Yemen

I am pleased, first of all, to convey through you, Sir, our sincere congratulations to President Han Seung-soo on 28 his election as President of the current session of the General Assembly. I am certain that with his expertise and skill he will conduct the proceedings of this session successfully. I should also like to express our appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri, for the distinction with which he conducted the proceedings of the last session. Our current meetings are convened amid extraordinary circumstances arising from the acts of terrorism committed against the United States of America on the very day set for the opening of this session. It is regrettable that the first session of the United Nations General Assembly of the twenty-first century should be convened in the aftermath of those alarming events. These events truly constitute a negative phenomenon that will have major repercussions on inter-State relations at the bilateral and multilateral levels alike. Furthermore, these events have convinced everyone that there is no alternative to collective endeavour through legitimate structures to confront the challenges of the future. We would like to stress the necessity of supporting the United Nations as an ideal framework for international cooperation, particularly at this stage when collective endeavour is indispensable for coping with the problems that now, in the era of globalization, affect us all to a greater or lesser extent. In this connection, we congratulate the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001, which has come at an appropriate time as an appreciative expression of the role of the Organization and the effective leadership of its Secretary-General. The perseverance of the host country in ensuring quasi-normal conditions for the work of this session reflects a will to transcend the catastrophe and displays confidence in the triumph of reason. Permit me, as I stand at the heart of this great and wounded city, to convey, on behalf of the leadership, Government and people of Yemen, our sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the American President, the Government and people of the United States, and to convey these sentiments in particular to the families of the innocent victims whose lives were lost in the tragic events of 11 September. Although the scourge of terrorism has struck the United States this time, claiming thousands of innocent victims, the phenomenon of terrorism is not new. Indeed, it is directed against the whole world. These recent acts of terrorism claimed victims from 70 foreign countries, including Yemen. These acts were not targeted against the United States and Americans alone; rather, the target was international peace and security. Regrettably, the phenomenon of terrorism has worsened because of negligence in confronting it. We in the Republic of Yemen have not been spared the perils and threats of terrorism. Our country has been scorched by its fire and afflicted in many ways, but our appeals for timely, effective cooperation fell on deaf ears. Today, in the face of this loathsome act of terrorism, the Republic of Yemen reiterates its stand, condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whatever its causes and sources. As we proclaim the readiness of the Government of the Republic of Yemen to strive, within the framework of international legitimacy, for the elimination of terrorism, we also affirm our desire that those endeavours not lead to the suffering of innocent persons or to the practice of oppression that will result in the emergence of a new generation of terrorists. We also affirm the Arab Islamic position that rejects attempts to link terrorism to Arabs and Muslims. Terrorism, as history teaches us, has no religion, no homeland and no identity. On the same grounds, Yemen censures the voices that stir up propaganda for a clash of civilizations or, to be precise, a clash of Islam with Christianity. Instead, we call for a meaningful intercultural dialogue and for the creation of common concepts centred on justice, human and religious values. The desire to combat and eliminate terrorism makes it incumbent upon the international community to launch an unremitting campaign based on uniform and clearly defined criteria identifying terrorists, be they individuals, or collective or State terrorism. The international community cannot shirk its responsibility to oppose State terrorism — just as it opposes terrorism by individuals and groups. Logically, it follows that the Security Council should put an end to the crimes committed daily by Israel against the Palestinian people forcing Israel to withdraw from the occupied Arab territories and to implement the resolutions of international legitimacy, first and foremost of which are Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). In this regard, the Republic of Yemen proclaims that it welcomes President George W. Bush’s statement on the necessity 29 of establishing a Palestinian State with all the elements of sovereignty. This declaration has met with ever- increasing international support. Israel must realize that its security is bound up with its neighbour’s security and that its secure future lies in the inevitable acceptance of the Palestinian people’s right to establish their own independent State and in its respecting the Palestinians’ sovereignty over their territory. Today’s world is characterized by rapid transformations that, taken as a whole, are the natural labour pains that precede the birth of a new reality reflecting humankind’s yearning for a more just and prosperous world. The current reality and nature of international relations differ from those of the 1990s; in fact, they differ to some extent from the prevailing situation only two months ago, to be precise, prior to the tragic and bloody events of September. These events diverted attention from globalization issues, the furthering of the democratic process and the diffusion of human rights to an endeavour to confront and eliminate terrorism. Everyone is aware that the exigencies of combating and eradicating terrorism demand adherence to democratic decision-making methods. Decisions must be adopted on the basis of agreement and participation, exactly as is required at the national level. The logic of force has unquestionably become an outdated logic, which can in no way lead to the establishment of sound international relations or ensure lasting solutions to the problems that inevitably arise from time to time in inter-State relations. The Republic of Yemen has striven tirelessly to ensure the best means of achieving peace and stability at the regional and world levels, and has adhered to the course of resolving disputes by peaceful means and by accepting and adhering to the principle of good-neighbourliness. On this basis, our political leadership, represented by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has made continuous and unremitting efforts to help end the strife between the warring factions in fraternal Somalia. It hastened to welcome the outcome of the Arta Peace Conference and was among the first to support the provisional national Government, under the leadership of President Salad Hassan, as a legitimate entity representing Somali national consensus. The ordeal that our Somali brothers are experiencing, both inside and outside the country, confronts the international community with its responsibility to provide aid and support to the provisional Government and to increase assistance to the Somali refugees in neighbouring countries, including our own. Our country has opened its arms to some 150,000 of our Somali brothers, despite the difficult economic circumstances it is currently experiencing. Recent events have proved beyond doubt that there is an urgent need to amend the rules of international relations so as to ensure consensus in decision-making and collective participation in efforts to confront the growing challenges and dangers that face us all and that are not confined within the borders of any one State. That naturally makes it imperative to reconsider the policy of imposing international embargoes and sanctions that do not represent the collective will nor the required agreements, while the facts affirm their harmfulness and futility. The sanctions imposed on the Iraqi people and the suffering of that people are a burden on the human conscience, and their continuation raises an increasing number of questions about the truth of the aims behind the insistence on their maintenance, now that the justifications for the decision to impose those sanctions no longer exist: Iraq has committed itself to implementing the United Nations resolutions guaranteeing Kuwait’s security and sovereignty over its territory. My country has used its good offices with fraternal Kuwait and Iraq and continues to do so, with a view to finding a solution to the issue of Kuwaiti and other prisoners and missing persons, and cooperating in the settlement of this distressing issue. Here, we would like to express our happiness at the decision taken by the Security Council to lift the sanctions imposed on Sudan. At a time when fraternal Libya and certain other States are still suffering from unjust embargo policies, there is an urgent need to reconsider those embargo resolutions that have become obsolete and have been overtaken by events. One cause for optimism is the desire shown by both the United Arab Emirates and Iran, and the current contacts between them, to find a solution to the issue of the three islands of the Emirates in the Arabian Gulf. Yemen welcomes this move by the two fraternal States while wishing to affirm that direct talks or international arbitration are the option that will 30 preserve the security of the region and strengthen relations between the two countries. Developing countries are still experiencing extremely difficult economic and social conditions, and the financial sources for national development investment are almost non-existent, since external debt and debt servicing consume most national development earnings. This is evident in the least developed countries, a group to which the Republic of Yemen belongs. In this context, we deem it essential to strive to implement the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries. The Republic of Yemen wishes to participate in the preparatory meetings for the International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held next year in Mexico, as it is an international gathering that will address, inter alia, issues related to the mobilization of the financial resources necessary for comprehensive development activities. These include commitment to pay official development assistance pledges, considering the development of ways to increase the domestic resources necessary for development activities and increasing donor assistance, particularly to national plans aimed at eliminating poverty in all its dimensions. The Government of the Republic of Yemen is following a comprehensive development approach under extremely difficult economic circumstances. Large sums are allocated in the national budget for building the infrastructure, and particular importance is given to multidimensional programmes for the elimination of poverty. An effort is being made to ensure the participation of the various segments of civil society in the process of decision-making for development activities. Seeking integration into the global economy, the competent authorities in Yemen are endeavouring to fulfil the requirements for joining the World Trade Organization. In this context, the Government has adopted a number of measures related to economic reforms and to finding new markets. However, in that regard there are obstacles facing the Republic of Yemen, as is the case with other least developed countries seeking market integration. An effort must be made to remove these obstacles by allowing access to world markets for Yemen’s products and by affording it an opportunity to acquire the technology needed for development, particularly communications and information technology. The process of globalization, which in its current form has some positive elements, should give due consideration to human needs and not be confined to market interests. Inter-State relations characterized by justice and shared responsibility, as envisioned last year in the Millennium Declaration, should prevail. With regard to bilateral economic cooperation, my country’s delegation would like to express its thanks and appreciation for the contributions of friendly States — in particular Germany, the Netherlands and Japan - that are providing assistance to development plans and programmes in the Republic of Yemen. The most important trend in the world today is unquestionably the increasing move towards democracy as a necessary requirement for the achievement of equity, justice and social peace. In the Republic of Yemen, the democratic process has been a basis for guaranteeing the unity achieved on 22 May 1990 and has been organically linked to that unity. In spite of the short time since its achievement of unity and its proclamation of commitment to the democratic process, my country has made major strides towards the achievement of political pluralism, the peaceful transfer of power and the guaranteeing of human rights, especially with regard to the participation of women in the comprehensive development process. The most recent of these achievements were the free direct elections for the presidency of the Republic last year and the local Government elections early this year. Our manifest desire to develop the democratic process led to the convening of the Emerging Democracies Forum in Sana’a last year, which was the first conference of its kind. Lastly, we would like to express our desire to host the next International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, scheduled to take place in 2003. We hope that our request will be supported. The Conference will provide an opportunity for participants to get to know first-hand the country in the land of Sheba — a country that has practised consultation and democracy since the dawn of civilization. In conclusion, I hope that our meetings here will result in the promotion of joint endeavours that fulfil 31 the aspirations of our peoples for a world in which justice triumphs over inequity and poverty and in which peace, rather than fear and war, prevails.