Kazakhstan

The current political debate is taking place against the background that is not quite usual. This Hall just heard statements by the participants in the Millennium Summit. Unprecedented round tables have just been conducted. The last several days have brought unusual hectic activity to the United Nations and the city that hosts the headquarters of our Organization. The most spectacular thing, however, is that the Summit has triggered an intellectual burst, an explosion of collective thinking. Apparently, this has been predetermined by a special quality of this particular moment in time, as we find ourselves at the threshold not just of a new century, but of a new millennium. Our acquisitive mind tries to look forward as far as possible and aspires to see there, against all odds, a better future. Such is the predominant human trait to look forward with optimism. Our past experience, however, warns us against excessive euphoria and illusions. We realize that the world is still full of threats, and our common impulse is to understand these threats and their causes and to find ways to overcome them collectively. This is what I felt during the days I spent at the Summit. I am probably not the only one who thinks the same way. But let us hope that the intellectual tide generated by the Summit will not just die down in the humdrum of everyday life, but will force us to get down to business in order to make our planet a safe and prosperous place. As we approach the new millennium, we surely want to take a fresh look at the road we have travelled so far. At the threshold of a new century, we are in a position to say that our most important achievement is that the world has become freer. I believe that the key word explaining the substance of the changes that are taking place today should be the word renewal. By our definition, it means an absolutely new era of relations between nations, free of the vestiges of the past: pressure and diktat. It should be a triumph of the principle of genuine democracy and justice when all States have equal rights and obligations, irrespective of their economic and political differences. The renewal of international relations should be guided by the understanding that we live now in a global and interdependent world whose overriding principle is global partnership. The United Nations Secretary-General has rightly proclaimed a three- pronged task: freedom from fear, freedom from want and saving the human environment, precisely in the context of globalization. It is also true that globalization should not overshadow the problems and concerns of the ordinary man. Our efforts will be futile if we do not address the issues we face today in this logical sequence. Let me dwell on the three main components of our common goal: making the world a safe, free and prosperous place. While recognizing that global security and stability increasingly depend on economic, environmental and humanitarian aspects of development, we should not belittle the importance of the military and political dimension of security. A fundamental issue of the elimination of weapons of mass destruction continues to be a matter of our common concern. International instruments in this field, first of all the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention have not yet gained universal support and, thus, cannot be fully effective. The situation with regard to the Anti- 12 Ballistic Missile Treaty is also a cause for concern. We call on all countries to radically change this state of affairs and to support the Secretary-General's proposal to hold an international conference to find ways to avert the nuclear threat. Kazakhstan, having been the epicentre of cold- war nuclear confrontation and having resolutely resisted the temptation to turn into a nuclear power after it gained independence, has every right to raise this issue with vigour. As for Kazakhstan, it continues to contribute to efforts to ensure global security. Fully respecting its obligations under the above-mentioned international instruments, Kazakhstan has been consistently promoting its initiatives with regard to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia. We are convinced that the CICA initiative has a rational kernel, and we call on the United Nations and the Asian States to continue their support of the CICA process in the interests of Asian and global security. We should be no less and, probably, more concerned by new threats: international terrorism, extremism, illegal trafficking in arms and drugs, and organized crime. Our newly independent State has come into direct contact with these threats. We are seriously alarmed by the situation in Central Asia and view the conflict in Afghanistan, the bandit groups' infiltrations in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and the situation in Chechnya in Russia as links in one and the same chain. Members have heard our neighbours - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - talking here about the same thing. I want to emphasize again that the way we see it, the root of the evil is the prolonged war in Afghanistan, and we urge the Security Council to seriously address the problem in that country on a long-term basis. Without addressing it, it would be naÔve to hope for the elimination of the threat to stability in our region and, thus, in the whole world. At the same time, we believe that the key to the solution of the Afghan problem is in the economic revival of Afghanistan. Our common experience points to the futility of palliative measures and attempts to bring the conflicting sides to the negotiation table without a clear economic plan. There should be a comprehensive plan for the economic rehabilitation of Afghanistan which, together with economic measures, should incorporate the fight against the production of drugs, illegal arms trade, terrorism and extremism, and should take into account the specificity of the ethnic and religious situation in Afghanistan. Of course, adequate financial resources should bolster this comprehensive approach. The price of peace and human life is worth it. I would like now to look at the threat to the stability in our region through the prism of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian treasure-trove has turned now into the centre of attention. The interests of many States, not just of our region, converge there. The recent discovery in Kazakhstan's part of the Caspian Sea of the Kashagan oilfield, which is the largest one in the last 30 years, with forecasted reserves of 7 billion tonnes of high-quality oil, confirms once again that the potential of the Caspian Sea is enormous. It is our genuine desire and intention to see that this gift of God serves the interests of peace and prosperity. Globalization involves a new level of interaction and interdependence of States. However, along with the obvious benefits, globalization entails the danger of a lopsided distribution of these benefits, both at the inter- State and intra-State levels. A widening gap between developed and developing countries is a burning issue. In fact, this gap is getting bigger, and debates are underway as to the forms of involvement of both groups of countries in the processes of globalization, particularly from the point of view of the solution of the problems facing the developing countries. The situation with regard to the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO) provides a good example of the differences in appraising the globalization phenomenon. This organization, uniting some 140 States, has become a trade and economic counterpart of the United Nations. It should be said, however, that the WTO has to be thoroughly reformed in order to really liberalize and democratize trade relations. It should not be a controlling and selectively discriminating body of world trade policy. The Bretton Woods institutions also have to be reformed. We believe that the most important goals in reforming them are to ensure their openness and democratization, competence and adequacy and to improve cooperation with the United Nations. We share the criticism of the International Monetary Fund regarding its arm-twisting policy when loans are 13 conditioned on many political factors that have nothing to do with the actual economic situation. In the context of the role of the Bretton Woods institutions in the world, I would like to mention the issue of the integration into the world economy of the economies in transition. The role and importance of this group of countries, which includes my own, in the world economy and politics will grow. I stress that it is important for Kazakhstan to continue constructive cooperation with the agencies of the United Nations family, as well as with the Bretton Woods institutions and other international organizations, in promoting economic reforms in my country. Kazakhstan continues to give priority attention to the development of the transit transport system in the States of Central Asia and in neighbouring developing countries. We think it is important to actively pursue the improvement of existing programmes and the development of new ones designed to raise the efficiency of the present transit system in Central Asia. Our landlocked country, and the region as a whole, should have secure multiple access to the world market. This is a matter of strengthening our sovereignty and independence. Environmental issues particularly the management of transboundary water resources, environmental pollution and the greenhouse effect long ago moved from the social and economic plane to the political one, and have acquired truly global significance. All countries face the problems of protecting the environment. Yet the effect on the environment experienced by developing countries and economies in transition is immeasurably much greater. Economic growth has increased the pressure on all the natural resources of our planet. The problem of lack of natural resources and their depletion creates serious economic problems and poverty. Economic development cannot stop. However, it should follow a different path. It should cease to destroy the environment so aggressively. It is because of the underestimation of environmental factors that Kazakhstan today faces such ecological disasters as those involving the Aral and Caspian Seas and the former Semipalatinsk testing ground. There have been many cases in history of nations and States being in conflict over the lack of drinking water and water for irrigation. Thousands and thousands of people have often had to pull up their roots because of problems with water. Reducing the number of people without access to safe water is as vital today as ever. Kazakhstan calls for every country to adopt, under bilateral and multilateral treaties, legislative and administrative measures with regard to transboundary water resources and their management. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific have devised a joint Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), which encompasses all priority issues facing the region: development of the transit transport capacity and multiple pipeline systems; the management of energy and water resources; environmental protection; and technological growth. Such a comprehensive approach promotes better regional cooperation in Central Asia and the integration of its considerable potential into the world economy. It serves common interests. We therefore urge the international donor community to actively contribute to the SPECA programmes and to promote the economic and democratic growth of Kazakhstan and other newly independent States in Central Asia. The three-pronged goal of global development, which I mentioned at the beginning of my statement, would be unattainable without an effective common tool. Such a took we see in the United Nations, and we are convinced that there is no alternative to our Organization. But the next century and the new, highly complex tasks we face will demand a radically renewed Organization free from the stereotypes of the past. This matter is in our hands. We should support the genuine desire of the Secretary-General to drastically revamp our Organization. We believe that it is important to start from the head that is, the Security Council. The debates on that subject have gone on far too long. Shall we continue to mark time, or shall we take a responsible collective decision? We stand for the expansion of the Security Council, in both categories of membership, on the basis of equitable geographic representation and respect for the sovereign equality of all United Nations Member States. Kazakhstan supports the inclusion of Germany and Japan, as well as major developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, as permanent members of the Security Council, and also supports an increase in the number of non-permanent members. 14 We believe that the peacemaking capacity of the United Nations should also be strengthened considerably, and we support the conclusions of the report (A/55/305) by the Brahimi Panel. As for Kazakhstan, it is forming peacekeeping forces through its participation in the Central Asian battalion, composed of three States of Central Asia, and through the creation of its own Kazakhstan battalion. There is no doubt that the financial capacity of the United Nations should be commensurate with the new tasks that the Organization is asked to perform. All Member States should meet their financial obligations under the United Nations Charter. In spite of its temporary economic difficulties, Kazakhstan is striving to do just that and is taking practical steps in that direction. As to the scale of assessments and its methodology, we have always believed, and continue to believe, that the main criterion should be a country's real capacity to pay. We have set ambitious tasks for ourselves. Are we up to them? I am absolutely sure that we are, if we join our efforts. In fact, there is no other way. Such is the imperative of a new era, such are the aspirations of our nations. I thank the Assembly for its attention and wish it success in its endeavour to build a safer and better world in the next century.