Morocco

At the outset, I wish to congratulate Mr. Han Seung-soo, on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco, on his election to preside over the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session and to offer him our full support as he carries out his important task. I also take this opportunity to thank and congratulate his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri, on the effective and decisive manner in which he conducted the work of the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session. I also pay tribute to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for all his efforts in serving the Organization and the international community as a whole and I congratulate him sincerely on his re- election to his post and on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001. We have all been struck and shaken by the heinous terrorist acts that took place on 11 September in the United States. They were an attack upon thousands of innocent lives and a clear violation of all the religious, humanitarian and cultural values that we hold dear. Whatever our attitude towards and evaluation of those events may be, international relations have taken a different turn and a fateful outlook since that day. Those events were epic in their resonance and the extent of their repercussions is not yet clear. One thing is clear, however: we will have to face new challenges and new constraints. Morocco reaffirms its full condemnation of these actions and calls on all countries to mobilize their efforts to eradicate terrorism at its very roots. Terrorism represents a threat not merely to international peace and security, but to the human race as a whole. We believe that the United Nations is the most appropriate institution for investigating the deepest causes of terrorism, not least because of the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly establishing a unified and comprehensive set of guidelines on this wide-ranging subject. That is why we call on all competent bodies to do everything possible to fulfil their responsibilities for combating or preventing terrorism. Morocco is a multi-ethnic State founded on tolerance, equality and respect for international law. It will contribute fully to the fight against the scourge of terrorism and its dangers. It is absolutely clear that the question of the Middle East is one of the most serious regional conflicts that the world has experienced in the past 50 years. Recently, we have seen a dangerous escalation in the conflict that has taken hundreds of lives, including those of many women and children, and undermined the infrastructure and services of the occupied territories of Palestine. Morocco has therefore condemned the attacks and called for a lifting of the siege of Palestinian towns and villages, where homes, schools and fields have been bulldozed. The forced colonization of Palestinian areas occupied since 1967 must come to an end. We must break the vicious cycle of violence and reprisals, and return to the negotiating table on the basis of the conclusions of the Mitchell report and signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. Morocco feels that peace between the Arabs and Israelis will have to entail an Israeli withdrawal from all the land occupied since 1967 in Palestine and the Syrian Golan Heights and that part of the territory of Lebanon that remains under Israeli occupation. This must take place on the basis of full compliance with international law, in particular Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the decisions of the Madrid Conference, which called for an exchange of land for peace. In this context, we heard with satisfaction the statement made by President Bush concerning the establishment of a Palestinian State and the expression of the will of the United States Administration to resume its active role in reviving the peace process in order to achieve a just, lasting, 20 comprehensive and genuine peace for all the peoples and States of the region. Morocco takes this opportunity to reiterate its concern over the suffering of the brotherly people of Iraq and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in that country. These are direct results of the economic sanctions that have been imposed on that nation for the past 10 years and more. Morocco hopes that the talks under way between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq will help towards the lifting of the sanctions and put an end to the despair, pain and suffering of the Iraqi people. Morocco welcomes all the efforts to be made by the United Nations and the Iraqi Government in the dialogue, which will be held in confidence and frankness, to find a just solution to the problem of detainees and people missing since the Gulf War. Morocco supports both the independence and sovereignty of Kuwait and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq itself. The settlement of armed conflicts is also of crucial importance to Africa, which, unfortunately, is still being plagued by bloody but entirely contrived confrontations. What is happening in Africa requires our Organization to adopt a new and pragmatic approach enabling us to maintain and strengthen peace in Africa on the basis of respect for ceasefires and the encouragement of dialogue between the parties, and confidence-building. We need to provide for preventive action, as stated by the Secretary-General at the opening of this session of the General Assembly. We need early warning mechanisms for areas of tension. If we have such mechanisms, then we will be able to deal with the deep causes of conflict, like injustice, poverty, epidemics and refugees. Morocco, which is eager to support peace and security in Africa, welcomes all efforts undertaken in this area by the United Nations and international and regional organizations. Morocco, as always, has responded this year to the United Nations request for troops from the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces to participate in the international peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Kingdom of Morocco is determined to expedite the process of constructing the Arab Mahgreb Union as a strong and balanced regional organization that will lead to permanent stability in the region and strengthen economic, social and cultural institutions. It would also enter into fruitful partnership with other regional organizations, including the European Union. Morocco remains convinced that such a Union is inevitable and most useful. The efforts to establish a Mahgreb organization, however, depend upon finding an enduring, just and final solution to the problem of the Sahara. The conflict there is a stumbling block preventing the fulfilment of the hopes of the peoples of the Mahgreb for good relations, complementarity, stability, prosperity and peace. It is these hopes that have guided us since independence, especially since the historic conference in Tangiers in 1958. Although some claim otherwise, the settlement plan did not come to a halt because of the huge number of challenges following the identification process, but because of the huge difficulties mentioned by the Secretary-General himself in his last three reports to the Security Council. Finally and again contrary to the claims of some the Security Council, in resolution 1359 (2001), requested the four parties concerned in the Sahara conflict to begin negotiations on the basis of the framework agreement tabled by the Secretary-General in the Security Council and known as the Baker plan. In fact, the initiative of the Secretary-General, enshrined in the draft framework agreement, is aimed at a negotiated settlement of the conflict. As the Secretary-General himself put it, this is a last chance to reach a speedy and final settlement in the Sahara conflict. Morocco accepted the draft framework agreement as a basis for negotiation, and is ready to continue cooperating with the Security Council, the Secretary-General and his personal representative, Mr. James Baker, in order to achieve a just, peaceful and final settlement of the Sahara issue. In keeping with international law and the Charter, Morocco invites all other parties to provide the same positive response to the appeal contained in Security Council resolution 1359 (2001) to start negotiations in order to achieve a political solution of this totally contrived conflict. The fact that Spain continues to occupy two Moroccan cities, Ceuta and Melilla, and the islands off the coast of Morocco that are near them, is a pure anachronism and totally out of line with the values and principles upheld by the international community. Morocco, which would like to see a European- Mediterranean community and dialogue between the 21 two shores of the Mediterranean, considers that a good relationship based on cooperation and good neighbourliness with Spain is one of our basic strategic goals. However, if we are to achieve that goal, Spain will have to show an understanding of and good faith towards Morocco's rightful claims on Ceuta and Melilla and the islands off the coast of Morocco, so that Moroccan sovereignty over this territory can be exercised, with full guarantees for the economic, social and cultural rights of the Spanish residents of these two cities. There have been similar precedents, in places like Hong Kong and Macao. Thus, we can refer to such previous settlements that will be in the interests of both Morocco and Spain. Changes in the world economy make it essential for Mediterranean countries to give their economic relationships a strong impetus based on new concepts and approaches. That is why Morocco has tabled very ambitious projects with some of the other countries in the eastern and southern Mediterranean regions. There is the initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, known as the Agadir declaration of 8 May 2001, which provides for the enlargement of the free-trade zone that now exists on the basis of agreements between Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. The ideas for this free-trade area to be enlarged with the involvement of other Arab Mediterranean States form a solid basis for the States on the south and east coasts of the Mediterranean to integrate in a framework of partnership and cooperation, as under the Barcelona Declaration, involving countries on the north shore of the Mediterranean and the European Union in general. International peace and security do not depend only on responses to political challenges. They also depend on social and economic problems. We specifically cite problems of the environment and lack of natural resources, where there are so many challenges facing our planet, not least of which is access to water and drinking water at a reasonable price. My country had the honour of contributing to this cause at the seventh Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention, which took place in Marrakech between 29 October and 9 November 2001. This Conference resulted in positive steps on the way towards an international conference on sustainable development to be held in Johannesburg next year. With regard to the social issues that are of concern to international organizations, the Kingdom of Morocco considers that the United Nations should increase its efforts to benefit children, because they are the future of the human race. The Kingdom of Morocco, upon the recommendation and leadership of its sovereign, His Majesty Mohammed VI and their Royal Highnesses Prince Moulay Rachid and Princess Lalla Meriem, has spared no effort at the regional and international levels to ensure the success of the Global Movement for Children. Morocco has in this regard organized three important conferences on children this year aimed at mobilizing all possible resources regional, Arab and African in order to make sure that children enjoy their rights to health, education and justice. Based on such convictions, Morocco is determined to effectively contribute to the success of the special session on children to be held next year. For the second time in 10 years, our Organization has received the Nobel Peace Prize, which is both an honour and a burden. An honour for its success in preventing wars and in settling disputes peacefully; and a burden because it leads to rethinking the role of the Organization so it can become an effective tool in responding to the new challenges and so it can fulfil its goals of building a world in which peace and security prevail and in which all peoples of the world can harvest the fruits of technological and scientific advances. Let us therefore rise to the level of such challenges and engage in a true partnership and solid visionary outlook so we can achieve these noble objectives.