General Assembly Session 62 meeting 10

The President

The Assembly will now hear an address by the President of the Lebanese Republic.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations Mr. Emile Lahoud, President of the Lebanese Republic, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

President Lahoud (Lebanon)

Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President on your election as President of General Assembly at its sixty-second session. I wish you every success. I would also like to offer my gratitude to your predecessor, Sheikha Haya Al-Khalifa for the outstanding job she has performed as the first Arab woman to ever preside over this austere body. Finally, I would like to thank His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for all his efforts on behalf of world peace and security.

A year ago, I spoke from this podium about Israel's brutalities against my country and its atrocious 33-day war. I had hoped then that those tragic events that we had bitterly lived and suffered through in Lebanon would pave the way for activating the Middle East process based on the Arab Peace Initiative that was endorsed at the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002.

Regrettably, nothing thrives in our region more than violence and grudges, and nothing deafens more than the sound of war, while all calls to stimulate the peace process find no response. It is against that gloomy background and with a mix of anticipation and reservation that we await the results of the Middle East peace conference that is to be held in the near future. In that respect, I would like to reaffirm certain realities that cannot be ignored in any settlement, because I believe that unless we learn from our past mistakes, we will not be able to take full advantage of present opportunities.

First, for any settlement to the Middle East crisis to succeed, it must be lasting, just and global. Secondly, a viable solution must call for the implementation of all United Nations resolutions that pertain to the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories. Thirdly, paramount to all Arab rights is the right of return of the Palestinian refugees in accordance with resolution 194 (III) and the rejection of all calls for their resettlement in their temporary host countries.

The resettlement of the Palestinians is contrary to the expressed will of world legitimacy as embodied in the General Assembly. Moreover, and more specifically in Lebanon, it would dangerously alter the delicate balance of Lebanon's existence as a nation based on diversity and the coexistence of a large number of its sects, which have lived side by side in harmony and enjoyed mutual respect.

In this regard, Lebanon fully rejects efforts to empty the Beirut Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 of its contents, namely by excluding the right of return for Palestinians. The Initiative, we believe, contains a realistic and global solution to the Middle East conflict, and its implementation could bring about stability and security for all parties.

A year ago, the Security Council adopted resolution 1701 (2006), which put an end to Israel's aggression against Lebanon. We were quick to abide by that resolution. Our armed forces have closely cooperated with the units of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, as stipulated in their mission statements and as recounted in the reports of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006).

Today, as I stand here again to reiterate Lebanon's commitment to implementing that resolution, I wonder why we are still in the phase of the cessation of hostilities and have not yet moved into the ceasefire phase, as called for in the resolution. That matter remains suspect to many Lebanese, especially since Israel continues, up to this very moment, to violate our land, sea and skies. So far, there have been over 500 breaches since the adoption of the resolution. I call upon the world community to remain vigilant regarding any malicious intentions harboured by Israel against Lebanon, as that could lead to another conflagration in the region.

Despite the fact that the Lebanese recall with pain, agony and distress last year's destructive and hostile war against their country, they are proud of their national resistance and their army, who were able to jointly claim a historic victory over one of the world's strongest military arsenals, which had violated all international and ethical norms and wanted to terminate Lebanon's role as a nation characterized by coexistence among all its religious sects.

With regard to securing the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), we in Lebanon believe that that will only happen when our nation regains its occupied Sheba'a farms, the Kfar Shouba Hills and some northern parts of the village of Ghajar; when we secure the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails; when Lebanon's legitimate rights to its water resources are restored; and when Lebanon is given maps of the landmines and the sites of cluster bombs.

In this regard, we welcome efforts made by the United Nations in terms of studying documents and maps related to the Sheba'a farms, and we express our relief over the progress made so far in verifying their Lebanese identity. We look forward to practical measures that would end Israeli occupation and hand over those territories and water rights to Lebanon.

The United Nations has always shown Lebanon special concern, and such concern is clearly manifested in all United Nations resolutions on Lebanon. The Lebanese, who reiterate their commitment to the implementation of those resolutions, wish to see those resolutions implemented in a fair manner and on a real and constant basis. As you know by now, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was established to try the assassins of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, had been a controversial issue with regard to the circumstances of its establishment. We referred to that in detail in our letters to the Secretary-General and asked that copies be handed over to all Security Council Member States and other copies be kept as reference documents at the United Nations.

We did this in the belief that international justice should be reinforced. Since the very first moment of the heinous crime of the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri, we have attempted to seek the whole truth, and I was probably the first to ask the then Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to set up an impartial international investigation commission.

I believe the best way now to enable all to overcome the controversy caused by the international tribunal would be to hold an impartial, transparent and just hearing that seeks to determine the whole truth. Only then would the Lebanese be assured that the tribunal is just.

Lebanon is about to hold democratic presidential elections in which the Lebanese will make their choice in a free and responsible manner. Unfortunately, there have been attempts by international parties to intervene in Lebanon's domestic affairs in a way that contradicts international norms. Such interference could instigate hatred and increase tensions on the Lebanese scene, which might have negative repercussions not only on upcoming presidential elections but also on the safety of the Lebanese.

Lebanon welcomes all foreign assistance and pays tribute to those countries that have stood by it in the wake of last July's destructive Israeli war. Lebanon hopes, however, that any foreign assistance to Lebanon is made to all the Lebanese people, without any discrimination, in order to stop possible divisions among them. Foreign aid to Lebanon should be made as a gesture of support to the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty and the unity of the Lebanese people.

That is why we urge the international community, through its commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, to stop foreign intervention in the domestic affairs of Member States. Consecutive events in Lebanon have shown that the Lebanese are capable of making their own decisions and their own choices and can live side by side and interact peacefully within institutional framework established by their civic bodies and protected by their security institutions, namely their national army.

Since we are referring to the national army, we should highlight the heroic confrontations of the army with an extremely dangerous terrorist organization in the past three months, an organization equipped with updated weapons and believing in destructive objectives that targeted Lebanon and many other States in the region. The costly price paid by our national army in terms of human losses and injuries aimed at reinstating Lebanon's national goals of confronting and fighting terrorism. Lebanon has and will always be a nation that supports peace and justice and promotes democratic values. However, to enable Lebanon to confront and curb terrorism, real assistance should be given to its national army in order to accomplish its national and security goals.

In a world that witnesses the daily bloodshed known as "the conflict of civilizations", and in a world that is sharply and deeply divided between East and West, I find myself addressing the international community as a man of experience. From here, I urge the world community not to allow Lebanon to fall, because the falling apart of Lebanon would mean a collapse of moderation and a victory for those who favour the use of force. Lebanon remains a unique message to the world, a country where religions and cultures interact peacefully, so that we can live together, as noted by His Holiness the late Pope John Paul II.

As a citizen of Lebanon, a small country that has survived against all odds, I urge you not to retreat in the face of adversity and to support what is right and just. A last glimpse of a burning Middle East, where the flames devour the meek and the mighty, should allow you to reflect upon the choices ahead, lest it become too late.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Lebanese Republic for the statement he has just made.

The President

The Assembly will now hear an address by the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations Mr. Kessai Note, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

President Note (Marshall Islands)

I bring warm greetings of "iakwe" from the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, on whose behalf I have the honour to address the General Assembly at its sixty-second session.

I wish to convey our congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your election in the presidency of the Assembly at this session. I am confident that, under your able leadership, consensus on crucial issues will be achieved, benefiting the entire membership, particularly the often-forgotten remote small island States of the Pacific. My commendation also goes to your predecessor for her successful stewardship of the work of the Assembly at its sixty-first session.

Allow me to also congratulate you, Mr. Secretary-General, for your election as the eighth Secretary-General of this Organization. Steering the United Nations in today's interwoven world of complex trials and tribulations remains ever more challenging, and I wish to express my country's confidence in your stewardship and to commend you for your current efforts in taking a range of measures to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations.

For the past 62 years, we have come to this Assembly to express various issues and concerns dear to our heart, as they affect the daily lives of our citizens. Education, health and the environment are among the issues at the top of my country's priorities, but these issues are nothing if we, the community of nations, fail to attempt to avert the forthcoming ecological disaster.

My people are concerned with -- or rather terrified by -- with the issue of our very survival. Will we even exist 50 years from today? If we are to exist at all, we must put a stop to the rising tide of destruction unleashed by global warming. Our future -- or perhaps, our absence of future -- depends on the decisive actions of this Assembly. I find no pride in having coined the term "ecological refugee". It is my deepest hope that no one, and certainly no one in the Marshall Islands, will have to bear that name.

Since my election more than seven years ago, educating the world about the threat my people face as a result of sea-level rise and global warming has been one of my Government's priorities. In addressing the issue of climate change, actions and real progress are needed. In saying this, I am proud to announce the new alliance that my Government established earlier this year with the local government of Martin Luther King Jr. County, in Washington State in the United States, aimed at confronting the threat posed by global warming.

The unwavering faith I have in this Organization is the reason why I am standing at this podium today on behalf of my people. On our shoulders, as leaders, lies the responsibility entrusted to us, to keep not only the peace to live in harmony and with dignity, but to preserve our environment to ensure the very survival of our children for generations to come.

I commend the Secretary-General for convening a high-level meeting on climate change this week. I am also hopeful that we, as leaders, will come up with the necessary agreements on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December. While we are committed to playing our part, strong leadership is required by the major industrialized countries. We once again renew our support for the Framework Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, and we call upon all States that have not yet done so -- in particular the major emitters -- to ratify the Protocol without further delay. We also call upon the international community to assist small island developing States in developing and implementing comprehensive adaptation strategies.

I remain hopeful that the international community can reach a consensus on moving forward the necessary agreements to achieve lasting peace, security and diplomatic solutions to the seemingly endless web of issues. We are so integrated and interconnected today that we all face equal challenges, be it in terrorism or the proliferation of nuclear weapons. I commend this Assembly for adopting last September the historic United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which will prevent the global scourge of terrorism. The Marshall Islands remains committed in the fight against terrorism, and we continue to take action at the national level and to cooperate at the regional and international levels to ensure that we combat terrorist threats with comprehensive and united action.

In the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, our collective efforts need to be invigorated to overcome stalemate. Nuclear weapons and the testing conducted on our islands in the past is a nightmare that continues to haunt my people. The 67 atmospheric weapons detonated on my island of Bikini Atoll from 1946 to 1958 continue to inflict pain and suffering on my people to this day. The Marshallese people were under the care of the United Nations Trusteeship Council when the United States nuclear testing programme was in progress. Once again, I call on the United Nations and its agencies and Member States who share similar experiences and have the expertise to assist us with the restoration of our radiation-contaminated environment to provide the needed assistance for my people's health-care needs that are linked to radiation exposure, and to support the Marshall Islands' Changed Circumstances Petition, which was submitted to the United States Congress in 2000.

I commend the work of the Assembly at its sixty-first session in adopting resolution 61/109, which requests the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to continue its work, including its activities to increase knowledge about the levels, effects and risks of ionizing radiation from all sources, and requests the United Nations Environment Programme to continue to provide support for the work of the Committee and for the dissemination of its findings and to review and strengthen the Committee's present funding. I am confident that my people will benefit from the Committee's work, noting that previous policy and resettlement decisions based on misleading scientific opinions have caused so much suffering among my people.

My people's survival and well-being also depend on our ocean resources. We are encouraged by international and regional agreements and treaties that aim to protect these scarce resources. However, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing continues to threaten our major source of livelihood. In protecting our ocean resources from exploitation, we continue to seek assistance from Member States with the expertise and capacity in conducting and enforcing conservation and management measures, as well as in the development of our domestic fisheries. I reiterate once again my support for a moratorium on bottom-trawling until there are clear indications on its negative effects on the ocean biodiversity.

The Micronesia Challenge -- a commitment led by the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands -- aims at conserving that biodiversity and our vulnerable ecosystem by effectively conserving at least 30 per cent of the near-shore marine and 20 per cent of the forest resources across Micronesia by 2020. The Micronesia Challenge is part of a much larger and growing commitment by island nations throughout the world to take the international lead in preserving primary ecosystems. I call on the international community to support the efforts that have been put in place and to develop and provide the resources for realistic financial plans in support of conservation and sustainable use of our natural resources.

Within the Pacific region, we continue to cooperate closely to ensure that effective regional actions are taken in our endeavour to combat our vulnerabilities in the economic, social and environmental areas, which are priority areas highlighted under the Pacific Plan and Kalibobo Roadmap, endorsed by Pacific leaders almost two years ago.

My Government has had the pleasure of hosting and actively engaging in several regional meetings held to that effect. The Eighth Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, which I was honoured to chair in Washington; the Seventh Annual Micronesian President's Summit, held in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, earlier this month; the seventh Food and Agriculture Organization meeting of the South West Pacific Ministers for Agriculture, held in May; and the Micronesians in Island Conservation conference, held last June in Majuro -- all these provided the opportunity for our leaders, development partners and non-governmental partners to meet with other leaders from the region to address the wide range of issues and challenges that continue to plague the Pacific.

In my view, the successful implementation of regional commitments international obligations can be achieved only with the support and commitment of member countries, regional and international organizations, development partners and a range of stakeholders.

In that regard, I wish to emphasize that the assistance of the international community, which has played a crucial role in enabling us to meet current and emerging challenges, is still very much needed. There is only so much that we can do as small island developing States; thus, now more than ever, I continue to call on the international community for considerable investments and comprehensive assistance, including the much-needed policy reorientation to address the interlinked issues of economic, social and environmental security.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands was founded on the ideals of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. We continue to observe and stand for those democratic values and the defence and promotion of human rights. The United Nation's noble ideals of good governance, democracy, multilateralism and respect for human dignity also serve as my guiding light in my capacity of high steward of my people.

However, while the United Nations continues to work with States in resolving disputes peacefully and in helping to create democratic societies, it still turns a blind eye to the 23 million people of Taiwan and silences their voices. The absence of Taiwan in the United Nations creates a gap in the global network for cooperation, goes against the ideals and concept of justice upheld by the United Nations and contravenes the principle of universality.

We reiterate our support for the reform and expansion of the Security Council and for a criteria-based approach under which potential members, such as Japan, must be well qualified, based on factors such as economic size, population, commitment to democracy and human rights, financial contributions to the United Nations and contributions to United Nations peacekeeping efforts.

During the general debate of the sixtieth session, we noted in this historic Hall that the United Nations and its offices and agencies did not have a permanent presence in many of the small island developing States of the Pacific. In June 2006, it was announced that a coalition of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) would open a total of eight new offices in the Pacific island countries. We welcomed that historic accomplishment, the progress it marked towards harmonization within the United Nations and the assistance and support the new offices would provide in developing national capacity and meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

We, Member States that pay our dues, deploy peacekeepers, and discharge our responsibilities in the international community, deserve offices that give relevance to the United Nations and the implementation of its doctrines. The Marshall Islands is appreciative of the work currently under way for the establishment of a joint presence in our country by UNFPA, which will be the leading agency on behalf of UNDP and UNICEF. We, however, ask the General Assembly and the Secretariat to ensure that offices befitting the ideals and reputation of the United Nations are established in the other identified Pacific island countries.

In closing, I wish to reassure you, Mr. President, that the Marshall Islands remains committed to the implementation of the commitments made over the last decade, and we expect our partners to fulfil their commitments as well. The sustainable development of small island developing States, such as the Marshall Islands, can only be achieved through a genuine partnership within the international community. Only then can we realize the commonly shared goal of universal peace and prosperity.

My delegation looks forward to a productive session under your able leadership, Sir. Komol tata, and God bless.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the statement he has just made.

The President

The Assembly will now hear an address by the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations Her Excellency Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines, and to invite her to address the Assembly.

President Macapagal-Arroyo (Philippines)

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