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'We Need A Systemic Vision Combining Political And, When Necessary, Military Measures': Statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, UN General Assembly, September 25

'Statement by H. E. Mr. Vladimir V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, during the general debate at the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September25, 2003'; UN website, http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/58/statements/russeng030925.htm.

...I would like to wish fruitful work to the 58th session of the General Assembly. Work - to successfully harmonize actions by peoples and States. Work - for the benefit of peace, security and progress on the globe. These are the goals which were laid down in the UN Charter by our predecessors. But as we see, they remain relevant to this day. ... And while the UN structure and functions took shape in a fundamentally different international environment, time has only borne out their universal importance. The UN instruments are not only in demand. As life itself has proven, in critical cases they are simply irreplaceable.

This is made abundantly clear by the following crucial fact. Despite strong differences about the ways of resolving the Iraqi crisis, the situation ultimately is coming back to the UN legal field. Here the position of Russia is consistent and clear: only direct participation of the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq will give its people an opportunity to independently decide their future. And only active, practical assistance of the United Nations to its economic and civil transformation will enable Iraq to take a truly new and worthy place in the world community.

It is obvious that over the recent years the UN increasingly has had to deal with fundamentally new tasks and to grapple with different than before, but no less serious threats.

Three years ago, speaking at the Millennium Summit, I said that terrorism is a common enemy of the United Nations. Was Russia's voice heard at that time? Did everybody understand the seriousness of this threat? And have our joint actions been adequate to it?

The events of September 11 demonstrated that the answer is "no". Yet the style of the murderers who committed terrorist acts in Moscow, New York, Chechnya and against UN staff in Baghdad - to us in Russia this style is painfully familiar and has been for a long time. It is the same everywhere. And the fact that the inciters of terror are easily recognizable - both in the August events of this year and in the terrorist attacks of years past - only testifies to the global nature of this threat.

True, today we already hear each other. And we understand that the UN is duty bound to become - and is indeed becoming - a basis for the global anti-terrorist coalition. I would especially note the role of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council. Terrorism is a challenge to the security and economic future of the planet. That is why this Committee must become a real and practical instrument of effective struggle against the terrorist threat. ...

To be sure, the United Nations - as any system with complex organization - needs improvement. But the problems of the United Nations - both past and present - have not been just the problems of this organization per se. Each time they were produced by and continue to reflect contradictions within the very system of international relations - and, above all, within the system of international law. After all, politicians, including those represented in the UN and its Security Council, do not always have adequate and effectively working legal instruments at their disposal. The instruments that make it possible to adequately overcome the emerging international and regional crises: And in that sense international law, of course, must be a fluid, "living matter" reflecting the realities of the contemporary world.

I believe that many processes going on within the United Nations, too, are evidence of the constant changes occurring in the world. These changes dictate the logic of evolution of the United Nations. Members of this Organization know very well that all United Nations' achievements are, as a rule, our common successes, whereas all failures are our joint miscalculations. But this knowledge entails great responsibility and commitment. Above all, we have to be extremely careful about interfering in the fabric and mechanism of the UN work. ...

I would like to devote special attention to enhancing the efficiency of the United Nations Security Council. I am convinced that the depth of the still existing differences and the interests of keeping this organ functional prompt the need for stage-by-stage and rather cautious work. We believe that today we should continue to be guided by the broadest possible agreement about all aspects of the enlargement of this organ, as well as the unconditional maintenance of its present high status and the legitimacy of agreed-upon actions.

After all, the Security Council, according to the UN Charter, "acts on behalf of the United Nations." It is here, in the Security Council, that a concrete mechanism is in place for harmonizing political will, and a mechanism for the protection of the national interest of various States, and, through this, the protection of the interests of the entire international community. True, we often hear that developed countries bear special responsibility for the destiny of the world. Such leadership, however, entails great obligations. First and foremost, it is the obligation to take into account the interests of the international community as a whole. To be a world power means to be together with the world community. To be a genuinely powerful and influential State means also to be able to see and address the problems of small peoples and economically weak countries.

In this context, I find useful the intensified work with regional international structures within the United Nations. This is a straight path towards growing economic prosperity in various parts of the world, and consequently, towards containing potential threats and maintaining a general strategic balance. ...

We welcome the emergence of regional centers for coordination and cooperation in the United Europe. ... Certainly important to us is also the development of multi-faceted processes of interaction with the European Union, and with respect to security issues, a search for new forms of cooperation with NATO.

We should counter the present-day threats to civilization only through those collective responses whose legitimacy is not in doubt. We need a systemic vision combining political and, when necessary, military measures. These measures should be coordinated, reasonable and adequate.

Improvement of the peace-keeping mechanisms remains on the UN agenda. The United Nations should be capable of faster and more efficient deployment of peace-keeping operations and, when necessary, peace-enforcement operations in strict compliance with the UN Charter. I should note that Russia is ready to step up its participation in operations under the UN auspices as well as in coalition operations authorized by the Security Council.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means remains a serious challenge to the modern world. The most dangerous challenge is when they get into the hands of terrorists. The ways of eradicating these threats are well-known. These include further universalization of the existing non-proliferation regimes, the strengthening of international verification instruments, and the introduction of safe technology in nuclear production and energy. By and large, it [the key to success] is renunciation by States of excessive arsenals and military programmes capable of undermining the politico-military balance and trigger an arms race.

Today, Russia announces its obligation not to be the first to deploy offensive strike weapons in outer space. We stand for developing a comprehensive agreement on this issue and invite all countries possessing space potential to join our initiative.

The Russian initiative on building, under the auspices of the United Nations, a global system to counter new threats has already been supported by the General Assembly. We propose adopting a new resolution in the course of this session that would specify further steps in this direction.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the solid structure of the United Nations has withstood all the shocks of the second half of the 20th century, it has helped to overcome the threats of global confrontation, and, most importantly, has fostered the promotion of human rights values. It has also helped to assert the principles of mutual respect and good-neighborliness among States. The main lesson of the "UN school" is that mankind has no other alternative than to jointly construct a more secure, fair and prosperous world. ... May I repeat: Russia is convinced that the United Nations should maintain its central role. This is our choice and our strategic position.

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