ADDRESS BY H.E. PROF. GUIDO DE MARCO, PRESIDENT OF MALTA, DURING THE EXCHANGE OF NEW YEAR GREETINGS WITH THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS AT THE PALACE, VALLETTA – FRIDAY: 11TH JANUARY 2002

Mgr. Conti, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,
Excellencies,

In welcoming you, on behalf of the Government and people of Malta, I thank you for your thoughts, which you have just so eloquently expressed.

I share with you the concerns on the many issues afflicting humanity, issues bearing a negative effect on the life of millions around the world, as well as on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of us all.

Developments during the past year have cast a shadow of uncertainty over many aspects of peoples’ lives, and a number of indelible images keep surfacing in mind – images of terror and fear, of suffering and wanton destruction.

Into the third millennium, humanity still sustains those primordial contradictions that have beset us since the dawn of time. Abel and Cain may have put on a different garb, but the mysterium iniquitatis, the mystery of evil, still haunts our very existence.

Into the third millennium, peace still appears to be a commodity in short supply – peace not only as a lack of conflict, but peace as the necessary basis for interaction among peoples and states; peace built on justice, dialogue and understanding.

The message of peace comes to us in various guises. The Mediterranean region is cradle to the three great monotheistic religions – creeds that enshrine the wisdom of life, compassion and peaceful coexistence.

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Distorting this message through a fundamentalist approach to truth has wrought havoc throughout history. Disguised as warriors of religion, warped minds are still intent on dragging mankind down the tortuous path of strife and conflict. Some have hijacked religion to camouflage extreme ideologies.

This ancient sea of culture and civilisation embodies both the richness of diversity and the dangers of divisive fractures. Nowhere else does such diverse richness, if not appropriately harnessed through dialogue and justice, risk producing enduring political, socio-economic and psychological divisions.

Therefore, it is of the essence to solve the negative perceptions, misconceptions and misrepresentations that plague coexistence within the geographical proximity of this Inland Sea. Solving the problems besetting this region is key to many pressing issues, the repercussions of which reach well beyond the physical boundaries of the Mediterranean. Sadly, many seem not to heed the lessons of history.

The situation in the Middle East is a daily tragic news bulletin. Every casualty is yet another brick higher in the wall of division between Israel and the Palestinians. Violence feeds on violence and the voices of revenge seem to drown the logic of reason and moderation. Decades of conflict have scarred the Holy Land and efforts for peace have been systematically sabotaged. Extremism, in any semblance, risks derailing efforts aimed at achieving essential and longed-for peace and stability. Many have not yet realised that security and stability can only be achieved through peace and dialogue.

The State of Israel has the right to secure and recognised borders. The people of Israel have the right to live free from the fear of indiscriminately losing life and limb. The Jewish people, who have suffered the indignity of persecution, have the right to a secure future in a homeland of their own.

But the Palestinian people have equally a right to a state of their own, free from foreign occupation. In the freedom to forge ahead with its own political and economic destiny, the Palestinian State will be able to offer its people a way out of the logic of desperation which grips people when no viable future appears on the horizon.

Many obstacles still lie ahead in the path of a future of peace. We pray that these two peoples will find a just and peaceful solution for the future in full realisation that geography has imposed on them to live as neighbours.

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We support efforts by the international community aimed at bridging the existing chasm of incomprehension. The complexity of the situation often makes this a thankless and frustrating task. But we owe it, as an international responsibility, the safeguard of people under occupation, the observance of human rights, and the elimination of terrorism.

We believe that the international community has to become the guarantor for the implementation and observance of United Nations Resolutions, in particular 242 and 338.

September 11 will endure as another day of infamy in history. Together with the civilised world, we feel close to the suffering of the American people and all those who endured the consequences of terror. We share the grief of that affront to human life and dignity.

More than ever before, we acknowledge the necessity to act in concert in combating the dangers haunting our existence. In the immediate term, the direct sources of terror have to be dealt with. In the broader and long-term context of ridding ourselves of the circumstances that lend themselves to being fertile recruiting grounds for terrorism, the international community has to spare no efforts in trying to seek solutions to situations such as that prevailing in the Middle East.

Moreover, as Mgr. Conti mentioned in his speech, poverty and hunger, conflict and disease continue to afflict the lives of billions of people. In our globalised world, we cannot afford to retain the curtain of poverty between the affluent few and the many in want. It would be a recipe for disaster.

Humanity is also capable of great achievements. The mapping of the human genome, opening new horizons in the medical field, is just another example. Intellect, knowledge and discovery have given mankind the possibility to surge to new heights in the quest for civilisation. It is our earnest wish that all the human family could have, one day, the possibility to profit, in a sustainable manner, from the whole array of factors that constitute the common heritage of mankind.

Excellencies,

Malta is a European country that wants to sustain and build upon the good relations that have been forged throughout the years with both neighbouring and distant countries.

In the negotiations for European Union membership, my Government has closed 20 chapters and is confident of concluding negotiations by the end of this year in order to submit to the sovereign will of the Maltese people the decision on the course our country will pursue. The current lively debate on Europe is yet another sign of our healthy democracy.

My Government believes that Malta can further positively contribute to Europe’s Mediterranean dimension, acting as a catalyst with the states on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Malta has actively engaged with states from all around the Mediterranean and because of our geography, of our language, of our disposition, we can truly bridge differences and incomprehension in our region. We have constantly given testimony to this commitment both in bilateral and multilateral contexts. We will continue to seek that the Mediterranean be given its due share of attention in the international agenda, through the Euro-Mediterranean Process and other multilateral fora.

We remain committed to the aims and purposes of the United Nations Organisation and will continue to work so that this most universally representative of organisations retain its primary role for the maintenance of international peace and stability. The international community cannot afford to let the United Nations be marginalised on issues which directly fall under its competence and responsibilities, as drawn out in the Charter. The Nobel Peace Prize recently awarded jointly to Secretary General Kofi Annan and the United Nations Organisation should spur on our collective efforts at ensuring its relevance in brokering peace, in safeguarding international order, in consolidating security and stability.

During the past twelve months, I have undertaken a number of state and official visits. I believe that my visits to Bulgaria, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, Estonia, the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany readily demonstrated Malta’s willingness to actively engage and seek symbiotic relations of a political and economic nature.

We have welcomed to our shores a number of leading statesmen and politicians from all around the world; from President Jiang Zemin with whom I have established a rapport of friendship that aptly reflects our very good relations with China, to the Prime Ministers of Ireland, Estonia, Tunisia, Greece, the Slovak Republic and Sweden, the President of the European Parliament, as well as members of the European Commission and other leading political personalities. Our message to all is very clear: Malta looks forward to strengthening further its multilevel ties of cooperation.

And the successor of Peter, H.H. Pope John Paul II, came to Malta following in the footsteps of St Paul who was shipwrecked here two thousand years earlier. In words which will remain for the people of Malta a mission statement for present and future generations, H.H. the Pope said:

"Malta is at the centre of the Mediterranean. You therefore have a unique vocation to be builders of bridges between the peoples of the Mediterranean basin, between Africa and Europe. The future of peace in the world depends on strengthening dialogue and understanding between cultures and religions. Continue in your traditions of hospitality, and continue in your national and international commitment on behalf of freedom, justice and peace."

We reject a future built on a clash of cultures and civilisations. Recently, I attended in Geneva a series of activities, organised by our Mission there, on Malta as a crossroad of civilisations. A crossroad gives us options. We in Malta have made our choice.

Echoing the exhortation of H.H. the Pope, we will continue, Mgr. Conti, Excellencies, our tradition of hospitality, and pursue our commitment on the national and international levels in the name of freedom, of justice and of peace.