| From September 24 to October 1, the General Debate of the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly has been taking place. Eighty-four Heads of State, 41 Heads of Government, 11 Deputy Prime Ministers and 65 Foreign Ministers are addressing the Assembly on sustainable development, poverty eradication, climate change, human rights, and a range of peace and security issues. Of note this year is that the Palestinian President addressed the Assembly for the first time in history with Palestine having the status of a non-member observer state. The President of the 68th General Assembly is John Ashe, Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the UN. Ashe has chosen as the year's theme "The Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage." The aim is to identify the parameters of the post-2015 sustainability agenda, which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals -- the eight anti-poverty targets adopted by the General Assembly in 2000. The Assembly will hold a summit in September 2015 "to establish new goals for development that is sustainable and that will counter poverty, thus giving continuity to the Millennium Goals." Speaking at the first plenary meeting of the 68th General Assembly on September 17, President Ashe said he plans to convene three high-level events and three thematic debates pertaining to this year's theme. Each of these will focus on assisting Member States in setting the post-2015 development stage, Ashe said. He explained that one event would address the needs of women, youth and civil society, and look at how best to make use of their contributions to development goals. Another would look at the contribution of human rights and the rule of law to the post-2015 framework, particularly the establishment of an appropriate framework to ensure that human rights, the rule-of-law and good governance practices are the basis for policy platforms. The third would tackle South-South and triangular cooperation and examine how information and communications technology could maximize its contribution to the fulfilment of development targets. The World Bank states that triangular or trilateral cooperation "normally involves a traditional donor from the ranks of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC), an emerging donor in the South, and a beneficiary country in the South." Ashe also stated that of particular importance are efforts to reform and revitalize the General Assembly and the Security Council, adding that he would dedicate significant time and resources to this issue. Failure to take action on this question is "an immense disservice to the peoples of the world who rely on us," he said, adding that he would reconvene the Working Group on Security Council Reform in mid-October. TML notes that not enough emphasis can be placed on the need to reform the Security Council as part of democratizing the UN. Two fundamental principles of international relations are that all nations have equal standing and that the right to sovereignty of all nations must be upheld. These hard-won principles were paid for by the blood of millions in World War II and stand diametrically opposed to the imperialist dictate that "Might Makes Right." Upholding these principles is the duty of all nations to ensure that never again will the world be subject to a global war. It is these very principles that the United Nations espouses but they are contradicted by the anarchronistic composition of the Security Council which is entrusted with the crucial issue of maintaining peace. The Security Council remains organized on an outmoded basis, with five big powers as permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. This is not only totally unrepresentative of the majority of countries which make up the UN today -- 198 up from 50 at the time of its founding -- but these great powers have a veto on all matters that come before the Security Council. They of course vote according to their own national interests, not the interests of the world's people which are sacrificed as a matter of course. In this way, the Security Council usurps the decision-making process, rendering the decisions of the General Assembly ineffective. The renewal of these arrangements is needed to make the UN democratic and effective as an instrument to maintain world peace and stop its use to justify the bullying and aggression of the U.S. and its NATO allies and partners which is causing havoc in the world today. At this time, the U.S. imperialists and their allies are taking every opportunity to violate national sovereignty, humiliate or commit open aggression against other countries, and refuse to be held to account for their misdeeds which threaten all of humanity. This situation underscores the need to reform and renew the UN. TML reiterates that any single country or group of nations which seeks to nullify the resolutions of the General Assembly should be opposed. On the occasion of the 68th General Assembly of the UN, TML stresses the need for the UN and its bodies to enshrine and uphold the equality and sovereignty of all nations and for all nations big and small to uphold the norms and laws of international relations so as to ensure international peace. The Need to Uphold the Sovereignty and Equality of Nations and Renew the UN A fundamental issue for international relations raised throughout the General Debate is the need to uphold the principles of the sovereignty and equality of all nations in international relations in general, but also within the UN's own bodies. Again, the U.S., UK and other countries in the imperialist system of states find themselves an isolated minority because of their promotion of American exceptionalism and justifications for the use of force and other self-serving violations of international law, couched in humanitarian language of the "human security agenda" and the "responsibility to protect." Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff drew attention to the actions of the U.S. security agencies who were recently revealed to be at the head of a global network of electronic espionage against other countries including Brazil. She explained that despite U.S. claims the espionage is justified for security reasons, much of what is collected is the personal data of Brazilians, including the President herself, as well as corporate information of high economic and even strategic value, as well as diplomatic information. "Tampering in such a manner in the affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and an affront to the principles that must guide relations among them, especially among friendly nations," she declared. She pointed out that an important principle to guide international relations is that the right to safety of citizens of one country can never be guaranteed by violating fundamental human rights of citizens of another. In the absence of respect for sovereignty, there was no basis for the relationship among nations, she added. She demanded that the U.S. government explain itself, apologize and guarantee that such procedures would never be repeated. For its part, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations (CELAC) reiterated its strong support for the "legitimate rights of Argentina in its dispute over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands," and the region's permanent interest in the resumption of negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom for a peaceful and final solution to that dispute. Notably, CELAC includes all the countries of the Americas with the exception of the U.S. and Canada, who have not been invited to join because of their refusal to uphold the principle of sovereignty of all nations. Representatives of various countries and regional groupings made a point of speaking out against the U.S. unjust and anachronistic embargo on Cuba which not only violates Cuba's sovereignty but that of other countries seeking to trade with Cuba. For 21 consecutive years, the General Assembly has overwhelmingly demanded the U.S. immediately end this blockade. Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma highlighted his country's progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, noting that in the eight years of his presidency, Bolivia's economic growth had increased by 4.8 per cent. He said that all this progress was due to the fact that Bolivia was no longer subjected to the blackmail of the U.S. empire aimed at forcing it to give up its resources to international private companies. "When we feed ourselves politically and economically, we do better," he added. Gas and oil were now the property of Bolivians, whereas in the past, it had been claimed that Bolivians owned only underground resources. The same resources above ground had belonged to so-called "title bearers," which amounted to robbery, said Morales. Since nationalizing its natural resources, Bolivia's economic situation had started to improve, he said. The absence of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from the General Debate underscored the problems facing the UN and blackmail of the U.S. imperialists. Elias Jaua Milano, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, said that President Maduro was not present because of a range of delays, conditions and a lack of guarantees imposed by the U.S. in flagrant violation of the UN Headquarters Agreement. In his remarks he noted that the Security Council had been taken hostage by the hawks of war. When they could do so, certain countries would justify the attacks from their seats at the UN. However, the purpose of the UN is to preserve international peace and security. But this could not be accomplished by arming terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, which were linked to terrible acts such as the destruction of the twin towers in this very city. He asked why members of the Security Council would sponsor and support such groups, trying to disguise them as political opposition. Jaua asked the Assembly whether or not the U.S. is equal to other member states. In doing so, he questioned why sanctions were not imposed on a country which regularly commits torture at its military base in Cuba and that had admitted to illegal espionage activities against the Heads of State and Government convened at the UN Headquarters in New York. Furthermore, he was curious as to why the international community had not considered the U.S. unmanned drone warfare that has taken the lives of civilians in North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia as a crime against humanity. Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, strongly condemned the economic sanctions imposed on his country by the U.S. and European Union, saying they violated UN's fundamental principles on state sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs. He also called for reform of the Security Council, asking, "How long must Africa be denied the right to play a pivotal role in that body to determine measures to address conflicts within its own borders?" The Council must be democratic, transparent and accessible to the wider membership of the UN, he said. The glaring injustice of Africa's historical under-representation has been made clear, he said. President of Iran Hassan Rouhani stated that the era of "zero-sum games" in international relations was over. Coercive economic and military policies, practices used to maintain old forms of domination, and the practice of globalizing Western values negated peace, security and human dignity, as did the persistent "cold war mentality" he said. There was no guarantee that the period of quiet among big powers would remain immune from violent discourse, practices and action, he said, warning that the impact of violent and extremist narratives must not be underestimated. In regards to Iran's nuclear research, he stated that Iran sought to resolve problems, not create them. He stressed that acceptance of his country's inalienable right to conduct nuclear research and develop nuclear energy was the best solution to this issue. Underlining the exclusively peaceful nature of his country's nuclear program, he said nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction had no place in Iran's security and defence doctrine. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se used part of his intervention to spread disinformation about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as the source of tension on the Korean Peninsula. In response, the DPRK's Foreign Minister Pak Gil Yon pointed out that the DPRK had been living with the threat of nuclear weapons for decades. He recounted that starting in 1957, the U.S. brought nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula, and by the 1970s those weapons numbered 1,000. In 2002, the U.S. government proclaimed the DPRK a member of the "axis of evil," which meant that it should be eliminated, and listed it as a candidate for a "nuclear pre-emptive strike." Under that situation, to prevent nuclear weapons from being used against it, the DPRK had to equip itself with nuclear deterrence. He also pointed out that the south Korean delegate erroneously claimed the DPRK held a nuclear test this year and must have been referring to the launch of a peaceful satellite last December. He said that launch was fully within the sovereign right of the DPRK. He pointed out that while all countries are "equal" under the UN Charter, the Security Council resolution against the DPRK for the satellite launch was adopted in flagrant violation of his country's sovereignty. He pointed out the double standard applied to the DPRK, that when south Korea launched a satellite immediately after the DPRK's launch, the issue was not taken before the Security Council because the south is an ally of the U.S. That was an abuse of power by the U.S. as a permanent member of the Security Council and undermines the credibility of the United Nations and the Council, said Pak. The DPRK has been the only country brought before the Council for launching a satellite, and it rejected the resulting resolution as illegal, he said. Nuclear development and safeguarding the peace and security of its people is the best way for the DPRK to ensure an environment for peaceful economic development, he added. How to Tackle Syrian Situation While the U.S. and its allies in the imperialist system of states try to legitimize the use of force in Syria and elsewhere, the majority of countries consider that the rule of law must be respected and thus the only way forward is to work out a political solution to the situation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that from the very beginning of the turmoil, the Russian Federation has called for a common international approach. This would combine support for the Arab people in their transformation, and the understanding that objectively those processes would be lengthy and sometimes painful, and that it would be quite important not to harm them through "rude outside interference." It was important to take into account the complex developments associated with a strenuous search for compromises among various ethnic and religious groups making up the mosaic of Arab societies, he said. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for an immediate end to hostilities and violence in Syria so as to create necessary conditions for the verification and destruction of chemical weapons. He called for the early convening of the Geneva II conference and faster progress in a political resolution of the Syrian issue. He said that China seeks no self-gain in Syria, is not taking sides and will respect the aspirations and choice of the Syrian people. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg spoke on behalf of the United Kingdom. Following his government's inability to pass a resolution in Parliament approving a military strike on Syria, Clegg refrained from advocating the use of force and said that "our priority is to help bring about a political settlement." However, he used his platform to spread the disinformation that it is a known fact that the Syrian government was responsible for the chemical weapons attacks. Speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla reiterated CELAC's call for peace and the observance of the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, including international humanitarian law, and demanded the creation of the necessary conditions to move towards a negotiated political solution to the conflict in that country. Kamla Persad-bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, in her capacity as Chairperson of the Conference of the Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), voiced grave concern on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Syria. She said a solution would have to be found through dialogue. If there was evidence that individuals had committed war crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, steps should be taken to bring those individuals to justice. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, spoke on behalf of the European Union. He recalled last year's General Debate, which had seen unity among States deploring the civil war in Syria. A year later, 100,000 people were dead and refugees numbered 2 million he stated. "What will the situation be when we meet next year?" he asked. Prolonging the "paralysis of the international community" was untenable, particularly in light of the chemical weapons attack in Damascus, he added. Syria's agreement to destroy those weapons helped the world avoid setting a precedent on their use. Once the inventory is complete, the Security Council and OPCW must destroy Syria's stocks swiftly. Following the agreement on chemical weapons in Syria, he said there was more hope than before. He called for a follow-up to last year's Geneva conference on Syria and to push all parties to the negotiating table. Time, courage and perseverance were needed to prevent the destruction of Syria, he said. Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa said of the situation in Syria, that any political transition must be Syrian-led and not the result of force of arms. He welcomed the recent developments, such as the decision by Syria to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the ongoing bilateral consultations between the Russian Federation and the U.S. The international community is being presented with an opportunity to demonstrate that matters of such nature were handled correctly through existing instruments within the multilateral global governance system, he added. President of Iran Hassan Rouhani stated that expansionist strategies and attempts to change the regional balance through proxies could not hide behind humanitarian rhetoric. He adding that the global community must work quickly to end the killing of innocent people. Welcoming Syria's acceptance of the Chemical Weapons Convention, he said that extremist groups' access to such weapons, which was the greatest danger to the region, must be considered in any disarmament plan. The illegitimate, ineffective threat, or actual use, of force would only exacerbate violence and crisis in the region, he stated. Violence and the use of drones against innocent people in the name of combating terrorism should be condemned, he said, adding that unjust sanctions were inhumane and contrary to peace. President of India Manmohan Singh stated, "There is no military solution to this conflict. We must intensify efforts to end the conflict and seek a political settlement. It is essential that the Geneva-2 conference be convened at the earliest." Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, strongly condemned the conflict in Syria. He said that his country called for an immediate cessation of violence, initiation of political dialogue and an improvement in humanitarian conditions. |