Mr. President, on behalf of the African continent, allow
me at the outset to congratulate our sisterly country,
Libya, and you personally, on your assumption of the
presidency of the General Assembly, and to express our
confidence that your leadership will lead to achieving
the success to which we aspire. I would also like to
reaffirm the full support of Egypt and the Non-Aligned
Movement for you in the fulfilment of your mission.
Our session this year convenes against the
backdrop of international crises unprecedented in their
nature and scope. The list of global challenges we are
facing, such as climate change, the food crisis and the
crises in international peace, is supplemented by
additional emerging global challenges that make it
essential for us to redouble our efforts in a coordinated
and collective manner.
The global financial crisis, together with the
spread of diseases, such as the H1N1 virus, threatens
public health worldwide. Meeting this challenge
requires a high degree of conscientious collective work
and a shared awareness of the effect that such a crisis
could have in many of our countries on stability in the
economic, social, even political, and perhaps security
spheres.
With regard to collective work on the
international level, we should not overlook the fact that
the current international structures designed to manage
the realities of the global economy must reflect a
balance between the present and future. Therefore,
those structures must be subject to change, so as to
become more compatible with current reality.
The change I refer to here is a gradual and
strategic shift, one which would make membership in
41 09-52586
such structures accessible to a larger number of
developing countries and would grant them a stronger
and more effective voice in determining the course of
the world economic order and its future.
A few days ago, we all took part in the climate
change summit, convened upon the initiative of the
Secretary-General, and listened to all the pledges made
and the concerns expressed. While Egypt is aware of
the seriousness of the phenomenon in question and the
gravity of the challenges that climate change is
imposing on all of us, we believe in the possibility that
collective work could provide new opportunities for
advancing development in developing societies in a
manner that would allow the agreed sustainable
development principles to be fulfilled. In this respect,
we look forward, as was stated by President Mubarak
at the L’Aquila summit in Italy in July 2009, to
arriving at a fair and balanced deal at the upcoming
Copenhagen conference in December that would take
into consideration the aspirations and rights of
developing countries and, at the same time, address all
crucial issues, including mitigation, adaptation,
financing and technology transfer.
A fair and balanced deal should further ensure the
fulfilment of commitments by developed countries, and
enable our developing countries to implement their
voluntary commitments within the framework of
honest application of the principle of common but
differentiated responsibility.
The world financial crisis did not originate in, nor
was it caused by, developing countries. However, they
are all suffering from its consequences in different
forms and at different levels as a result of the decrease
in the volume of international trade, the tightening of
international credit terms and the decline in tourist
inflows and monetary remittances.
The current international economic recession has
no doubt negatively affected most States. However,
States of the South remain the most affected, due to the
negative repercussions of the recession on public
spending in health care, education and sustainable
development in general. The parallel economic,
financial and food crises that we are still confronting
undoubtedly compound the hardships faced by the
countries of the South in particular, and place
enormous burdens on us in terms of preserving
economic and social security in our countries.
To confront such challenges, serious and genuine
international support and solidarity are required, based
on enhancing agricultural development with a view to
increasing production and productivity. Furthermore,
there is an urgent need to launch an international
dialogue between exporting and importing countries in
the developing and developed worlds alike, in order to
agree on an international strategy to confront the crisis,
and to formulate an international code of conduct to
review the policies that govern the use of biofuels. In
addition, we must reach an agreement under the
umbrella of the World Trade Organization that
eliminates agricultural subsidy programmes that are in
operation in some developed countries.
To confront the energy crisis, it is important to
have a genuine, broad dialogue among the relevant
parties to identify the best available options. The
situation requires securing increased development
assistance and further investments in the markets of
energy-producing developing countries, as well as
confronting irresponsible speculation on international
markets.
In this context, Egypt hopes that the 2010 high-
level meeting to follow up on the implementation of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will
expedite renewal of international commitment and
solidarity towards achieving the Goals. A
comprehensive assessment of what has been achieved
thus far in the implementation of the MDGs must be
carried out and a mechanism established to follow up
on implementation. This should lead to full
implementation by 2015, particularly in Africa, which
is witnessing low implementation rates, an issue which
needs to be effectively addressed.
Undoubtedly, all of these challenges oblige the
countries of the South to strengthen mutual
cooperation. As current Chair of the Non-Aligned
Movement, Egypt will work to enhance South-South
cooperation in coordination with the Group of 77 and
China. We look forward to a successful United Nations
conference on South-South cooperation, to be held in
Kenya later this year, aimed at further strengthening
this cooperation.
Having spoken of the interlinked crises facing the
world today, I would like to address an important issue
related to the human rights architecture of the United
Nations system. Despite the radical reform ushered in
by the establishment of the Human Rights Council,
09-52586 42
Egypt is still dissatisfied with respect to the
politicization of human rights issues. This
politicization weakens the potential to reach consensus
on a variety of issues that should not be subject to
differences as they are of concern to us all and affect
the credibility of the work of the United Nations in this
vital field. Hence, Egypt is determined to exert its
utmost effort to engage with other States in order to
bring divergent views closer together and to establish
common ground to restore the international consensus
that binds us all, which forms the basis for our actions
in this important area in the Human Rights Council and
in the General Assembly.
In that context, we look forward to a greater role
for the Human Rights Council. Every one of us should
address the issue of the incitement of religious hatred
and racism under the pretext of freedom of expression.
We look forward to, and in fact have already begun to
seek, commonly agreed language for a draft resolution
on freedom of expression, to underscore the
importance of this freedom as an indispensable
cornerstone of any democratic society, while avoiding
the depiction of acts of incitement to religious, racial
and other forms of hatred as legitimate acts of freedom
of expression. We categorically reject such a depiction.
Turning to issues of international peace and
security, I will begin with disarmament. Egypt attaches
great importance to a successful conclusion of the 2010
Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in the
hope that nuclear disarmament and the nuclear
non-proliferation regime will be put back on the right
track. This will depend on dealing effectively with the
decisions and the resolutions of the 1995 and 2000
Review Conferences, in particular the resolution on the
Middle East.
It is crucial that the international community as a
whole support the current active momentum in the
international arena with regard to disarmament issues,
especially in the light of developments in the positions
of the main nuclear-weapon States, in particular the
United States. We have listened to their statements, in
particular the address by President Obama to the
Assembly on 23 September (see ), and we
hope that these evolving positions will provide an
opportunity for making historic progress in this regard.
In the same context, it is necessary to effectively
deal with the issues of regional stability and security,
mainly through eliminating the incomprehensible and
unjustified lassitude in dealing with the issue of Israeli
nuclear capabilities and the persistent threat they pose
to security and stability in the Middle East. This is
especially true in the context of intensified efforts to
expand the commitments of the non-nuclear States
parties to the NPT, without due regard for the need to
achieve the Treaty’s universality — and if there is no
commitment, there should be no universality — and to
subject all nuclear facilities in the Middle East to the
comprehensive safeguards regime of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Egypt will continue its
diligent work to address this situation in all relevant
international forums and to highlight the risks, with the
aim of effecting changes in the situation.
The situation in the Middle East region is still
dominated by considerable tension, a tendency towards
confrontation and lack of stability. Notwithstanding the
tireless efforts exerted to stabilize the situation, many
parties still consider it beneficial to exacerbate that
tension.
The question of Palestine clearly remains far
from being resolved, despite international concern and
all the serious efforts, pressure, contacts, visits and
meetings. Since I questioned in this Assembly last year
(see A/63/PV.13) the existence of genuine Israeli
determination to achieve a just peace with the
Palestinians, events have thus far justified our
scepticism.
Throughout this year, Israel has shown a lack of
the political will necessary to engage in serious and
credible negotiations that aim at reaching a final
settlement to the conflict, a settlement which
encompasses all the elements, tracks and topics and
which leads to the establishment of an independent
Palestinian State on the complete Palestinian national
territory, occupied since 1967, with East Jerusalem as
its capital.
In this respect, I would like to sum up the
Egyptian view of the situation with the following
elements, including what we hope to achieve.
First, intensive work during the coming period is
necessary in order to resume the negotiating process as
soon as possible. The international community should
put forward a formula for a final settlement to the
conflict — the so-called end game — cognizant of the
need to waste no more time in studying details that
43 09-52586
everyone knows will not help to realize the desired
settlement.
Secondly, Israel’s commitment to completely
freeze settlement activity in all occupied Palestinian
territories, including East Jerusalem, must be secured,
not only because such activity is contrary to
international law and should be halted, but also in
order to build a climate of trust between the two
parties, thus allowing final-status negotiations to bear
fruit. Such Israeli commitment would pave the way to
restoring lost credibility in efforts to achieve peace. On
the other hand, any retreat from that commitment
would inflict severe harm on the prospects for peace in
the coming period.
Thirdly, the freeze of Israeli settlement activity
should occur simultaneously and in parallel with the
negotiations, in order to bolster Palestinian trust in
Israeli intentions.
Fourthly, if an agreement is reached on the final
borders of the State to be established on the Palestinian
national soil occupied in 1967, on the understanding
that the State’s borders are essentially those of 1967, as
had been agreed by both parties during the 2008
negotiations with the participation of the United States,
that agreement could be gradually implemented at a
pace to be agreed upon by both parties and within a
time-bound framework.
Fifthly, East Jerusalem is an integral part of the
occupied Palestinian territories. As one of the issues to
be included in final status negotiations, it should under
no circumstances be excluded from any future
negotiations.
Sixthly, Israel’s engagement in a serious,
credible, clear and time-bound negotiating process
would restore the situation on other issues to that
which prevailed in the 1990s in terms of Arab
interaction with Israel, with a view to enhancing
mutual trust and thus boosting negotiating efforts as a
whole.
Egypt is closely following the situation in sisterly
Sudan with the same high level of interest, not only
because of the historical bonds between our two
peoples and nations but also out of concern for the
Sudan’s future, stability and territorial integrity and our
awareness of the numerous threats facing it. Egypt is
working earnestly with all Sudanese parties, foremost
among which is the Sudanese Government, and in
coordination with influential regional and international
stakeholders to resolve existing problems. Our sons
take part in the United Nations forces in South Sudan
and in Darfur, and we contribute — out of our limited
resources — to efforts to support development and
provide health care to our brothers and sisters in the
south and west of the Sudan. We hope that the
Sudanese people, in their wisdom and with the support
they receive from their neighbours and international
partners, will be able to weather the upcoming critical
phase, so that the Sudan’s unity can withstand all
future tests and so that unity becomes the first and the
most attractive option for all Sudanese. This is an
important objective, which Egypt is working diligently
to achieve.
We cannot conclude our comments on the Middle
East without referring to security in the Arab Gulf
region, which is among Egypt’s main interests and at
the top of its foreign policy priorities. This focus is not
only based on the strong bonds that connect us with the
member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC), but also on our firm conviction that Egypt
represents a strategic asset for its Arab brothers in the
Gulf area. For this reason, Egypt will work with GCC
countries to ensure Arab regional security and that any
security arrangements that are being contemplated by
international or regional parties will correspond fully
to the needs and concerns of the Arab Gulf States.
In conclusion, the fifteenth Summit Conference
of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned
Countries, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 15 and
16 July 2009, adopted four main declarations. The first
is the Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration, which contains our
member States’ clear vision on the most critical current
issues that constitute a priority for our work within the
United Nations. These include in particular the issues
of disarmament and international security,
peacekeeping and peacebuilding, human rights and
democracy, the right of peoples to self-determination,
the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian
question, the reform of the United Nations, unilateral
sanctions, the global financial and economic crisis,
internationally agreed development goals, food
security, Africa’s special needs, diseases and
pandemics, the role of civil society, climate change,
energy, human trafficking, international terrorism and
dialogue among civilizations and religions. The second
declaration is on the necessity of ending the economic,
commercial and financial embargo imposed by the
09-52586 44
United States of America against Cuba. The third is on
designating 18 July as International Nelson Mandela
Day. The fourth is a declaration on Palestine. These
declarations will be issued as official documents of the
United Nations.
Last July, following the chairmanship of the
friendly country of Cuba, Egypt assumed leadership of
the Non-Aligned Movement for the next three years.
We are determined to implement the provisions of the
Summit’s final document according to the priorities set
out in those declarations. We shall put forward at this
session the pertinent draft resolutions and decisions to
implement those documents. The delegation of Egypt
will be pleased to work with all Member States in a
spirit of openness and determination to make this
session a success. We extend a hand to all States with
an open mind and the resolve to achieve success on the
international agenda before us.