Spain

I wish sincerely to congratulate the President on his election to preside over the work of the Millennium Assembly. I would also like to express my appreciation for the work of his predecessor, Foreign Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab, which culminated in the recent Millennium Summit. I also welcome Tuvalu as a new Member State of the United Nations. I am sure that it will make a useful and enriching contribution to the work of the Organization. What kind of United Nations do we want? Why, and to what purpose, do we need the United Nations in this new millennium? The Millennium Summit was convened to answer those questions. The task of the General Assembly is to devise and implement the guidelines that the Summit proposed. Spain would like to suggest some ideas for progress in three of the Organization's basic spheres of action: managing globalization, combating poverty and peace-making. The United Nations that we want must be our main instrument for meeting the many challenges of globalization. Its universal nature places our Organization in an ideal position for that purpose. It would be unforgivable if it were not capable of rising to that task, which has to be undertaken in very different fields. One such area is human rights. The process of the universalization of human rights constitutes one of the United Nations most valuable contributions to international relations since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in 1948. If the twentieth century has been one of formulating and structuring human rights on the international level, the next century must be that of ensuring that their effective implementation is universal. The practices in most urgent need of elimination are racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. The 2001 World Conference against Racism must be an effective instrument to that end. We must also strive to abolish the death penalty, which we consider a punishment contrary to the dignity of the human being. The adoption of moratoriums against carrying it out could be a first step towards its total ban. Our Organization must also enable us to provide solutions, in a spirit of solidarity, to humanitarian problems that until recently have simply not been addressed. The consequences have been borne by defenceless civilian populations. I refer to the situation of refugees and persons displaced within their own countries, civilian victims of armed conflicts and international aid workers who are subject to threats or coercion. It is essential to broaden the scope of our action in this area and to pay special attention to the most vulnerable sectors of the population. Last week, in this very city, the President of the Spanish Government signed the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, relative to children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. In that same vein, the General Assembly this year adopted a resolution (54/262) agreeing to the holding in Spain in 2002 of the Second World Assembly on Ageing. We shall do everything possible to ensure the success of such an important event. In this overall context, we must mention the issue of so-called humanitarian intervention, aptly proposed on more than one occasion by the Secretary-General. The United Nations that we want cannot be an Organization that remains paralysed in the face of massive violations of human rights, wherever they may take place. When that has occurred, its prestige has been seriously affected, and it has been left out of basic decision-making in times of crisis. The disgust provoked by a passive stance in the face of those atrocities and the need to strengthen the role of the 37 Organization in crisis situations are merely two sides of the same coin. It is essential that we be capable of building consensus on at least two fundamental issues. The first is actions regarding which the international community cannot remain idle, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, which are offences referred to in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Consensus should also be reached among the permanent members of the Security Council over the cases in which they should refrain from exercising their veto to block Council resolutions aimed at putting an end to massive violations of human rights. The principle of State sovereignty continues to be essential in contemporary international society, but it must not be used as a protective shield to trample upon human rights with impunity. The establishment of the International Criminal Court signals the direction in which the international community is moving in that area. The creation of an international system of criminal justice constitutes the most important change in international law since the adoption of the San Francisco Charter. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that my country's process of ratification of the Rome Statute concluded yesterday. I hope that the International Criminal Court will become a reality in the not-too-distant future. I trust therefore that the Rome Statute will be signed and ratified by the largest possible number of States, without directly or indirectly affecting its integrity and effectiveness. If there is one issue that makes us realize that there are global interests demanding our collective management it is that of environmental protection. It is imperative that the Kyoto Protocol for combating the greenhouse effect should come into force in 2002, at the latest. Spain is a signatory of the Protocol, as well as of the agreements on the ozone layer, bio-diversity, bio-security and desertification — the latter problem being one which especially affects my country. Unfortunately, globalization has also generated fresh opportunities for the development of universal plagues such as terrorism and transnational organized crime. However, globalization also provides us with new instruments to combat them, provided we agree on how to use them. Spain supports the drafting of a general convention against international terrorism, and is grateful to India for its initiative in that respect. The work aimed at the adoption of a convention against transnational organized crime must also be concluded. One of the United Nations top priorities is the fight against poverty. The Millennium Summit gave special attention to measures aimed at eradicating poverty. The specific implementation of those measures must be a basic aspect of the work of the General Assembly. The United Nations that we want must make it possible for developed and developing countries to conclude agreements regarding the role they must play in that task. The high-level meetings that will be held in 2001 on financing for development and on the least developed countries must not be wasted. Spain will certainly do everything within its power to contribute to their success. My country follows the guidelines produced by the World Summit for Social Development suggesting that at least 20 per cent of cooperation resources be devoted to basic social sectors such as health, education, housing and employment, which have the greatest impact on the most disadvantaged sectors of the population and, as a result, on the eradication of poverty. Spain has prepared an ambitious microcredit programme aimed at meeting the needs of the least favoured sectors of the population of developing countries. Likewise, Spain has begun debt relief programmes in several countries, including Mozambique and the Central American countries most affected by hurricane Mitch. We resolutely support the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Medium- income countries with serious external debt problems should not be excluded from debt relief plans, as long as they implement meaningful domestic programmes to eradicate poverty. In the health sector there have been severe setbacks in recent years in the fight against infectious diseases, especially in Africa. Spain actively backs the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the efforts under way to facilitate access to drugs against AIDS for patients in developing countries. It also supports the holding of a special session of the General Assembly on that illness. Moreover, Spain has a special interest in examining possible action against other infectious and parasitic diseases, particularly in Africa. The first sentence of the Charter states the resolve of the United Nations to save succeeding generations 38 from the scourge of war. We must not resign ourselves to the indefinite prolongation of some regional conflicts. In Africa a solution has not yet been found for the situation in the Congo, which for years has ravaged one of the richest and most influential countries of the continent. Angola and Sierra Leone continue to be the backdrop for civilian conflicts that are often financed by the illegal sale of diamonds and other precious resources. Political and practical support for the United Nations and the mission deployed on the ground has been a constant feature of Spain's policy concerning the dispute over Western Sahara. Therefore, my country will maintain its commitment to a definitive settlement of that dispute during this decisive time and will support the efforts that the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy are making in compliance with Security Council resolution 1309 (2000). New prospects for peace have opened up in the Middle East following the Camp David summit. It is vital to consolidate the important progress made there and take advantage of this historic opportunity to conclude an agreement on all outstanding issues. Spain considers that, pursuant to the Declaration of Berlin, the Palestinian people are entitled to establish their own state. The evolution of the peace process must be reflected in the resolutions to be adopted this year by the General Assembly, which must not be a mechanical repetition of the wording used in previous years. The situation in Iraq is nevertheless proving to be frustrating. The interruption of weapons inspections, the absence of any foreseeable date for the lifting of the sanctions, the continuation of armed action and the difficult humanitarian situation in the country all combine to produce a situation that is far from encouraging. It is imperative that consensus within the Security Council on this matter be strengthened and that Iraq collaborate with the United Nations with a view to the full implementation of resolution 1284 (1999) and other relevant resolutions. Turning to Latin America, it is vital that the international community send a clear message of support for the peace process in Colombia. The efforts by President Pastrana to reach an agreement that will put an end to decades of violence and lack of security deserve the support of us all. The difficulties faced by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in the accomplishment of its tasks should not overshadow its achievements to date in what is probably the peacekeeping operation with the widest-ranging objectives ever undertaken by the United Nations. Those objectives are to pacify the territory, to reconcile its population, to rebuild its economy, and to enable Kosovo, as stated in resolution 1244 (1999), to enjoy substantial autonomy and an administration that is truly its own, while respecting the principle of territorial sovereignty and integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Many of these conflicts could perhaps have been avoided. Spain unreservedly supports the Secretary- General's efforts to direct the Organization's conflict- prevention. His report on Africa provides an innovative approach, proposing a wide-ranging package of measures to address the conflicts on the African continent. An important element in this arsenal of preventive diplomatic measures is a sound sanctions policy. Sanctions regimes must be carefully graduated in order to fulfil their goal: to penalize a particular government whose policies constitute a threat to peace, without harming the civilian population of that country, which in many cases is totally powerless to influence the decisions of its Government, or third parties. Sanctions must be applied in a flexible way and be subject to periodic review, enabling them to be adapted to changing circumstances. Disarmament and non-proliferation are another two essential elements of conflict prevention. It is vital to overcome the setbacks suffered in recent months by the nuclear non-proliferation process and to promote the signing and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty, with a view to its early entry in force. It is likewise a matter of concern that it has not yet been possible to start negotiations on a protocol on fissile material; it is urgent to achieve the necessary consensus to that end. The conclusion of the negotiations on the Verification Protocol to the Convention on Biological Weapons represents an achievement in this field that is as important as the entry into force of the Convention on Chemical Weapons. In the same way, the 2001 United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects must constitute a milestone comparable to the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines. 39 Another of the United Nations goals must be to conclude the decolonization process worldwide by doing away with the last vestiges of colonialism. One of them persists, as a painful anachronism, in Spanish territory. I am, of course, referring to Gibraltar, where, nearly three centuries after its population was expelled and the Rock occupied by British troops, a colonial situation still lingers. This is an infringement of my country's territorial integrity and contravenes the provisions of General Assembly resolution 2353 (XXII). Regaining sovereignty over this part of our territory is a longstanding goal for Spain, which is fully in favour of a meaningful dialogue. It is regrettable that the United Kingdom has not yet shown a genuine political will to resolve this problem. Because of this, 15 years after the start of bilateral talks in the framework of the Brussels process and despite the decisions of the General Assembly, we have not registered any progress at all on this matter, in spite of several concrete proposals put forward by our side. We want a United Nations that is capable of carrying out the tasks that have been entrusted to it. To achieve this, it must complete its process of reform. For instance, the role of the General Assembly — the only body in which all the Member States are represented — must be enhanced, as it is the United Nations driving force for debate and political impetus. Civil society should be incorporated to a greater extent into the Organization's work. This would contribute to bringing people closer to the United Nations and to securing a greater commitment from them with regard to its work. It is also vital to reform the Security Council in order to enable it to fully perform its duties in the maintenance of international peace and security. The Spanish Government believes that this reform must draw its inspiration from the following principles. First, it must be conducted on the basis of a broad and solid consensus, in order to avoid dangerous divisions among Member States and to provide the enlarged Council with the greater legitimacy it needs to carry out its work effectively. In the context of democratization, it must allow for an increase in the number of non-permanent members from all regional groups, and especially from the developing world. Spain considers that an enlargement of this category of non-permanent members would best reflect the trend towards the democratization of international society at the dawn of the third millennium. To enhance the Council's effectiveness, steps must be taken to prevent exercise of the veto power from blocking the Council in certain crisis situations. Finally, there must be greater transparency. The Council's working methods must be improved by increasing the number and quality of the consultations among its members and with other Member States, so that the latter will not be left out of the decision- making process. The Organization that we need must also be able to act firmly and effectively on the ground in order to maintain the peace. The first step in this direction is to reflect on past mistakes. Therein lies the importance of the Brahimi report on United Nations peace operations, which — in the same way as former reports on Rwanda and Srebrenica — hit a nerve when it acknowledged our faults and proposed solutions for overcoming them. The Organization's shortcomings in this field have at times been very serious, and have cost human lives and brought great suffering to the peoples directly affected. They have also seriously discredited the United Nations in the eyes of our peoples. Spain has a direct interest in ensuring that peacekeeping operations are well organized and managed, because at this time hundreds of Spaniards are participating in them in such faraway places as East Timor, Kosovo, Ethiopia and Guatemala. Moreover, last year Spain signed an agreement with the Secretariat on the Stand-by Forces — an agreement in which some of the recommendations contained in the Brahimi report already appear. Spain steadfastly supports these recommendations and hopes that they will be rapidly implemented. At the same time, we must be aware that all of this will require a much greater political and financial commitment on the part of all with respect to peacekeeping operations. It will require faster deployment of the necessary military and civilian units and larger-scale measures in order to consolidate peace once conflicts come to an end. Above all, if United Nations troops are compelled to take greater risks in order to guarantee the implementation of Security Council mandates, such mandates must be clear, realistic and have the unequivocal backing of the Council. All this will require a serious effort to find 40 common positions and to achieve consensus within the Council in the elaboration of the resolutions containing such mandates, eliminating any ambiguities that could hamper their effective application. It means more resolute and unwavering action against specific States or groups which may attempt to disrupt such action, including the possible application of sanctions. Only then will we be able to send our troops to situations in which they will have to risk their lives in order to ensure that such mandates are upheld. Improving peacekeeping operations will undoubtedly be costly. Neither this nor any of the other tasks facing the Organization will be possible if it does not resolve its financial crisis. Spain is the eighth- largest contributor to its regular budget and pays its contributions on time, in full and without conditions. Therefore we have a direct interest in seeing the Organization's financial crisis resolved once and for all, as soon as possible. The principle of capacity to pay must continue to be the basic criterion for deciding the assessed contributions. European Union countries already are contributing much more than they should to the United Nations budget in accordance with this principle. Spain's stance will be a constructive one in the negotiations to review the scale of assessments later this fall. In an increasingly interdependent world, there is no alternative to multilateral cooperation. The United Nations must rise to the occasion in order to fulfil the expectations of the peoples who founded it. The countries represented here must face up to that responsibility by building an Organization capable of meeting the challenges posed by globalization in the new millennium. The United Nations that we want is possible. It is within our reach to achieve it.