The delegation of Belarus would like to express its deepest sympathy to the families of the victims of the plane crash that occurred this morning in New York, as well as to the Governments of the United States and the Dominican Republic. My delegation would also like to congratulate the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session on his election to that responsible post. His election is undoubtedly clear recognition of the Republic of Korea's role in international affairs. We would also like to express our gratitude to the President of the General Assembly at the previous session, 22 Mr. Harri Holkeri. His successful presidency of the Millennium Summit and Assembly is a clear example of his personal talent and leadership skills. The United Nations is entering the new century under the leadership of Mr. Kofi Annan. His unanimous re-election by the General Assembly to a second five-year term came as an unequivocal acknowledgement of great appreciation for his work as Secretary-General. We welcome the recent well- founded decision by the International Nobel Committee to grant the Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations, and to Mr. Kofi Annan personally. The consequences of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 against New York and Washington, D.C., are as present and as painful as ever. In that regard, our country does not consider this session of the General Assembly just a regular event in the life of the United Nations. For Belarus, the point is that, as Member States, all of us must demonstrate collective wisdom and display the collective will to make our world less vulnerable in the face of acts of insanity that push not only individual countries but the whole of humanity to the very edge of a global catastrophe. As a responsible member of the international community, the Republic of Belarus cannot remain indifferent to this threat. In his message to Secretary- General Kofi Annan, the President of the Republic of Belarus, Mr. Alyaksandr Lukashenka, clearly explained the views of our country with regard to international activities to combat terrorism: In the present situation, the role of the United Nations in consolidating the efforts of States in the fight against terrorism is growing in stature. We can achieve real success in this effort only when the unique capabilities of the United Nations are used, especially as regards eradicating the root causes that generate and support terrorism. We believe that the United Nations should be at the centre of the efforts to develop strategies and tactics for the measures to be taken by the international community to combat terrorism. Having actively supported all the anti-terrorist resolutions adopted by the Security Council and General Assembly, and being party to the 12 United Nations conventions on terrorism, Belarus welcomes the measures aimed at defining and eradicating not only terrorism itself but also its root causes. We firmly support the work of the Committee established by the Security Council under resolution 1373 (2001), and are ready to cooperate closely with that body. Last year, during the Millennium Summit and Assembly, we called for the preservation of the United Nations as a unique universal international institution uniting all the countries of the world. When we talk about establishing the conditions necessary for effective implementation of the goals set out in the Millennium Declaration we are talking about the future of the Organization itself. We believe that the implementation by the United Nations of the provisions of the Millennium Declaration during the first year after the holding of the Millennium Summit is cause for a certain optimism. In that regard, I would like to underscore that the Republic of Belarus has already drafted a special governmental programme on implementing the Millennium Declaration. The important thing that we have come to realize is that there is an organic link between development, peace and security in the context of globalization. The recent tragic events in the United States of America reaffirmed that interdependence. Belarus welcomes the intensive work undertaken at the United Nations in 2001 in preparation for the International Conference on Financing for Development. We are convinced that this forum must lay the foundation for a new international consensus on global economic and financial issues. Belarus believes that such a consensus should be built while taking into consideration the specific interests and needs of countries at different stages of social and economic development. The overall success of the forum will ultimately depend on the application of that approach. While addressing the most pressing social and economic challenges of the modern world, we must not weaken our focus on the area of international security and disarmament. The statistics on military expenditures, which have reached $800 billion per year worldwide, are of particular concern in the present alarming international situation. It should be noted that our country has been pursuing a consistent policy in the field of disarmament. We have made a significant contribution to the consolidation and development of international non-proliferation regimes for weapons of mass destruction, including a reduction in the number of such weapons and the elimination of existing arsenals. 23 Belarus has been consistently and comprehensively fulfilling the provisions of all nuclear disarmament treaties to which our country is a party. The recent concluding inspection under the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter- Range Missiles, which was carried out in Belarus in February 2001, confirmed our country's strict observance of all the conditions envisaged in that document. As a nation that voluntary relinquished possession of nuclear weapons and completely withdrew them from its territory in 1996, Belarus is determined to advocate the necessity of providing legally binding guarantees to non-nuclear States, including the elaboration of an appropriate international convention to that end. The Republic of Belarus is among the States that consider the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty to be a critical component of maintaining strategic stability. The outcome of decades of tense negotiations in the search for a compromise that saved the world from a growing nuclear threat must not be dismissed. Strategic stability is a practical imperative for each and every State without exception. Negotiations on such an important issue should be conducted on a multilateral, non-bloc basis with the participation of all interested States and in strict conformity with the provisions of the Charter. We welcome the efforts undertaken for the universal prohibition of chemical weapons and support the destruction, as soon as possible, of existing arsenals of weapons-grade poisons, as well as the efforts to achieve the universality of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This summer Belarus concluded its agreement with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on the privileges and immunities of that organization. We also pursue a similarly responsible and consistent policy with regard to reducing conventional weapons. In strict implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Belarus was among the first of the parties to that Treaty to ratify the agreement on the adaptation of the Treaty. Ratification by the Republic of Belarus of the Treaty on Open Skies in 2001 is proof of our consistent policy in this field. One important dimension of our foreign policy is to make practical contributions to the strengthening of regional stability, based on the principle of comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with neighbouring countries in all areas relevant to security and disarmament. As part of this policy, Belarus has concluded an agreement with Lithuania on measures for strengthening confidence and transparency, and we are making progress towards signing similar agreements with Ukraine and Poland. Conflict prevention remains among the most important issues on the agenda of the United Nations. The events of the past year have proved that the initiatives undertaken by the United Nations, together with the active personal involvement of the Secretary- General and complemented by the work of regional organizations and individual United Nations Member States, have been an effective and very often the only solution to the escalation of conflicts in various regions of the world. This is the appropriate point to mention the situation in Afghanistan, which is of particular concern to the international community. Developments in that country and in the region as a whole run the risk of spiraling out of control. Military force cannot resolve complex problems that have been building up for years. We are convinced that the complex tensions within Afghan society can be defused only by means of a balanced domestic dialogue based on strict compliance with the standards of international law. It is essential not to weaken the intensifying political effort to give a new impetus to the peace process in the Middle East. There is no alternative to the peaceful establishment of an independent Palestinian State through political negotiations, based on the strict observance of Security Council resolutions already adopted and the decisions of other relevant international forums. It is regrettable that the Security Council was unable to reach consensus on a United Nations presence in the region at this crucial moment. We consider it extremely important that we continue our efforts to settle unresolved problems on the Lebanese track, in tandem with the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Golan Heights. We are also concerned about the situation in Kosovo and Macedonia as the result of aggressive separatism and international terrorism. Here, too, we believe that political logic must prevail over the logic of force. On the eve of the forthcoming general election in Kosovo, Belarus confirms its adherence to the principle of the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and supports the diplomatic 24 initiative by the Russian Federation legally to confirm the existing national borders in the Balkans. The situation in Africa continues to remain unstable. We believe that the establishment of the African Union and the further strengthening of other African regional structures, with an effective United Nations involvement, are important prerequisites for the maintenance of peace and stability in that continent. A comprehensive approach envisaging integration of the political, economic and social resources of the African States is of crucial importance. Belarus supports the immediate implementation of all the decisions taken at the Summit of the Organization of African Unity held in Lusaka, Zambia, in July 2001. It is important to maintain the momentum that has been created in the political process leading to statehood for East Timor and to its admission, as a fully fledged member, into the world family of nations. We must encourage the active efforts being undertaken to continue dialogue, on the basis of equality, between North and South Korea. The Cyprus problem continues to be a pressing issue. We call for the resumption of negotiations on this question, in accordance with the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. The Republic of Belarus has been increasing its participation in major United Nations international legal instruments in a number of strategically important areas. These include the combat against organized crime and drug trafficking. Belarus has signed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, as well as the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air. Beyond that, the Republic of Belarus has become a party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the Protocol Amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The current session of the General Assembly represents an important stage in the process of establishing a legal framework for Belarus to join the United Nations system of peacekeeping operations. On 1 October 2001, the Republic of Belarus signed a memorandum of understanding with the Secretariat regarding its participation in the United Nations Standby Arrangements System. We see the recent visit of representatives of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to Belarus to test and select Belarusian candidates for United Nations civilian police contingents as an important initial step in the process of implementing this memorandum. Of major importance in the Millennium Declaration is the promotion by Member States of the principles of sustainable development. It remains clear, however, that implementation of the paradigm of sustainable development in many developing countries and in countries with economies in transition continues to be confronted with major difficulties. In this regard, we attach particular importance to preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg in 2002. We consider the Rio + 10 Summit to be an appropriate forum for defining new approaches to the solution of global problems and for developing new and effective financial, institutional and legal mechanisms for their implementation. The current session of the General Assembly is of fundamental importance to my country, since it will consider issues relating to the cleanup of the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The economic, social and humanitarian ramifications of this problem cannot be overestimated. Suffice it to mention here just one figure: over the past decade, Belarus has spent $12.5 billion on the cleanup of the Chernobyl disaster. However, the people living in the contaminated areas have not yet been able to return to their normal way of life. There is a need further to rally international support for my country's efforts to mitigate and minimize the aftermath of the Chernobyl catastrophe. In this context, we greatly appreciate the initiatives proposed by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Kenzo Oshima, to intensify international post-Chernobyl cooperation, including shifting its focus towards assistance for sustainable development of the contaminated areas and enhancing the region's human potential. The findings and outcome of the special United Nations assessment mission to the three most affected States earlier this 25 year are expected significantly to contribute to the understanding of what precisely should be done in the near future. In the course of the current session of the General Assembly, a draft resolution entitled Strengthening of International Cooperation and Coordination of Efforts to Study, Mitigate and Minimize the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster has jointly been submitted by the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. I call upon all delegations to support it. In his road map towards the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, observed quite rightly that The international community has just emerged from an era of commitment. It must now enter an era of implementation. (A/56/326, para. 11) This means that the successful implementation of the Organization's strategy in this era of globalization depends on us, as United Nations Member States, and us alone. This is not only our common privilege; it is also our common responsibility. Belarus is confident that the United Nations and the international community are capable of mobilizing political will and technological and intellectual resources for the sake of building a stable and prosperous world. For the Republic of Belarus, the tenth anniversary of its independence coincided with the second presidential elections in the history of my country. The support of the overwhelming majority of voters for Mr. Alyaksandr Lukashenka confirmed the soundness of the democratic foundations of the Belarusian society. Similarly, the foreign policy of our country will remain consistent and constructive. It will be guided exclusively by the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and universally recognized norms of international law, including the aspiration for the establishment of a world order in which the interests of all countries, big and small, developed and developing, in both the North and the South, are equitably taken into account. Cooperation with all United Nations Member States on a mutually beneficial and constructive basis will remain the central priority for the Republic of Belarus.