Mr. Chairman,

It is a great pleasure for me to see you preside over our deliberations. The 12th Summit Meeting of NAM held last month in Durban has given new momentum to our collective efforts to address persistent global problems as well as new challenges. The NAM Leaders, having reached consensus on these issues, decided to take a number of concrete measures and it is now our task to implement them. These measures inter alia concern disarmament, conflicts and tensions in various parts of the world, North-South dialogues, South-South cooperation as well as reform of the United Nations. Allow me to elaborate on a few that we will have to follow up during this 53rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

There is no disputing the need for strengthening the United Nations at a time of our extreme need for its services. It is only through the instrumentality of the United Nations that we can hope to achieve a global governance through which the international community would be able to effectively manage the impact of globalization and interdependence and the interlinked requirements of peace, security and development. We must therefore persevere in our efforts to democratize the processes of the United Nations and infuse it with transparency, accountability and a balanced relationship between its various organs.

The effort to expand the membership of the Security Council continues to be stymied by lack of agreement on numerous issues, particularly the issue of the increase in its permanent membership. The status quo, however, is detrimental to the interests of the developing countries as they are grossly under-represented on the Council at a time when the focus of the Council's work is on conflict situations in the developing world. This anomaly should be redressed with the inclusion of representatives of the developing world in the Council's permanent membership on the basis of a set of objective criteria designed to ensure its representative character, legitimacy and effectiveness. In the event an agreement on an increase in the permanent membership proves elusive, NAM is on record as favouring, for the time being, an increase only in the non-permanent membership. It is also essential that the functioning of the Security Council, particularly its decision-making processes, should be further democratized.

As we prepare for the Fourth Review Conference of the NPT, it has become clear that the provisions of the Treaty are being selectively implemented. If the non-proliferation regime is to remain credible, it is extremely important that commitments to nuclear disarmament embodied in the Principles and Objectives for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament be fully met. Regrettably, the Second Preparatory Committee for the Year 2000 Review Conference failed to adopt recommendations on substantive issues as some of the nuclear weapon states turned down proposals for the gradual reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear armaments. Hence, our efforts at the forthcoming Review Conference should continue to be directed at the fulfillment of the obligations of the nuclear-weapon states.

On the Fourth Special Session Devoted to Disarmament, the NAM Leaders resolved in Durban that we continue to press for its convening with the participation of all member States of the United Nations. As to the agenda of SSOD IV, it is essential that the focus should be on nuclear armament, other weapons of mass destruction, and reduction of conventional armaments. It should not in any way create doubt about the validity of SSOD I.

In the Middle East, peace negotiations have remained deadlocked as Israel continues to flout its legal obligations and commitments. Further aggravating the already volatile situation is Israel's arbitrary decision to extend the Holy City's jurisdiction beyond its borders in violation of relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. This will preempt the outcome of final status negotiations, further undermining the peace process. Israel must therefore be prevailed upon to negotiate in good faith on the remaining key issues based on the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. In this connection, we may recall the statement of H.E. President Yasser Arafat in Durban suggesting that the Chairmanship of NAM be more active in the effort to revive the dormant peace process by, among other measures, contacting the parties involved and whomever else would be able to help.

Mr. Chairman,

Globalization, driven by technological advances and rapid liberalization of trade and investment, is changing economic processes all over the world. Unfortunately, globalization's promise of greater prosperity and widespread benefits for all is increasingly beclouded by uncertainties and the risks to which vulnerable economies are exposed. The North-South dialogue has thus become even more essential. During last week's two-day deliberations on the renewal of that Dialogue, it became clear that there is a need to take steps to manage the force of globalization at the national, regional and international level with a view to alleviating its adverse effects and maximizing its benefits. We should therefore follow up last week's discussion with joint endeavours on issues of common interest to all countries, developed and developing, on the basis of mutual interest and benefit, genuine interdependence and shared responsibility.

The severity of the impact of globalization has been exemplified by the recent financial and economic crisis in East Asia, which has persisted and now, through its contagion effect, could lead to a global depression. We must strengthen international cooperation on financial flows while the IMF and other relevant institutions study ways of improving transparency in the financial and capital markets. In this context, the Durban Summit gave its support to the proposal, first brought up in the New Delhi Summit of 1983, for the convening of an international conference on financial and monetary cooperation for development, with a view to reforming the present international monetary system. So that the NAM will be fully prepared to take an active part in this important conference, Indonesia has proposed that this be the main item to be considered by the Standing Ministerial Committee (SMC) on Economic Cooperation.

Mr. Chairman,

In Durban, we were able to conduct a roundtable discussion on the report of the Ad Hoc Panel of Economists. Let me once again express our appreciation for the excellent work of the Panel. We look forward to the outcome of consultations being carried out by the Chairman on the proposal that the Movement formulate a detailed negotiating agenda for the South and establish a mechanism for translating this agenda into a negotiating process in which the Group of 77 could also play an important role.

For although the functions of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China are different, there is no doubt that they are pursuing the same objective, the promotion of the interest of the developing world. We have therefore established a Joint Coordinating Committee so as to coordinate the work of the Movement and of the Group in giving the developing world a more effective and influential voice in international affairs. Let us make full and optimal use of that instrument.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to express my congratulations to South Africa for its resounding success in hosting the Durban Summit. May I also felicitate Bangladesh for its election as host of the 13th Summit of our Movement, which reflects the confidence of all members in its ability to lead our movement during the early years of the new millennium.