Mr. President, at the outset I wish to
congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the
presidency of this session of the General Assembly. It
is a great pleasure for me to address the General
Assembly for the third time in order to take stock of
the actions of the international community and to
express commitment and share our thoughts regarding
the priorities on our agenda.
When this world forum was created six decades
ago, it was an expression of will and necessity; out of
will came commitment and out of necessity came
awareness. The States represented here today are more
committed and are more conscious than ever of the
need to advance in establishing peace, combating
poverty, protecting human rights, and furthering
democracy and international law.
In our complex and uncertain world new and old
challenges, new and old conflicts exist simultaneously.
Our cooperation has improved in quality, but poverty
continues to affect a large sector of the world’s
population. We are moving forward in promoting and
protecting human rights, but gross violations persist.
We seek peace, prosperity and dignity for all. What
measures and instruments do we have to meet these
challenges? How can we adapt them in order to
respond more effectively?
Today, we know that no State alone can
effectively address the global agenda and guarantee
human development in a world that is increasingly
uncertain and interdependent though no less
stimulating and creative for that. The means exist at the
universal, regional and bilateral levels, as well as at the
level of our many interrelationships. The structures and
organizations that the international community has
built with so much effort form a complex framework
that we must reform, strengthen and update. Spain
promotes effective multilateralism inspired by values
and principles sustained by the people. The
international community recognizes the need for a
greater political consensus and effective cooperation, a
trend seen within the United Nations system as well as
in regional structures such as the European Union
(EU), the Iberoamerican Community of Nations, or the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE). Spain participates in those organizations,
where optimism on progress is tangible. Despite the
sometimes slow pace of progress, there is a global
political awareness of the challenges affecting
demography, sustainable human and economic
development and their link to climate change.
Peace is possible and necessary real peace, not
just the absence of war. We need to clear the way for
peace and political reason in the Middle East, a region
fraught with violence and dramatic tension, which in
turn affects the security and confidence of the
international community. We must choose the power of
words over that of arms, trust over mistrust,
commitment over fear and dialogue and effective
concerted action over disagreement. Spain wishes to
help the parties and joins with the Quartet and its
representative in seeking a final solution. In order to do
this, we must establish an open dialogue without
preconditions and draw renewed inspiration from the
Madrid Conference. For peace to be complete, it must
include Syria and Lebanon.
The meeting proposed by President Bush is an
appropriate occasion to formalize everyone’s
commitment to this desired peace. Spain unreservedly
supports that initiative.
We wish for a peaceful, viable and democratic
Palestinian State, living in peace with Israel, and an
Israel that is secure and has good relations in its region.
The international community must support and assist
parties in their efforts. Spain is firmly determined to
make its contribution effective.
Spain’s commitment in the region is also
demonstrated by its participation in the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). I truly hope that
the Lebanese political forces will reach a consensus
resolution of their political crisis without interference.
I appeal for a political agreement in the name of peace,
in the national interest of Lebanon and in the interest
of the region.
The conflict in Western Sahara is one of the main
obstacles to the integration process of the Arab
Maghreb Union. We are actively committed to seeking
a just and final political agreement that respects the
principle of self-determination within the framework of
the United Nations. Spain trusts that with the
assistance of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy
and the support of friendly nations, all parties will
make progress and that the direct negotiations that
have already been initiated will culminate in an
agreement.
Constructive trust is fundamental, and that was
behind the dialogue forum on Gibraltar in which
important agreements were reached on matters of local
cooperation of benefit to all. Spain hopes to make
progress in reaching a final solution to the sovereignty
dispute in accordance with the resolutions and
decisions of the United Nations.
We have seen uneven progress in conflicts with a
history of devastation and violence. We have also seen
progress and change in conflicts that had been
deadlocked, such as those in Georgia, Nagorny
Karabakh and Transdniestria, as well as in that relating
to the status of Kosovo.
Peace is possible and necessary, and we are
moving towards it despite being hit by terrorism, which
poses a serious threat to peace and security. This global
violence aims at undermining the stability of free and
democratic societies and, as we agreed a year ago in
the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
(resolution 60/288), we must prevail over that violence
by coordinating our efforts and responding collectively.
We are pleased that, in our determination to defeat
terrorism, victims and their families have not been
forgotten, and that the international community
continues to urge respect for them. I believe that this is
a well deserved acknowledgement and that without it
the strategy against global terrorism would be
incomplete.
Spain participates in peacekeeping operations
authorized and mandated by the Security Council, in
Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Balkans. Allow me, here
in the General Assembly, to express my gratitude to the
Spanish armed forces, the State security forces and
others engaged in cooperative efforts for their work
and solidarity in favour of peace. In particular, I pay
heartfelt tribute to those Spaniards who have lost their
lives in this effort and to their families and friends;
only four days ago two Spanish soldiers died in
Afghanistan. To assist in the logistics of peacekeeping
operations, Spain has offered to establish a United
Nations support base in Quart de Poblet in Valencia. A
communications centre will be established there for the
development of peacekeeping operations on the
ground.
It is possible to defeat poverty. It is an ethical and
political duty, a duty that Spain is firmly determined to
shoulder. I am pleased and proud to say that my
country today is the eighth-largest contributor to the
United Nations system; our goal is to devote 0.7 per
cent of our gross domestic product to development aid
by 2012. In only three years, backed by political and
social consensus, we have reinforced cooperation and
increased its volume to nearly €4.5 billion this year.
Spain has expressed profound solidarity with and
commitment to the goals set forth in the alliance
against hunger and poverty.
We want access to drinking water and sanitation
to be a universally enjoyed right. Water will be the
central theme at International Expo Zaragoza 2008.
That event will give participating countries and visitors
insights into the fundamental aspects of water in the
twenty-first century, such as the environment,
international cooperation and prospects for scientific,
technological and economic management. I encourage
and invite members to participate in the 2008 Zaragoza
exposition on water and sustainable development.
Spain wishes to assist in the structural
strengthening of the United Nations and believes that
institutional and managerial reform taking account of
global civil society inputs is a priority.
That comment, Mr. President, is intended to
highlight the progress made on the Security Council
issue at the sixty-first session of the General Assembly,
during the mandate of your predecessor. It is essential
for this very sensitive aspect of reform to be resolved
through a political decision adopted by consensus, and
not in haste.
We welcome the Human Rights Council as a
forum to debate issues related to rights and freedoms.
Spain reiterates its trust in that body and its desire to
become a member next year. The protection and
promotion of human rights is a fundamental pillar of
Spain’s foreign policy, because we are convinced that
the violation of these rights leads to oppression and
violence. We hope for the adoption at this session of a
draft resolution on the abolition of the death penalty or,
at the very least, on a universal moratorium.
The Alliance of Civilizations will mobilize the
international community and global civil society to end
the risk of polarization caused by the prejudices,
erroneous ideas and extremism that can disrupt
peaceful coexistence. Mr. Jorge Sampaio, the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, has presented
an implementation plan programme, and a trust fund
for voluntary contributions has been set up with the
support of the Group of Friends, involving more than
70 States and international organizations.
This has been a good year for Spain, and we
would like to share it with the international community.
Our presence abroad has increased due to the active
involvement of our citizens and our institutions,
economic stability and business activity, all of which
has been conducive to greater openness to the rest of
the world. This is not the time to be discouraged;
rather, it is a time for commitment and optimism. An
objective and rational analysis of the progress that the
international community has made in recent years
should inspire hope and strengthen the will to work
towards the development of a balanced agenda that
addresses the challenges of our times. The States
members of the General Assembly are more aware than
ever that only through united action in solidarity can
we meet these challenges effectively by using political
dialogue, preventive diplomacy and public and
humanitarian diplomacy. Spain sees the situation as
positive. In that regard I would quote the Spanish poet
Blas de Otero: “I ask for peace and I ask to speak ... in
defence of man and his justice”. That means a
commitment to action, not rhetoric.