First of all, it gives me pleasure to convey to the
Assembly the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad
bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, and His Majesty’s best
wishes for every success. I also congratulate Mr. Deiss
on his election to the presidency of the General
Assembly and thank His Excellency Ali Abdussalam
Treki, President at the previous session, for his skilful
management of its deliberations. I also commend
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for his efforts and
contributions to international issues.
We all know that since its inception the United
Nations has scored many successes in promoting
collective international action. It has undertaken a
great many initiatives and conceived many ideas
beneficial to humanity, including the innovative
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Today, we
view those Goals as the principal topic on which we all
agree.
As the representative of my country, I shall touch
on the challenges facing humanity in various fields,
whether they concern solutions to problems between
nations or realization of peoples’ ambitions,
highlighting some of the achievements that, taken
together, can serve the common good.
The most important challenge facing our world
today is achieving the MDGs by 2015. We know that
many States have made huge and outstanding efforts to
that end. In this context, the Kingdom of Bahrain holds
a leading and positive position, particularly in the field
of social welfare, free, quality basic education, health
care, improvement of child and maternal health, the
empowerment of women, gender equality, the
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expansion of the social security net for the poorest of
the population, our unemployment insurance scheme,
and expansion of the scope of vocational training to
enhance Bahrain’s human resources.
I am honoured to stand before the Assembly as
representative of a country actively pursuing its
international responsibilities. When we refer to the
notion of a modern State as the most important
political, social, cultural and economic product of the
modern history of the Kingdom of Bahrain, it is
because whatever achievements have been realized can
be attributed to good governance — governance that
has encouraged and supported initiatives and political
and organizational visions aimed at building the
institutions and capacities that can enhance the
principles of a modern, organized society. Such a
society is faithful to its values in every area, based on
State institutions that guarantee all talented citizens the
opportunity to create and innovate and to be an active
participant in our contemporary world.
The Economic Vision 2030 for Bahrain, launched
by His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa on
23 October 2008, is an historic turning point and a
gateway to economic reform, and a completion of
political reform. It lays down a long-term vision of the
future tracks of the national economy up to 2030. It
aims to ensure the transformation of the current
economy from one based on oil revenues into an
internationally competitive and productive system,
planned by the Government but led by a vibrant private
sector. The outcome will be a growing Bahraini middle
class enjoying a high standard of living, due to
increased productivity and well-paid jobs. This Vision
aims to establish a society based on the principles of
sustainability, competitiveness and justice.
The financial crisis that has affected the
international economy since 2008 and the ensuing
sovereign debt crisis in Europe, austerity measures,
reform and restructuring of the banking system,
increased State intervention in matters of banking and
economy in various countries — all this has led to a
prominent role for the Group of 20 (G-20) in
responding to financial and economic crises, due to the
fact that it represents some 90 per cent of the world
economy. Consequently, the time has come for the
G-20, and other blocs such as 3-G, to play a leading
role in developing and enhancing a common action
from within the United Nations and its various
institutions and organs by setting up plans for
collective action aimed at enhancing countries’
capacity to address future crises and to achieve an open
and integrated economy. That is in line with the
constructive thoughts of the President of the General
Assembly in this regard.
The settlement of conflicts and disputes between
States, conflicts that we ourselves created, is a daily
concern for all of us. Those conflicts are either of an
ideological or ethnic nature, or are caused by people
occupying the land of other peoples and evicting them
from their homes and homelands. The conflicts divert
our attention from more important concerns, including
addressing poverty, ignorance, epidemics and natural
disasters, which take a heavy toll and impede human
creativity. Limited national interests of one State or
another that completely avoid considering the common
global good are largely responsible for this state of
affairs.
One of the most important among these issues is
the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is located in our
region. We have been at an impasse for decades, as
failure has followed hopeful efforts and our optimism
has been clouded by frustration because of the
continued backtracking of the peace process. Yet we
persevere and cherish the hope of achieving a just,
permanent and comprehensive peace that will restore
rights to legitimate owners and open doors for mutual
acceptance of others as neighbours, friends and
partners fully sharing the respect and commitment
required.
In this connection, we value the historic
commitment and tireless efforts of President Barack
Obama of the United States of America and his
Administration to give a strong impetus to the peace
process in the Middle East and to renew hope by
relaunching direct negotiations between Palestine and
Israel with a view to settling this chronic conflict.
These precious efforts, however, require the
continued support of all parties concerned and their
unwavering commitment to take the necessary steps to
achieve coexistence through enhanced communication
and outreach. There should be an opportunity for each
party to convince the other to coexist as a neighbour
and a partner in the region, and not an ill-intentioned or
treacherous enemy. Our commitment to the Arab Peace
Initiative is one clear example. We are committed to
that Initiative and all its provisions aimed at achieving
a genuine peace.
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One of the basic tenets of our foreign policy is
our determination to see security, stability and
development prevail. In that respect we look forward to
a safe and prosperous Iraq that is able to check any
foreign intervention in its domestic affairs, an Iraq
faithful to its Arab-Islamic identity and inclusive of all
its ethnic and cultural affiliations.
As regards the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are
keenly interested in its stability and its people’s
prosperity. We look forward to it playing a vital role in
order to eliminate the ghost of discord around its
nuclear programme. We welcome its commitment to a
peaceful nuclear programme and stress the need for
total transparency and full compliance with the
requirements of the International Atomic Energy
Agency and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons.
On the other hand, with regard to the sisterly
United Arab Emirates islands occupied by Iran,
settlement of the question through direct negotiations
or referral to the International Court of Justice would
constitute a vital step and a foundation for regional
cohesion and understanding that would generate the
stability necessary for development, which would be in
the interest of all the peoples of the region.
As for Yemen, its stability is a pillar for the
stability of the region as a whole. The Kingdom of
Bahrain therefore reaffirms its full support to the
Republic of Yemen in all its efforts to combat terrorism
and protect its national security. Bahrain calls on the
international community to provide support and
assistance to that brotherly country, either through
bilateral channels or through the group of Friends of
Yemen.
Regarding the situation in the Sudan, we
welcome the agreement signed by the Government of
the Sudan and the concerned Sudanese parties, and we
commend the sisterly State of Qatar for its
considerable efforts in that matter. We look forward to
completion of the current negotiations on Darfur within
the framework of the agreement signed to preserve the
unity of brotherly Sudan.
Resolving those disputes will enable us to address
the real challenges to which we should devote our
common attention: challenges of security and terrorism
and challenges of devastating natural disasters, such as
the tragic ordeals which affected the sisterly Islamic
Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Haiti —
respectively, the unprecedented catastrophic floods and
the devastating earthquake. We express our solidarity
with those countries and hope they will overcome their
adversity with assistance and support from the
international community commensurate with the
enormity of the disasters.
Terrorism is a multifaceted global phenomenon
that affects the entire world through criminal terrorist
acts perpetrated against many countries. It exploits
discourse to stir up violence and to divide countries
and communities, thus contradicting its original
mission of providing spiritual counsel and guidance. It
utilizes mass media for the same purpose. The best way
to combat terrorism is to monitor and expose its
funding sources. That requires global consensus on a
transparent international financial system to regulate
the transfer of those funds.
For the international community to address these
serious challenges and threats, States must be in a
position to play their role fully through strengthened
concepts of political participation, democratic
practices, human rights, rule of law, judicial and
institutional reform, including freedom of opinion and
expression, and involving society in sharing
responsibilities.
In concluding, I would like to state that
restructuring international relations and forming more
inclusive alliances requires a higher degree of respect
for the opinions and values of others. That is consistent
with our commitment to pursue the noble purposes and
principles embodied in the Charter: peace, security,
friendly relations and international cooperation among
nations and peoples. My country reaffirms before the
Assembly its resolve to play its role as an effective
member of the international community and to actively
participate and take initiatives in efforts for the good
and prosperity of all.