Argentina

First, I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Argentina welcomes the fact that a distinguished representative of the Czech Republic has been given this distinction. The Argentine Republic rejoices with the United Nations at the entry of Switzerland as a new Member of the Organization. The independence of East Timor, the formation of its first sovereign Government and its coming membership in the United Nations are the result of the struggle of that country for its right to self- determination. We welcome this young nation that is now incorporating into international life. Argentina wishes to express its special gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for translating, through his actions and his continuing search for peace, the aspirations of the international community striving to build a more secure and stable world. 26 One year after the criminal terrorist attacks in the United States, we reiterate our solidarity with the people and the government of this friendly country, and with the victims and their families. Terrorism is the child of political or religious fanaticism. We are convinced that international cooperation has to be strengthened in the fight against any terrorist threat, so as to eliminate that threat, which endangers peace and international security, and ensure that those responsible for those attacks are tried and punished along with those who help them and support them. There is no justification, nor will there be any, for these barbaric actions that bring shame upon mankind. It is not a good thing when some Member States do not abide by United Nations resolutions. It is intolerable that these resolutions remain unimplemented when issues related to the very existence of mankind on the planet are involved. The existence of arsenals with bacteriological, chemical and other similar weapons that can be used in a traditional or terrorist war is a matter that affects all men, women and children of the world. My country, along with the rest of the international community, has consistently called on the Government of Iraq to accept immediately and unconditionally the United Nations inspectors. These inspectors represent all of us inspecting one of us. There are no reasons to refuse the inspections if there is nothing to conceal. Therefore, Argentina welcomes the announcement made by the Secretary-General that Iraq finally agreed to let the inspectors in without conditions. We hope that Iraq fulfils its promise in good faith, and we very warmly congratulate the League of Arab States and the Secretary-General for making this effort towards peace. The main concern at the United Nations for peacekeeping and for maintaining international security has made significant strides, even though some situations of extreme gravity and with high potential for conflict still exist and have not been solved. The promising events related to the establishment of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) that we discussed yesterday, contrast with the worsening situation in the Middle East. The Argentine Government is following with pain and great concern the acts of violence in that region. We are convinced that no possible solution will result from the indiscriminate and brutal use of force through deliberate assassinations or through terrorist attacks against civilians. The only road to peace and stability is through dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Therefore we reiterate our position in support of the renewal of negotiations between the parties with the hope for coming to a peaceful, fair and definitive solution to the conflict. This should include the recognition of the undeniable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to form an independent State, as well as the legitimate right of Israel to live within secure and internationally recognized borders. At present, there are several plans for peace in addition to the efforts on the part of the Quartet. All of these initiatives deserve our urgent attention. At this time, I wish to confirm that, as part of Argentina's dedication to peace, and its desire to contribute to a solution of the serious existing conflicts, our country will continue to provide armed forces and police personnel, as well as civilians, for the peacekeeping operations established by the United Nations Security Council. We stress again the permanent commitment of Argentine democracy to the international protection of human rights and to the United Nations activities in that field. We wish to mention our satisfaction at the entry into force of the Rome Statute, of which Argentina is a founding party. Argentina today is going through an exceptionally deep crisis. As for the opening of the country to the world, our country will continue to travel along the path of becoming a part of the concert of nations that exchange goods and services, as it has done uninterruptedly for the last 12 years. Therefore we will continue participating actively in multilateral negotiations within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and we will implement a new trade policy, which, as part of an overall State policy, will be aimed at giving the Argentine economy a clear export profile. It is only by generating foreign earnings, as a result of international trade, that it will be possible to have sustained economic growth over time, while making it possible to repay our debts. The consolidation of this model demands access to the currently restricted markets of developed countries for Argentine products. The objective of improving access to markets in industrialized countries 27 was, during the Conference on Financing for Development held in Monterrey, precisely the subject of an absolute consensus, since this undertaking was considered essential to eradicate poverty and to start on the road to development. To bring prosperity to our peoples it is necessary to see these initiatives enacted and not merely considered as proposals. It is necessary for actions to conform, once and for all, to the principles that have been voiced and the commitments that have been made. It is of great importance that tariffs paid for agricultural products be reduced and, simultaneously, that protection mechanisms and subsidies be eliminated. Such subsidies rose in 2000, within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries rose to the staggering figure of 325 billion dollars with respect to agricultural products alone. Of these, 80 per cent were granted by the United States, Japan and the European Union. It is essential then that the guidelines towards free trade for agricultural products become a reality, allowing the developing countries to stop calling for aid to help them deal with a specific problem, which leads to a vicious circle. As a result, they only increase their already heavy and unbearable debt. They should be allowed to sustain growth by selling their products. In other words, we wish trade rather than aid. The grave economic situation we are facing has made it difficult for us to fulfil our obligations to this Organization. These difficulties have been presented to the Committee on Contributions, and we hope that it will be adopted by the General Assembly, calling for understanding from countries that are friends of Argentina. In an environment of acute economic and social crisis, the Government of the Argentine Republic has reaffirmed its firm commitment, in national and international forums, towards the purposes and the programmatic principles of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. This international agreement, incorporated into our national constitution, is included in the set of values and legal standards that distinguish the Argentine nation. My country has clearly recognized the rights of children from the time of conception, and stresses the importance of the family in the child's development. Along these same lines we once again insist on the right of those children abducted by one of their parents. In particular, we refer to the painful situation of Karim, Zahira and Sharif, the children of our compatriot Gabriela Arias Uriburu. Unfortunately, despite huge efforts on the part of the family and Argentine officials, no answer has been given by the Kingdom of Jordan to our request for some mechanism that would make possible a stable and permanent relationship between these children and their mother. This position has received the clear support of the meeting of government experts called by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Montevideo, Uruguay. The Argentine Republic believes that the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, recently held in Johannesburg, constitutes a feasible agreement, upon which it is possible to move forward in the implementation of specific actions in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. I regret to say that the most important statement at that Summit was made by a group of children, who said: We ask ourselves whether snow will fall in the middle of summer one day,' and More than words or applause, we need actions.' Unfortunately, little specific progress has been made to stop the continuing series of environmental disasters. As the General Assembly knows well, the Argentine Republic has a sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom over the Malvinas and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, as well as the surrounding maritime areas. The recovery of full sovereignty over that part of our national territory, while respecting the interests of the inhabitants and international law, is a precept enshrined in the Argentine Constitution. The issue was included in the programme of work of this Organization, which, in several resolutions, asked the Government of Argentina and the Government of the United Kingdom to resume negotiations to find a just and lasting solution to the sovereignty dispute, thus ending a colonial situation imposed by the use of force in 1833. Today, in line with that request, Argentina once again reaffirms its positive disposition to resume bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom to find a solution to the question and its support of the good offices mission that the General Assembly entrusted to the Secretary-General to assist the parties to achieve that goal. 28 Some three decades ago, in this same Hall, Pope Paul VI declared from this same rostrum that development is the new name of peace. That brief and wise sentence is fully valid today and points towards the path that we should follow.