Statement to the General Debate at the 58th General Assembly of the United Nations, New York

The Taoiseach addressed the 58th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York today.

Throughout his speech, the Taoiseach stressed the primacy of the United Nations as a touch stone of Irish foreign policy.

The past year had been a traumatic one for the United Nations,and for the system of collective security that it represents. In particular, the Taoiseach regretted the loss of the dedicated and experienced members of its staff, led by Sergio Vieira de Mello,who were killed by an act of terrorism in Baghdad on the 19th of August.

Stressing the challenges facing the world community, the Taoiseach said that:-

"We are living in a period of great insecurity. We are stalked by fear - fear of war, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction,famine, disease, ethnic and religious hatred, organised crime.

Nobody on this planet can feel themselves fully safe from one or more of these threats."

"Our most common failing is that we overlook the fact that this organisation was created to serve not just our own nation, but all mankind. Too often, Members seek to use this organisation to pursue their national interests. They seek to have it adopt resolutions that are partial or biased. They ignore its resolutions when these do not suit them. They encourage action on certain issues and conflicts while blocking action, or even consideration, of others.All too many of us have been guilty of such an approach."

The Taoiseach went on to appeal to the governments represented, and leaders present, for a change in our attitude to the United Nations. He urged that States cease using the UN as a tool useful only to the extent that it can deliver a national agenda.

The Taoiseach also addressed the need for reform of structures and representation at the United Nations.

"The United Nations needs reform. We all accept that. Our institutions are not sufficiently effective and are, in some instances, insufficiently representative of today's membership. We have discussed these issues at great length, but we have baulked from taking the hard decisions. The time has come to put the interests of the organisation before narrow national concerns."

The Taoiseach questioned whether the limitations on intervention by the UN in domestic matters could endure in modern circumstances.

"I cannot accept that the international community should stand by and accept the large-scale flagrant and persistent violation of individual human rights. The trigger for intervening to prevent an attempted genocide should not be the moment that refugees begin to flood across the border."

He also invited consideration of Article 51 of the UN Charter and the conditions under which Member States have the right to act in self defence.

"The development of weapons of mass destruction in the period since the signing of the Charter, and the appearance of non-state actors with the capacity for mass destruction, raise serious questions as to the point at which a State might consider it necessary to act in self-defence. My Government would be deeply concerned at the widespread acceptance of a doctrine of pre-emptive strike. Given the ever more lethal nature of modern weapons, the risk of widespread death, destruction and escalation are enormous.Far better than striking pre-emptively, would be to pre-empt the risk of conflict through a wide range of steps in the diplomatic,economic, humanitarian and other areas".

Amongst remarks on a number of specific issues which are of concern to Ireland, the Taoiseach said:- "In the Middle East, lasting peace can only be achieved through negotiation. Palestinians must realise that violence has failed.

Israel must see that repression and attempts at physical separation will not deliver long term security. The most effective means for Israel to secure a peaceful future would be to accept the Palestinian peoples right to a viable state of their own on the basis of the 1967 borders. Israel should immediately reverse its policy of building settlements, by-roads and a security wall on Palestinian territory".

On Iraq, the Taoiseach called on the members of the Security Council at this crucial moment to assume their responsibilities and to reach agreement on a new resolution that reflects the interests of the people of Iraq and that can enjoy the necessary support of the region and of the broad international community.

In calling for the world community to be resolute in our determination to counter the threat of terrorism, the Taoiseach pointed out that "we must be clear that the need to act against terrorism offers no license for action contrary to the UN Charter,or against the body of international human rights and humanitarian law that we have so painstakingly constructed. We must also seek to deal with the causes of terrorism. What is beyond question is that injustice and deprivation breed conflict".

The Taoiseach announced the intention of the Government to recommend to the Dáil that Ireland's Defence Forces will participate in the forthcoming United Nations peacekeeping operation in Liberia.

On development issues the Taoiseach said:

" When I launched the UN Human Development Report in Dublin last July, I noted how powerful a reminder it was that the world was becoming a more unequal place. Fifty-four countries, according to the Report, the great majority in Africa, were poorer now than they were in 1990. A world where over 1.2 billion people continue to live on less than a dollar a day, where 14 million children are orphaned because of HIV/AIDS, where women in the poorest countries are 175 times more likely to die in childbirth than in rich countries, is inherently unjust, and hence insecure. ...Ireland's contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS exceeded $40 million in 2002, a ten fold increase over the past three years".

On Northern Ireland, the Taoiseach said that "developments over the next few weeks will have a crucial bearing on whether elections will be held in an atmosphere that is conducive to forming a working administration on the other side of the polling date. For this to happen, all of the pre- Agreement parties must show leadership and courage; must face up to their responsibilities and take decisions they know are right".

"From other areas around the world struggling to escape from a legacy of violence, we in Ireland know all too well that a process of conflict resolution cannot rest still. Either it continues to move forward or it loses momentum and direction and falters".

ENDS.

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