Iran: Growing Unilateralism Threatening World Peace


Iran: Growing Unilateralism Threatening World Peace

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gholam Ali Khoshroo decried the growing resort to unilateralism by “a certain power” as a major threat to world peace and security.

Addressing a United Nations meeting during the ‘High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace’, held in New York on September 5, Khoshroo underlined that culture of peace could be promoted through collective contribution of states on equal footing.

Without directly naming the US, the Iranian ambassador also condemned the “blatant and deliberate” ignorance of the realities on the ground by a certain power, saying all countries are duty bound to strengthen multilateralism through multilateral processes.

The following is the text of the Iranian UN envoy’s speech:

Mr. President,

Allow me first to commend you for effectively pursuing implementation of the important mandate, with which you were entrusted by the GA resolution 72/137, to further follow up the realization of the “Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace”.

I also pay tribute to the Secretary General and Secretariat for their pivotal role in leading and facilitating the implementation of annual substantive resolutions on “promotion of culture of peace”, for the last years.

Having aligned with the statement made by the delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), I would like to briefly highlight a number of issues of particular importance.

Mr. President,

We are witnessing that the current global situation presents great challenges to peace and security. Existing, new and emerging threats at the international and regional level, continue to impede efforts by States to promote peace and security. One of these major threats is growing resort to unilateralism.

In fact, unilaterally imposed measures, the use and threat of use of force, pressure, and unilateral coercive sanctions as a means to achieving national policy objectives, have a serious adverse impact on the promotion of a culture of peace. They are fundamental impediments to establish a peaceful and prosperous world as well as a just and equitable world order.

Indeed, interventionist policy, aggressive military exercises against the territorial integrity or political independence of a sovereign state, which are manifestations of unilateralism, are inconsistent with the promoting and preserving peace and security.

The rising threat of terrorism and violent extremism across the globe, in particular, in the Middle East is one of the sound effects of unilateralism coupled with an interventionist, flawed and shortsighted policy of a certain power. It is done through proxies, Saudi Arabia has armed and financed extremist terrorist groups like Daesh, Al-Nusra Front and other Takfiri groups and at the same time continues bombing innocent children of Yemen. It goes without saying that these actions run counter to culture of peace.

Struggles to legitimize occupation of Palestinian land by rejecting the historical realities which are the root cause of every crisis in the region are gravely undermining peace.

Creation of Al-Qaeda, unilateral military invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, support of extremist terrorist groups against Syrian legitimate government, based on baseless justifications, which led to the emergence of Daesh, are among the threats and crucial challenges that requires to be dealt with urgently.

Furthermore, withdrawing from international organizations, especially UNESCO and Human Rights Council as well as international agreements such as the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement (JCPOA) are among samples of “me first”, self-centered and arrogant as well as disastrous policy that esteems from fanatic unilateralism.

Threatening states’ sovereignty and independence, and their freedom of trade and investment, and preventing them from exercising their right to decide, by their own free will, their own political, economic and social systems do not work anymore.

“Me first” policy might work for one, at first – but at the end it is doomed to failure. So, there is a need to shift to a new democratic and balanced approach.

At the High-level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace convened in April 2018, among other things, it was rightly asserted that “peace is more than a ceasefire. It is more than a peace deal. And, it is more than the absence of war”.  For that, there is a need to tackle conflict at its roots. In this respect, challenges to peace must be directly addressed at their root causes. Sustainable peace cannot be brought by “me first” approach.

Culture of peace could be promoted based on collective contribution and cooperation of states on equal footing. But, there is a prerequisite here that is a pressing need for recognition of multi-polar world, which has already come alive more than two decades ago. Although, this reality on the ground is blatantly and deliberately ignored by a certain power, we have all right and responsibility to strengthen multilateralism through multilateral processes, which are indispensable in promoting and preserving peace and security in the world.

In the same vein, we need to resolutely address the current challenges facing the international community, in particular, extremist unilateralists, through promotion and reinforcement of multilateralism and the inclusive multilateral decision-making process based on high ethical values and cooperation.

To conclude, I take this opportunity to emphasize that the Islamic Republic of Iran as the initiator of the concept of a “world against violence and violent extremism” is fully prepared to play an active part to promote and defend multilateralism as the appropriate frameworks to provide sustainable method to resolve existing challenges, and to promote, through dialogue and cooperation, a reliable ground for securing the durable peace around the world.

I thank you Mr. President;

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