Kuwait

It is my pleasure at the outset to congratulate Mr. Joseph Deiss sincerely on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. As he represents the friendly Swiss Confederation, I shall now say a few words on behalf of the people of Kuwait in one of the official languages of his country. Allow me, on behalf of the people of Kuwait and myself, to congratulate Mr. Deiss on his election. We are certain that, thanks to his wisdom and experience, coupled with the prestigious standing of his friendly country, the Swiss Confederation, with which we enjoy a very solid relationship on the international stage, our deliberations will be crowned with success. Also, I cannot but commend the sincere efforts of his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, and express our utmost thanks and appreciation to him for the successful and distinguished way in which he conducted the work of the previous session. I also wish to express our great pride in the sincere efforts of His Excellency the Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, to achieve the international purposes and principles we are all pursuing in order to strengthen the concepts of international cooperation and respect for international legitimacy, as well as to foster the principles of the United Nations Charter. Soon we shall be celebrating the sixty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. It is our hope that the success story of the United Nations will continue for many years to come, not only because it is considered the best multilateral international mechanism there is, but also because it is the most legitimate, neutral and credible institution. Over the span of six decades it has demonstrated its ability to prevent destructive wars and maintain international peace and security. However, since the challenges and threats facing the international community are increasing rather than decreasing and are becoming more tangled and complex, the role of the Organization has had to be expanded and strengthened in importance and vitality in order to deal with social crises and problems. Those include poverty and hunger, the spread of diseases and epidemics, the scourge of drug trafficking and organized crime and violations of human rights. Economic problems must be confronted, including the increase in food prices and the global economic and financial crisis, and security challenges — such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ongoing armed conflicts in a number of regions of the world — must be addressed. Together, over the past two years all those different challenges have contributed to wiping out much of the progress and gains that a great number of developing countries had made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Natural disasters have also had a destructive effect on the economies of many developing countries, causing tremendous loss of life and of property. The most striking examples were the earthquake that hit Haiti last January and the floods that swept Pakistan last month. There is no doubt that plenty of work remains to be done to limit the dangers of the climate change phenomenon. We hope the conference in Cancún, Mexico in November will provide us with the opportunity to reach a binding agreement that will determine the required goals, the time frame for their fulfilment, the responsibilities of Member States, and the joint action mechanisms for guaranteeing the financing and technology transfer commitments from developed to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change and cope with its impact. Without doubt, those challenges require continued reform and improvement of the organs, agencies and programmes of the United Nations, so as to keep pace with the changes in international relations and to improve their performance. In that regard, we welcome the adoption of General Assembly resolution 64/289, entitled “System- wide coherence”. It established a new composite entity — UN Women — to foster international efforts to accelerate gender equality and women’s 10-54959 30 empowerment and created a Deputy Secretary-General position for this purpose. On another topic, we believe that after 17 years of negotiations to reform the Security Council, it is high time to take the necessary steps to improve and develop the work of the Council and make it more transparent. Its membership must be expanded in accordance with standards and controls that would achieve a fair balance in representation and efficiency in the discharge of its duties and responsibilities. Such measures should also guarantee the right of the Arab and Muslim States to be represented in a manner that reflects their size, their contributions and their role in defending the purposes and principles of the Charter. In affirmation of its steadfast support for the efforts and activities of the United Nations in various fields, the State of Kuwait has continued to extend a helping hand to the needy in different parts of the world. Furthermore, in consolidating the principles of Kuwait’s foreign policy, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has continued to provide — as it has for the past five decades — assistance and grants, which to date have benefited more than 100 countries all over the world with concessionary loans totalling $14.5 billion. That is equivalent to 1.31 per cent of Kuwait’s gross national product — twice the level of official development assistance agreed upon internationally. Based on Kuwait’s firm belief in the vitally important role of the United Nations in easing the human suffering resulting from natural disasters or conflicts, Kuwait has decided to increase almost five- fold its voluntary contributions to a number of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes. Kuwait will do so out of its desire to support those humanitarian activities and to deepen its joint cooperation with the United Nations. As we celebrate the golden jubilee of our independence, and in implementation of the desire of His Highness the Emir of the State of Kuwait to transform the country into a regional financial and trade centre, a development plan has been approved for the period 2010 to 2014. A budget of almost $115 billion has been allocated to develop infrastructure, build ports and railways and construct new cities, as well as to continue to work to improve the level of basic services provided to citizens and residents alike. In that context, the State of Kuwait is proud to be a leader, in the Arab world and internationally, in terms of the quality of education, living standards and health care services, as well as in the fields of gender equality, economic achievement and political freedoms, according to rankings issued by international organizations, specialized agencies and non- governmental organizations. Twenty years have now passed since the invasion and occupation of the State of Kuwait by the former Iraqi regime. It is a painful anniversary that we and our brothers in Iraq are determined to overcome by laying the foundations for stable relations based on the principles of the mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, good neighbourliness and non- intervention in the internal affairs of other States. We will seek to resolve all differences by peaceful means, to respect all resolutions of international legitimacy and to implement remaining commitments stipulated by relevant Security Council resolutions. The State of Kuwait is optimistic regarding future relations between the two countries and is totally ready to provide all sorts of support to assist the Iraqi Government in its efforts to enforce security and stability and to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, as well as to rebuild the various State sectors that have suffered as a result of the adventures of the former regime and its hostile expansionist policies. In that regard, we hope that the ongoing negotiations between the different parties and political forces in Iraq will lead to the formation of a Government of national unity that represents the entire spectrum of Iraqi society and all its political components. Such a Government should be able to address the country’s security, political and economic challenges and fulfil the needs and aspirations of the Iraqi people to build a free, democratic and unified Iraq living in peace with itself and its neighbours and contributing to the consolidation of the pillars of security and stability in the region. The State of Kuwait, in its capacity as Chair of the current session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), hopes that communication at all levels will continue between the sisterly United Arab Emirates and the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran to seek a resolution to the conflict over the occupied Emarati Islands, in line with the principles and norms of 31 10-54959 international law and on the basis of good-neighbourly relations, as set out in the resolutions issued by GCC summits and ministerial meetings. While the State of Kuwait affirms the right of States to utilize nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, we call on all States with such programmes to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to take whatever steps are necessary to build confidence so as to reassure the international community about the nature of their nuclear programmes, in line with resolutions of international legitimacy. We also emphasize the need to resolve those issues peacefully through diplomatic means and direct negotiations between the parties concerned. That will pave the way to the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, in implementation of the resolution adopted at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference held at the United Nations Headquarters last May. The Arab-Israeli conflict is considered the gravest threat to peace and security in the Middle East region. The failure of the United Nations over the past six decades to find a solution to that pivotal issue has contributed to the complication of the Palestine question and has prompted Israel, the occupying Power, to persist in its disrespect of international legitimacy. Israel has also persisted in its settlement policy, imposed a siege on Gaza and destroyed the landmarks of Jerusalem in order to Judaize it. Moreover, instead of welcoming the Arab Peace Initiative as a strategic choice and the nucleus of the peace process in the Middle East, Israel has continued to confiscate territory and to torture and detain unarmed Palestinian civilians. It has used the rockets launched against it as a pretext to launch savage wars and to use excessive force. All of that is in addition to its arrogant attack on the Turkish freedom flotilla in international waters. Israel is confident of its impunity and thus commits crimes continuously and systematically, without any adequate response from the international community to its arrogance. We therefore reaffirm the responsibility of the international community and of the Security Council for the maintenance of peace and security, as well as to deal seriously and sternly with Israel and force it to comply with the international will. We hope that the direct negotiations that began at the start of this month between the Palestinian Authority and Israel will lead to the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and the establishment of a Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions, the principle of land for peace, the Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative. We also renew our full support to the Syrian Arab Republic in regaining its occupied lands in the Golan and the return to the line of 4 June 1967. We also stress the need for implementing Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and putting an end to repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and of the Blue Line of separation. We also emphasize the need for Israel to withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories. The peoples of the world want to live in a clean, safe and stable environment. In recent decades, we have been able to enact numerous international agreements and conventions under the umbrella of the United Nations to ensure dignified lives for our peoples in a world where justice and equality prevail. We must therefore shoulder our responsibilities and adhere to our commitments in order to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all the peoples of the world.