Greece

Allow me to congratulate the President, Mr. Han Seung-soo, on his election and also to express my deep appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Holkeri, for his excellent work during the past year. The nations that constitute this Organization are today attempting to draft a comprehensive convention against terrorism, a difficult but absolutely necessary task. We may not yet agree on how to define terrorism, however the world, with a near unanimous voice, condemned the 11 September events. The world showed solidarity with the American people, the United States Government, and President Bush. That highlights a simple truth and a profound consensus, a consensus that this was an act against humanity, a consensus that this was a crime against the values we hold dear as human beings and as societies, and a consensus that justice must be done. From the ruins of this tragedy there rises a newborn moral strength, a clarion call to change this world, a call to create a moral order, a world community of values where a genuine sense of justice can prevail. It is in our hands today — in fact it is our responsibility to rise to this occasion, take a bold step beyond our traditional rivalries and consolidate a new spirit of cooperation. Let us make this a common fight for humanity. To do so we need not abandon our national interests. We do, however, need to place them in a wider context, a world order based on common practices, shared principles and global values. We must go beyond rhetoric. That also means that our responsibilities must reach beyond our borders. Whether it be a child who is suffering from AIDS in Africa, an Afghan refugee facing starvation, or a human being discriminated against because of race, sex or religion — these are today our shared responsibilities. Whether it be our threatened environment, the need for sustainable development, the need for equal educational opportunities, access to the Internet, or the inclusion of the poor in the fruits of development — these are today our shared responsibilities. Nuclear weapons proliferation, weapons of mass destruction and the protection of children in conflict situations — these also are today our shared responsibilities. No events could have made it clearer than did those we witnessed with horror on 11 September. We live in one world and no problem is only our neighbour’s problem, it is also our problem. That underlines the need for a universal response to the challenges that the citizens of this global village face. It underlines the need for standards concerning principles and practices that guarantee justice — from the Middle East to Cyprus, to Afghanistan and to Kosovo. The need for these principles underlines the pivotal role of the United Nations. I should like to express our warm support, respect and gratitude for the tireless efforts of Kofi Annan. Heartfelt congratulations to him and to the Organization he represents, the United Nations, on the award of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. It is a well-deserved accolade, an accolade that carries with it a heightened sense of responsibility to provide global governance in this globalized world — a world of global problems and global opportunities. Greece very much agrees with the words of Louis Michel, speaking in his capacity as President of the European Union, in support of the International Criminal Court and the continued reform of the United Nations. Today in our search for justice on a global scale, our challenge is to seek moral clarity. We must be able to unite around what is right. The words “freedom”, “democracy”, “human and minority rights”, “equality”, “peaceful resolution of conflict”, “solidarity”, “inclusion”, “open society”, “multiculturalism”, “tolerance” and “biodiversity” must all become the core of our common values. Yet there are different interpretations and different practices in our world concerning these concepts. In our search for a common moral code we must not allow a clash of cultures. We must seek a dialogue of cultures, and from this dialogue of nations, cultures and religions, a common moral code and order can and will emerge. The Charter of the United Nations embodies these values. Our 5 challenge today is collectively to give practical meaning to them. I should like to mention an important step in recognizing and respecting the dignity and diversity of our cultures in the world. Greece has tabled a resolution on the return of cultural property. Greece has always stood at a crossroads of cultures. Our best moments have been when we used that richness to learn. Today we are doing so again. Greece is a member of the European Union and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, yet its roots in the East enrich us in equal measure. We are proud to be European and Balkan and Mediterranean. We once were a nation of emigrants and our diaspora has linked us to all corners of the earth. Today we are a country that welcomes immigrants. They make up more than 10 per cent of our population. Ours is an open, multicultural society in the truest sense of the word. We see and we understand the world through many eyes. We understand that there are different truths and different histories. Yet we approach our traditions not as a wall that isolates us from each other, but as depositories of knowledge and sources of understanding and communication between cultures. We believe that our histories cannot enslave us, they must become our way of learning for the future. This commitment to dialogue is also a commitment to reach specific, practical results that will enhance our region’s ability and the world community’s capacity to establish well-respected values and principles in dealing with world problems such as terrorism. But in our fight against terrorism we must uphold these principles, as they differentiate us from those who use violence as their means. We must also heed what the Secretary-General in his address stressed. The problems we all shared prior to 11 September have not disappeared. However, I am encouraged to report that we have made significant strides in our own region of South-Eastern Europe. We did so by committing ourselves to serve these values: human and minority rights, democratic institutions, good-neighbourly relations and the inviolability of borders. We remain committed to the principle that should differences and disagreements emerge, we will seek to resolve them peacefully with respect to international law. We have managed to establish the framework of common values, one that will help us to cooperate to solve our problems. Emerging from a state of despair, the Balkans today represents a ray of hope for all regions in conflict. Of course there is much to do. Let me list the priorities. We must turn provisional peace into permanent peace. We can do so by resolving outstanding bilateral issues. We must turn new-found democracies into permanent and active democracies. We can do so by building civic capacity and strong transparent institutions that will guarantee the rule of law. We must contain and eradicate organized crime, a poison that runs through new-found democracies and is often linked to terrorist networks. We must turn opportunistic capital investment into entrepreneurial initiatives and permanent business propositions that provide youth with the prospect of a better and more secure future. We must turn segregated communities into multicultural societies, and we can do so by investing in education. Greece has committed resources, and of course its political will, to the above. We cannot stop now. As a world community we must continue and we must strengthen our investment in people and in financial resources until our work is complete. Two years ago I stood before you here with my Turkish colleague Ismail Cem, expressing the hope for a new beginning in our relations, relations which history seems to have frozen into constant rivalry and conflict. Today I need not express only hope; I can report that we have made significant progress. I have just come from a meeting with my Turkish counterpart where we signed a series of new agreements. Our meetings have become frequent and regular. We work together. We learn together. We help each other out in times of difficulty and crisis. We have discovered the importance of being good neighbours. We have started to develop a common architecture of trust. The products of our efforts are significant. We are constantly adding confidence-building measures to assure peace in the Aegean. We have made a commitment to jointly become parties to the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, and we have taken steps to cooperate against natural disasters. We are cooperating in the fight against crime, drug trafficking, illegal migration and terrorism. We are cooperating in tourism. Our trade has doubled. Energy and agriculture have emerged as new fields of further cooperation. Our two societies have taken the initiative to commence and develop common economic, cultural, educational and athletic activities. 6 These achievements stand as a reminder of the response of our people after the earthquakes, when they sent us a message saying: “We have more in common than what separates us; we are all equally vulnerable to pain and suffering; equally capable of sympathy and compassion; equally responsible for the life we offer to the generations that are to follow.” Again this year Greece and Turkey will jointly submit a draft resolution on emergency disaster relief. Our neighbour’s path towards the European Union, a path we wholeheartedly support, has set a new framework within which many of our remaining differences can be resolved. Step by step we are building a solid foundation. Of course our work in the region is far from complete. The architecture of trust we are building in South-Eastern Europe is significantly hindered by the situation in Cyprus, for the question of Cyprus remains unresolved. The island remains divided in a shameful condition. Cyprus is a tragic example of where our shared sense of justice, our code of values, has gone astray. Yet here is a new opportunity. Both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities could benefit from the island’s membership in the European Union. It is a win-win situation. I sincerely believe that every Greek aspires to a solution on Cyprus that will satisfy both communities, a solution imposed by no one party and accepted by all. I believe that that is what every citizen in neighbouring Turkey aspires to as well. Our constant reference to United Nations resolutions that clearly call for the creation of a bizonal, bicommunal federation cannot be interpreted as a desire for outside imposition — both communities have suffered terribly from outside intervention. On the contrary, this call expresses our deep belief in justice for Cyprus, a sense of justice for both communities. That is what the United Nations framework can guarantee. I therefore appeal to the Turkish leadership to use that framework for a just solution. Let us not expand the wall that divides the two communities in Cyprus to divide Turkey from Europe. Let us instead break down this last Berlin Wall in Europe and help to create a common future for the citizens of a free Cyprus. To all of us in the region, a region seeking to eliminate division, the prospect of the island’s entrance into the united European family should be a source of euphoria, not fear. If we do share a common moral order, a common understanding of what is right and wrong, then the Middle East peace process had come close to articulating the principles we share. For the good of the people in the region and its stability, that process must continue until a Palestinian State lives peacefully next to a secure Israel. That peace process must begin anew, without preconditions, based on secure initial steps through the implementation of the Mitchell report recommendations. Greece, as both a member of the European Union and a neighbour to the Middle East, will commit its efforts in this crucial situation towards the support of peace, rapprochement and reconciliation. We also hope that the hardships of the people of Iraq will cease and that the country will be fully integrated into the world community under a leadership that cooperates with the international community and complies with United Nations resolutions. That is also our stand with regard to Afghanistan. We look forward to the day that its Government represents its people and leads them closer to the world community. Here, Greece has already committed substantial resources towards alleviating the humanitarian problem of the Afghanis. At times when it is easy to succumb to fear we must have the strength to build confidence within and among our societies. We must be able to celebrate humanity in this global village, to go beyond our differences and conflicts. One such occasion is the Olympic Games. They are an ancient tradition that grew out of the need for peace in the ancient world of Hellenism. Today the five rings of the Olympic Games, which represent five continents, are the most recognized symbol on this planet, surpassing any commercial logo. Let us use this global celebration to further strengthen our community of common values. Let us again pledge our commitment to the Olympic Truce which the Secretary-General has so strongly supported and the Millennium Summit has called for. Ismail Cem and I have only recently signed a declaration to this effect. Many ministers of the Balkans, Europe and the Mediterranean have followed. I invite all to become co-signatories. We see that Truce as a moment in time powerful enough to change the world. During the ceasefire in Bosnia the Olympic Truce helped the Red Cross to 7 vaccinate hundreds of children. The two Koreas parading under the same flag at the Sydney Games was a powerful moment, witnessed by millions around the world. We see truce as a time to reflect. We see truce as a moment of silence. We see truce as a time to question, to examine what we believe. We see truce as a time to heal our wounds. We can use this pause from violence to celebrate and to rejoice, and we can use it to mourn and to remember. In Salt Lake City we can use it to honour all those unjustly lost. If our global quest for peace is a journey of 1,000 miles, then truce is but the small first step. But imagine how glorious the rest of our journey can be if we celebrate humanity, if we give peace a chance and commit ourselves to that first step.