At the outset, I would like to congratulate Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty- seventh session. I am confident that his experience in international affairs will enable him to guide the work of this session wisely and ably, and I wish him every success in his task. I would also like to commend his predecessor, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, for his successful and prudent leadership of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, and to commend the great efforts made by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and pay tribute to his tireless efforts and the role of this international Organization in promoting international peace, security and development. Security and stability in the Arab Gulf region are a high priority for all of us. Our balanced policies are based on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of international law, especially those calling for peaceful coexistence, confidence-building, good neighbourliness, mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States, and pursuing peaceful means in resolving conflicts and disputes. On the basis of those principles, my Government expresses, once again, its regret regarding the continued Iranian occupation of our three islands: Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb. We demand the restoration of the United Arab Emirates’ full sovereignty over those islands. We emphasize that all actions and measures taken by Iran are null and void, and are in contravention of international law and all norms and universal human values. The events unfolding in Syria are for us a cause for great sadness. They have gone beyond all limits and norms. The United Arab Emirates is closely, and with great concern, following the policies of violence, killing, displacement and expulsion being pursued by the Syrian regime against its people, which regime has lost all its legitimacy. We therefore call upon the international community to consider with seriousness and firmness what is happening to our Syrian brothers and to shoulder its humanitarian responsibilities. We see it as our duty to stop those atrocities against the peaceful Syrian people. We are convinced that a solution to the crisis can be achieved only through an orderly transition of power. That severe humanitarian crisis requires us to support the people of Syria, in particular the refugees. The United Arab Emirates has shouldered its responsibilities and obligations towards the Syrian refugees in Turkey and Jordan and will continue to do so by providing relief. We urge all States to contribute to such humanitarian efforts. The Middle East holds great importance for us, and we believe that peace and stability will never be achieved in that region until the Arab-Israeli conflict is resolved. That is the central and vital issue to the people of the entire region, and reaching a just solution is the key for bringing peace and stability to the whole area. It cannot be realized without putting an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories through Israel’s withdrawal to the lines of 4 June 1967, including from East Jerusalem, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the remaining occupied Lebanese territories. The achievement of a just and comprehensive peace must be carried out in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy, the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The United Arab Emirates welcomes the considerable progress achieved in the political process in Somalia through the completion of the transitional phase, the convening of the Constituent Assembly, the adoption of the Constitution of Somalia and the election of Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new President of Somalia. We also reaffirm our support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Somalia, and look forward to working with its Government towards achieving security and stability and countering piracy in a region of such vital importance, not only with respect to oil and gas transport but also to the world economy in general. In the United Arab Emirates, we remain committed to supporting the security and stability of Afghanistan and confirm the continuation of our humanitarian and developmental support to that distressed country. In that context, we welcome the outcome of the donors conference that was held in Tokyo, with the hope that the pledges announced at the conference will contribute to the process of the reconstruction of Afghanistan. As we approach the year 2014 and the commitment for military withdrawal from Afghanistan and for turning the country over to its people and Government, we aspire to see an Afghanistan that is free from terrorism, extremism and violence. At the same time, the United Arab Emirates expresses its deep concern over the violence against the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar and calls upon the international community to urge the Government of Myanmar to cease all acts incompatible with the principles of fundamental human rights. We reaffirm our commitment to all requirements of nuclear non-proliferation and renew our support for the efforts aimed at designating the region of the Middle East, including the Arab Gulf region, a zone free of weapons of mass destruction — especially the Arab Gulf region. In that context, we must also call upon Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and subject all of its nuclear facilities to the comprehensive safeguards regime. In that regard, we urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in implementing its international commitments in order to dispel all fears and suspicions surrounding its nuclear programme. We look forward to a peaceful solution to that crisis, ensuring that our region remains free of tension and conflict, while guaranteeing the transparency and peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. The United Arab Emirates began in 2009 to develop a nuclear energy programme for peaceful uses in order to meet the country’s growing demand for energy and to support economic development projects. It ensured that the programme’s rules and regulations were based on the highest standards of sustained safety and security measures and principles of nuclear non-proliferation. I take the opportunity to call upon the States of the region to draw on the experience of the United Arab Emirates in that field and to study the standards of transparency, technology, safety and security upon which the programme is based. We would like to emphasize the importance of addressing the implications of climate change, which involves developing renewable energy technologies to achieve sustainable development and providing clean energy for developing countries, which are among the goals advocated by the United Arab Emirates in offering various types of humanitarian and development assistance. The United Arab Emirates reiterates its firm condemnation of all acts of terrorism, illicit trafficking in drugs and arms and human trafficking, as well as organized crime, which are interlinked phenomena that feed into each other. It reaffirms its resolve to continue cooperating with international and multilateral efforts aiming at the total elimination of those negative phenomena, which pose a direct threat to international peace and security. The United Arab Emirates has announced the establishment of the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism, in collaboration with several inf luential friends and actors, which will begin its work in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. Moderation and tolerance are the basic principles guiding our political orientation and represent lofty values to the citizens of the United Arab Emirates and to society as a whole. In that sense, the United Arab Emirates has been and will remain committed to moderation in its approach, and accepts other communities as part of a diverse world built on mutual respect. Those are the human values that have formed our convictions with regard to many issues, such as counterterrorism, human rights, the empowerment of women and coexistence among peoples and religious sects. The United Arab Emirates emphasizes the importance of consolidating the values of tolerance, moderation and respect for religions, as well as the importance of protecting religions against defamation and contempt and stresses the need to develop the necessary legislation in that regard. I must condemn, in the strongest possible terms, abuses against Islam, as freedom of expression should not be allowed to undermine any religion or belief, whatsoever. We also condemn all violent reactions to any such abuse. Terrorism poses a challenge to international peace and security and leads to violating the human rights of ordinary people by depriving them of the right to live in peace and prosperity. In that context and based on our commitment to the principles of human rights, the United Arab Emirates renews its support of international efforts aimed at ensuring peace, security and prosperity for all the peoples of the world, and looks forward to expanding its engagement in that area. The United Arab Emirates has also been focusing its efforts on reducing gender discrimination. Therefore, we look forward to playing an active role in the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, based on our successful national experience in empowering the women of the United Arab Emirates, who actively participate in managing the affairs of the State as well as the community. In conclusion, I would like to appeal to all Member States to support the quest of the United Arab Emirates to host World Expo 2020 in Dubai under the slogan “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. We look forward to receiving the support necessary to strengthen my country’s candidacy, particularly since it is the first time that the event will be held in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.