membership is not an easy matter. Deep differences still exist among Member States. Nonetheless, we remain hopeful that reaching an agreement is still possible. In this context, we wish to emphasize the need to improve the methods and procedures of work of the Council to ensure enhanced transparency and wider involvement in the decision-making process. The comprehensive paper submitted by the Non-Aligned Movement on 11 March 1997 to the Working Group constitutes an appropriate basis for working out an agreement on the procedures to be adopted and incorporated into the rules of procedure of the Council. As we stand at the threshold of the twenty-first century, our world is witnessing the emergence of a multitude of problems and issues whose implications transcend national and geographical boundaries. Their inherent dangers can threaten national and international security. Unless curbed, such hazards will undermine the achievements made thus far in the environmental, social and economic spheres. Among such problems — without being exhaustive — are terrorism, the arms race, narcotic drugs, environmental degradation, poverty, human rights violations, massacres and genocide. 17 In this context, Kuwait wishes to reaffirm its categorical denunciation and rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism, irrespective of their source. We support all collective international efforts to confront this phenomenon, including the apprehension and trial of the perpetrators of these crimes. Kuwait condemns the terrorist acts perpetrated against the United States embassy buildings in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam last August and extends heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of those tragic incidents. In the area of disarmament, we welcome the progress made thus far with regard to the Convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. When we in Kuwait talk about landmines, we have in our minds the bitter memory of the destructive impact of the millions of mines planted throughout Kuwait by the invading Iraqi forces. Those mines claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent children, women and elderly people. It took painstaking efforts, in which many States participated, to remove those mines. Kuwait had to expend great efforts and vast sums on the clearance operations. We therefore call on the international community to pursue its efforts to eliminate anti-personnel mines. Kuwait also encourages the movement towards curbing the arms race and developing controls and rules that contribute to tension reduction in all volatile and conflict-ridden regions, especially the Middle East, South Asia and the Indian subcontinent. A significant development in international efforts to combat crimes of genocide and massacres committed during conflicts and wars was the recent adoption of the Statute of the International Criminal Court in Rome last July. It is our hope that the Court will live up to the legitimate aspirations of the world community in trying all perpetrators of war crimes or crimes against humanity and in serving as an effective deterrent against serious violations of international humanitarian law. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Kuwait calls for greater consolidation of international efforts, to ensure wider respect for and protection of the human rights consecrated in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration. We maintain that it is the duty of all States, irrespective of their political, economic or cultural systems, to protect and promote those rights, with a view to ensuring the dignity of the human being and his or her rights to freedom of expression and belief. In the area of the fight against narcotic drugs, we believe that the efforts of the United Nations and of other competent international institutions to combat this pernicious phenomenon, and to minimize the illicit sale, trade and abuse of drugs should be supported and strengthened. In this regard, we welcome the Political Declaration adopted at the conclusion of the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, held last June. We are hopeful that the steps agreed to then will be translated into effective concrete measures to stem the tide of this phenomenon, which poses severe threats to human health and to the dignity and aspirations of millions of people and their families, as well as to the stability and independence of States. The State of Kuwait has the honour of holding the chairmanship of the current session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which was established in 1981. Since its inception, the GCC has been working steadily to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of its peoples, who share a common view of their destiny and future. Leaders of the GCC member States hold annual summits to examine and review a wide range of issues and events that concern the family of the GCC community and have an impact on regional security and stability. A major issue on the agenda of the summit conferences in this regard is the implementation by Iraq of its obligations set forth in the Security Council resolutions relating to its invasion of the State of Kuwait. Therefore, the Gulf Cooperation Council leaders attached great importance to this question in their last summit, held in December 1997 in Kuwait. The final statement issued by that summit reflected a Gulf vision of the future modalities for establishing peace and stability in the region. It also outlined the conditions that must be met by Iraq in order to enable it to reclaim its normal position within the ranks of the international community. Let me cite the following excerpt from the Gulf Cooperation Council summit statement: “The Supreme Council reaffirms the necessity for the Government of Iraq to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions without selectivity, especially those relating to the elimination of weapons of mass destruction that remain in Iraq?s 18 possession, the release of Kuwaiti and third country prisoners, the return of all Kuwaiti property and compliance with Security Council resolution 949 (1994) by refraining from any act of aggression or provocation against neighbouring States. It also stresses that the invasion and occupation of the State of Kuwait by Iraq was a breach of inter-Arab and international treaties. Therefore, Iraq must solemnly acknowledge that by its occupation of the State of Kuwait, it violated the Charter of the League of Arab States, the Joint Arab Defence Treaty and the Charter of the United Nations. The Supreme Council invites Iraq to take the necessary steps to demonstrate its good intentions towards the State of Kuwait and other States in the region in both word and deed, with a view to sparing the region the horrors of another similar catastrophe and to ensuring security and stability for all States of the region. It reaffirms its support for the United Nations Special Commission in charge of the elimination of Iraq?s weapons of mass destruction, and for its Executive Chairman, with the intention of enabling it to fulfil its mandate, and invites the Government of Iraq to cooperate in earnest with the Special Commission without any restrictions or conditions. It stresses the need for Iraq to carry out all relevant Security Council resolutions with a view to mitigating sanctions and alleviating the suffering of the Iraqi people, a suffering with which member States of the Supreme Council are sympathetic, thus prompting them to welcome the oil-for-food formula as a means of providing food and medical drugs to the brotherly people of Iraq. It reaffirms its firm position that the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq must be preserved.” In addition to this crystal clear position of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Non-Aligned Movement, at its recent summit in South Africa, underscored the need for Iraq to complete its implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions. The same call was made earlier by the leaders of the Muslim countries when they convened their summit meeting in Tehran last December. Despite those legitimate demands and sincere calls to Iraq to respond favourably to and to put into effect the resolutions of international legitimacy, Iraq still persists in disregarding those calls and in challenging the Security Council resolutions. It claims that it has carried out what it is required to do. How can such claims be reconciled with the fact that until now we have not yet heard from Iraq any declaration or seen any initiative suggesting that it regrets what it has done? In fact, convenient selectivity is the dominant feature of Iraq?s approach in addressing the resolutions and demands of international legitimacy. The most recent crisis is perhaps a good example of the Government of Iraq?s procrastination and its breach of Security Council resolutions and of the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Such crises, which are periodically triggered by the Iraqi Government in its attempts to disavow and circumvent its legal obligations, have all failed thanks to the solid coherence and unity of position of the members of the Security Council, which insist on full compliance by Iraq with the relevant Security Council resolutions. There is no doubt that all these crises unfortunately contribute to the prolongation of the sanctions, for which the Government of Iraq alone bears responsibility. Accordingly, we call upon the international community to maintain its pressure on Iraq in order to force it to comply with all relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, to release all Kuwaiti prisoners and other detainees and to account for the missing persons. This is a long-standing humanitarian problem. Its continuation causes more pain and suffering for the affected families and the people of Kuwait, who remain hopeful for the return of their loved ones. It is our hope that this question will be resolved once and for all, in accordance with the traditions of Islam and the provisions of the relevant Security Council resolutions. The events of the past two decades in the Arabian Gulf region have demonstrated the need for building a regional system on the basis of full and mutual respect for the principles of sovereignty of all States, non- interference in the domestic affairs of others, non-use or threat of use of force, the right of each State to choose its own political, economic and social system, the sovereignty of each State over its natural resources and the importance of resort to peaceful negotiation for the resolution of disputes which may arise between them. Having said that, and in view of Kuwait?s belief in the inalienable rights of our sister State of the United Arab Emirates to the three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, we wish to reaffirm our commitment to and support for the final statement issued by the Kuwait summit of Gulf Cooperation Council member States last December. Kuwait follows with great interest and concern the risks of the current stalemate in the Middle East peace process, which may threaten it with collapse and complete 19 failure due to the intransigent policies of the present Israeli Government, which persists in rejecting the implementation of accords concluded with the Palestinian National Authority and disclaiming the operational principles and framework of the entire peace process, primarily Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace. This provocative policy which is pursued by Israel?s Government not only undermines the peace process but also creates a general sense of despair and frustration. It also destroys all efforts to build mutual confidence between the parties concerned. It is a push towards confrontation, tension, violence and instability throughout the region. Therefore, we demand that the Israeli Government halt its illegal policy of constructing settlements, confiscating land and demolishing houses. Israel should also cease taking unilateral measures to create faits accomplis on the ground inside the occupied territories. Instead, Israel should implement the United Nations resolutions and fulfil its pledges and accords signed with the Palestinian Authority within the framework of the peace process with a view to ensuring the attainment of all legitimate political rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self- determination and to the establishment of its independent state on its national territory with Jerusalem as its capital. Here, we stress the need to halt the unabating Israeli measures aimed at changing the physical features of the city of Jerusalem and transforming its legal status. We condemn the Israeli Government?s decision last June to expand the municipal boundaries of the Holy City. We call upon the United Nations and the international community to fulfil their legal and political obligations in order to force Israel to comply with Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Jerusalem and to preserve its Arab, Muslim and religious character. In the same vein, we renew our call to the two sponsors of the peace process, especially the United States, to redouble their efforts to salvage the peace process and to bring pressure to bear on Israel to resume negotiations on the Syrian-Israeli track from the point at which they stopped, with a view to ensuring full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Arab Golan, as well as its complete and unconditional withdrawal in accordance with Security Council resolution 425 (1978) from southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa. Indeed, durable, just and comprehensive peace based on United Nations resolutions and the land-for-peace principle is the only guarantee for meeting the aspirations of the peoples of the region for a new era of peaceful coexistence and accelerated economic and social development. The tragic situations that prevail in Somalia and Afghanistan as a result of civil and ethnic conflicts that brought suffering to their peoples cause us concern. Kuwait, by virtue of its historical bonds with these two countries, reiterates its appeals to all warring parties and factions there to put an end to acts of violence and senseless bloodshed. We call upon them to respond immediately to regional and international appeals and initiatives for dialogue and negotiation in order to resolve their differences and to achieve overall national reconciliation. This would allow them to channel their potentialities towards the goals of development and the reconstruction of what these conflicts have destroyed. In condemning the killing of the Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan, Kuwait would like to extend its sincere condolences to the people and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to the families of the victims of this tragic incident. We appeal to both the Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan to be calm, exercise self-restraint and resolve their disputes through dialogue and negotiation instead of confrontation. While we appreciate the Government of Iran?s ability to handle the crisis in a way that will spare the two Muslim peoples the dire consequences of a war whose consequences we cannot predict, Kuwait supports the endeavours of the Security Council to achieve peace in the area. On the international plane, while we applaud the international efforts to ensure full and strict implementation of the Dayton accords to bring about peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we regret the aggressive practices of the Serb forces, including the systematic uprooting and “ethnic cleansing” of the Muslim population in the province of Kosovo. We urge the international community to maintain its efforts to put an end to these inhumane practices in order to ensure the right of the native population of that province to a life of dignity and freedom. In Africa, we are witnessing with deep regret the continuation of conflicts and civil wars in several States. These hostilities jeopardize the security and stability of many African States and strain their much needed energies and resources. Kuwait supports the efforts of the international community to bring about peace and security 20 and to provide the means that help the African peoples and States to achieve their aspirations for economic development and to overcome the problems and difficulties that they face in various fields. We also welcome the role played by the Security Council in examining the situation in the African continent on a periodic basis. Furthermore, we commend President Nelson Mandela for the role that he assumed in this regard as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. The world economic scene is currently going through severe turbulence and turmoil that have touched off and worsened economic and social crises in many countries, especially the developing ones. The major threat to the world economy is no longer represented by inflation, but by recession, stagnation and unemployment. Therefore, we call for concerted international action to redress those difficulties, which have adverse implications for everybody. National plans and programmes capable of addressing the underlying causes of these volatile situations should be established, and help with economic aid to the affected States should be forthcoming from international monetary institutions in order to help them rectify their economic systems and restore their vitality. In this regard, Kuwait, for its part, continued to provide economic assistance by financing many development projects in the developing countries through the Kuwait fund for development, despite the adverse impact on our economy of depressed oil prices, which plummeted this year to their lowest levels. Adherence to the noble goals and principles of the United Nations Charter, action in accordance with its provisions and the common endeavour to promote and bolster them are essential for strengthening the United Nations capabilities for facing the challenges of the next century. This will also help us in the crystallization of a new world order in which dialogue and cooperation can prevail, and in which conflicts and hostilities would disappear. It would also encourage active participation by all in strengthening the pillars of peace and stability, in consolidating all efforts for the enrichment of human civilization and in the fulfilment of the aspirations of all peoples for peace, security, freedom and justice.