Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Suriname
HER EXCELLENCY MARIA E. LEVENS
on the occasion of the 32nd General Assembly
of the Organisation of American States,
Bridgetown, Barbados, June 2- 4, 2002
A Multidimensional Approach to Hemispheric Security
Madam Chair,
It gives me great pleasure to
address this distinguished body of the Organisation today, in a sister state of
the CARICOM.
At the outset, I would like to
congratulate you madam Chair with your election as Chairwoman of this General
Assembly.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
you, the Government and people of Barbados for the excellent way in which you
have prepared and organised this important meeting
Madam Chair
For over a decade the international community has defined terms
such as “Single Market”, “Globalisation”
and “Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)” largely in financial,
economic, trade, technological and scientific terms. On September 11th, 2001,
while we were in Lima, Peru, to launch the Inter American Democratic Charter,
we were all shockingly made aware of the unexpected face of “Globalisation”.
Before this incomprehensible
occurrence we seemed to ignore certain realities such as extreme poverty that
exacerbate social justice in many of our countries, the underestimated role of
religion and culture in world affairs, and the lack of meaningful political
participation in issues that are of importance to the survival of many of our
poor citizens.
The fight against terrorism
is not a new phenomenon. There is no doubt that the challenges facing the
international community in general and our Organisation in particular, in the
campaign towards Hemispheric Security are great and will test our collective
political will and determination.
We have to improve the
regional and global policy approaches that not only address the immediate goals
of bringing criminals and their accomplices, who threaten our collective
security, to justice.
In order to do away with the threat of terrorism, we need
to have open and honest discussions on the reasons and causes that drive people
to commit such horrendous crimes against humanity. For we can only eliminate
this evil by taking care of its root causes. It must be stressed, however, that
for us to be successful in ensuring Hemispheric Security, it is essential that
we take a collective approach, in which we act firmly and within the framework
of international law.
The shock effect that drove the world to immediately react
to the dangers of international terrorism proves that it is possible for the
international community to unite and instantly deal with crucial global
problems. These immediate actions should therefore be taken to deal with all
crucial global problems, such as extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS and environmental
degradation not only at the global level, but also within our Hemisphere.
Let us form a coalition to
collectively build a hemispheric civilisation, where there is room for every
citizen, and everyone has a chance to live a decent life. While we continue to
fight international terrorism, let us also search for solutions to the other
pressing issues facing the Americas, such as, ending dangerous political
situations in our region, morally unacceptable and unfair trading rules, the
widening gap between rich and poor. In other words, ensuring the well being of
our peoples, by first and foremost guaranteeing their basic rights to food,
education, health and development.
Madam
Chair
My government considers the
following security components of utmost importance. Our main priorities are the national security of our people,
natural resources, the regional security of our hemisphere, the economic,
political and social stability of the member states of the OAS. These issues
are inter-related.
A crucial element in the
discussion on security is human security. I would therefore like to reiterate
that in working towards a secure hemisphere, we first and foremost need to look
after the well being of our people. We cannot possibly leave out significant issues
such as social development, the fight against HIV/AIDS, poverty eradication and
above all fair trade in our discussion on Hemispheric Security.
Suriname is prepared to work
together with our hemispheric partners, in particular those that are already
working with us on poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
Let us not allow the
understandable pre-occupation with national and hemispheric security slow down
the implementation of policies and programs on other important issues.
In closing, I would like to
thank the delegation of Barbados for stressing the multi-dimensional concept of
security, and I want to note that Suriname intends to work tirelessly with you
on not only combating terrorism, but also on, among others, extreme poverty,
trafficking in drugs and arms, and working on the environment, sustainable
development, social implications of HIV/AIDS and of programs which cover the
overall well-being of our children and youth and the well being of our peoples.
Thank
you