In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like first to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of the current session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. I wish you success in your task. I would also like to thank your predecessor, President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, for his tireless work during the previous session.
I would also like to thank His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his effort to strengthen the role of the United Nations.
Mr. President,
This new session of the General Assembly coincides clearly with an extremely special international situation, for it constitutes one of those situations that take shape at critical junctures of major historical developments. Such situations present an opportunity to lay foundations, stress principles and regulate systems of international interaction. In our view, the present situation is similar to the ones that prevailed on the eve of the conferences of Vienna (1814), Versailles (1919) and Potsdam (1945).
This situation and the opportunity it presents in today’s world constitute a pre-renewal condition that allows for a search for a different future. It comes in the aftermath of a period of violent turmoil in which the world has been burned by the fires of World War II, bitten by the frost of the Cold War, and gone adrift – especially after the September 11, 2001 tragedy – in the fallouts of the war on terrorism, which has been followed by the financial market crisis by the end of 2008.
The succession of such major developments has altered the world map, changed the balance of power and influence, and brought in capable parties from Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. It has also generated a renewal-seeking movement in the United States that we are following up with interest and we sincerely wish it would succeed.
We note that during the stages of the global confrontation and polarization, and the significant turmoil that followed both of them, the international community lived in, and suffered from, severe confusion, when it became clear that achieving world peace and prosperity required more than the weapons of the mighty powers, more than bipolarity, more than the hegemony of one country, no matter how advanced that country might be, and a broader and more global management of urgent crises.
In such situation, the significance of the opportunity emerges after long years of firestorms, snow blizzards and dust storms to assure us that the world needs a necessary requirement. In fact, that necessary requirement is right before us as the outcome of advanced prior experience. However, we fail to pay the needed attention to it, despite numerous appeals trying to draw our attention to it and sincere attempts that advocate and call for its renewal to fulfill its mission in changing times and to remain a standard and reference of the international legitimacy. That is nothing other than the System of the United Nations in all its branches and institutions.
Mr. President,
It is clear to us that the serious crises of the world have been exacerbated when influential nations in the international order decided, in previous situations, to transfer tackling the most important issues of war, peace and progress, from the United Nations framework to another setting.
Such was the case with regard to the context of conventional and nuclear arms, security agreements and arrangements that cover the broad spectrum from the outer space to policy and economics. The pretexts for walking out on the United Nations framework were, as some believed, that such topics were beyond the contributing capability of small States – that represent the majority of the United Nations. Thus, such approach considered that the absence of the small States would make dealing with the issues at hand easier. But in the emerging circumstances and realities, those who have called for monopolizing the international decision-making need to realize that we live in one world. And in one world like this one, concern is equal, even though the sizes of power are not.
This attitude represents for us a confirmation and vindication of our view upon which we insist, namely that it is time to go back to the United Nations system as a framework that accommodates everyone, and provides a venue recognized by all and a Charter accepted by all nations of the Earth that are aware that equal rights do not run counter to the division of responsibilities which takes into account the various capacities of the parties.
We are aware and appreciative of the great importance of an overarching international authority as expressed by a legitimate international order, governed by a Charter, by the law, and by an experience of a bloody and tumultuous history. Such appreciation stems from our close encounter with the crises and complex situations of the Middle East, which became intertwined and increasingly ominous when addressed outside the United Nations realm on the assumption that the new setting could provide faster and more efficient solutions, when in fact such approach was a mere aimless escape that led to more confusion and complexity.
Mr. President,
Going back to the authority of the United Nations is not only necessary to solve intractable crises like the one of the Middle East but is also vital to realize hopes that can be attained only by a legitimate international consensus within an order agreed on. One such pressing crisis is that of finding energy alternatives. Another similarly vital question is that of the climate change and its impact on the environment and life on this planet.
As for the issue of energy, it would seem that oil-producing countries benefit from the continuous world dependence on their production. I would like to emphasize to you, however, that we consider the security of the world our own security and the prosperity of the world our own prosperity. There could be neither peace nor prosperity when the world civilization is threatened by an energy crisis that is far greater than any kind of war, even a nuclear one.
With regard to the issue of climate change, I would like to take this opportunity to thank His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for organizing the Summit on Climate Change yesterday within the framework of the United Nations to discuss this most serious challenge that threatens our world - not only its security, but its life itself as well.
We consider that the United Nations system enjoys a complete set of institutions, but is one that needs a quick renewal and strengthening of its institutions for its action to conform to the new realities in the international community on all continents.
In this session, we stand before an historic situation and an opportunity that does not avail itself very often. It is the duty of the international community – especially its powerful members – to take stock of their responsibilities by responding to the present opportunity.
Mr. President,
Allah the Almighty has blessed the State of Qatar with enormous hydrocarbon resources, including the giant North Gas Field, thus making Qatar the third largest country in the world in terms of natural gas reserves. Since the discovery of that field, the Government has sought to develop necessary concepts and plans for projects to supply the local market with gas, export liquefied natural gas to world markets, as well as gas-to-liquid process, petrochemical industries and other projects that use natural gas, the consumption of which is less harmful to the environment compared with other fossil substances. While the State of Qatar has sufficient reserves to meet its needs for decades to come, we are fully aware of the future challenges facing the international communities in terms of the implications of greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and their negative effects on sustainable development projects.
The State of Qatar is aware of the enormous potential that lies in the sources of clean and renewable energy, particularly solar energy, which is abundantly available in our climate. The Government has encouraged the existing industries, educational establishments and scientific research centers to develop renewable energy technologies that would contribute to improving efficiency and performance and be suitable for local conditions.
The State of Qatar looks forward to a more intensive international effort in sharing information and expertise in the development of solar and other renewable energies, and urges developed countries to provide modern technologies in this area and contribute to implementing and financing renewable energy projects around the world.
Thank you, Mr. President.