It gives us pleasure, at this international
forum, to greet our brothers and friends, the Heads of
State, Government and delegations represented in this
Hall. We hope that our meetings at the sixty-sixth
session of the General Assembly will be fruitful and
result in a concrete outcome commensurate with our
aspirations for a global environment of stability,
security and lasting peace, and for the good and well-
being of humanity at large.
We are pleased to see yet another diplomat from
the Gulf Cooperation Council presiding over the
General Assembly. We take this opportunity to offer
our sincere wishes of every success to Ambassador
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser in his international mission
and of further progress and advancement at all levels
for his country, the brotherly State of Qatar. We also
thank his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his able
conduct of and contributions to the work of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.
We would also like to express our deep
appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his
ceaseless efforts to strengthen the role of the United
Nations in maintaining international peace and security
and for his persistent endeavours to achieve the
prerequisites for stability in our world, namely,
development and collective international cooperation
for the benefit of the peoples of the world as a whole.
We also seize this opportunity to congratulate him on
his reappointment to a second term of office.
There is no doubt that the world has entered a
new era of important changes in which the growth of
modern means of communication has led to rapid and
unprecedented transformations in the world, such as
those that we are now experiencing in our Arab region.
More than a decade ago, we in the Kingdom of Bahrain
recognized the need to proceed towards greater reform,
improvement and advancement, bearing in mind the
supreme interest of our people, in order to satisfy their
demands for freedom and political participation — a
home-grown participation that is commensurate with
the heritage and history of each country and its level of
development. Reform was also aimed at providing
decent living conditions, security and tranquillity in a
society that enjoys peaceful coexistence, equality and
equal opportunities for empowerment to achieve justice
and sustainable development for all.
In all its modernization endeavours and
throughout its long history, the Kingdom of Bahrain
has persistently followed the approach of dialogue.
Building on the consensus of the people of Bahrain
around the provisions of the National Action Charter of
2001, we initiated a national dialogue process
involving all sectors and components of the population.
The aim was to absorb the requirements of modern
progress, guarantee the continuation of the reform
process, and fulfil the national aspiration to move
forward towards comprehensive modernization and the
enhancement of popular participation in decision-
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making within an all-inclusive national partnership. We
hereby reaffirm our support for the outcome of that
dialogue.
The achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain at
the national level are therefore an extension of a long
history dating back to the beginning of the last century,
in which we have worked to achieve a society based on
justice, equality, progress and openness. The
authenticity of our people, culture, free economy,
political development and firm commitment to the
universal principles of human rights, peaceful
coexistence and respect for the views of others
constitute the real wealth of our country, which we
seek to preserve and sustain for future generations.
Today more than ever, the international
community has a propitious opportunity to do justice to
the brotherly Palestinian people and to help them to
achieve their legitimate aspirations by recognizing an
independent Palestinian State on their own national
soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital. That would put
an end to an era of bitter Arab-Israeli conflict,
contingent on a complete Israeli withdrawal from all
occupied Arab territories to the lines of 4 June 1967 in
Palestine, the occupied Syrian Arab Golan and the
occupied territories in southern Lebanon, in accordance
with the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy
and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Committed to the security of the Arabian Gulf
region, we emphasize the need to resolve the issue of
the three occupied United Arab Emirates islands, either
through direct negotiations or by referral to the
International Court of Justice. With regard to
developments in the brotherly State of Yemen, the
Kingdom of Bahrain supports the Gulf Cooperation
Council initiative for maintaining the security, stability
and unity of that country and achieving the aspirations
of its people. In this connection, we further emphasize
the importance of preserving the unity of Moroccan
territory and of resolving the issue of the Moroccan
Sahara, in accordance with the relevant Security
Council resolutions.
Consistent with its commitment to concerted
international action and its role and responsibilities in
our region, the Kingdom of Bahrain has never hesitated
to contribute to and participate in the Contact Group on
Libya in order to help realize the aspirations of the
Libyan people and ensure the country’s unity and
territorial integrity.
Bahrain is also participating in the international
peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan in order to support
that country’s stability and security in every sphere —
political, economic and security — as well as in the
fight against international terrorism and piracy on the
high seas. Bahrain also shares in the friendly American
people’s heartfelt pain and grief over the reprehensible
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. Their resilience
and determination, however, have helped to make their
country a safer place.
As a peace-loving nation, Bahrain will remain
faithful to this Organization for its historic role in
supporting our country’s sovereignty, and for the role
of its judiciary in ending inter-State disputes all over
the world, all in the interest of global stability and
development.
We believe that humankind in general and the
international community have much to gain at the
global level from the contributions of Arab-Islamic
civilization, as have other civilizations throughout
history. Arab Muslims, Christians, Jews and other
followers of other religions and beliefs can coexist
only in a state of civility based on tolerance. We speak
here in light of the experience of our country, Bahrain,
which, with its characteristic openness and civilization
deeply rooted in history, has from time immemorial
been a symbol of coexistence and interaction between
these human contributions. Hence its position since
early times as a cultural and spiritual centre in its
natural and human environment in the Arabian Gulf —
a position on which it has built a civil society and
fomented a modern renaissance in the areas of
administrative organization, economic activity, and an
educational and cultural enlightenment.
While Bahrain appreciates the support of the
United Nations and its specialized agencies for its
achievements, as evidenced by the numerous awards it
has won in various human and social fields, we stress
the great importance of the global issues discussed in
the Secretary-General’s annual report on the work of
the Organization (A/66/1). We are convinced that it is
imperative that all Member States cooperate on issues
such as climate change, international health, drought,
poverty alleviation, disarmament, the non-proliferation
of nuclear weapons and the fight against terrorism.
This is more urgent than ever before, given the scale of
the challenges and problems facing humankind, so that
we can create a new world of security, peace,
tranquillity and prosperity.
9 11-50865
In conclusion, we reaffirm our commitment to the
principles and purposes of the United Nations and its
constructive role in consolidating peace, love and
prosperity in the world.