PGMA's Speech during the Plenary Meeting of the XIII Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit

PGMA's Speech during the Plenary Meeting of the XIII Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit

Putra World Trade Center - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (24 Feb 2003)

MR. CHAIRMAN, I OFFER YOU MY COUNTRY'S FULL SUPPORT FOR YOUR CHAIRMANSHIP OF OUR MOVEMENT.

NEXT TO THE UNITED NATIONS THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT IS THE LARGEST INTERNATIONAL BULWARK OF PEACE. IT IS A MOVEMENT THAT HAS CHOSEN TO TEMPER CONFLICT. IT IS A MOVEMENT THAT HAS OFFERED ITS INFLUENTIAL OFFICES NOT ONLY TO STOP THE FIRING OF WEAPONS BUT ALSO TO STEWARD PEACE TOWARDS THE WELFARE AND BENEFIT OF THE POOR.

OUR MOVEMENT CAN CONTINUE TO BE REVITALIZED IF WE CAN HARNESS OUR UNITY TOWARDS PROMOTING GLOBAL PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THIS NEW CENTURY. A CENTURY WHERE GLOBAL CHALLENGES HAVE MULTIPLIED OR DEEPENED. A CENTURY WHERE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS STILL GO HUNGRY AND UNSCHOOLED AGAINST THEIR WILL. A CENTURY WHERE WE AWAKEN TO THE FACT THAT NO COUNTRY IS IMMUNED TO TRAGEDIES INFLICTED BY AGENTS OF DISCORD AND TERROR.

OUR MOVEMENT CAN CONTINUE TO BE REVITALIZED ON THE BASIS OF THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF BANDUNG. THESE ARE THE RAMPARTS OF PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT AND THIS IS THE PATH THE PHILIPPINES HAS TAKEN.

IN 1996, THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT FORGED A PEACE AGREEMENT WITH THE MORO NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT AFTER FOUR YEARS OF NEGOTIATIONS PARTICIPATED IN BY THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE. IN 2002, MY ADMINISTRATION RESUMED PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE MORO ISLAMIC LIBERATION FRONT FACILITATED BY THE DISTINGUISHED CHAIR MALAYSIA AND THE LIBYAN JAMAHIRIYA. WHILE WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED SOME SETBACKS IN THIS PEACE PROCESS, WE HOPE TO MOVE FORWARD SOON WITH THE GENEROUS PARTICIPATION OF OUR ALLIES IN THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT.

IN OUR MOVEMENT'S SEARCH FOR SECURITY, WE ARE NOT AGAINST ANY COMMUNITY OR FAITH. MY COUNTRYMEN AND I EARNESTLY PRAY THAT WAR WILL BE AVOIDED. OUR MOVEMENT HAS CONSISTENTLY HELD THE VIEW THAT SECURITY SHOULD BE SOUGHT TO NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, THE ELIMINATION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AS WELL AS BALANCED AND PROGRESSIVE CONVENTIONAL DISARMAMENT. THIS IS THE REASON WHY THE PHILIPPINES JOINS THE CALL OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO RETURN TO THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY.

I ALSO JOINED THE MULTITUDES WHO WISH IRAQ WELL. AND PLEAD WITH PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN TO URGENTLY NEGOTIATE A WIN-WIN SETTLEMENT THAT WILL SPARE THE HEROIC IRAQI PEOPLE THE AGONIES OF A DEVASTATING WAR.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CALL MADE BY U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANAN, IN HIS MESSAGE READ TO US TODAY, PERHAPS PRESIDENT HUSSEIN MIGHT NOW WISH TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND INVITE THE U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL, THE U.N. INSPECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DOUBTING COUNTRIES AND OF THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA. PERHAPS HE MAY WISH TO SHOW THEM ALL THEY WANT TO SEE. SO THAT THE FEARS OF THE WORLD CAN BE ASSUAGED AND WE CAN HAVE PEACE.

I BELIEVE THIS WILL BE RECOGNIZED AS A JUDICIOUS ACT BY THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND BY NON-ALIGNED NATIONS, AND CHEERED BY PEOPLES OF ALL FAITHS AND PERSUASIONS.

IRAQ'S FRIENDS, THE NON-ALIGNED NATIONS AND THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, WILL RECOGNIZE IT AS AN ACT OF THE HIGHEST STATESMANSHIP THAT WILL AVOID WAR AND SAVE THOUSANDS OF LIVES.

THERE IS A GREAT FUTURE FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND THE NORTH KOREAN PEOPLE BEYOND THIS CRISIS AND BEYOND A STRATEGIC ACCOMMODATION WITH U.N. DEMANDS. THERE IS A GREAT FUTURE FOR AN OUTWARD LOOKING AND PLURALISTIC IRAQ AND FOR AN OUTWARD LOOKING AND PLURALISTIC DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA.

AN OUTWARD LOOKING AND PLURALISTIC IRAQ COULD BEGIN TO MAKE PEACE WITH ITS NEIGHBOR STATES SUCH AS KUWAIT AND IRAN AS WELL AS WITH OTHER PROTAGONISTS. AN OUTWARD LOOKING AND PLURALISTIC DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA COULD CONTINUE TO WORK FOR UNITY WITH ITS NEIGHBOR THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA. AN OUTWARD LOOKING AND PLURALISTIC IRAQ AND AN OUTWARD LOOKING PLURALISTIC DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA CAN LEAD THEIR PEOPLES TO PEACE AND PROSPERITY, AND PERPETUATE THE NAMES OF THEIR LEADERS IN HISTORY.

THEIR RESPECTIVE LEADERS CAN SERVE IRAQ AND THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA, AS MEMORABLY AS CHAIRMAN DENG XIAOPING SERVED CHINA IN HIS TIME, IF THEY TAKE THE SAME PATH AND SEEK WAYS TO INTEGRATE THEIR RICH CULTURAL HERITAGES WITH THE MODERN WORLD.

IN PARTICULAR, PRESIDENT HUSSEIN CAN TURN IRAQ INTO AN EXAMPLE OF THE CONTINUING RELEVANCE OF ISLAM IN MODERNIZING A NATION FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT AS HAS BEEN EXEMPLIFIED SO EMINENTLY IN THIS REGION BY OUR CHAIRMAN, MALAYSIA'S PRIME MINISTER DATUK SERI DR. MAHATHIR MOHAMAD.

TO PRIME MINISTER MAHATHIR THEN CONGRATULATIONS! NOT ONLY FOR CHAIRING THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT BUT ALSO FOR PROVIDING A MODEL FOR CONTINUING REVITALIZATION IN THE 21st CENTURY.

THANK YOU.

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