I thank Almighty God
for granting me the opportunity once again to address
this important international forum.
At the outset, I wish to begin by congratulating
Mr. Ali Treki on his assumption of the presidency of
the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, and to
wish him every success. I would also like to extend my
thanks to Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session, for
his excellent stewardship of the work of the Assembly
during his term.
Over the past four years, I have spoken about the
main challenges facing our world. I have talked about
the underlying causes of those challenges and about the
need for world Powers to review their outlook and
work out new mechanisms to address the pressing
international problems before us. I have also talked
about the two conflicting outlooks that prevail in our
world. One is based on the predominance of its
materialistic interests through spreading inequality and
oppression, poverty and deprivation, aggression,
occupation and deception and looks to bring the entire
world under its control and to impose its will on other
nations. That outlook has produced nothing but
frustration, disappointment and a dark future for
humankind as a whole.
The other outlook is one that espouses a belief in
the oneness of the Almighty God, follows the teachings
of His messengers, respects human dignity and seeks to
build a secure world for all members of the human
community in which everybody can equally enjoy the
blessings of sustainable peace and spirituality. This is
an outlook that respects all human beings, nations and
venerable cultures in defiance of all types of
discrimination in the world. It is also one that commits
itself to an ongoing fight to promote equality for all
before the law on the basis of justice and fraternity
while laying a solid foundation to guarantee equal
access for all human beings in their quest to excel in
knowledge and science.
Time and again, I have emphasized the need to
make fundamental changes in the current outlook on
the world and on humankind, so as to be able to create
a brighter tomorrow.
Today, I wish to share with the Assembly a few
points about the changes that should take place. First,
the continuation of the current circumstances in the
world is clearly impossible. The present inequitable
and unfavourable conditions run counter to the very
nature of humankind and move in a direction that
contravenes the truth and the goal behind the creation
of the world. It is no longer possible to inject trillions
of dollars of unreal wealth into the world economy
simply by printing worthless paper assets or by
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transferring inflation and social and economic
problems to others by creating severe budget deficits.
The engine of unbridled capitalism, with its
unfair system of thought, has reached the end of road
and is unable to move. The era of capitalist thinking
and the imposition of one’s thoughts on the
international community, which is intended to
dominate the world in the name of globalization, as
well as the age of setting up empires, is over. It is no
longer possible to humiliate nations or to impose
double standard on the world community.
It is necessary to delegitimize and reject any
approach that holds up the realization of the interests
of certain Powers as the only measure of democracy or
employs despicable forms of intimidation and deceit in
the name of freedom and democratic practices.
Approaches by which dictators are portrayed as
democrats lack legitimacy and must be totally rejected.
Time has come to an end for those who define
democracy and freedom and set standards while they
themselves are the first to violate those fundamental
principles. They can in fact no longer be both judge
and executioner or challenge real democratically
established Governments.
I would like to say again that the time has passed
for a group of people who believe that they alone can
define concepts such as democracy and freedom and
put forth the criteria for those definitions while
simultaneously violating the very principles to which
they claim to aspire. The continuation of Governments
is based on the rule of the people. The development of
nations and increasing freedom worldwide will no
longer allow them to continue their hypocrisy and
vicious attitudes. For those reasons, most nations,
including the people of the United States, are waiting
for real and profound change. They have welcomed
and will continue to welcome change.
How can it be possible that inhuman policies in
Palestine have driven the entire population of the
country from their homeland for over 60 years by
means of force and coercion, attacking them with all
types of weapons, including banned weapons, and
denying them their legitimate right of self-defence,
and, to the astonishment of the international
community, calling the occupiers peacemakers and
portraying the victims as terrorists?
How can the crimes of the occupiers against
defenceless women and children and the destruction of
their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported
unconditionally by certain Governments and, at the
same time, oppressed men and women be subjected the
harshest economic blockade, depriving them of
resources to meet their basic needs, including food,
water and medicine, and leading to genocide? They are
not even allowed to rebuild their homes, destroyed
during the 22-day barbaric attacks of the Zionist
regime, with winter approaching, while the aggressors
and their supporters deceitfully continue their
rhetorical defence of human rights in order to put
others under pressure.
It is unacceptable for a small minority to
dominate the politics, economy and culture of large
parts of the world through complex systems,
establishing a de facto new form of slavery, and
harming the reputation of other nations, even European
nations and the United States, to achieve its racist
goals.
It is unacceptable that nations several thousand
miles from the Middle East send their troops to
intervene militarily and to promote war, bloodshed,
aggression, terror and fear in our region, the Middle
East, while brushing aside the protests of nations in the
region concerned about their future and their national
security, thereby violating peace and interfering in the
affairs of others.
Such standpoints are baffling. We only have to
look at the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A
country cannot remain under military occupation in the
name of the fight against terrorism and drug
trafficking, when the production of illicit drugs has
grown, terrorism has increased and tightened its grip,
thousands of innocent people have been killed, injured
or displaced, infrastructure has been destroyed and
regional security has been seriously jeopardized.
Yet those who have created the current disastrous
situation continue to blame others. How can they talk
about friendship and solidarity with other nations while
they expand their military bases in various parts of the
world, including Latin America. That situation cannot
continue. It is increasingly impossible to promote
expansionist and inhuman policies on the basis of
militaristic logic. The logic of coercion and
intimidation will have dire consequences and
exacerbate current global problems.
It is not acceptable that the military budgets of
some Governments far exceed the budgets of entire
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countries of the world. Some countries export billions
of dollars of arms every year, stockpile chemical,
biological and nuclear weapons, establish military
bases or have a military presence in other countries
while accusing others of militarism, and mobilize all
their global resources to impede the scientific and
technological progress of other nations under the
pretext of countering arms proliferation.
It is not acceptable that the United Nations and
the Security Council, whose decisions should represent
all nations and Governments through the application of
democratic and popular methods of decision-making,
be dominated by a few Governments who seek to serve
their own interests.
Above all, in a world where culture, ideas and
public opinion should be the only determining factors,
the present situation cannot continue and a
fundamental change seems inevitable. We must strive
to establish a new world system.
Secondly, any change must be deep-seated both
in theory and in practice, encompassing all spheres of
our life. Outdated methods of government that have
caused the current problems in society cannot be used
to bring about change and create a better world.
Liberalism and capitalism, in particular the types that
seek to dominate the world and to alienate people from
spiritual and moral values, will never bring humankind
happiness, since they are the principal source of all
disasters, wars, poverty and deprivation. We have all
seen how unfair economic structures controlled by
certain political interests have been used to plunder the
national wealth of countries for the benefit of a group
of corrupt businesses. Existing structures are thus
incapable of addressing the challenges that we face.
The political and economic structures created after the
Second World War that sought to dominate the world
have failed, in short, to promote justice and lasting
security.
Rulers whose hearts do not beat with love for
humankind and who have abandoned ideas of justice
can never provide humankind with the promise of
peace and friendship. By the grace of God, Marxism is
no more; it is history now. And the unhindered growth
of capitalism will certainly meet the same fate because,
based on the divine tradition of a principle in the Holy
Koran, the deceitful one, like a bubble on the surface
of water, will disappear. Only that which eternally
serves the interests of human societies survives.
We must therefore all remain vigilant to prevent
the pursuit of colonialism and discriminatory and
inhuman goals disguised under slogans for change or in
any new format. The world needs to undergo
fundamental changes, and we must all engage
collectively to bring them about in the right way.
Through such efforts, no one and no Government
would consider itself an exception to change or
superior to others, or try to impose its will on others by
proclaiming world leadership.
Thirdly, all of the problems that exist in our
world today emanate from the fact that rulers have
distanced themselves from human values, morality and
the teachings of divine messengers. Regrettably, in the
current state of international relations, selfishness and
insatiable greed have taken the place of such
humanitarian concepts as love, sacrifice, dignity and
justice. Belief in the one God has been replaced with
self-belief. Some have sought to take the place of God
and insist on imposing their values and wishes on
others. Lies have taken the place of honesty, hypocrisy
has replaced integrity and selfishness has taken the
place of sacrifice. Nowadays, deception in interactions
is called foresight and statesmanship. Looting the
wealth of other nations is called development efforts.
Occupation is introduced as a gift in promotion of
freedom and democracy. And defenceless nations are
subjected to repression in the name of the defence of
human rights.
Global problems will be resolved, justice
administered and peace maintained only through the
collective determination and cooperation of all nations
and States. The era of a world polarized by the
premises of hegemony or the domination by a few
Governments is over. Today, we must rise together
through collective commitment against the present
challenges. We must take change seriously and work
collectively to help others return to basic moral and
human values.
Messengers were sent by God to show the light of
truth to humankind. They came to make people aware
of their individual and social obligations. Living in
piety, having faith in Allah and judgment of human
behaviour or conduct in the next world, believing in
the primacy of justice in both lives, seeking happiness,
well-being and security in the happiness, well-being
and security of others, respecting humankind, making
efforts to expand love and compassion against
hostility — these were all paramount in the teachings
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offered by the divine messengers of God, from Adam
to Noah, Noah to Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ and
the last Prophet, Muhammad, may peace be upon all of
them. All of them came to eliminate war and
ignorance, eradicate poverty and uproot discrimination
in order to spread happiness to the entire world. They
are the best gifts that almighty God has granted to
human beings. If the belief in Entezar — that is, in
patiently awaiting the return of justice to Earth — can
become a common goal and we join hands to achieve
prosperity for all, then there will be greater and more
genuine hope for reform.
Fourthly, in my opinion, we have several
important matters before us. The Secretary-General and
the General Assembly can take the lead by undertaking
the necessary measures to fulfil our shared goals on the
basis of the following actions.
First, the United Nations should be restructured
in order to transform this world body into an efficient
and fully democratic organization, capable of playing
an impartial, equitable and effective role in the
international relations. The structure of the Security
Council should be reformed, especially by abolishing
the discriminatory privilege of the veto right. The
inalienable rights of the Palestinian people should be
restored by holding a referendum and free elections in
Palestine to prepare an environment in which all
Palestinian populations, including Muslims, Christians
and Jews, can live together in peace and harmony. All
types of interference in the affairs of Iraq, Afghanistan
and the Middle East, as well as all countries of Africa,
Latin America, Asia and Europe, must be ended.
As our great Prophet said, a Government may
survive with blasphemy, but never with oppression.
The Palestinians continue to suffer oppression and their
rights continue to be violated. Yet another group of
Palestinians who lived in al-Quds al-Sharif were forced
out of their homes as the occupiers and usurpers
continue to destroy their residential area. Bombings in
Afghanistan and Pakistan have not yet stopped, the
Guantanamo prison has not yet been shut down, and
there are still secret prisons in Europe.
The continuation of the present situation adds to
hostilities and violence. Oppression and military
aggression must be stopped. Regrettably, official
reports concerning the brutalities of the Zionist regime
in Gaza have not all been published. The Secretary-
General and the United Nations have crucial
responsibilities in this respect, and the international
community is impatiently waiting for the aggressors
and the murderers of the defenceless people of Gaza to
be punished.
Regarding the second action, current economic
structures must be reformed and a new international
economic order set up based on human and moral
values and obligations. A new course is needed that
would help promote justice and progress worldwide by
allowing the potential and talents of all nations to
flourish, thus bringing well-being to all and for future
generations.
The third action is that international political
relations must undergo reform on the basis of
promotion of lasting peace and friendship, the
eradication of arms races and the elimination of all
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons to pave the
way for all nations to have access to advanced and
peaceful technologies for the advancement of the
human race.
The fourth action is that we should reform
cultural structures, promote respect for the diverse
customs and traditions of all nations and foster moral
values and spirituality aimed at strengthening the
institution of the family, which is the backbone of all
human societies.
For the fifth action, worldwide efforts must be
made to protect the environment and fully observe the
international agreements and arrangements to prevent
the annihilation of nature’s non-renewable resources.
My fifth point is that our nation has successfully
gone through a glorious and fully democratic election,
opening a new chapter for our country in the march
towards national progress and enhanced international
interactions. Once again, a large majority has entrusted
me with this heavy responsibility.
And now, I want to declare that our great nation,
which has made significant contributions both to world
civilization and to the Islamic Republic of Iran itself,
and as one of the most democratic and progressive
Governments in the world, is ready to mobilize all its
cultural, political and economic capabilities to engage
in a constructive process aimed at addressing the
international concerns and confronting the challenges
that face human society. Our country, the builder of
cultures, has itself been a principal victim of blind
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terrorism and the target of all-out military aggression
during the first decade of its revolution.
Throughout the past 30 years, we have been
subject to the hostile attitudes of those who at one time
supported, with all their might, Saddam’s military
aggression and his use of chemical weapons against us,
and who at another time decided to take military action
in Iraq to get rid of the same man.
Today, our nation seeks to create a world in
which justice and compassion will prevail. We
announce our commitment to participating in the
process of building lasting peace and security
worldwide for all nations, based on justice, spirituality
and human dignity, while being dedicated to strongly
defending our legitimate and legal rights.
To achieve those goals, our nation is prepared to
warmly shake all hands which are extended to us in
good faith. No nation can claim to be free of the need
to change and reform in this journey towards
perfection. We welcome real and humane changes and
stand ready to actively engage in fundamental global
reforms.
Therefore, we emphasize that the only path to
continued safety and security is to return to
monotheism and justice. That is the greatest hope and
opportunity of all ages and generations. Without belief
in God and commitment to the cause of justice, along
with the fight against injustice and discrimination, the
world structure will not be corrected.
Man is at the centre of the universe. Man’s
unique feature is his humanity, a humanity that seeks
justice, piety, love, knowledge, awareness and all other
higher values. These human values should be
supported, and each and every fellow human being
should be given the opportunity to develop them.
Neglecting any of them is tantamount to the omission
of an essential aspect of humanity. These are common
elements which connect all human communities and
which constitute the basis of peace, security and
friendship.
Divine religions pay attention to all aspects of
human life, including obedience to God, morality,
justice, fighting oppression and endeavouring to
establish just and good governance. The Prophet
Abraham called for the oneness of God against
Nimrod, as the Prophet Moses did the same against the
Pharaohs. Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad,
may peace be upon them, did the same against the
oppressors of their own time. All of these men were
threatened with death and were forced out of their
homelands. Without resistance and objection, the face
of the Earth will not be rid of injustice.
I turn now to my final point. The world is in
continuous change and evolution. Mankind’s promised
destiny is the establishment of a pure humane life. This
will come about when justice prevails around the globe
and when every single human being enjoys respect and
dignity. That will be the moment when mankind’s path
to moral and spiritual perfection will be opened and his
journey to God and the manifestation of God’s divine
names will come to be. Mankind should strive to
represent God’s knowledge and wisdom, his
compassion and benevolence, his justice and fairness,
his power and art, and his kindness and forgiveness.
These will all come true under the rule of the
perfect Man, the last divine source on Earth, Hazrat
Mahdi, peace be upon him. He will be an offspring of
the Prophet of Islam, who will re-emerge, and Jesus
Christ, peace be upon him. Other noble and pious men
will accompany him in the accomplishment of this
grand universal mission. This is the belief in entezar:
waiting patiently for the Imam to return; waiting
patiently for the rule of goodness and the governance
of the best, which he promises. This is a universal
human notion and a source of the hope of nations for
the betterment of the world.
They will come, and with the help of righteous
people and true believers will realize man’s long-
standing desire for freedom, perfection, maturity,
security, tranquillity, peace and beauty. They will come
to put an end to war and aggression and to reveal all
knowledge to the world, as well as spirituality and
friendship. Yes indeed, mankind’s bright future will
come.
In waiting for that brilliant time to come and in a
collective commitment, let us each do our part to pave
the way and prepare the conditions for building that
bright future. Long live love and spirituality. Long live
peace and security. Long live justice and freedom.