It gives
me great pleasure to offer you, Sir, and your friendly
country, Switzerland, our warmest congratulations on
your election to preside over the sixty-fifth session of the
General assembly. I also wish to express our appreciation
to your predecessor, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, of the
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, for his fruitful efforts in
conducting the deliberations of the previous session.
For more than 65 years, since its inception, the
United Nations has registered tangible achievements. It
has offered assistance and expertise in the socio-
economic and environmental spheres, as well as in the
cause of international security and peace, and has
contributed to the establishment of stability in a
number of regions of the world.
The Sultanate of Oman hopes that at this session
the Assembly will make unprecedented progress in our
shared pursuit of international peace and security, as
well as prosperity.
The international community meets today in
challenging times, faced with a whole range of thorny
issues, from ongoing political instability to security
challenges, financial crises, economic and environmental
problems, the nuclear question and non-proliferation. It
may be useful to recall here the lesson that such
challenges can best be met through dialogue and
positive participation by all, aimed at arresting threats
to international peace and security.
The floods in Pakistan led to the dislocation of
more than 20 million Pakistanis, who have lost their
homes and are still experiencing tragic suffering,
despite the continuing international rescue efforts.
More outside assistance, expertise and capabilities are
needed to help Pakistan overcome this tragedy and
mitigate its consequences on the ground, as well as
push ahead with the reconstruction process.
Those floods, the volcanic eruption in Iceland and
the H1N1 epidemic, for example, are recent phenomena
that have highlighted how interconnected the States of
the world are and the need for international
cooperation. What affects one corner of the world can
truly have sweeping impacts across the globe.
The United Nations, its specialized agencies and
legal organs were established after devastating wars, in
the aftermath of the First and Second World Wars.
Although the international community has not yet been
able to find the means to resolve complex political
problems, the United Nations offers multilateral
mechanisms and goals that have played an enormous
part in the reduction or neutralization of many crises.
In addition, it plays key roles in helping developing
countries in numerous specialized fields related to
socio-economic development and the protection of the
environment.
We believe that the effectiveness of the United
Nations must reach a new level. This requires that the
permanent members of the Security Council accept a
reorganization of the United Nations, including an
expansion of its administrative base, with fair management
of world trade interests, in a way which makes Member
States feel that it is an Organization for all.
We look forward to seeing the international
community conduct a comprehensive review of the
requirements for international peace and security, in
view of all the lessons learned from wars in the past
century and in this century.
We also look forward, Mr. President, along with
you and all Member States, to a world of lasting
security, characterized by good intentions and
confidence in the future, a world where all peoples
enjoy shining freedom and the beauty of life. We look
forward to the day when dialogue prevails on the basis
of accepting the other, regardless of social and cultural
variations between human communities. We believe
that dialogue between Governments, which differ in
their perspectives on issues, will lead to a clearer
system of global partnership and coexistence, in which
development, welfare and prosperity prevail.
The Sultanate of Oman believes strongly that part
of its responsibilities in the context of development is
to make the Omani person the effective mover of the
wheel of development. Therefore, my country has
dedicated all resources towards that goal, especially
with regard to education at all levels and medical care
for every individual.
The people of Oman and their Government play
their roles in society and participate effectively in
everything concerning the life of the Omani citizen
through the Council of Oman, with its two chambers:
the Council of State and the Consultative Council. The
role of the Omani citizen along the path of his country’s
development is central and indispensable, stemming
from the firm conviction of the leader of Oman’s
renaissance, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, that
life is created for mankind, male and female, that
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freedom is the core of life, and that free positive
expression is the seed of creativity, which is the fuel
for development. With that insightful vision of His
Majesty, the Sultanate of Oman is moving towards the
future with firm determination.
We wish to stress our strong belief in the absolute
necessity of finding a solution to the chronic conflict in
the Middle East. Although we support the direct
negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis,
sponsored by the United States of America, we still
feel that the Israeli policy is vague with regard to
accepting Israel’s responsibility towards the requirements
of peace: the establishment of an independent, sovereign
and viable Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its
capital, and Israel’s withdrawal from all Arab lands to
the borders of 4 June 1967.
We look forward to an active, positive and
continuing role by United States President Barack
Obama in order to reach a just and comprehensive
settlement. We call upon Israel to grasp this historic
opportunity to establish partnership in peace and
security with the Arab countries.