It gives me great pleasure at the outset to affirm my delegation’s confidence that the Swedish leadership of the work of the current General Assembly session will help us achieve the best results. I also seize this opportunity to commend the efforts made by Gabon, represented by its Foreign Minister, during its leadership of the previous session. I would also like to reiterate our gratitude for the efforts made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to advance the march of United Nations reform and achieve the goals enshrined in its Charter. Since the 1970s, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has been fully aware of the need to reform the United Nations and was the first State to put forward official proposals to the General Assembly in that regard, presenting draft resolutions from the thirty-fourth to the fortieth sessions aimed at reforming the Security Council and abolishing the veto privilege. Though the Libyan proposals were not successful because of the objection of the super-Powers, they did, however, create a wide understanding of that issue within the General Assembly, resulting in the adoption of a resolution at its forty-seventh session establishing an open-ended group to review the issue of fair representation in the Security Council and expanding its membership. We participated actively in the group’s work, but its activities reached an impasse. We felt hopeful over the last few years while we were conducting consultations at all levels in order to realize a radical reform for the United Nations system, in the service of international peace and security. However, as the date of our summit-level meeting this year approached, it became evident that the reform we sought remained elusive. This is because some of the privileged Powers of the Security Council do not wish to give up their privileges — in fact not even to share these privileges with others. The victorious countries in the Second World War arrogated rights and privileges for themselves at the time the Charter was drawn up. This led to the marginalization of the General Assembly and rendered the Security Council a domineering body — inequitable, unbalanced and undemocratic, with the veto privilege greatly abused. The United Nations, therefore, has been unable to administer justice among nations; in fact, some of its decisions have inflicted harm on many peoples. As we discuss United Nations reform, we should take into consideration that its membership has now reached 191 States. New global problems have emerged, in addition to the old ones. Thus, it is 2 necessary to place the power of decision-making in the hands of all Members of the United Nations, that is, in the hands of the General Assembly, in which all States have equal votes. However, if such an agreement is not possible, we should seek a new formula for permanent membership in the Security Council. In this respect, we propose that permanent membership be accorded to geographical groups, not to specific States. We also propose that the African Union be granted permanent membership even before the comprehensive reform has been decided, given the fact that Africa is the only continent without a country holding permanent membership in the Security Council. As a member of the African Union, we affirm our adherence to the common African position, adopted by the Fifth African Union Summit, held in Sirte, Libya, on 4 and 5 July 2005. This position was confirmed in the African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on United Nations Reform held in Addis Ababa on 4 August 2005. Libya believes that the elimination of weapons of mass destruction is a fundamental factor in confidence- building and the consolidation of international peace and security. Hence, Libya declared on l9 December 2003 its voluntary renunciation of the programmes and materials that could lead to the production of internationally prohibited weapons and their means of delivery. Since that date, it has been cooperating in a transparent manner with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). All relevant materials and equipment have been disposed of with the knowledge of experts from the IAEA and the OPCW. Libya is now party to all international conventions on weapons of mass destruction, as well as the code of ethics concerning ballistic missiles. We hope that members of the international community will cooperate in a more appropriate manner to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, acquired by all States, without discrimination, in order to create a world in which peace and security prevail. The Libyan declaration was a culmination of previous Libyan efforts undertaken in this field, starting with effective participation in the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Africa — through its accession to the Pelindaba Treaty — and the call to make the Middle East a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction. We confirm our readiness to continue our full cooperation with all international organizations in this field and emphasize Libya’s right to expand its programme of peaceful uses of nuclear energy for development, particularly in the fields of medicine, agriculture, desalination, mining and oil exploration. We hope that all countries in the region would place all their nuclear facilities under the IAEA inspection regime. Our country is concerned with human rights issues at the international and national levels. We deal with all organizations working in the field of human rights in a transparent manner. We have donated 2 million dinars to support the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and we are now reviewing some of our national legislation that is not in conformity with international instruments in the field of human rights. We also have eliminated the People’s Court, established in the early years of the revolution, and its jurisdiction has been assigned to regular courts. Libya was among the first States that called for the coordination of international efforts to combat international terrorism and that proposed an extraordinary session of the General Assembly to study that phenomenon and to develop measures to combat it and eradicate its causes. Libya has condemned terrorism in all its forms, including State terrorism, ratified all international and regional conventions concerning terrorism and is cooperating actively with the committee established by the Security Council on that subject. We believe that the eradication of terrorism requires practical measures to eliminate its causes. Among such actions, we should actively strengthen human rights protections for all people, confront all acts of aggression and occupation of the lands of others, fight poverty and encourage democracy. Terrorism cannot be uprooted unilaterally through actions taken by one State or group of States. The solution for such a problem cannot be achieved by linking it to a certain religion or nationality. It is not fair that the legitimate struggle of peoples to achieve self-determination and independence should be classified as terrorism. We should all exert and 3 coordinate all our possible efforts under the umbrella of the United Nations to combat terrorism and complete, as early as possible, a comprehensive counter-terrorism treaty. My country was subjected to unjust sanctions that caused great material losses totalling about $40 billion. Now, while this matter has ended and the reason behind the sanctions settled, I extend my gratitude to all the friendly and sisterly countries that stood by our side and supported our position in tackling that situation. Competent Libyan authorities are now drawing up plans for restructuring the Libyan economy and are reviewing the public sector, encouraging the private sector and providing opportunity for all to engage in economic activities. New economic policies were adopted in order to advance the national economy, eliminate deficiencies and improve performance. Certain measures have been taken in the monetary field, including the adoption of a single exchange rate for the Libyan dinar against foreign currencies, the abolition of monetary control and a reduction of income taxes. Import and export licences as well as customs guarantees on exports have been abolished as have customs fees on approximately 3,500 imported items. Important steps have been taken for the privatization of many public sector companies. Libya has opened its doors to investors and a law for the encouragement of foreign investment has been promulgated. This law gives foreign investors many privileges and exemptions and allows them 100 per cent ownership of their enterprises or partnership with domestic investors. Our application to join the World Trade Organization was approved unanimously by the organization on 27 July 2004. We seek further cooperation from all countries in that respect. The consolidation and realization of peace and security for all is a fundamental goal of the United Nations. It is an objective that could not be realized by the Organization without the assistance and cooperation of all Member States, which could be effective tools to solve the most difficult problems and conflicts among countries, particularly in Africa. In this respect, we wish to express our satisfaction with the stabilization of the situation in Sierra Leone and Angola and the improvement of the situation in Somalia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the signing of the peace agreement in Sudan. We call on all Member States to assist the African Union in its endeavours to face its various challenges and create a unified African continent capable of achieving progress and participating effectively in the march towards progress, upholding freedom and human rights and eradicating wars, poverty and disease while removing the remnants of colonialism. We hope that support will be extended to the African Union’s plans to achieve prosperity for all African people by providing assistance to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. The international community so far has failed to solve the Palestinian problem, although it is as old as the United Nations itself. In fact, the problem is getting worse. The Palestinian people have lived for over half a century either as refugees all over the world or subjected to an occupying Power, which has usurped its land and practiced against them the most horrible crimes, including the killing of children, women and the elderly. Their lands have been confiscated, their farms burned, their trees uprooted, their houses destroyed over their occupants, while houses are built for settlers coming from all over the world. Even though highly sophisticated weapons are being used against civilians, the Security Council stands unable to take concrete steps to stop such practices. This has encouraged the occupying Power to continue its aggression and crimes, heedless of the decisions of the international community. The suffering of the Palestinian people requires that urgent and firm action be taken by the international community to put an end to the Israeli aggression and provide a radical solution for the Palestinian question. We believe that the solution cannot be achieved by accepting a de facto situation or by merely adopting resolutions or unrealizable plans. It will happen through a radical solution that allows and guarantees the return of all Palestinian refugees to their lands and the establishment of a democratic State on the land of historical Palestine in which Jews and Arabs live side by side, enjoying full equality, similar to the South African model, where blacks and whites reconciled after decades of conflict and bloodshed. If such a solution is not realized, with the support of the international community, the suffering of the 4 Palestinian people will continue, and the region will continue to witness tension and conflict without peace and security. The Israeli occupation forces must withdraw from all occupied Arab territories; the Golan Heights must be returned to Syrian sovereignty and the Shabaa farms to Lebanon. In Iraq, where international law has been violated and the country subjected to occupation on unfounded bases and flimsy pretexts, the tragedy is escalating daily, getting more and more difficult to solve. The Iraqi people are paying a high price with the lives of their sons and daughters as a result of the occupation. We have to exert every possible effort to guarantee a speedy end to the occupation in order to enable Iraq to regain its independence and sovereignty and preserve its territorial integrity and Arab identity. The Iraqis must be allowed to determine their own affairs, future and manage their resources, and to achieve self- determination with freedom involving all citizens without the marginalization of any group so that peace, prosperity and security can prevail all over Iraq.