Statement of the Sultanate of Oman
Before
The Fifty-Fifth Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Delivered by
H.E. Yousef bin Alawi Abdullah
Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs

I wish to extend to you, Mr. President, my sincere congratulations on your election to the presidency of the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly, the Millennium Assembly. We are confident that your expertise and knowledge of international issues is an outstanding asset that will enrich the deliberations of this session and help the Assembly reach a successful conclusion. We assure you of our readiness to cooperate with you in fulfilling the objectives to which we all aspire.
I wish to extend our gratitude and appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the friendly Republic of Namibia, for the successful manner in which he steered the work of the previous session. That session was marked by a genuine desire to enhance and reinvigorate the work of the General Assembly.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express our warmest appreciation to Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his strenuous efforts and commendable endeavours to promote the role of the United Nations and the development of its organs, in order to cope with expectations attached to the Organization in the third millennium.
The Sultanate of Oman welcomes the accession of the Republic of Tuvalu to United Nations membership. We hope that its membership will enrich the efforts of the international community to reach the noble goals of this important international forum in a manner that satisfies the hopes and aspirations of all peoples of the world.
Our heads of State and Government have already described our main concerns and preoccupations during the Millennium Summit. They perceptively identified a number of lofty values and principles that will guide present and future generations towards secure and stable living conditions based on cooperation and peace. If this goal is to be achieved, we must remain fully committed to it.
We bid farewell to a century, the memory of which includes a host of calamities and human suffering, due to both natural and man-made causes. That century was also marked by many bold and visionary initiatives that greatly benefited humanity.
This stage of the third millennium is characterized by great technological progress that has opened vast horizons for development and prosperity. Yet the emerging international order, commonly called "globalization", has created and increased economic, social and political disparities at both the international and national levels. Globalization presents many concerns and challenges to developing countries, sometimes with unpredictable results. This is a real hindrance to the growth and progress of developing countries, limiting the effectiveness of their economic integration into a globalized economy.
We in the Sultanate of Oman support globalization. However, present indications and approaches, stemming from the World Trade Organization, point toward wealthy countries banding together with the aim of using that Organization as a tool to advance their own interests, to open the markets of developing countries for their own trade and to deplete natural resources of developing countries, regardless of any negative economic and social impact.
One of the most important factors that led to the failure of the Seattle Conference to achieve its expected conclusions was the aggregation of about 20 countries within the Organization attempting to impose their philosophies on the entire world. This conduct is based on an old doctrine of discriminatory policies and selectivity, which insinuates the presence of hidden disputes among various countries. If the World Trade Organization were to be transformed into a wrestling arena, globalization and free trade would not then be able to meet the needs of developing countries.
Furthermore, if developing countries are to survive and to uphold the basic rights of their citizens, they must obtain their fair share of the fruits of globalization. It is necessary to enact laws and regulations and to honour agreements in an equal manner that applies to all, because the dominance of minority law contradicts the principles of good governance. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to devise new measures to assure the utilization of ever-growing technological progress so as to achieve prosperity and development for all.
The international economy continues to prosper after the setback of the 1997-1998 recession, following the economic crash of emerging markets. We need to redouble our efforts in order to avoid recurrence of this. When the G-8 countries met in Okinawa, Japan, they were obliged to consider the problems of the developing countries. The financial assistance offered by the G-8 was itself vivid proof that advanced information technologies are designed in such a manner that they can be monopolized by some and not accessed by others, except with great difficulty and at colossal cost. However, we still welcome some of the decisions of the Okinawa Summit, particularly the financial assistance pledged to combat certain debilitating diseases.
The decision of the G-8 to invite the Group of 77, for the first time, to its deliberations was not merely a ceremonial event. It made the vast disparity that exists between developed and developing countries all the more tangible. The Okinawa Summit addressed the problem of debt, which we believe should be totally abolished, and reviewed the policies of the International Monetary Fund and international financial mechanisms. Among those policies, the fluctuation of international currencies in particular has created difficult economic conditions for developed countries, let alone for countries with small economies that have to trade their resources for hard currency.
The stumble of the Asian economies occurred because of the power of the free market, and largely because of currency instability. The prosperity achieved by the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) during decades of dedicated work evaporated. Developing countries therefore have every right to take all necessary precautions against the recurrence of a similar situation.
Together with a number of other countries, the Sultanate of Oman has played a constructive role in establishing and launching the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation. It has done so because the countries of the Indian Ocean possess natural resources and enjoy a geographic location between three continents and because it is convinced of the importance of that region as a vital economic vein for all its member States and their peoples. The launching of this new Association to join the many regional economic groupings that exist in the world today is a manifestation of the firm desire of its member States to promote such a grouping, which enjoys huge potential and looks forward to creating a huge market.
Based on my country's belief in the importance of regional cooperation as a means to propel the wheels of development and exchange expertise in different fields, we are working on an agreement to establish a regional cooperation group for fisheries in the Indian Ocean. We hope that that initiative will soon see the light of day, thereby bringing about many benefits in the service of regional stability and development. In this context, we look forward to a pragmatic translation of the objectives of the General Assembly Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace.
Since the dawn of the Omani renaissance, on 23 July 1970, we in the Sultanate of Oman have embraced peace and dialogue as basic principles. We are convinced that dialogue is the natural foundation upon which all forms of conflict between States and peoples can be resolved. Throughout history, mankind has aspired to enhance confidence on the basis of agreed creative ideas that deepen and widen common interests and mutual benefits. We believe that dialogue, rather than conflict and confrontation, will always remain the surest path to security and stability.
The tripartite Camp David summit on the peace process in the Middle East was an extremely significant political step and a display of unique courage by the summit participants. The summit imposed upon itself the task of discussing and negotiating the fundamental issues of a final settlement in an unprecedented and distinguished manner, particularly with regard to the future of Al-Quds Al-Sharif. We express our admiration for, and appreciation of, the historic role and great efforts made by the President of the United States, Bill Clinton. Despite the fact that the summit did not produce a final agreement between Palestine and Israel, it nevertheless opened the door for dialogue on the most complex issues. Significant progress has been achieved on those issues, and the summit established an important understanding of the true scope of peace and the spiritual and emotional sentiments attached to it. It is now vital to conclude an agreement that will lay the cornerstone for lasting peace.
In our view, there has been tangible and clear progress regarding the positions and claims of each party as well as their capability to complete the negotiations. We are confident that the continuation of negotiations and contacts between Palestinians and Israelis, on all levels, is the proper and responsible way to reach the desired objective of establishing a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. We look forward with confidence to a second round of negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, with the continued sponsorship of the United States. Time has bestowed upon all parties a historic opportunity to put in place a solid foundation for peace.
We reiterate our full support to the Palestinian people and their rights to self-determination on their land and to establish an independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. In order to strengthen the pillars of peace and security in the region, there is no other sovereignty possible in Al-Quds Al-Sharif except that of the Palestinian State. We expect the State of Israel to understand this fact, which means that the sovereignty of the State of Palestine over Al-Quds Al-Sharif would also allow Israelis full freedom of access to worship and conduct their rituals in peace and security.
We strongly support the position of the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic concerning the restoration of its land to the line of 4 June 1967. We encourage Israel to resume negotiations on this important track in accordance with legitimate international principles and resolutions, particularly Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace. Israel should not feel exposed to security threats in the future because a peace founded on those principles, whether that peace be with Syria, Palestine or Lebanon, will build an effective relationship and partnership that will serve the purposes of security and stability. This, by itself, is one of the most important guarantees of mutual security and stability, especially if it is based on economic development within the context of globalization.
Despite all serious international and regional efforts to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly people of Iraq, the overall situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate as a result of the economic embargo imposed on that country over the last 10 years. Therefore, we call for the establishment of a mechanism to end the siege and to lift the embargo that has undoubtedly done great harm to the people of Iraq.
Despite the fact that sanctions regime were intended as a political mechanism to guarantee that Governments fulfil their commitments in accordance with United Nations resolutions, that mechanism has now become a weapon that harms the basic rights of peoples and societies. This clearly contradicts the letter and spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Accordingly, we call upon the Security Council to adopt new policies and effective mechanisms that will relieve the suffering imposed on States such as Iraq, Libya and the Sudan.
The Security Council, in accordance with its responsibilities as enshrined in the Charter, should play a positive and unifying role in the maintenance of international security and stability, with the aim of developing new vision, for economic globalization.
The mechanisms available to the Security Council with regard to Iraq are no longer positive tools. United Nations inspectors have exerted substantial efforts to eliminate weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and have destroyed such known weapons. This could represent sufficient grounds to review the situation once again and determine how to end this tragedy. New mechanisms could be established that would enable the Security Council to continue monitoring Iraq's implementation of relevant United Nations resolutions once economic sanctions have been lifted.
We do not believe that it is justifiable to punish a population simply on the basis of fear and suspicion. The Security Council should protect the Iraqi people from the deterioration of their living conditions. The United Nations has a historic responsibility to cooperate with Iraq in order to minimize the intense suffering that could befall the people of Iraq in future. We look forward to Iraq's positive cooperation in clarifying the fate of the Kuwaitis who remain captive inside Iraq.
We deeply appreciate the efforts made by the Secretary-General in preparing his annual report. It is important to be willing to adopt a new vision for the restructuring of the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, as its principal organ, whose primary responsibility is the maintenance of international peace and security. We should consider the expansion of its membership to promote equitable representation, and reassess United Nations activities in regions of conflict and tension, ensuring that there is no interference in States' internal affairs.
We fear that the United Nations could become a direct participant in regional conflicts, which would entail financial and moral obligations that it may not be able to fulfil.
We have in the past emphasized the need for international cooperation, which the United Nations can foster in support of regional organizations to achieve peace and development.
The problems of the African continent are intensifying, and it is vital to uncover the causes of these problems. It is incumbent upon the international community to work together and redouble its efforts in a positive and effective manner to resolve current political and social problems as well as ameliorate deteriorating health conditions. The United Nations should elaborate a solid plan in which all States would participate and contribute to the development of Africa instead of fighting for control of its wealth.
We are facing real challenges, which we must be prepared to confront with courage if we are to focus on all aspects of development. We are in need of a new century and a new millennium marked by a sound balance between material values and humankind's legacy of ethical and spiritual values. We are in need of a world in which the strong sympathize with the weak and help them out of their plight. We need a plan of action to increase the standard of living of all peoples throughout the world.