Although the global economic situation has improved considerably, it is still fragile. Much of the relief has come from the massive liquidity that has been pumped into the global financial system by national Governments. That bought us time to restructure our economies and correct the underlying imb…
When we met here last year, financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and American International Group (AIG) were falling like tenpins. For weeks, credit froze as perceptions of risk shot up. The global financial system went into seizure. National Governments took emergency measures to rescue b…
The collapse of the recent Doha talks is deeply troubling. The Doha Development Round was the first round of talks to be launched after the end of the cold war.
Two years after the failed start at Seattle, it was launched again two months after 11 September 2001, when member countries of the World …
The item at the top of our agenda is climate change. The upcoming Bali Conference needs our full support. Climate change is a challenge that can only be overcome by our collective efforts. If we fail, the future will be troubled. Small island countries like Singapore will be in great danger. People …
I join other countries in congratulating you, Madam, on your assumption of the
presidency. We in Singapore pledge our full support to you.
The recent war in Lebanon had no clear victor. Israel succeeded in removing the immediate threat across the border, but could not wipe out Hizbollah. Hizbollah…
A few weeks ago, a young Muslim lawyer in Singapore told me about a recent experience he had had in an East Asian airport. Unlike others holding Singaporean passports who were clearing immigration, he was told to stand aside. When he asked the reason, the immigration officer muttered that there were…
First, I would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping of Gabon, on his election as the President of the General Assembly.
We meet in New York under conditions of high security. All over the world, Governments, corporations and individuals are allocating vast resources to combat terrorism…
