| Date | 18 November 2004 |
|---|
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Agenda item 158
Declaration by the United Nations of 8 and 9 May as days of remembrance and reconciliation
Draft resolution (A/59/L.28/Rev.1)
The Acting President
As was announced again at this morning's meeting, at this time the Assembly will hold only the debate on agenda item 158.
I give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation to introduce draft resolution A/59/L.28/Rev.1.
Mr. Fedotov (Russia)
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the delegations of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
In 2005, the entire world will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the victory over fascism. The great triumph of the Second World War was the result of the joint efforts of the peoples of many countries and was the primary impulse leading the international community to establish the United Nations. Through the suffering and death of millions, the peoples of the world have come to see the irreplaceable nature of the international security system that the United Nations embodies in the maintenance of international peace.
Today, it is important to recall the lessons of the Second World War and the memory of those who died in it, and to unite the efforts of the international community, through the central role of the United Nations, to face the new threats and challenges emerging in the world. The Member States must come together to address new challenges, to achieve the pacific settlement of disputes, to deal with conflicts in the future and to strengthen the maintenance of stable and lasting peace.
In the general interests of humankind, we will need to further strengthen the role and efficiency of the United Nations as a central element in the system of collective security in order to implement the widely hailed objectives of the Charter and to save peoples from the scourge of war.
Today, the General Assembly is considering the draft resolution on the declaration by the United Nations of 8 and 9 May as days of remembrance and reconciliation, contained in document A/59/L.28/Rev.1. We believe that the General Assembly will support that important collective and universal initiative and help to mobilize efforts to maintain a secure and equitable world order in accordance with the United Nations Charter. The General Assembly will hold a special solemn meeting on 9 May 2005 in commemoration of the sacrifices made during the war, at which a declaration will be made to encourage general progress and the avoidance of new wars.
We hope that the draft resolution will be adopted without a vote. Bearing in mind the fact that certain delegations have asked for more time to work on the draft, we suggest that the adoption of a decision on it be postponed until Monday, 22 November.
Mr. Van den Berg (Netherlands)
I have the honour to speak briefly on behalf of the European Union.
To the European Union member States, as is the case for many other countries around the world, the war brought unspeakable suffering. It affected the lives of millions of people in Europe and beyond. It changed the fates of individuals, families and whole nations.
Rightfully, reflection on that suffering and commemoration of the end of that period of extreme horrors are our common duty. It should inspire us -- as individuals, as nations, as organizations -- to do everything in our power to jointly prevent war and violence and to deal in a peaceful manner with the challenges and threats we are facing.
We should at the same time recognize that, in many respects, progress has been made since the end of the Second World War towards reconciliation, international and regional cooperation, and the promotion of democratic values, human rights and fundamental freedoms. In fact, our common United Nations and our European Union bear witness to that progress and therefore we hope that we will reach an agreement on the draft resolution just introduced by Vice-Minister Fedotov.
The Acting President
We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item.
I would like to inform members that, at the request of the sponsors, action on draft resolution A/59/L.28/Rev.1 will be taken on Monday, 22 November 2004, as the first item.
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 158.
