H.E. Dr. Marwan Muasher
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign Minister Marwan
Muasher's statement before the
59th session of the UN General Assembly, United Nations
September 27, 2004
New York
Mr. President,
I wish first to warmly congratulate Your Excellency on your election as
President of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly.
Mr. President,
The UNDP's most recent Arab Human Development Report identified the pressing
challenges facing the Arab world both at the moment and in the future. Thus, it
contributed to triggering a broad debate on the future of reform in the Middle
East. Partly in response, the Tunis Arab Summit adopted a document on “The
Process of Development, Modernization and Reform in the Arab World” with a view
to improving joint Arab action. This platform paper highlighted the need to
consolidate the democratic principles and to broaden the base of political
participation. It also called for: intensifying efforts to improve performance
in political, economic, social and educational areas; paying more attention to
youth issues, advancement of women, modernization of the social institutions
throughout the Arab world; improvement of education; completion of the Arab
common market plan; and the laying of a Pan-Arab economic development strategy.
Jordan, for its part, supports this vision which is in line with the steps we
have already been pursuing within our national reform agenda.
Jordan believes that for reform to be truly meaningful, it has first and
foremost to emanate from within the society and to be sensitive to the peculiar
parameters and needs of each country. Accordingly, we in Jordan sought to
develop an integrated agenda that addresses the primary issues of concern to the
common person in the entire country. These include: broader political
involvement and personal freedoms, wider roles for women and youth, more
efficient judiciary system, educational reform, achieving a steady economic
growth with a view to improving the living conditions of all individuals towards
the evolution of a more progressive, open and tolerant society.
Within the same framework, the Government of Jordan sought to strengthen the
partnership between public and private sectors both inside Jordan and at the
larger regional Arab level. The most recent inter-Arab initiative was launched
by the Arab private sector and grass root civil organizations, with an active
Jordanian participation, in Amman on the margin of the World Economic Forum
which convened at the Dead Sea last May. That initiative laid the foundation for
the delineation of a vision for the Middle East in the year 2010. A
well-developed plan of action will be laid out at the Davos World Economic Forum
in 2005. The plan will provide a framework for pooling and analyzing
constructive inputs and suggesting answers for the challenges facing Jordan and
the region in general.
However, the series of reform measures currently underway in Jordan will remain
inadequate without support from the international community. The help we need
relates to backing our development projects, direct assistance to the Jordanian
economy in addition to foreign debt relief. Of special significance in this
regard, is the aid needed and expected from the G-8 industrial powers to
Jordan's plans and initiatives, which have been set against promising, realistic
and sustainable goals.
Mr. President,
The long-standing status quo in our region has made all serious efforts to forge
ahead with the overall Middle East reform exercise virtually impossible. The
creation of a favorable climate that helps us accelerate regional development
and progress hinges on the termination of the Israeli occupation of Arab land on
the basis of international legality with a view to ensuring security and
stability in the region.
Time has indeed come to focus on starting the peace process on the basis of the
Road Map and the terms of reference reiterated therein, including the Arab peace
initiative and the implementation by both the Israeli and Palestinian sides of
their respective obligations under the Road Map. In point of fact, the Road Map
does provide a well-defined vision of the ultimate solution of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, namely the vision put forward by President George
Bush of the United States of two states living side by side in peace. President
Bush reaffirmed that position in a letter he sent last May to His Majesty King
Abdullah II. The letter also elaborated the United States firm stand, which
rejects any measures that would prejudice the outcome of final status
negotiations on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.
The launching of any serious political process requires immediate action on the
part of all parties to put an end to violence and to all forms of civilian
killing. Let me, if I may, recall here the obligations of both sides under the
Road Map which must be carried out as one integrated set. For its part, Israel
should fulfill its commitments beginning with ceasing forthwith all forms of
settlements building as well as all acts of extra-judicial killings. At the same
time, the Palestinian side should complete the security reforms required to
control the security situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and to
bring violence to an end. In this regard, we welcome the decision to consolidate
the Palestinian security apparatus. On the other hand, Israel's announcement of
unilateral withdrawal from Gaza must be an integral part of the Road Map and
within its terms of reference. The withdrawal must also be coordinated with all
parties concerned, especially the Palestinian side, in order to ensure a smooth
transfer of power.
It has become abundantly clear now; perhaps more than ever before, that there is
a real need to develop an effective monitoring mechanism operated by the Quartet
in order to ensure that all parties meet their mutual obligations and to
ascertain scrupulous implementation by the two sides of the Road Map towards a
successful political process. Here, I wish to pay tribute to the Quartet for its
persistent efforts to maintain the momentum of the peace process.
Mr. President,
Once again, I wish to reaffirm Jordan's commitment, like all other Arab states,
to the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002 with a
view to putting an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict through the conclusion of a
collective peace agreement that provides for the security of all countries in
our region and lays the foundation for establishing relations with Israel. The
agreement would also create a framework for an agreed solution of the
Palestinian refugees problem on the basis of United Nations General Assembly
resolution 194, in return for full Israeli withdrawal from the Arab territories
occupied in 1967 and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable
Palestinian state.
Mr. President,
Jordan underlines the need for the respect and implementation of what has been
declared by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its advisory opinion on
the separation wall being built by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT). The ICJ's pronouncement is the law and no peaceful settlement of the
Palestinian question is to be realized unless based on respect for the rules of
international law and the recognition of the legitimate rights of the
Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination. In this context,
the ICJ's opinion was both clear and specific regarding the following points:
The West Bank including East Jerusalem, is an occupied territory and, under
international law, Israel is an occupying power. Accordingly, the claim that the
West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is a “disputed territory” has been
dismissed once and for all.
That the relevant rules of international Humanitarian Law are applicable to the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including The Hague Regulations of 1907 and the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 which, according to the ICJ, is legally
applicable to such territory.
That the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination and that Israel
is violating such right in contravention of the peremptory norms of
international law.
That the Israeli settlements built in the territories occupied in 1967,
including East Jerusalem, are in breach of the rules of international
humanitarian law.
That the construction by Israel of the wall in the OPT, including East
Jerusalem, is illegal. Furthermore, Israel is under an obligation to cease its
violations relating to the construction of the wall by, interalia, dismantling
those portions of it erected in OPT, reinstating the rights to their owners and
compensating those who incurred losses as a result of Israel's illegal acts.
That the construction of the Wall and its route create a fait accompli on the
ground that could become permanent, in which case would be tantamount to an
actual annexation of the OPT.
The Law makes it incumbent upon us as an international community to refrain from
supporting Israel in its violations as well as from recognizing the illegal
situation arising from the construction of the Separation Wall.
Accordingly, Jordan welcomes the General Assembly resolution ES-10/15 and
considers it an important step reflecting the recognition by the international
community of the legal conclusions reached by the ICJ and its desire to carry
out the content of advisory opinion in a practical manner.
Mr. President,
The Separation Wall threatens the national security of the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan. The wall is not only a barrier to the establishment of a viable
independent Palestinian state, it also partitions the West Bank into three
isolated sections. Moreover, and in view of the arbitrary Israeli measures of
closures and imposition of restrictions on movement, the occupied Palestinian
territories will witness an unprecedented level of deterioration in all aspects
of political, social, economic, security and humanitarian life. This set of
circumstances is bound to have spill-over implications into neighboring
countries, especially Jordan. It was against this backdrop that Jordan supported
the effort that led to the adoption of the ICJ Advisory Opinion and Assembly
resolution ES-10/15. We in Jordan, will continue to support the Palestinian
people in their pursuit to establish their independent state over their national
territory on the basis of the United Nations Security Council resolutions 242,
338, 1397 and 1515, the principle of land for peace, The Road Map and the Arab
Peace Initiative. Also, we stand ready to provide any assistance the Palestinian
side might seek within the framework of its efforts to reform its administrative
and security structures in order to help it enhance its abilities to fulfill its
obligations under The Road Map.
Mr. President,
Jordan welcomes the creation of the interim Iraqi government and the restoration
of Iraqi sovereignty at the end of last June. In this regard, we wish to pay
tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his personal envoy at
the time, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi for their strenuous efforts which culminated in
the formation of the interim government despite the enormous odds that beset the
entire exercise.
While Jordan underscores its support for the government of Iraq, it stands ready
to lend all possible assistance to Iraq, its people and government in the
forthcoming phase in order to enable the country to rebuild itself, manage its
own affairs and restore its regional and international status.
The ongoing transition in Iraq and the development of the political and economic
processes there require the cooperation of all parties in supporting this
approach. This should enable the Iraqi people to determine their political
future without external intervention, to control their natural resources and to
preserve Iraq's territorial integrity. Despite the overwhelming odds and the
current instability, it is our hope that elections of the transitional national
assembly and the formation of a transitional government will be completed by the
end of January 2005. Jordan calls upon all states to provide every possible
assistance towards achieving such goals. The United Nations obviously has a
pivotal role to play to ensure a successful outcome. In this context, we welcome
the appointment by the Secretary-General of his Special Representative to Iraq,
Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi and express our willingness to fully cooperate with him
in order to ensure complete and smooth fulfillment of the United Nations mandate
in Iraq as set forth in Security Council resolution 1546.
In the meantime, Jordan strongly condemns violence, killing of civilians and
beheadings in Iraq. We remain committed to helping our Iraqi brothers in terms
of training Iraqi police and army units in order to enable them to improve their
capacity to restore control over the security situation, as well as through the
provision of humanitarian assistance. It is indeed regrettable that there is
still a tiny minority representing extremist movements and organizations that
seek political power by means of terror and brutality under the false pretext of
Islamic action. Such groups exploit Islam as a means of achieving political or
even personal gains by resorting to violence and terrorism thus, unfortunately,
tarnishing the image of Islam, a faith of moderation and tolerance.
We also strongly condemn all acts of terror, including those gruesome and blind
acts perpetrated in Madrid and Beslan, which require our firm collective stand
in combating them.
Mr. President,
The eleventh of September 2001 events marked a new era of immense challenges to
the international community in terms of dealing with the repercussions and
implications of such events. Fighting international terrorism entails taking
measures that affect international relations and the principles, which have
guided States since the creation of the United Nations and the adoption of its
Charter. In our view, a meaningful and effective global campaign against this
phenomenon requires consensus on the following principles: Respect for the
provisions of the Charter and the rules of international law, and
non-transgression against the sovereignty of States; striking a balance between
the counter-terrorism measures taken by States and the principles of human
rights and public freedoms and non-abuse of the state of emergency to justify
the counter-terrorism measures; providing a clear and specific legal definition
for “terrorism” as well as for the concept of “terrorist groups”, which would
not allow any justification for the commission of terrorist acts. By the same
token, such definitions should not compromise the rights envisioned in the
Charter and the international humanitarian law, such as the right to
self-determination. In the same vein, combating global terrorism ought not be a
tool for discrimination against the followers of any creed or a cover for
assault against their religious beliefs. Finally, the “no justification for
terror” policy should not translate into disregarding its underlying reasons.
Rather, an effective battle against terrorism would require global cooperation
in addressing its root causes and the genesis of this plague.
Furthermore, the campaign against terrorism should bolster the efforts to fight
the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely,
aggression, genocide, war crimes and the crimes against humanity. In this
regard, I wish to underline our full support for the important role of the
International Criminal Court (ICC) in preventing and prosecuting such crimes as
well as in reinforcing the principles of international law and international
humanitarian law. Jordan calls upon all States which have not done so to accede
to the Rome Statute, to respect its provisions and to cooperate with the ICC so
it becomes an effective instrument for fulfilling its purposes and principles
and to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.
Mr. President,
I am pleased to announce that the government of Jordan has welcomed the
formation of a high-level panel to examine the modalities for improving the
performance of the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security as
well as its reform in general. We support the exercise undertaken by the panel
and look forward to receive its recommendations at the end of the year.
We do share the vision of the Secretary-General in his reports to the General
Assembly in that reform is a continuous comprehensive dynamic process that must
include all political, economic, administrative and financial activities of the
United Nations. We also believe that for reform to succeed, genuine partnership
between Member States represented by the regional groups and the Secretariat of
the United Nations is required. In this regard, we believe that the thrust of
reform should be the upgrading of efficiency and not the reduction in the level
of resources available to the organization. Therefore, a set of benchmarks must
be developed to assess performance. In the meantime, there should be no room for
random setting of agenda priorities while steering away from selectivity in
implementing reform areas. Regarding reform of the Security Council, I would be
remiss if I failed to commend the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of
Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security
Council and other matters related to the Council. Jordan supports the principle
of increasing membership in both permanent and rotating seats in order to make
the Council more representative of the U.N. membership. In this regard, Jordan
is of the view that responsibilities of Council members should be reconsidered
in order to ensure that all members have the capacity and political will to
contribute effectively to the peacekeeping operations by way of meeting their
obligations under The Charter. Contribution by Security Council members of human
resources in peacekeeping field operations, not just financial and equipment
inputs, is an essential requirement for the success of these operations. This is
a primary responsibility that must be met by members of the Security Council,
especially the permanent ones. In addition, we think that effective operations
require the development of a flexible mechanism that allows the adoption of
clear resolutions by the Council in close coordination with troop contributing
countries who are not members of the Council as well as functioning in a
transparent framework.
Mr. President,
In closing, let me once again thank you Sir. I would also like to wish this
session of the General Assembly all the success as I pray to Almighty God to
guide us to better serve our people and to live up to the responsibilities
entrusted upon us.