Malta

Allow me to begin by offering Mr. Jan Kavan my Government's warm congratulations as he assumes the presidency of the General Assembly. He has served the Czech Republic so well as Foreign Minister, and I have full faith in his ability to meet the numerous challenges that the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly will no doubt present. I assure him of my delegation's full support in the execution of his duties. Allow me also to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Mr. Han Seung-soo for the skill and dedication with which he served this body during the session that has just come to a close. It gives the Government of Malta great pleasure to welcome the recent admission of the Swiss Confederation to our family of nations. We look forward to also welcoming among us the Democratic Republic of East Timor. Their addition serves to further strengthen the trust and belief of all our nations that dialogue within a multilateral context is both worthwhile and irreplaceable. Over the past couple of weeks the international community has been seized of the issue of sustainable development. Malta participated actively in the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in South Africa, and although the Summit's very ambitious objectives could not all be reached, we are satisfied that a plan of action — the Plan of Implementation — with specific targets to tackle key development problems has been adopted. Throughout the negotiations, Malta worked closely with the European Union to include concrete plans and targets in the plan of action. As a result, the Summit agreed on a series of commitments in priority areas such as water and sanitation, desertification, energy and biodiversity. It is our hope that the plan of action will attract the necessary additional resources that will make its implementation possible, thereby making sustainable development a reality for an ever-increasing proportion of humanity. When I had the honour to address the Assembly at the last general debate, in November 2001, I pledged my Government's full support for the Franco-German initiative against the reproductive cloning of human beings. As a sponsor of resolution 56/93, which established the relevant Ad Hoc Committee, we have carefully followed the deliberations within the Committee on the philosophical, medical, legal and ethical considerations associated with this pressing issue. This was a necessary debate which brought to the fore the consensus that exists on the need to 12 respond to the challenges posed by scientists who are unable or unwilling to recognize the deep moral implications of their actions, as well as the dangers that they may pose to mankind. The convergence of political will has now been manifested. The time is therefore ripe for the Ad Hoc Committee to be given a clear mandate to negotiate a convention on this matter. My Government will strive for the timely conclusion of negotiations in this regard, preferably before the end of 2003. However, whether or not the international community concludes such a convention before attempts at reproductive human cloning actually materialize, it is imperative that, through international action and national legislation, Member States deny safe haven to those scientists willing to defy the international community. Before this year is out we shall be commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. When, as a newly independent State, Malta called for the commencement of negotiations on such a convention, it was concerned with the numerous unresolved issues of the rights and obligations of States with regard to seas and oceans, and with the seeds of countless conflicts that they might sow. It is today impossible to speculate on the number of occasions on which the legal certainties that the Convention brought about have helped to defuse, dissipate or prevent altogether the scourge of conflict and war. It is the curse of international law in our times to make the news headlines only when it fails, while passing unnoticed and unsung when it succeeds. We would do well to remain conscious of the role that international law, based on the multilateral process, plays in the prevention of conflict and the avoidance of threats to international security. That is to say, we would do well to remember the role it plays in upholding the central mandate of the United Nations itself. The role of the instruments of international law, and in particular those such as the Convention on the Law of the Sea, should be recognized for the contribution they provide in that regard. United Nations Headquarters has just played host to the historic first session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The complex changes to national legislation necessary to allow for Malta's ratification of the Rome Statute have now reached an advanced stage and are expected to be presented to Parliament in the coming days, thus enabling Malta to formally deposit its instrument of ratification very soon. The new International Criminal Court (ICC) has its roots in the atrocities carried out during the last century — not least those addressed at the Nuremberg trials. The ICC is thus a product of the lessons learned over time and of the widespread political will that has led to the creation of a credible deterrent to the would- be perpetrators of the most heinous crimes. The ICC thus provides an effective, competent and fair forum where those individuals may be tried. The establishment of the Court also represents a major breakthrough in international law and one which has become more — and not less — crucial now that terrorism has imposed itself high on our international agenda. The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 still loom large in our memories. The anniversary of that tragedy has again filled our television screens with horrific scenes of suffering and death. It has served to remind us of the resolve which is necessary in the face of such horror. My Government has taken part in the fight against international terrorism with full determination, and will continue to do so. This is evidenced not only by our thorough implementation of the international conventions on terrorism and the ongoing process towards the implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) but also by ever-tighter controls and scrutiny at our ports. We undertake further to intensify our efforts in this field in order to assist in the permanent eradication of terrorism in whatever shape or form. The continued turbulence in the Middle East also continues to be a source of great concern to my Government. The cycle of violence that continues to engulf the region provides a confirmation, if ever one were needed, that there is no purely military solution to the conflict. The extrajudicial killings of Palestinians, the deliberate destruction of the property and livelihoods of innocent civilians and the subjection of the entire Palestinian population to collective punishment does not dim the wholly legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to a State of their own. Likewise, the targeting of Israeli civilians in suicide bombings and other forms of destruction of the lives and property of innocent civilians does untold 13 harm to the cause the perpetrators of those crimes claim to support. No cause, no argument and no justification can legitimize these abhorrent acts by either party to the conflict. My Government looks on in anguish as a fence, reminiscent of the Berlin wall, that most shameful of symbols of the twentieth century, slowly takes shape. It is a harrowing reminder of how little mankind has learned from the past, particularly if we look back to the outbreak of violence in the region since September 2000. Unjustified preconditions to the start of political negotiations further hinder any progress in the discussions on a two-State solution to the conflict. Negotiations, which must start without further delay, must be built on the clear and plain language of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace. The recent initiative by the States members of the European Union in presenting a road map for the Middle East which outlines a three-stage process leading to the creation of a Palestinian State by 2005 provides a genuine basis for taking negotiations forward. The international community looks to the Quartet to advance in that direction with urgency. An issue which continues to persist in the Mediterranean is the situation in Cyprus, which has remained a cause of concern for more than 25 years. We earnestly hope that an early settlement of the Cyprus question will be found and reiterate our full support for efforts to find a solution on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions. The imminent accession of Cyprus to the European Union should provide the necessary impetus for the resolution of this long-standing problem. Malta is encouraged by the efforts of the Secretary-General to engage the Organization in the quest to achieve a resolution to the situation with regard to Iraq before it deteriorates any further. My Government calls upon the Iraqi Government to comply with all its obligations under all the provisions of relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular those concerning disarmament with respect to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq must meet its commitments and allow the re-entry of United Nations inspectors into its territory without any preconditions and as stipulated by the Security Council. The international community should spare no effort in exploring all political and diplomatic options that would or could assist in resolving the issue. Malta is in agreement with the Secretary-General that if Iraq fails to meet its obligations, the Security Council, as the organ entrusted with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, must shoulder its responsibilities. The Security Council has to ensure compliance with its own resolutions in the interest of the international rule of law. Malta's location at the centre of the Mediterranean has provided us with opportunities for trade and development, which we have been relatively successful at exploiting in the interest of our island, which is otherwise bereft of natural resources. Our strategic location is, however, now also the scene of another socio-economic phenomenon of a much less encouraging nature. I speak here of the poverty divide that cuts across the Mediterranean Sea. The countries of the Mediterranean littoral share much in terms of history, culture and way of life. However the ever more apparent disparities of wealth continue to fuel the movement of thousands of people from the southern Mediterranean and further afield to entrust their lives and hopes into the hands of unscrupulous individuals. These traffickers of human beings, willing to exploit misery and desperation, have little respect for human life and often abandon the would-be immigrants to the elements once they have secured their ill-gotten gains. My Government has increased the punishment meted out to those found guilty of such heinous acts. We have also bolstered our surveillance and rescue capability within our territorial waters and are simultaneously seeking to provide treatment that is as humane as possible to the victims that land on our shores. These efforts have been made, however, in the full knowledge that they deal more with the symptoms of the phenomenon of human trafficking than with its root causes. The imperative of narrowing the wealth divide across the Mediterranean is one of the philosophical cornerstones of the Euro-Med process, which exists to bring the European Union and 12 Mediterranean States together on a number of issues of common concern. Malta has been an avid supporter of the process since its inception and looks forward to developing its role further within this forum as a member of the European Union in the near future. 14 My Government believes that the accession of Malta to the European Union will serve to further enhance our capability to promote peace and prosperity within the Mediterranean, given our reputation as an honest broker that can identify with both sides of the Mediterranean. Inasmuch as this is the case, we also believe that membership in the Union will also serve to strengthen our own internal workings at all levels of society, bringing prosperity to the Maltese both now and for the years to come. Indeed, we believe that membership in the European Union constitutes a natural progression for Malta, given our long-standing historical, cultural and political ties with the Union. The negotiations concerning membership that are currently under way are nearing completion, and we look forward to joining this union of like-minded States at its next enlargement, in line with the timelines established at the Nice meeting of the European Council. Malta has always played a role on the international scene far in excess of its size. This we intend to continue, and I anticipate that all our efforts will combine with those of the other nations of the world to bring about improvements in all the areas that urgently call for our immediate attention. This unswerving determination will guide our efforts in the various forums of which we form part and in the activities we undertake, as together we strive to make a better and secure world for this and future generations. I wish the President every success in his endeavours in presiding over the General Assembly.