Call for Peace Resonates at 13th NAM Summit

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Call for Peace Resonates at 13th NAM Summit

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A deafening call for global peace emanated from the Putra World Trade Center Monday in Kuala Lumpur as leader after leader at the 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit pressed for a peaceful resolution to conflicts.

They stood at the rostrum condemning threats of aggression and oppression as the Middle East stood on the brink of a likely US-led attack against Iraq. They also watched in horror at the developments in Palestine.

At the same time, the leaders said Iraq should comply with the United Nations Security Council resolution to destroy Baghdad's weapons of mass destruction to avert war.

Iranian President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami said Tehran opposed the use of force to change any regime in any country. He was referring to the US intention to get rid of President Saddam Hussein.

"The current frightening world atmosphere makes it imperative for the Non-Aligned Movement to opt for a more affirmative approach toward achieving a peaceful world, a far cry from the struggle for independence in the bygone era of the Cold War," he said.

Sixty-three Heads of state or government of NAM member countries gathered here Monday morning to open the summit, which will last until Tuesday.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said global security should be sought through nuclear disarmament, the elimination of weapons of mass destruction as well as balanced and progressive conventional disarmament.

She also called on Saddam Hussein to urgently negotiate a win-win settlement that would "spare the heroic Iraqi people the agonies of a devastating war."

Agreeing that weapons of mass destruction do need to be eliminated, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said it was essential for Iraq to comply fully with the obligations it had accepted, including disarmament.

"As a fellow member of NAM, this is our sincere advice to Iraq. We also expect that if Iraq fully complies, the sanctions against that country should be lifted," he said.

Touching on terrorism, Vajpayee called for the conclusion of negotiations at the United Nations on the comprehensive convention on international terrorism.

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, in an apparent reference to the United States, said the threat of a military action by a powerful country, let alone just to act on the basis of or simply to demonstrate its might or superiority, was clearly a mistake.

"No matter how powerful the country is, that does not give it the right to act unilaterally against the other," said the president whose father Sukarno, the first Indonesian president, was among the founders of the 47-year old Non-Aligned Movement.

Noting that many regions of NAM continued to experience conflict, particularly in Africa, Mozambican President Joaquim Alberto Chissano urged all the NAM members and the international community as a whole to lend their unconditional support to those still in conflict to search for peaceful settlement.

Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said the island republic believed that all actions in respect of Iraq by the United States and others should respect international law and resolutions of the Security Council.

"In this crisis, we must not lose sight of the humanitarian aspect. The Iraqi people have suffered enough," he said.

Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong called on the United Nations to push back by all means the war for the sake of world peace.

"We also call for an end to power politics, embargo and sanctions against a number of countries, which have, for many years, caused tremendous hardships and sufferings for their people, particularly those imposed against Cuba," he said.

Nepalese Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand echoed the sentiments expressed by other NAM leaders by calling for a durable solution to enable Palestine and Israel to live as neighbors within secure and recognized boundaries.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction had loomed larger while regional conflicts, unilateral tendencies, distrust and intolerance had caused greater friction and instability in various parts of the world.

"Progress towards disarmament has stalled," he said, adding that while NAM continued to tackle traditional security issues, it must, at the same time, give equal attention to critical economic and social issues that affect human security and development.

Zambian President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa appealed to the people of Israel and Palestine to return to the negotiating table and revive the peace process.

Formally founded in 1961, the Movement is the largest grouping of developing countries outside the United Nations. Its summit held approximately every three years provides member states with a platform to address diplomatic, economic, developmental and social issues of the day.

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