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| Sunday, 2 January 2005 |
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Tsunami disaster highlights need for global cooperation: Irish PM DUBLIN, Saturday (AFP) The scale of the disaster caused by the killer tsunami in Asia underlines the need for effective international cooperation and solidarity, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said on Saturday. In a statement to mark World Day of Peace, Ahern said his government was convinced the "complex and dangerous network of threats and challenges facing the world in the early years of the 21st century, must be confronted through strengthened and meaningful international cooperation". He strongly welcomed the message of Pope John Paul II who called for a new political culture in international cooperation. "He reminds us that today, more than ever, a decisive condition for bringing peace to the world is an acknowledgement of the interdependence between wealthy and poor countries." The pope's words, he said, carried particular resonance in the wake of the "terrible natural disaster" that struck countries in south Asia. "The loss of life, and injury, as well as the damage to property and infrastructure, have reached unparalleled proportions and call for precisely the spirit of generosity and goodwill to which the Pope refers." Ahern said the scale of the disaster, and the global character of the response which it has evoked, poignantly underlined the need for the effective international cooperation and solidarity, which were at the heart of the pope's message. There was a need to establish global solidarity based on shared doctrines and commitments, and a global security architecture that has a chance of commanding the respect and the adherence of all states.. "The alternative is acceptance of an increasingly insecure and dangerous world, marked by violence, inequalities and injustice. "No one state or people can isolate itself from the threats posed by international terrorism or by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. "None of us can isolate ourselves from the consequences of war, famine and poverty, even if their most immediate effects may seem to manifest themselves primarily in distant parts of the world, far from our shores. Real progress had been made in 2004 in identifying and addressing the key issues which still have to be resolved.. "We remain determined to resolve them, to remove the issue of arms from politics and to seal agreement on the establishment of lasting structures of partnership and power-sharing," he said. |
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