Fw: Speech by President Chavez at UN General Assembly, September 15, 2005

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Sat, 17 Sep 2005 18:50:55 -0500

Fw: Speech by President Chavez at UN General Assembly,

Thursday September 15, 2005

 

 

 

 

International

 

Published: Friday, September 16, 2005

Bylined to: Néstor Sánchez

 

 

Speech by President Chavez at UN General Assembly, Thursday September

15, 2005

 

Your Excellencies, friends, good afternoon:

 

The original purpose of this meeting has been completely distorted.

The imposed center of debate has been a so-called reform process that

overshadows the most urgent issues, what the peoples of the world

claim with urgency: the adoption of measures that deal with the real

problems that block and sabotage the efforts made by our countries for

real development and life.

 

*

 

Translated by Néstor Sánchez

 

Five years after the Millennium Summit, the harsh reality is that the

great majority of estimated goals- which were very modest indeed- will

not be met.

 

We pretended reducing by half the 842 million hungry people by the

year 2015. At the current rate that goal will be achieved by the year

2215. Who in this audience will be there to celebrate it? That is only

if the human race is able to survive the destruction that threats our

natural environment.

 

We had claimed the aspiration of achieving universal primary education

by the year 2015. At the current rate that goal will be reached after

the year 2100. Let us prepare, then, to celebrate it.

 

Friends of the world, this takes us to a sad conclusion: The United

Nations has exhausted its model, and it is not all about reform. The

XXI century claims deep changes that will only be possible if a new

organization is founded. This UN does not work. We have to say it. It

is the truth. These transformations – the ones Venezuela is referring

to- have, according to us, two phases: The immediate phase and the

aspiration phase, a utopia. The first is framed by the agreements that

were signed in the old system. We do not run away from them. We even

bring concrete proposals in that model for the short term. But the

dream of an ever-lasting world peace, the dream of a world not ashamed

by hunger, disease, illiteracy, extreme necessity, needs-apart from

roots- to spread its wings to fly. We need to spread our wings and

fly. We are aware of a frightening neoliberal globalization, but there

is also the reality of an interconnected world that we have to face

not as a problem but as a challenge. We could, on the basis of

national realities, exchange knowledge, integrate markets,

interconnect, but at the same time we must understand that there are

problems that do not have a national solution: radioactive clouds,

world oil prices, diseases, warming of the planet or the hole in the

ozone layer. These are not domestic problems. As we stride toward a

new United Nations model that includes all of us when they talk about

the people, we are bringing four indispensable and urgent reform

proposals to this Assembly: the first; the expansion of the Security

Council in its permanent categories as well as the non permanent

categories, thus allowing new developed and developing countries as

new permanent and non permanent categories. The second; we need to

assure the necessary improvement of the work methodology in order to

increase transparency, not to diminish it. The third; we need to

immediately suppress- we have said this repeatedly in Venezuela for

the past six years- the veto in the decisions taken by the Security

Council, that elitist trace is incompatible with democracy,

incompatible with the principles of equality and democracy.

 

And the fourth; we need to strengthen the role of the Secretary

General; his/her political functions regarding preventive diplomacy,

that role must be consolidated. The seriousness of all problems calls

for deep transformations. Mere reforms are not enough to recover that

" we " all the peoples of the world are waiting for. More than just

reforms we in Venezuela call for the foundation of a new United

Nations, or as the teacher of Simón Bolívar, Simón Rodríguez said:

" Either we invent or we err. "

 

At the Porto Alegre World Social Forum last January different

personalities asked for the United Nations to move outside the United

States if the repeated violations to international rule of law

continue. Today we know that there were never any weapons of mass

destruction in Iraq. The people of the United States have always been

very rigorous in demanding the truth to their leaders; the people of

the world demand the same thing. There were never any weapons of mass

destruction; however, Iraq was bombed, occupied and it is still

occupied. All this happened over the United Nations. That is why we

propose this Assembly that the United Nations should leave a country

that does not respect the resolutions taken by this same Assembly.

Some proposals have pointed out to Jerusalem as an international city

as an alternative. The proposal is generous enough to propose an

answer to the current conflict affecting Palestine. Nonetheless, it

may have some characteristics that could make it very difficult to

become a reality. That is why we are bringing a proposal made by Simón

Bolívar, the great Liberator of the South, in 1815. Bolívar proposed

then the creation of an international city that would host the idea of

unity.

 

We believe it is time to think about the creation of an international

city with its own sovereignty, with its own strength and morality to

represent all nations of the world. Such international city has to

balance five centuries of unbalance. The headquarters of the United

Nations must be in the South.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we are facing an unprecedented energy crisis in

which an unstoppable increase of energy is perilously reaching record

highs, as well as the incapacity of increase oil supply and the

perspective of a decline in the proven reserves of fuel worldwide. Oil

is starting to become exhausted.

 

For the year 2020 the daily demand for oil will be 120 million

barrels. Such demand, even without counting future increments- would

consume in 20 years what humanity has used up to now. This means that

more carbon dioxide will inevitably be increased, thus warming our

planet even more.

 

Hurricane Katrina has been a painful example of the cost of ignoring

such realities. The warming of the oceans is the fundamental factor

behind the demolishing increase in the strength of the hurricanes we

have witnessed in the last years. Let this occasion be an outlet to

send our deepest condolences to the people of the United States. Their

people are brothers and sisters of all of us in the Americas and the

rest of the world.

 

It is unpractical and unethical to sacrifice the human race by

appealing in an insane manner the validity of a socioeconomic model

that has a galloping destructive capacity. It would be suicidal to

spread it and impose it as an infallible remedy for the evils which

are caused precisely by them.

 

Not too long ago the President of the United States went to an

Organization of American States' meeting to propose Latin America and

the Caribbean to increase market-oriented policies, open market

policies-that is neoliberalism- when it is precisely the fundamental

cause of the great evils and the great tragedies currently suffered by

our people. : The neoliberal capitalism, the Washington Consensus. All

this has generated is a high degree of misery, inequality and infinite

tragedy for all the peoples on his continent.

 

What we need now more than ever Mr. President is a new international

order. Let us recall the United Nations General assembly in its sixth

extraordinary session period in 1974, 31 years ago, where a new

International Economic Order action plan was adopted, as well as the

States Economic Rights and Duties Charter by an overwhelming majority,

120 votes for the motion, 6 against and 10 abstentions. This was the

period when voting was possible at the United Nations. Now it is

impossible to vote. Now they approve documents such as this one which

I denounce on behalf of Venezuela as null, void and illegitimate. This

document was approved violating the current laws of the United

Nations. This document is invalid! This document should be discussed;

the Venezuelan government will make it public. We cannot accept an

open and shameless dictatorship in the United Nations. These matters

should be discussed and that is why I petition my colleagues, heads of

states and heads of governments, to discuss it.

 

I just came from a meeting with President Néstor Kirchner and well, I

was pulling this document out; this document was handed out five

minutes before- and only in English- to our delegation. This document

was approved by a dictatorial hammer which I am here denouncing as

illegal, null, void and illegitimate.

 

Hear this, Mr. President: if we accept this, we are indeed lost. Let

us turn off the lights, close all doors and windows! That would be

unbelievable: us accepting a dictatorship here in this hall.

 

Now more than ever- we were saying- we need to retake ideas that were

left on the road such as the proposal approved at this Assembly in

1974 regarding a New Economic International Order. Article 2 of that

text confirms the right of states to nationalizing the property and

natural resources that belonged to foreign investors. It also proposed

to create cartels of raw material producers. In the Resolution 3021,

May, 1974, the Assembly expressed its will to work with utmost urgency

in the creation of a New Economic International Order based on- listen

carefully, please- " the equity, sovereign equality, interdependence,

common interest and cooperation among all states regardless of their

economic and social systems, correcting the inequalities and repairing

the injustices among developed and developing countries, thus assuring

present and future generations, peace, justice and a social and

economic development that grows at a sustainable rate. "

 

The main goal of the New Economic International Order was to modify

the old economic order conceived at Breton Woods.

 

We the people now claim- this is the case of Venezuela- a new

international economic order. But it is also urgent a new

international political order. Let us not permit that a few countries

try to reinterpret the principles of International Law in order to

impose new doctrines such as " pre-emptive warfare. " Oh do they

threaten us with that pre-emptive war! And what about the

" Responsibility to Protect " doctrine? We need to ask ourselves. Who is

going to protect us? How are they going to protect us?

 

I believe one of the countries that require protection is precisely

the United States. That was shown painfully with the tragedy caused by

Hurricane Katrina; they do not have a government that protects them

from the announced nature disasters, if we are going to talk about

protecting each other; these are very dangerous concepts that shape

imperialism, interventionism as they try to legalize the violation of

the national sovereignty. The full respect towards the principles of

International Law and the United Nations Charter must be, Mr.

President, the keystone for international relations in today's world

and the base for the new order we are currently proposing.

 

It is urgent to fight, in an efficient manner, international

terrorism. Nonetheless, we must not use it as an excuse to launch

unjustified military aggressions which violate international law. Such

has been the doctrine following September 11. Only a true and close

cooperation and the end of the double discourse that some countries of

the North apply regarding terrorism, could end this terrible calamity.

 

In just seven years of Bolivarian Revolution, the people of Venezuela

can claim important social and economic advances.

 

One million four hundred and six thousand Venezuelans learned to read

and write. We are 25 million total. And the country will-in a few

days- be declared illiteracy-free territory. And three million

Venezuelans, who had always been excluded because of poverty, are now

part of primary, secondary and higher studies.

 

Seventeen million Venezuelans-almost 70% of the population- are

receiving, and for the first time, universal healthcare, including the

medicine, and in a few years, all Venezuelans will have free access to

an excellent healthcare service. More thatn a million seven hundred

tons of food are channeled to over 12 million people at subsidized

prices, almost half the population. One million gets them completely

free, as they are in a transition period. More than 700 thousand new

jobs have been created, thus reducing unemployment by 9 points. All of

this amid internal and external aggressions, including a coup d'etat

and an oil industry shutdown organized by Washington. Regardless of

the conspiracies, the lies spread by powerful media outlets, and the

permanent threat of the empire and its allies, they even call for the

assassination of a president. The only country where a person is able

to call for the assassination of a head of state is the United States.

Such was the case of a Reverend called Pat Robertson, very close to

the White House: He called for my assassination and he is a free

person. That is international terrorism!

 

We will fight for Venezuela, for Latin American integration and the

world. We reaffirm our infinite faith in humankind. We are thirsty for

peace and justice in order to survive as species. Simón Bolívar,

founding father of our country and guide of our revolution swore to

never allow his hands to be idle or his soul to rest until he had

broken the shackles which bound us to the empire. Now is the time to

not allow our hands to be idle or our souls to rest until we save

humanity.