GA/SM/102

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT REJECTS IDEAS ON 'CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS' HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION, IN REMARKS TO SOUTH-EAST ASIAN STATES

Following is the text of remarks made by the President of the fifty-fourth General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), to the reception hosted in his honour by the Chairman of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in New York on 28 September:

I thank you very much for this honour and the courtesies that you have paid me and my country, Namibia, on the occasion of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, under my Presidency, and in particular for your generous accolades addressed to me personally.

You have aptly intimated, Honourable Minister, that in this era of globalization and the Internet, regions are brought closer together, one way or another, by the forces of push and pull. In a sense, we are forced to be equals: That is, industrialized and developing countries alike, even though, in reality, we are not equal. Many unforgettable lessons have been learnt in South East Asia, Latin America and, not least, in Africa about the negative effects and costly risks inherent in mindless globalization. The recent Asian financial crisis is an instructive case in point for the Third World. No doubt, there will be future shocks for which we must prepare ourselves and manage natural and man-made disasters.

Right now we are discussing in the General Assembly, for example, the peculiar vulnerabilities of the small island developing States. On the basis of what we all have known for many years about their fate and their untiring efforts to survive, how could they possibly be equal to the big giants of the world, in terms of economic and military might, industrial and technological capabilities and achievements of populations in the North? Not really!

In your thoughtful statement this afternoon, Honorable Minister, you stressed increased external financing; strengthening of institutions; transfer of technology and human resource development as critical measures for capacity- building and sustainable development and economic prosperity in all the small island developing States. The promises made by the international community in Rio and Barbados to confront these challenges in partnership have not as yet been realized fully.

There is the other side, though -- that of economic success stories and rapid industrialization in Asia. Other developing and industrializing countries have quite a lot to learn from ASEAN and to emulate the sterling achievements there.

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In this context, my observation is that ASEAN has greatly enlarged the customary diplomatic courtesies and hospitality at United Nations functions into a more sociable circumstance associated with its annual honouring of the succeeding Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly. In this, ASEAN has shown the way towards better understanding and cooperation among peoples, nations and governments of the world. It is a good tradition.

This makes me want to join those who advocate dialogue among civilizations, and reject an ill-conceived notion of the "clash of civilizations". To prepare for "clash of civilizations", at the same time as humanity is groping for globalization -- with a human face -- and accepting the ideal of a global village, is a ludicrous inclination towards doom which must be rejected. Such a notion would ascribe to humans an aptitude more akin to lemmings, which live to commit annual mass suicide as a way of life. History teaches us that human civilizations have coexisted across the globe for centuries and through various wars, in an atmosphere of give and take. Those wars had more to do with economic and strategic reasons than a "clash of civilizations". Class struggle or imperial hegemony is not the same as any "clash of civilizations".

On the other front, I think that the idea of "humanitarian intervention" is not only alarming, but also actually threatening the very existence of the sovereignty of States, as well as undermining the sacred principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations itself. To allay serious fears which have been ignited and to prevent any unprovoked military attacks against or even foreign invasions into the territories of United Nations Member States, the General Assembly should, I believe, consider it necessary and proper to discuss this matter in depth, during the fifty-fourth Session. What I hear is not my idea of the new world order.

Let us all be more about the vital business of nuclear disarmament, peaceful coexistence, wealth creation, poverty eradication and shared prosperity that benefit the entire human race. We have, in common, a vicious enemy and its name is poverty, now compounded by the ruinous HIV/AIDS pandemic and its devastating effects.

The real challenge before the world today is to destroy all weapons of mass destruction; to conquer poverty; to save our children and preserve the environment for future generations. In conclusion, may I ask all of you to join me in a toast to greater prosperity and progress for ASEAN and to the friendly people-to-people interaction, which it is promoting worldwide.

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