Zaman, Turkey
Sept 24 2004
Gul Addresses UN
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul attending the 59th United
Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York made a speech yesterday and
evaluated latest developments in Turkey-European Union (EU) relations
as well as the issues in the world.
Full text of his address as follows:
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to start by congratulating you on your election as
President of the 59th General Assembly. I pledge the full support of
my delegation in your endeavors. I would also like to pay tribute to
your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte for his able
Presidency.
Mr. President,
We are a generation of world leaders at a time when our globe is
undergoing an important phase of adaptation to new realities,
opportunities and challenges.
As the Secretary-General, H. E. Mr. Kofi Annan frequently states, we
now possess the know-how to address our common concerns. The
Millennium Summit, which was the largest gathering of the world
leaders, produced a historic document: the Millennium Declaration
which charts the right course for humanity in the new Millennium.
The goals that the Millennium Declaration defined for humanity are
ambitious, yet achievable. Reducing hunger and extreme poverty,
spreading universal primary education, halting infectious diseases,
and reducing child mortality within 15 years continue to be urgent
tasks.
Universal humanitarian challenges and chronic political-military
conflicts are compounded with new and asymmetrical threats: Threats
such as terrorism, narcotics, organized crime, proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction and environmental problems. Racism,
anti-Semitism, prejudicial attitudes against the tenants of certain
creeds and cultures, among them the Muslims, and xenophobia add fuel
to those menaces. Besides, special and urgent needs of the African
continent remain to be responded collectively.
The UN system should be encouraged to elevate its role in addressing
these issues. Faith in international order and institutions should
not be undermined. A more effective and credible United Nations would
be more capable of facing the common challenges of today. The UN
Security Council should have a more representative and balanced
character. Representation at the Council has to be inclusive and
fair. This will increase its legitimacy and efficiency. In this
respect, I would like to commend the efforts of the
Secretary-General.
Mr. President,
Correlation between good governance and peace and prosperity is valid
both at home and in the world. Therefore, a global agenda for reform
should cover all aspects of our domestic and international life. Each
member of the international community has a stake and responsibility
in implementing such an agenda.
On our part, fully conscious of this correlation, my government has
realized sweeping political and economic reforms in the last two
years. We, thus, upgraded and deepened our democracy. An accountable,
transparent and efficient administration and a dynamic civil society
upholding the rule of law and human rights have been consolidated.
Expectations of our people as well as the relevant United Nations and
European Union standards inspired us in our reform drive. I take
pride in seeing that many, both in the west and the east, have
observed in our experience a perfect embodiment of modernity,
progress, identity and tradition.
Mr. President,
I should like to take this opportunity to confirm Turkey’s candidacy
for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for the term
2009-2010. In spite of her substantial contributions to peace and
security, Turkey has not been a member of the Council for almost half
a century. Therefore, we rightfully expect the support of the General
Assembly for our candidacy.
Our bid for the non-permanent seat is in tune with Turkey’s larger
efforts to secure peace, stability and security in its region and
beyond. Turkey figures as a prominent country in humanitarian
activities from Palestine to Darfur. Our contribution has been made
available in increasing numbers for international peace keeping
missions in a wide geography from Bosnia to Afghanistan.
Turkey has a unique position as the only member of the Organization
of Islamic Conference that is also a candidate to the European Union.
This position enables us to facilitate interaction and dialogue
between the Islamic World and the West.
Turkey’s achievements in helping create an environment in our region
and beyond that is conducive to development, stability and progress
are plenty. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Economic Cooperation
Organization, Stability Pact are good examples to that effect.
Mr. President,
My Government has been pursuing a peaceful and problem-solving policy
to world affairs.
On the chronic issue of Cyprus, my government placed its full support
behind the Secretary General Kofi Annan’s good offices mission. We
cooperated closely with him. The Secretary General’s settlement plan
was the result of four years of serious negotiations between the two
sides. They were conducted on the basis of a new bi-zonal partnership
with a federal government and two constituent states. The Plan was
put to separate referendum with the prior agreement of all parties
concerned. The Annan Plan was overwhelmingly accepted by the Turkish
Cypriots whereas the Greek Cypriot leadership chose to reject it.
I profoundly regret that the opportunity to solve the long standing
problem of Cyprus was thus missed. As a result, a chance to grant
fresh credibility to the United Nations was lost. A possible source
of inspiration for peace-makers elsewhere, in the Middle East or the
Caucasus, also disappeared.
The Secretary General in his report to the Security Council clearly
stated that the referenda drastically changed the situation in the
Island. It confirmed, once again, the existence of two equal peoples
and their separate rights to decide for their fate.
The Secretary General also called on the members of the Security
Council, I quote, “to give a strong lead to all States to cooperate
both bilaterally and in international bodies to eliminate unnecessary
restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating the
Turkish Cypriots and impeding their development”, end of quote.
Turkey remains committed to a lasting settlement in Cyprus. Five
months have passed since the Turkish Cypriots, responding to the
calls of the international community, voted courageously in favor of
the UN Plan. However, they are yet to be rewarded for expressing
their will for the reunification of the Island. We urge the Security
Council to positively respond to the Secretary General’s calls. We
also appeal to UN member states to take, at bilateral level, concrete
steps to put an end to the isolation and punishment of the people of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Mr. President,
Turkey has and will continue its strong support for the preservation
of peace and stability in Southeast Europe.
We are glad to note considerable progress in this region thanks to
the sustained efforts of the international community and the Balkan
countries themselves.
Turkey is determined to sustain the promising and constructive
atmosphere in our relations with Greece. We hope that the improvement
in bilateral relations will continue in the coming period. Our wide
ranging cooperation is expanding in every field. This will facilitate
the settlement of all pending issues. It will also result in a
climate of cooperation beneficial to the two countries as well as
peace, stability and security in the region as a whole.
Turkey believes that it is high time to start taking concrete steps
to eliminate the existing frozen conflicts in Southern Caucasus such
as Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. As a neighboring
country, we actively contribute to efforts aimed at achieving
stability and prosperity in this region. To this end, we have been
encouraging all the parties concerned while facilitating the ongoing
process of dialogue.
We hope that the Abkhazian conflict and the problems in South Ossetia
are overcome by peaceful means, within the territorial integrity and
sovereignty of Georgia.
My Government supports a just and lasting solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the fundamental principles
of international law, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and
good neighborly relations. We expect the Armenian Government to fully
comply with the relevant UN resolutions to reach such a solution.
Mr. President
The Middle East problem and the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan
stand as the major conflicts compounding instability in the world and
leading to increasingly serious consequences.
The Road Map is the only available framework for a comprehensive
settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Benefiting from her
traditional ties with the parties, Turkey has already offered its
active contribution to the implementation of the Road Map. We also
support every effort that is initiated and coordinated in this
context. We join the call made by the Quartet yesterday.
The resumption of the negotiating process between the two parties
should remain the central objective of the current efforts. Likewise,
fulfilling the performance criteria by both sides as laid out in the
Road Map is important. Terrorist attacks against the Israeli people
must stop. So must the deliberate destruction of Palestinian lives
and properties. The reform process of the Palestinian institutions
must be advanced. Israeli settlement activities must be immediately
halted. The ruling of the International Court of Justice must be
respected. The living conditions of the Palestinians need to be
urgently improved.
Any settlement would not be complete without progress in all the
tracks including the Syrian and the Lebanese ones.
Mr. President,
My Government is focused on contributing to improvement of the
situation in Iraq. We appreciate the massive resources and political
efforts mobilized by the US Administration and the international
community for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. We
sincerely wish these efforts to yield the desired results soon.
However, humanitarian, political and security difficulties faced by
the people of Iraq continue to adversely affect each other. It goes
without saying that developments in Iraq are also affecting my
country and causing suffering for my people while most of Iraq’s
humanitarian needs are being supplied through Turkey as a neighboring
country.
The Iraqi transition is not only about the fate of the Iraqi nation.
It is about the future of peace and prosperity in the whole region
and beyond. This is the motive of Turkey’s strong support of a
united, territorially intact and democratic Iraq: An Iraq that is in
peace with itself and with its neighbors. This should and can only be
achieved with the full participation and support of the Iraqi people
as a whole. More UN involvement would facilitate this task. The
Neighboring Countries Meetings, initiated by Turkey, is also a most
valuable instrument to be taken into account. After all, Iraq’s
success will be our collective success, and so will be its failure.
Turkey, will continue to support the Iraqi interim government’s
efforts in paving the way to normalcy and democracy.
The traditional support of Turkey towards the Afghan people will
continue. The establishment of security, stability and a democratic
system in Afghanistan is another urgent task. Making this country
free from terrorism, extremism and narcotics is of crucial importance
for the international community. We should all work for the incoming
elections to constitute a significant step to these ends.
Mr. President,
We all agree that terrorism has no justification. It can never claim
to represent any religion, nation or cause. Indiscriminate killing of
innocent people, be it in New York, in Istanbul, in Baghdad, in
Beslan or elsewhere, is a crime against humanity. We condemn these
terrorist atrocities in the strongest terms.
As a country that long suffered from terrorism, Turkey calls for more
intensified multilateral cooperation. The United Nations system is an
important platform in this respect and we extend our full support to
efforts under this roof.
We also strongly believe in the urgent need to strengthen the control
regimes on weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. We
will continue to support the ongoing work to ensure full adherence to
the legal instruments in this field. The creation of Nuclear Weapon
Free Zones is an important way of strengthening peace and security in
the world and in all regions, including the Middle East.
Mr. President,
Turkey is determined to deploy every effort aimed at strengthening
peace and stability in its immediate region and beyond. We will try
to make use of our multi-dimensional ties and deep-seated relations
to achieve this goal. We remain strongly committed to translating
into reality the universal validity of the noble values and
principles written in the United Nations Charter.
Thank you for your attention.