Mexico

Mexico wishes to welcome two new Member States. Their presence buttresses the universal mission of the United Nations. Our congratulations to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. This represents a further expression of the right to self-determination and a reflection of its people's resolve for independence. Also, we welcome the decision of the people of the Swiss Confederation to become a full Member of the United Nations. The international community is facing a defining moment. A year after the attack on the United States, in which men and women from more than 80 different countries perished, we have the responsibility to decide together the direction the international system should take in the coming years. Mexico is aware of the magnitude of the challenges that the Organization faces today: the urgency of returning a human focus to globalization, of fighting the poverty that divides the world, of making possible development that respects the environment, of finding formulas for resolving the many conflicts and wars that now affect millions of people, of effectively fighting international terrorism and of guaranteeing respect for the rights and fundamental freedoms of every human being. Responding to those challenges in a responsible and visionary way is more important today than ever before. At the present time, anger or the inevitable difficulties of consensus-building may cloud judgement or give rise to pressure to act precipitously or unilaterally. Mexico is convinced that, at this time, the only legitimate path of action is that based on a 23 multilateral approach that favours agreement and collective action, for the benefit of the international community as a whole as well as of each our nations individually. Therefore, Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the system of international security that gives the Security Council the responsibility of maintaining world peace. In fulfilling that mandate, the Council must base its actions on the principles articulated in the Charter of the United Nations, such as the peaceful settlement of disputes, which has been a fundamental aspiration of the community of nations since the middle of the last century and is one of my country's most cherished ideals. Mexico maintains that the Security Council is the proper body to adopt the measures necessary to achieve a lasting solution to the question of Iraq. Therefore, we value the statement made yesterday by President George Bush, which included a recognition of the importance that debate and collective decision-making will have in the coming days and weeks in determining the path to be taken concerning Iraq. However, we cannot fail to recognize that the scope of action open to us will also involve complex challenges for Council members and for the entire international community. We unequivocally condemn as have most other nations Iraq's continued non-compliance with Council resolutions concerning disarmament and the renunciation of weapons of mass destruction, and we reaffirm the importance of that nation's immediate compliance without preconditions with Council resolutions concerning the return of United Nations inspectors. Nevertheless, we must recognize that non- compliance with United Nations resolutions has occurred at other junctures, at other times and in other places. Today, we believe it is indispensable that the Security Council have the necessary time and support to seek the return of the inspectors, and we therefore support President Jacques Chirac's recent proposal to set a specific time frame for meeting that objective. Moreover, as a responsible and committed Council member, Mexico believes that any decision arising from possible Iraqi non-compliance with the relevant resolutions should be taken based on two indispensable conditions. First, there must be a clearer evaluation of Iraq's true weapons capacity including both technology and delivery systems and of its intention to use them or the capacity of terrorist groups to gain access to them. It could be based on reports issued by United Nations inspection mechanisms, with additional information from individual countries. Secondly, there must be agreement among Council member, as well as other countries directly involved, on the steps that must be taken in the light of the corroboration of those facts or in the event of Iraq's refusal to permit the return of inspectors to its territory. Mexico believes that unilateral military action, taken without prior consultation with the Security Council, would undermine the foundations of the new architecture of international security and could affect the consensus in favour of the battle against international terrorism that followed the attacks perpetrated a year ago against the United States. Mexico comes before the Assembly with the determination to assume an active role in building a new world order. Its willingness for dialogue with other nations is a reflection of the democratic change that has occurred in my country, which has also given Mexico new confidence in its ability to contribute to attaining the objectives of the international community. The determination to play a more active role in the world has led us to incorporate issues and perspectives with global dimensions and impact as key elements of our national interests. Fostering world economic development, promoting and defending human rights and strengthening democracy and sustainable development are examples of our commitment, which transcends borders and sovereignties. The efforts that we undertake to make global ideals reality will also enable us to promote more vigorously our national values. Mexico's redoubled international activity has been reflected over the past months in a series of actions that mark a milestone in the history of our foreign relations. One of our projects with greatest strategic vision is the Puebla-Panama Plan, whose objective is to coordinate the efforts of the public, social and private sectors of Mexico and of the Central American countries in implementing joint development and investment projects. With the same determination, we are promoting a sense of community in North America in order to articulate shared values towards a common vision of regional development that is coherent, wide-ranging and long-term. In that context, we believe that the gradual negotiation of an immigration agreement to bring order and legality to the movement of labour in 24 the region is an urgent priority. From Mexico's standpoint, labour flows between countries must be viewed as an opportunity to redirect the globalization process and to reduce the gap that separates developed nations from less-developed societies. My country has also launched an extensive campaign of cultural promotion abroad. In that way, Mexico is seeking to present to the world the wealth, diversity and vitality of its culture in order to build bridges with other nations and regions. The strengthening of cooperation and cultural ties among our countries must be a priority for us all. That is why we welcome the return of the United States to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The international activism displayed by Mexico for almost two years now has been particularly evident in more intense work within multilateral forums. In carrying out that work, we have often been able to build on the foundations established by previous Administrations. But there is undoubtedly a new spirit and a new purpose in the role that multilateral activism plays in Mexico's international strategy. Our most important task in the multilateral sphere lies here within the United Nations. The Government of Mexico is proud to have received the support of the community of nations for our country's election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. In that and other forums, we are actively participating in the building of a new international architecture that will govern relations among nations in the coming decades. Mexico's participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in which we have participated since 1993 is another eloquent example of our international activism. In October, our country will host the tenth meeting of the leaders of that mechanism, where we shall continue to promote actions that foster greater prosperity for the peoples of the Asia-Pacific region. Mexico has also vigorously promoted the relaunching of international economic negotiations. The International Conference on Financing for Development, held in March at Monterrey, promoted a broad and inclusive alliance among States and international organizations that should make possible a higher level of financing for development, with a clear balance between national responsibilities and international cooperation. Today, the Monterrey Consensus is the basis for redirecting globalization towards growth and anti-poverty objectives, and it is the ideal tool for placing development priorities at the centre of the international agenda. From Mexico's standpoint, the Monterrey Conference forms part of a coherent series of international summits devoted to promoting the agenda of world development. That process began last year in Doha with the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO); it grew in strength by incorporating the environmental dimension of sustainable development in Johannesburg, and it will continue with the holding of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the WTO in Canc˙n, Mexico, next year. The close interrelationship among all the issues related to development was also apparent at the recent Johannesburg Summit, where the positions that President Vicente Fox put forward on behalf of Mexico were widely supported and recognized. Mindful of the new threats to international security, the Mexican Government has also called for the security arrangements of the Americas to be updated. We have offered to host a special conference on security to be convened at the third Summit of the Americas, to take place in Mexico in May 2003. Notwithstanding the importance of all these actions, Mexico's new role at the international level is particularly evident in our promotion of human rights and democracy. My country has stated its conviction that human rights represent absolute and universal values and that, as such, the obligation to uphold them is a duty shared by all Governments and peoples, irrespective of borders and sovereignties. Moreover, we have been consistent in these convictions. That is why, despite the mixed reaction that it has generated in Mexico, given the strong bonds of friendship that Mexican society has always enjoyed with several nations close to us, we have been compelled to express our concern about the human rights situation in those countries. One of the most far-reaching steps we have taken to demonstrate our commitment to the cause of human rights is the harmonization of Mexican legislation with international instruments that protect such rights. We have placed particular emphasis on the protection of such vulnerable groups as women, children, indigenous peoples and the disabled. At the same time, we have abandoned the defensive attitude that prevented us from entering into 25 dialogue with other nations and multilateral organizations dedicated to the protection of human rights. Upon the invitation of the Mexican Government, many representatives of international human rights organizations have visited our country. In the same spirit of openness, the Mexican Government signed a framework agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In the context of efforts of the Mexican Government to strengthen the rule of law, the Mexican Senate is currently considering a draft constitutional amendment that would allow our country to ratify the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court. This amendment would involve recognition of the jurisdiction of international courts created by treaties to which Mexico is party and ensure compliance with their resolutions and rulings. The amendment represents a decisive step towards incorporating and ensuring the effectiveness of the standards of international law at the domestic level. Mexico welcomes the recent entry into force of the International Criminal Court, which reflects the resolve of the community of nations to create an international system based on universal standards. We believe, however, that the signing of agreements by those seeking to prevent a given category of persons from being subject to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court represents a grave step backwards for international law. It threatens the universal scope of the provisions of the Rome Statute, distorts the spirit that led to its creation and undermines the efforts of the community of States to eliminate impunity in the cases of extremely serious crimes. We appeal to the members of the international community to assist in strengthening the authority of the International Criminal Court, which it has spent so much time and effort to build. The defence of human rights necessarily involves the promotion of democratic freedoms. Today, we are seeing increasingly widespread recognition of the fact that representative democracy, with its institutional framework of parties, groups and civil society organizations, as well as the legal framework safeguarding the civil freedoms of association and speech, constitutes the best way of reconciling the legitimate exercise of authority with respect to those freedoms that are essential to human beings. Mexico's active part in drafting the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which was signed by the nations of the American continent in September 2001, is another example of my country's commitment to democratic principles. At the same, we are successfully promoting democratic values in other regions, as demonstrated by our work within the Community of Democracies, whose second conference is scheduled to be held in November. The adherence of the Mexican Government and Mexican society to human rights and democracy has two mutually complementary aspects. On the one hand, it means strengthening democratic practices and institutions and human rights throughout the country, to which end we are restoring the effectiveness of the rule of law; on the other, it compels us to engage in more vigorous activism in international forums so that we may encourage full respect for human rights and democracy throughout the world. This will enable us more firmly to consolidate human rights and democracy in Mexico, so that the democratic change that we have experienced can become irreversible. I am here today to state that my country has returned with renewed energy to the international scene. The Mexican Government has moved from defensive aloofness to constructive dialogue, and from limited international legitimacy to the exercise of diplomacy based on democratic principles and unqualified respect for human rights. The kind of world we wish to create and the steps we are willing to take or to refrain from taking in order to achieve it are questions that we cannot evade at this critical moment of international redefinition. Mexico reaffirms its conviction that action based on principles and agreements must take precedence over the temptations of unilateralism and that universal standards must prevail over short-term interests. Mexico's international activism, in particular its commitment to human rights and democracy, reflects the belief of the Mexican nation in the essential equality of all human beings and in the duties that it entails for all our peoples and Governments.