Bahrain

I should like at the outset to sincerely congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan on his election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty- seventh session. I should also like to express my deep appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Han Seung-soo, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, for his tireless efforts in conducting the proceedings of the fifty-sixth session, as well as of the twenty-seventh special session of the Assembly, on children. I should also like to express our deep appreciation to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his continued efforts to enhance the role of the United Nations and to enable it to achieve the noble and lofty objectives for which it was created. Furthermore, I am pleased to extend my congratulations to the Swiss Confederation on its having joined the Organization. I would like also to congratulate East Timor on attaining its independence. It is also my pleasure to welcome the establishment of the African Union, the successor to the Organization of African Unity. 9 This session was convened on the first anniversary of 11 September, an event that terrified the international community, shocked the human conscience and unified international efforts to face up to an enemy that has no religion, ethnicity, race or nationality. That enemy is terrorism. On this painful anniversary, it is incumbent upon us to again extend our condolences and sympathy to the United States of America and its friendly people, and to the families of the victims everywhere, and to condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We affirm our support for all international efforts that seek to combat its elements and to uproot it. In line with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and with international efforts, the Kingdom of Bahrain has sought, since attaining independence, to build a modern State and a civil society in which the human being is the focal point. Such a human being would be prepared and qualified to cope with the political, economic and social requirements of modern life. Moreover, taking firm and confident steps, the Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its commitment to the development and modernization process taking place under the leadership of His Majesty Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain. My country was proclaimed a constitutional monarchy following a plebiscite on our National Action Charter, designed to promote democratic and constitutional life in Bahrain. The municipal elections in May 2002, in which women participated both as voters and as candidates, were a success; preparations are now under way for parliamentary elections, which are to take place in October. The Government and the people have made a concerted effort to ensure success in the democratic and developmental process, as set out in the Kingdom's Constitution and in its policies and programmes in all fields. In this regard, the Kingdom has acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Civic activities have been enhanced and the number of non-governmental organizations has risen. These have been promoted so that all the people of Bahrain may participate in expanding national efforts to ensure the well-being of the people and respect for human rights in all civil, political, economic, social and cultural areas. The Kingdom of Bahrain takes pride in these achievements, which have been recognized by the United Nations Human Development Report for 2002, which ranked the Kingdom of Bahrain high among all countries of the world and, for the sixth time, first among sisterly Arab States. Furthermore, the Arab Human Development Report 2002 has also mentioned our achievements, showing once again the success of the Kingdom's democratic and development strategy in all areas. Moreover, the leadership and the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain are proud that, in a report recently published by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Bahrain was ranked 42nd among the 87 countries included in the report, and first in the Arab world. The Kingdom of Bahrain attaches great importance to the question of regional security, because of the repercussions it has on the security and stability of States and peoples. Accordingly, Bahrain has consistently sought to consolidate neighbourly relations and mutual respect with its neighbouring States. Bahrain looks forward to the peaceful resolution of the question of the three Emirates islands, in accordance with the principles and rules of international law and in a brotherly spirit of understanding, on the basis of recent positive developments in the relations between the States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in the light of the direct contacts that have taken place recently, in particular those between the United Arab Emirates and Iran. Furthermore, the Arab Summit, held in Beirut last March, confirmed the necessity and importance of security and stability in the Gulf region and of creating a propitious atmosphere for the restoration of normal relations among the States of the region. It called upon Iraq to complete the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, especially those relating to Kuwaiti and third-country prisoners of war; to cooperate with the United Nations with a view to alleviating the suffering of the people of Iraq; and to avoid any confrontation that might threaten the States and peoples of the region or the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq, and that might be used as a pretext for interfering in Iraq's internal affairs. 10 The Middle East is currently facing great danger as a result of Israel's policy in the occupied Palestinian territories and of its perpetration of the most heinous crimes against the Palestinian people, such as assassinations, blockades and the destruction of the infrastructure and the economy. The events that took place in the Jenin refugee camp and in the Gaza Strip, along with the daily events that occur in all other Palestinian cities, are clear indications of the Israeli Government's aggression and violation of international law and norms and of its unwillingness to accept peace or comply with the international agreements it has signed. Furthermore, the Palestinian people are still resisting this ferocious assault with great courage and determination, thus asserting their right to fight the occupation and emphasizing their belief in their just cause, while upholding their legitimate leadership and defending their national rights, as endorsed by the international community, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and other relevant resolutions, the latest being Council resolution 1397 (2002). They are also upholding the principle of land for peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on their national land, with Jerusalem as its capital. On the basis of its principles and in support of justice, Bahrain has always stood by the brotherly people of Palestine. It affirms its full support for the Arab peace initiative adopted at the Arab Summit held at Beirut in March 2002 on the basis of the vision offered by His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That vision provides for an end to the Middle East conflict, the establishment of normal relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all the occupied Arab territories to the borders of 4 June 1967, including withdrawal from the Syrian Arab Golan Heights and the remaining Lebanese occupied territories, and a just settlement of the question of Palestinian refugees in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948. The oppression to which the Palestinian people are subjected and the ongoing situation that threatens security and peace in the Middle East and the world require immediate intervention by the Security Council and the international community to stop Israeli practices against the Palestinian people and to reactivate the Arab peace initiative at the regional and international levels. That initiative is a viable basis for any move towards the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the region. Bahrain has welcomed the initiative of the United States Secretary of State with respect to convening a peace conference on the Middle East, on the basis of ideas and principles put forward by the Arab Summit in the Arab peace initiative and of the relevant international resolutions. It hopes that a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East will thus be achieved, leading to stability and security, ending the cycle of conflict and violence, and bringing instead a cycle of fruitful cooperation among the countries of the region. Bahrain has also reaffirmed this position by welcoming the positive ideas in President Bush's 24 June 2002 statement on the Middle East. Those ideas were reiterated in his statement before the General Assembly last Thursday and related to the settlement of the Middle East conflict within the framework of the resolutions of international legitimacy, and with a view to establishing a Palestinian State living side by side with Israel in peace and security. The Arab side, through the Arab peace initiative and by accepting the ideas that President Bush has put forward, has clearly demonstrated its interest in security and stability in the region. The Israeli side has yet to detail what plans it has for peace and what position it has taken vis-à-vis the Arab peace initiative and the ideas put forward by President Bush. What is needed now is to translate those ideas and initiatives into plans and practical steps that benefit peace and put an end to the present deteriorating situation. In the light of Bahrain's religious and cultural traditions, as reflected in our Constitution and national laws and as reaffirmed by our policies that focus, inter alia, on the right to life, security and peace, we would like to reaffirm our strong rejection of all forms and manifestations of terrorism. We would also welcome the convening under United Nations auspices of an international conference on terrorism, with a view to reaching an internationally agreed definition of terrorism that differentiates between unacceptable terrorist acts and legitimate struggle and resistance by people against foreign occupation to achieve national liberation and self-determination, and to defend themselves in accordance with the United Nations Charter, to which we adhere in word and deed. The Kingdom of Bahrain has followed with great interest the developments in Afghanistan, a country that has lacked stability and has suffered the ravages of war for many years. We welcome the measures taken by the Government of Afghanistan with a view to promoting security and stability and restoring normal life for its people. We have also cooperated fully with the Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) on financial and logistical measures against terrorist activities, in line with the concept of collective action within the United Nations. Bahrain has supported all initiatives to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones and has supported other confidence-building measures in regions such as the Middle East, where we have supported the creation of a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons, in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions. We call upon all our neighbours to support this idea in order to release resources that could be used for the prosperity and development of peoples. We call on the United Nations to exert pressure on Israel to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to subject its nuclear facilities to the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Dialogue and tolerance among States and peoples contribute to the promotion of understanding and the maintenance of international peace and security. Based on that conviction, and emphasizing the importance we attach to General Assembly resolution 53/22 of 16 November 1998 concerning the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, the Kingdom of Bahrain has hosted a seminar organized in cooperation with the Government of Japan. A number of internationally known intellectuals from the Arab and Islamic worlds and from Japan participated in the seminar, which was convened last March and was entitled “The Dialogue among Civilizations: The Islamic World and Japan”. The seminar sought to promote dialogue between Arab- Islamic civilizations and other civilizations so that different cultures may grow closer to one another. In furtherance of this approach, the Kingdom of Bahrain will also host the tenth session of the Islamic- Christian Dialogue Conference, to be held from 28 to 30 October 2002. The objective is to promote better understanding between world religions and cultures, and to enhance interaction and exchange in order to preserve the progress that has been made and to invigorate an informed outlook for the future, wherein cooperation in the interest of the entire human race, without discrimination, can take place. In conclusion, I would like to state that, thanks to cooperative efforts, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, recently held in Johannesburg, provided a favourable opportunity for the review and evaluation of achievements made over the past 10 years, the identification of impediments and challenges, the development of strategies and the identification of objectives and priorities for joint action. It is our hope that all States will implement the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit and will address the challenges facing us all, especially the developing States. In that context, the Kingdom of Bahrain would like once again to affirm the importance of practical and effective implementation of the Millennium Declaration with regard to development and the role of the international community and international organizations in supporting national efforts in that field. We are confident that the United Nations, with the determination, political will and hard work of its Member States, is capable of efforts that will help us achieve our shared goals of just peace, economic prosperity and social justice throughout the world. It is in our interest to cooperate with one another to make the United Nations the main engine of our activities, in order to achieve a better world: one of peace, security, prosperity and justice for all peoples and all States.