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At UN Assembly, Fiji's leader urges end to shipment of radioactive materials in Pacific

At UN Assembly, Fiji's leader urges end to shipment of radioactive materials in Pacific

Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
Addressing the General Assembly's high-level debate this morning, the Prime Minister of Fiji voiced strong opposition to the practice of transiting radioactive materials through the Pacific Ocean.

Addressing the General Assembly's high-level debate this morning, the Prime Minister of Fiji voiced strong opposition to the practice of transiting radioactive materials through the Pacific Ocean.

The region's people are adamantly opposed to any actions exposing the Pacific to pollution, hazardous waste and the destructive effects of nuclear and missile tests, Laisenia Qarase said. "Recently, radioactive materials have been transhipped across the Pacific in arrogant defiance of our protests," he noted. "We are told there is no risk, but when we propose payment of compensation if there is an accident, there is instant rejection." The people of the Pacific, he stressed, "know too well about the legacy of radioactivity from nuclear weapons testing" and would demand accountability.

The Prime Minister also called attention to environmental threats facing low-lying atolls. "Rising sea levels caused by global warming will lead to the disappearance of some islands," he said, warning that in the future, environmental refugees from Oceania may be forced to seek sanctuary elsewhere. He urged countries that have not done so to ratify the legally binding Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. "Will you display the courage, the generosity and largeness of spirit the world needs from you?" he asked them. "Will you join fully in saving Earth from the gross abuse and destruction of its resources?"

Iraq's Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri, said his country had agreed to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors without conditions as a first step towards a comprehensive solution that includes the lifting of the sanctions. Despite this, the US administration continued its "schemes of aggression as a fait accompli." He added that the resumption of UN weapons inspections should depart from past practice, when some inspectors worked as spies. The US administration, he said, was acting on behalf of murderous Zionism, and was seeking to destroy Iraq in order to control Middle East oil and the economic policies of the whole world. "Iraq was, and still is, ready to cooperate with the Security Council and international organizations," he said. "However, Iraq rejects any transgression by whosoever at the expense of its rights, sovereignty, security, and independence." Iraq wanted a discussion of the issue of the inspection teams in accordance with international law, "including the issue of the inspection teams as well as the obligations of the Security Council towards Iraq as stated in the resolutions themselves."

Anna Lindh, Sweden's Foreign Minister, said the UN's quick response to last year's terrorist attacks against the United States proved that the world body is "indispensable." Terrorists must be stopped, she said, adding that the international community must also prevent "the suppression of political opposition, or the persecution of religious or ethnic minorities, under the guise of anti-terrorism." On the subject of Iraq, she welcomed Baghdad's announcement that it would accept UN weapons inspectors, but cautioned that "the credibility of the United Nations requires that Iraq is made to fulfil its obligations." On the broader issue of global disarmament, she emphasized the need to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention and to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Foreign Minister of Uganda, James F. Wapakaulo, condemned all forms of terrorism, saying the people of his country had been victims of terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Lord's Resistance Army and the Allied Democratic Forces for many years. Uganda stood ready to fight the menace at all levels. Concerning efforts to settle Africa's conflicts, he voiced confidence that the newly formed African Union would serve to promote stability and security on the continent. The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) also offers hope, but it would require more than the backing of the continent's leaders to succeed. "NEPAD recognizes that the primary responsibility for Africa's future and development rests with Africans, but Africa needs support from its development partners," he said.

Eduard Kukan, the Foreign Minister of Slovakia, said that given the worldwide upsurge in ethnic, social and religious violence, UN peacekeeping has become more frequent and complex. "The modern peacekeeping operations are multidimensional with tasks ranging from traditional deployment of military personnel, demining and medical support to verification, disarmament, rebuilding of infrastructure and facilitation of institution-building, democratization and election," he noted. "The peacekeeping operations have changed also in terms of financial resources they require." He pledged Slovakia's continued engagement in UN peacekeeping and paid tribute to all those who had died while serving under the UN flag.

Hugo Tolentino, the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic, drew attention to the need for Haiti to receive international support, especially from nations capable of helping the country. He also spoke about the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), which is located in the Dominican Republic. Last December, the General Assembly decided to set up a working group to examine the Institute's future role. The group held eight sessions during July and August, he said, voicing confidence that the Assembly would favourably receive its recommendations and shortly allow INSTRAW to continue its mandate, "with the mission to realize one of the objectives of the Millennium Summit: to work for gender equality."

Also taking part in the debate were Prince Mohamed Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Win Aung, the Foreign Minister of Myanmar, Hidipo Hamutenya, the Foreign Minister of Namibia, Habib Ben Yahia, the Foreign Minister of Tunisia, Ernst Walch, the Foreign Minister of Liechtenstein, and Billie Miller, the Foreign Minister of Barbados.