The current, sixty-fifth session of the
General Assembly has started with an unprecedented
number of events covering the full range of the most
topical international issues. It is encouraging that, in
the light of the numerous challenges facing mankind, a
positive unified platform for collective action has been
taking shape, with the United Nations playing the
central role. Having learned from the dramatic events
of recent decades and having realized that attempts to
cut the Gordian knot by force in violation of the
Charter will only lead to deadlock, the international
community has concluded that there is no alternative
but to address political, economic and other problems
through joint efforts based on international law. And
the United Nations provides a universal platform to
strengthen this positive trend in international relations.
The Security Council is a key instrument of this
Organization to maintain international peace and
security. The high-level Security Council meeting held
on 23 September (S/PV.6389) reaffirmed its members’
intention to enhance that body’s efficiency, not only
through direct involvement in conflict settlement but
also by creating prerequisites for the non-recurrence
and prevention of crises. This proves that the
comprehensive approach to ensuring international
security is gaining ground, as it reflects modern
realities and is based on the principles and provisions
of the United Nations Charter.
The United Nations faces unprecedented, serious
and multifaceted tasks in the key area of peacekeeping.
While paying tribute to the efforts and sacrifice of
thousands of men and women Blue Helmets, joint
efforts should continue to refine the theory and practice
of peacekeeping under United Nations auspices and to
improve the quality of planning and the conduct of
peacekeeping operations with adequate political
control by the Security Council.
It is encouraging that the United Nations is
working towards this goal on a truly collective basis.
Member States have quite a few constructive ideas on
their table, which include Russia’s initiative to
revitalize the Military Staff Committee in order to
improve the military expertise of Security Council
decisions.
This year has been marked by progress in nuclear
disarmament. The 2010 Treaty between the United
States of America and the Russian Federation on
Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of
Strategic Offensive Arms, signed by the Presidents of
Russia and the United States in Prague, is a real
contribution by our two countries to strengthening
international security and strategic stability. It is also
the result of positive changes in the relations between
Russia and the United States that have placed Russian-
American interaction in world affairs on a qualitatively
new level.
We hope that the strong impetus provided by
Moscow and Washington to the nuclear disarmament
process will be followed similarly by all nations,
primarily by nuclear-weapon States.
Pursuant to Russia’s policy towards strengthening
the United Nations role in global security, disarmament
and confidence-building, we intend to table three draft
resolutions during the current General Assembly
session: one on transparency and confidence-building
measures in outer space activities, co-sponsored with
China; a draft resolution on developments in the field
of information and telecommunications in the context
of international security; and a Russia-United States
co-sponsored draft resolution on bilateral strategic
offensive arms reductions and the new framework for
strategic relations. We call for their adoption by
consensus.
The universalization of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its
guaranteed strict implementation comprise the
cornerstone of a strengthened international
non-proliferation regime. In that context, the search
must continue for an effective solution to the Iranian
nuclear problem on the basis of NPT provisions and the
norms of international Law. The Iranian side must
ensure the requisite level of transparency and
cooperation with the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), which is acting on behalf of the
international community with the Security Council’s
support.
Clarifying the outstanding questions about the
Iranian nuclear programme would not only meet the
goal of strengthening the non-proliferation regime but
would also quite obviously promote the interests of
Iran. Russia sees no reasonable alternative to a political
and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear
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problem through constructive dialogue between Tehran
and the six countries involved. The meeting of the
Foreign Ministers of the six countries in New York
helped to consolidate the shared intention to ensure the
earliest resumption of such a dialogue. We will
continue to do our utmost to achieve this goal.
As far as the sanctions instrument is concerned,
sanctions are not a goal in themselves. The objective of
the sanctions regime established by the Security
Council is to signal to Iran that it must fully cooperate
with IAEA, and to give an impetus to the negotiating
process. All members of the international community
must show solidarity based on mutual responsibility.
We strongly reject a situation in which unilateral
decisions — including ex-territorial ones that undermine
the very foundation of further joint efforts — are made
with regard to sanctions in parallel to collective efforts
by the United Nations Security Council. We must put
an end to that practice, which runs counter to
international law and has negative political effects.
Even more obvious, the economic and financial
trade blockade of Cuba, whose lifting the General
Assembly has demanded for a number of years, is
clearly an anachronism. The codification of the
principle of equal and indivisible security is
indispensable to productive international efforts in this
field, which is the precise goal of President
Medvedev’s initiative to conclude a treaty on European
security. The proposal targets the complete transition of
Euro-Atlantic policy from its old Cold War agenda to a
new one, as well as a firm legal foundation for the
principle of indivisible security for all in the
Euro-Atlantic region proclaimed in the 1990s. We
welcome the substantive dialogue on this important
Russian initiative, which has started in various
international forums.
A comprehensive settlement in the Middle East
would make a crucial contribution towards
strengthened global stability. The parties must
demonstrate political will and extend every effort to
promote the success of the resumed direct Palestinian-
Israeli talks. The results of the ministerial Quartet
meeting of major international mediators held on
21 September demonstrated that appropriate support to
the Israelis and Palestinians will continue, but the
ultimate responsibility for a successful outcome rests
with them.
In this connection, the decision by the Israeli
authorities to not extend the moratorium on Israeli
settlement activities has raised serious concern. A way
out of the current impasse should be found so as to
ensure that negotiations continue. Our proposal to hold
an international conference on the Middle East in
Moscow is aimed at advancing the Middle East
settlement. This proposal has gained the support of all
interested parties and the United Nations Security
Council. If the direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue
becomes stable, the preparations for the Moscow forum
can get under way, which should also substantively
examine the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, as well as the
prospects for the multilateral aspects of the Middle
East settlement.
The development of a comprehensive strategy to
address the interconnected problems of the Middle East
is on the agenda. It is necessary to continue working
towards an international conference in 2012 on the
establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and
other weapons of mass destruction and their means of
delivery in the Middle East, pursuant to the decision of
the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Russia supports the international strategy for a
comprehensive settlement and for post-conflict
rehabilitation of Afghanistan adopted by the Kabul
Conference, which envisages a stage-by-stage transfer
of responsibility for the situation in that country to
Afghan authorities, as effective governing structures
are established in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The future of Afghanistan must be determined by the
Afghan people themselves. The international
community must continue to provide its assistance,
with an important role being played by the United
Nations.
Lasting stabilization in Afghanistan and
throughout the region will be impossible without
resolving the drug problem. The dimension of the
danger posed by narcotics emanating from Afghanistan
represents a clear threat to international peace and
stability and requires more resolute actions throughout
the entire chain of the production and proliferation of
narcotics — from the destruction of drug crops to the
suppression of precursor supplies, including drug
traffickers on the sanction lists of the Security Council.
It is also necessary to move to a new level of
international cooperation. Russia’s initiative to
establish financial and counter-narcotics security belts
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along the perimeter of Afghan’s borders is consistent
with those goals.
The regional dimension of the long-term
stabilization of Afghanistan is becoming ever more
topical. To that end, we must fully engage the potential
of relevant organizations that are actively working in
close contact with Kabul on Afghan issues, including
the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The settlement process in the Sudan is
approaching an important milestone. As the date of
referendum on the self-determination of the South of
that country draws closer, the parties to the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement must redouble their
efforts to overcome the problems that still divide them.
We should also give new impetus to the Darfur
settlement process. At stake is the stability of
conditions in the Sudan and throughout the vast
African continent. We welcome the constructive
attitude demonstrated by the Sudanese and other
participants in the high-level meeting on the Sudan that
was held here recently.
In Somalia, the confrontation continues between
the Transitional Federal Government, supported by the
international community, and extremists and terrorist
groups linked with Al-Qaida. The lack of a settlement
on land is fuelling the problem of piracy off the coast
of Somalia. A more resolute pursuit of the political
process and stronger assistance to the peacekeeping
operation of the African Union and further counter-
piracy efforts, including the criminal prosecution of
pirates, are priorities in international efforts on the
Somali track, as reiterated during the recent
mini-summit on Somalia, which Russia fully supports.
The results of the Millennium Development
Goals summit have reaffirmed the important role of the
United Nations on development matters and must help
mobilize political support and financial resources for
the timely achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). That requires joint
efforts by Governments, international financial and
trade institutions, the private sector and civil society,
based on the principles of global partnership and
shared responsibility.
It is obvious that most global problems, including
the achievement of the MDGs, cannot be resolved
without engaging innovations, advanced technologies
and modernization solutions. The same is valid for
such challenges as climate change, energy and food
security and the fight against diseases. The engagement
of the enormous potential of the United Nations, its
family and system of specialized agencies in this area
will allow the Organization to become a catalyst in the
establishment and development of multilateral
modernization alliances. Russia is prepared to
participate actively in that work.
To live up to expectations, the United Nations must
continuously renew itself. The reform of the Organization
is progressively moving forward. This year, the
negotiations on strengthening system-wide coherence
were completed successfully. In particular, the new
important United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and
the Empowerment of Women has been established.
Negotiations will continue at the current session
of the General Assembly on the expansion of the
composition of the Security Council. This is an
extremely important issue on the reform agenda of the
Organization, involving the interests of the
overwhelming majority of States. For that reason, the
final formula for Security Council reform should be
based on compromise and the broadest possible
agreement in the United Nations. This requirement is
also fully applicable to all other aspects of United
Nations reform.
This year marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of the
United Nations, as well as that of the end of the Second
World War, from the ashes of which the world
Organization was born. For the sake of the memory of
the millions of victims and in order to prevent a
repetition of such scourges, we must suppress attempts
to falsify the events associated with that historic
calamity. That is the aim of a well-known Russian
initiative in the United Nations. We count on the
broadest support for a draft resolution on the topic.
The United Nations is our common and unique
Organization. It is up to all of us to determine how
productive and really useful its future work will be for
humankind. By pulling our efforts together, we will be
able to renew the United Nations effectively and
provide it with all the necessary resources. We are
convinced that reasonable resources spent on that goal
will bring tangible dividends to all members of the
international community in the form of durable peace,
security, cooperation and prosperity all over the globe.