Jordan

Let me express our deep sadness at the human loss resulting from the crash this morning of an American aircraft in a Queens neighbourhood and our condolences to the families of the victims. I wish to congratulate Mr. Han Seung-soo and his friendly country on his election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Let me also pay tribute to his predecessor for his able stewardship of the last session. Furthermore, I extend warm congratulations to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on his re- 26 election for a second term of office, as well as on his well-deserved award, jointly with the United Nations, of the Nobel Peace Prize. That was an acknowledgement of Mr. Annan’s remarkable track record in serving the purposes and principles of the Charter and a symbolic token of recognition of the centrality and relevance of the vital role of the United Nations in the world community. This great city which hosts our world Organization and the United States of America and its people have been struck by a cowardly terrorist attack that targeted innocent civilians. In truth, this act of aggression was committed not just against the United States but, in fact, against the entire international community and humanity. For it seems that the larger objective of the evil and dark forces that planned and executed those atrocities was the terrorization and intimidation of all of us and the precipitation of a worldwide cultural and religious confrontation. Their aim was to undermine and shatter our sense of common confidence and the bonds that unite us by stripping us of our own sense of security and driving us to deal with each other in an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and hatred. One of the many painful impacts of those terrorist attacks is the demonstration of the depth of interdependence in our modern life. The repercussions went beyond the United States. The victims belonged to dozens of nations, including Jordan, and all of us almost instantly felt the negative economic effects. Thus the fight against terrorism should be comprehensive. This means forging a unity of purpose and determination to win this war on all fronts. It also means exercising care and caution so that we do not fall into the trap set by the terrorists. Indeed, our war against terrorism is neither a religious war nor a clash between one civilization and another — or even between one nation and another. Last 11 September, Jordan reaffirmed its long- standing and clear position, which is anchored in its firm policy of rejecting the use of terrorism in international relations, irrespective of any argument advanced, pretext invoked or label given. Thus, His Majesty King Abdullah II declared Jordan’s categorical condemnation of the terrorist attacks perpetrated against the United States and Jordan’s support for the international effort against terrorism. In the same vein, His Majesty expressed resolve to safeguard the sanctity of the Islamic faith from any abuse or distortion caused by terrorism or terrorists, insisting that terrorists must be deprived of any opportunity to hijack religion and to misuse it to serve their purposes or advance their agenda. In particular, terrorists must be barred from provoking a confrontation between Islam and the rest of the world. The suppression and defeat of those pernicious schemes require, among other things, the enhancement of understanding among peoples and cultures. They also demand a genuine respect for cultural diversity. Human pluralism should, ideally, be a force of enrichment and inspiration for the community of nations. The world is perhaps pressed now more than ever to launch a meaningful dialogue among civilizations that highlights common denominators with a view to promoting tolerance and reinforcing our ability to coexist and interact in peace and harmony. The United Nations system remains the appropriate framework and venue for such a dialogue. Islam and Muslims throughout history have enriched human civilization. The contributions of Muslim scholars in science, literature and culture in general reached the heights they did due to a climate of open-mindedness, tolerance and pluralism established by Islam. We in Jordan take pride in the true coexistence and integration of our community life, which has been fashioned over the past 14 centuries. Muslims and Christians live side by side in national unity, where religious pluralism is an enriching factor, making Jordanian society a good example of social harmony and interaction. Terrorism will exploit political, economic and social imbalances and the absence of justice to advance its goals. Therefore, addressing the main causes of despair, frustration and sense of injustice in a serious manner is perhaps the most effective way to confront terrorism and pre-empt its potential appeal and support. We recognize that a truly effective international effort to eradicate terrorism primarily requires, as far as the Middle East region is concerned, a just and acceptable resolution of the question of Palestine, whose long-running implications on the ground remain the chief source of pain and suffering across the region. The current situation of constant killings and destruction as a result of Israel’s practices of using 27 force against the Palestinian people and the siege of their towns and communities constitute a constant incitement that feeds escalation in a way that endangers security and stability throughout the whole region. Jordan firmly believes that the resolution of this conflict will not be possible by the use of force or by security and coercive measures. There is really no alternative before the two sides but to return to the negotiating table as equal partners and to seek a settlement that ensures their legitimate rights and their future. This option will remain elusive until parallel mutual steps are adopted on the basis of the accords and obligations agreed upon by both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. His Majesty King Abdullah II has been engaged in enormous efforts to help the region break out of the vicious circle engulfing it because of the ongoing confrontations between the two sides. King Abdullah has contributed positively to the intense international contacts and efforts to achieve that goal. Those endeavours have indeed led to the building of a full international consensus on the requirements needed to break the current deadlock. Those requirements include, in the first place, ending the use of the Israeli military machine against the Palestinian people, lifting the blockade imposed on them and abandoning the policy of assassinations and incursions into areas under the control of the Palestinian National Authority. Implementing those steps would set out an appropriate entry to start the implementation of the recommendations of the Mitchell Commission, the thrust of which is to create favourable conditions that allow return to the negotiating table. Ten years after the Madrid Peace Conference, the region is seething with frustration over the failure to reach the long-awaited peace. People there are no longer satisfied by the mere existence of a peace process. Therefore, the revival of the peace process in itself is no longer tenable in the absence of a genuinely meaningful effort that translates into concrete progress on the road to peace. Prolonged confrontations have resulted not only in the failure to carry out several obligations agreed upon, but also in retreating from undertakings that were already in place. This demonstrates that phased and interim agreements are inadequate and ineffective to address the status quo. Therefore, starting the final status negotiations has become now a pressing priority in order to achieve the principal objective of the peace process, namely, the fulfilment of the national rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of their viable independent State in their homeland, as well as the guaranteeing of the security of Israel. Peace that can be acceptable to the peoples of the region must be comprehensive in terms of resolving, on the one hand, the whole array of major issues: the occupied territories, Jerusalem, the refugees, security and weapons of mass destruction, and economic cooperation; and including on the other, all tracks and the States concerned. Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) remain the basis of the peace process. Their implementation requires putting in place the true components of peace: primarily, the renunciation of the settlement policy which contradicts the “land for peace” principle and which is in itself a flagrant breach of international law. Peace and settlements are mutually exclusive. Holy Jerusalem is key to peace. It is an occupied Palestinian territory subject to the application of resolution 242 (1967), which aims at achieving Israeli withdrawal therefrom and from the rest of the Palestinian territories — occupied in 1967 — so that Jerusalem will become the capital of the State of Palestine. In addition, an appropriate formula will have to be worked out to ensure that the entire city of Jerusalem will be open, freedom of worship for all will be safeguarded and the city will be a factor of unity and reconciliation among all believers in God. The issue of refugees represents the worst form of injustice and frustration in the conflict. Justice must be secured for the Palestinian refugees in order to eliminate the greatest source of frustration and suffering in the region. Jordan, time and again, has made clear its firm position in relation to the question of refugees here in the Assembly. Let me emphasize that Jordan will accept only a solution to the question of refugees that takes fully into account its rights and interests as a State, as well as the rights and interests of its citizens, on the basis of international law and all relevant United Nations resolutions. Lack of trust between the two sides precludes their ability to achieve any progress without an active involvement by a third party. Jordan welcomes President George W. Bush’s announcement endorsing a solution that ensures the existence of two States, 28 including the establishment of a Palestinian State on the Palestinian territory currently occupied by Israel, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. This announcement completes the international consensus on the fundamental requirement for achieving peace in the region. It is our hope that the United States efforts will continue with support from the countries of the European Union, the Russian Federation and the international community as a whole in order to reach that goal. A comprehensive peace must include Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territories to the border of 4 June 1967 and the completion of its withdrawal from the remaining occupied Lebanese territories on the basis of relevant Security Council resolutions. The suffering of Iraq and its people, due to the international sanctions imposed against them for more than 11 years, is yet another source of frustration and tension in the region. Jordan once again stresses the need to lift those sanctions and the importance of creating conditions that will allow Iraq to reclaim its active regional and international role. Jordan also emphasizes the importance of completing the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including those relating to Kuwaiti prisoners and other missing persons. We hope to see an end soon to the plight of the people of Afghanistan so that that nation and its political forces can agree on a form of government to represent it. We also hope that the world community will mount a genuine effort to assist the people of Afghanistan in facing the tragic economic conditions that have been afflicting them for many years. At this juncture in human history, when we are seeing a surge in global challenges, it becomes even more imperative to rally around the United Nations and to comply more faithfully with the purposes and principles of its Charter, especially those relating to the peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law. It is also important not to abandon our collective goals in terms of promoting peace, economic development and respect for human rights. This trilateral platform of action represents Jordan’s domestic and foreign agenda. Our relentless pursuit of a just peace in our region has not disrupted our determined efforts to seek economic, social and political development. To the contrary, Jordan is now poised to embark on a new, integrated enterprise that seeks more economic growth in order to improve the living conditions of its population and to open up new vistas of hope and promise for our future generations. Indeed, the dignity and welfare of the individual must always remain the noblest goal of our national and international endeavours.