Statement bv H.E. Mr. Abdul Halim Khaddam. Vice-President of the Svrian Arab Reoublic
It gives me great pleasure to bring you the warmest greetings of President Hafes Al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic, with his wishes for Our historic Conference to succeed in achieving the aims for which it has been convened. It also gives me pleasure to commend the great efforts exerted by Brazil’s President, Government and people to prepare the appropriate conditions for the convening of this Conference. -137- This Conference is held while the world is witnessing immense changes in people’s lives as well as in nature, With these immense changes, the peoples of the world, including the peoples of the third world, are gravely concerned about their destiny and about the future of man on this planet. What aggravates the anxiety of the people of the third world is the decline of their role in the changes that are engulfing mankind; and, therefore, they are afraid that all this will be at the expense of their freedom, independence and future. Moreover, the widening gap between the developed countries of the industrial world and the countries of the third world, and failure of the latter to narrow this gap, increases the anxiety of the overwhelming majority of mankind.
Together, the widening gap and the failure of the third world countries to achieve economic and social development curtail their capacity to face political, economic and social changes, as well as changes in nature. The war waged by some human beings on nature through the huge leaps experienced by some countries in the field of industry since the early years of this century, particularly after the Second World War, subjects all mankind to the lethal consequences of man’s war on nature, with all its environmental, climatic, agricultural and biological resources. Before the end of the cold war, the world lived with the worry about a potential military confrontation between the super-Powers; and, although that was only a probability, men were afraid of the possibility of such a war, waged by some human beings on nature in the air, the sea and on land, with all the devastating effects of such a war on life. Third world countries are faced with two problems: the problem of economic and social development to secure the basic needs of their peoples, and the problem of coping with the harmful consequences of the pollution of nature. The resources and potential of the countries of the third world do not present a shining picture; and this increases the concern and worry of its peoples about their future and their destiny. Syria, with its position in the Middle East region, located along part of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, which is a semi-enclosed sea, faces serious problems of pollution brought to it by industrial countries through their military and commercial fleets that sail in the Mediterranean. The wastes emanating from these fleets are swept by sea currents towards the shores of our country. This has begun to have adverse effects on maritime ecology and the coastal ecosystem in the health and economic fields, in addition to the harmful gases conveyed by the wind, thus jeopardizing human life as time goes on. We are facing difficulties in our endeavor to protect our environment and to avoid the damages and risks caused by environmental deterioration. These difficulties stem primarily from Israeli occupation of Arab territories and the growth of Israel’s military capacity, which includes factories that produce weapons, in addition to its huge stockpiles of various other kinds of advanced and highly sophisticated land, maritime and weapons are ready to be used against us, constantly threatening us with occupation and expansion. Furthermore, Israel, which persecutes the Palestinian people, inflicting on them the most atrocious forms of repression, and which continues its daily aggressions on Lebanon, changes natural resources through such practices as uprooting trees, m sabotaging water resources and the like. The Israeli aggression forces us to appropriate a large part of our resources to ensure the minimum requirements of defense; and this, in turn, curtails our capacity to achieve economic and social development and to provide resources for the protection of nature with all its components. The industrial States carry a heavy responsibility for the harmful materials they pour into nature, whether through emanations that cause global warmth, or through industrial waste, particularly chemical waste. While they were developing their industries and production, they did not take into account the harmful effects of this development on all the nations of the world, including those of the developed, industrial world. All this should prompt the industrial countries to bear the responsibility for achieving two things: first, for providing substantial aid to achieve development in the third world; and second, for appropriating part of their resources to contribute to the elimination of the damage inflicted on nature, the combatting of pollution and the preservation of life. Solidarity among all human beings to conserve nature and to eliminate the traces of aggression on it is essential to protecting man himself throughout the world. I would like to express the support of the Syrian Government for the recommendations made by the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program, in 1991, addressed to the industrial countries, and to the Colombo Declaration on the environment, endorsed by the ministerial conference of the developing countries and issued in April 1992. The Earth Summit, with world-wide participation at the highest level, is an indication of the perception of the gravity of the threats which face mankind as a result of the ongoing changes in nature at the hands of man. This makes it incumbent upon all our countries to cooperate in order to prevent further risks. This can be done through the conclusion of international agreements to conserve nature and to provide the requirements of such conservation. The failure of the States of the world to reach specific formulas that would assist in bridging the gap between the developing and developed countries, and the adoption of agreements to protect nature, will give rise to unsound regional and international situations. It will al60 increase the risk of social, economic and security conflicts that could rob the world of the hope for a lasting and just peace in which people will have equal duties and rights, foremost among which is the right to freedom, independence and progress. The superficial appearance of stability in the international situation does not reflect the developments and interactions that are happening or may happen as a result of the sense of injustice and persecution felt by the peoples of the third world. -139- The continuation of the gap between the rich countries and the developing countries and the frustration of the latter because of their failure to bridge that gap and to enjoy a decent human life – in addition to feeling that their resources do not belong to them and that they are the victims of th air weapons. All these
developed, industrial world, whether through being deprived of the use of those resources since colonial times or through the harm inflicted on the environment and ecology by immense industrial development – will give rise to a muddled, disorderly situation in the greater part of this planet. The call to ensure the rights of man as an individual will be meaningless in the shadow of the absence of guarantees to protect the people’s right to exercise their freedom, and to live in dignity and peace, free of hunger, poverty and deprivation. The responsibility of our Conference to draw the outline of serious international cooperation in the protection of the environment and ecology is historic; and history shall remember all those who worked to protect mankind and to stop and eliminate aggression on nature. It has become an urgent necessity to see some serious steps within the framework of active cooperation among our countries under the auspices of the United Nations. Talk about humanity and its future, explanations of the dangers threatening it and lengthy discussions of the damage inflicted on nature will all remain meaningless unless it is coupled with practical, responsible steps by all the countries attending this Conference, A new world, devoid of injustice and poverty, a world where dignity is achieved for all human beings, regardless of color, race and creed cannot be established in the shadow of the current power relations, be they military, economic or political. Human solidarity, cooperation and mutual collaboration to protect man and everything that enables him to live and survive, away from aggression, exploitation, the use of force or the threat of force – this is what would Lead us to the world we hope for and our people wish to see. In the light of its perception and vision of the immense dangers that threaten man as a result of the current changes in nature, our Conference is called upon to adopt the measures and recommendations necessary to face these dangers.
