Qatar

It gives me great pleasure to extend to you, Sir, our sincere congratulations on your election to the presidency of the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly. Allow me to wish you and the members of the Bureau every possible success. I should also like to express our thanks and appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, President of the fifty-seventh session, for his great efforts in conducting the work of the General Assembly. It also gives me pleasure to recognize Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who deserves our sincere thanks, respect and admiration for his tireless efforts. Today, the world is experiencing a difficult, critical and highly complex phase in international relations, marked by political and strategic changes affecting the elements and objectives of those relations. This is the result of the emergence of a new, complicated and multifaceted set of problems and acute regional and international crises, whose root causes we must deal with promptly and in a serious manner. Moreover, we must prevent such crises from worsening and spreading. We must therefore strive to strengthen the role of the United Nations, enhance its institutions and provide it with the essential resources so it can fulfil its mission throughout the world. First, it is imperative that we mobilize the political will needed to enable the Organization to shoulder its responsibilities and carry out its duties. That is particularly important for the permanent members of the Security Council because those countries bear the primary responsibility for achieving that goal, which will enable the Organization to perform its functions in a genuinely democratic spirit, reflecting the new international conditions and the interests and aspirations of all peoples of the world without exclusion or preference. In that context, we underline the need to reach agreement on a new formula for the composition of the Security Council and to modernize its working methods, as it is the international body charged with the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. The Council’s current composition, working methods and decision-making process do not respond to the needs of the international community or give Member States an opportunity to speak on the vital and critical issues that affect us all. In the State of Qatar, we were shocked and saddened by the horrific attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. That attack claimed the lives of many innocent victims: the United Nations staff members who were carrying out their humanitarian mission, foremost among them the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, and many Iraqis. That heinous act of terrorism illustrates in our view the nature of the challenges and the seriousness of the threats besetting the work of the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations in Iraq and elsewhere. We also strongly condemn the terrorist act targeting the United Nations headquarters in Iraq earlier this week. The difficult and tragic circumstances now prevailing in the brotherly country of Iraq compel us to cooperate in order to help the Iraqi people overcome that situation and its consequences. I must underline once again the fundamental principles underlying our position with respect to the Iraqi crisis and the means necessary to deal with it. We have consistently affirmed our commitment to the territorial integrity, national unity and sovereignty of Iraq and to the right of Iraqis to self-determination, to the restoration of their independence and sovereignty and to the reconstruction of their homeland, as well as to their right to live in dignity and freedom in their own land. In that context, we look forward to the success of the international efforts to strengthen security and stability in Iraq. We call upon the coalition forces to 10 achieve that essential objective and to intensify coordination with the competent international bodies and institutions in order to pave the way for the country’s return to normalcy. We call upon the coalition forces to allow the Iraqi people, of all factions and political trends, to exercise their legitimate right to choose their own political leadership through free, democratic elections, giving expression to their aspirations, hopes and wishes. In that regard, we also welcome the establishment of the Interim Governing Council and the interim Iraqi Government that emerged from it; they mark an important positive step, and we hope that they will contribute to achieving the desired transition towards consolidated democracy in the country and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraqi State institutions. That should be accomplished by drafting a new constitution, holding free democratic elections, putting an early end to the occupation through a specific timetable and allowing Iraq to reclaim its rightful position in the region and in the larger international community. We urge the United Nations to play an effective, essential role in helping Iraq achieve those objectives. Moreover, the international community is urgently called upon to help in Iraq’s reconstruction and to meet the Iraqi people’s needs in various areas in order to build a new Iraq of democracy, equality and respect for human rights. With regard to developing Iraq’s infrastructure of higher education, it is noteworthy that the consort of His Royal Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, Her Royal Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad, Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education + 5 of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), launched a lofty initiative in a statement before the World Conference on Higher Education, held in Paris at UNESCO headquarters. The initiative called for the establishment of an international fund for Iraqi higher education, with the objective of providing both immediate and long-term assistance for the rehabilitation of higher education in brotherly Iraq. The State of Qatar has made the first contribution to the fund, in the amount of $15 million. My country has also been participating in international efforts to rebuild Iraq. It has developed a special programme that includes the building of hospitals and educational and residential units. In addition, we have a special programme in Afghanistan that assists in the rebuilding of that country; the programme’s cost has amounted to $62 million thus far. The Arab-Israeli conflict and the question of Palestine are at the top of the list of the conflicts that need concerted action in order to achieve a just, final and comprehensive solution, particularly in the light of the continuation and acceleration of the bloody confrontation that has raged between the Palestinian people and Israeli occupation forces for so many years. It must be noted that we in the State of Qatar have welcomed the road map. We expressed our support for the Quartet’s efforts to have both sides begin implementing the various stages of the road map, in keeping with the vision articulated by Mr. George Bush, President of the United States, as a basis for the final solution of establishing two States living side by side. We did so despite the many difficulties, obstacles and setbacks encountered by those efforts in the past few weeks. We must also firmly stress that implementation of the road map cannot be undertaken by only one side — the Palestinian people. It requires that the Israeli side also fulfil its obligations and take the necessary actions in that regard. All of the aforementioned requires that the international community and the members of the Quartet — particularly the United States of America — intervene, intensify their efforts and increase their pressure on the Israeli Government so that it will do its part, in return for the Palestinians’ commitment to do theirs. Thus, Israeli occupation forces must refrain from carrying out assassinations, must lift the siege that they have imposed on Palestinian territories, enable the Palestinians to live in security, peace and dignity on their own land and to move freely in their own areas, put an end to the policies of starvation, humiliation and house demolition, and cease construction of the buffer wall currently being built by the Israeli authorities. In that connection, I cannot fail to note the positive gesture that we witnessed a few days ago by the Libyan Government’s closing of the Lockerbie file, an outcome that was achieved in cooperation with the other parties concerned and in the context of United Nations institutions. We should also note the positive response of the Governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and France to that gesture, which bore fruit and ultimately led to the conclusion of an agreement. The phenomena of terrorism and extremism continue to be among the most important challenges facing the world. As we express our total rejection and condemnation of those subversive phenomena — in all their forms and manifestations, and regardless of their sources or motivations — we reaffirm that we stand by the side of the international community and that we support whatever efforts and measures are required to eliminate terrorism and to strengthen the foundations of security and stability. Democracy is an expression of responsible participation in political decision-making. It involves the establishment of State institutions and adherence to the rule of law within the State; it provides for accountability and for assessment of the performance of governmental institutions; it ensures good governance and safeguards the rights of citizens. As such, it is the best way to achieve the priorities of national development and the objectives of modernization and reform, to which our peoples and societies aspire. On the basis of those principles, the State of Qatar recently conducted a referendum on a political Constitution that gives women the right to political participation, both as voters and as candidates for Parliament, which will be elected through the ballot box for the first time. The Constitution also governs the relationship between the Government and the people and provides for the separation of the three branches of government. With regard to human rights, an independent human rights commission has been established in the State of Qatar. The commission submits its recommendations to competent State authorities with a view to developing and improving civil liberties. As promoting awareness of civil rights requires that we improve education and upgrade its standards — as well as expanding it to include all segments of society — we have restructured our educational system. Moreover, a number of well- known universities based in developed countries have set up branches in the State of Qatar. In conclusion, the fulfilment of our aspirations lies in affirming the role of the United Nations, in enhancing its position and in maximizing its potential. It is through the Organization that we hope to establish international relations on the basis of understanding, cooperation and common interests. And it is through the United Nations that we hope one day to succeed in settling crises and disputes; eliminating threats of violence, the use of force and terrorism; and ending the wasting of resources and energies on wars and conflicts, directing them instead to the service of development, progress and prosperity. Similarly, we aspire to a new world built on the principles of justice, equality, liberty, democracy and peaceful coexistence among all the world’s peoples, nations and cultures. That is an aspiration that our peoples, our youth and our future generations fully deserve. It is an aspiration to which we are wedded and which we cherish, because that vision occupies the highest priority in building the world of the future: the world that we all seek and desire. It is a world that we hope one day to attain as an international community — as one family living together on this planet, God willing.