Angola, 2007

At the outset,

I would like to salute the international community,

legitimately represented here today. I would also like

to take this opportunity to personally congratulate

Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his election to the post of

Secretary-General of our Organization. I am confident,

Sir, that your able leadership, steadfastness and

commitment will assist us in our search for consensual

solutions to the issues that affect humanity in order to

make the world an increasingly safer, freer and fairer

place.

Today, the world is confronted with global

warming, a consequence of the atmospheric pollution

resulting from human activity on Earth, which is

causing dramatic and dangerous climate change. The

world is also confronted with extremists who resort to

terrorism and the use of religion for political ends; with

growing militarism as a would-be response to

terrorism; and with the hoarding of capital, information

and know-how, all of which widen the gap between the

rich and the poor and generate social tensions around

the world.

On the issue of terrorism, the model of an open,

democratic and tolerant civilization, with a State that

serves the interests of all, has shown that parties that

alternate in political office in the post-cold-war period

can coexist and fight for their principles and values

through peaceful means. I believe that the same model

can be successful if properly adjusted to the concrete

realities of other regions.

At the same time, we must continue to deepen our

study and analysis of the threat of terrorism and use

peaceful means to seek an ever-broader consensus on

the collective responses needed to counter it.

Islam can peacefully coexist in societies with

other religious beliefs. However, it is necessary to

neutralize fanaticism and prevent the Islamization of

the State, which is contrary to humanity’s modern legal

concept of a secular State.

In our opinion, it is necessary to defend cultural

diversity and to render more inclusive and fair the

process of political, economic and social development;

to support and stimulate, in countries that are

predominantly Islamic, all the forces and movements

that defend modern life and the separation of State

from religion; and to support the values and privileges

of the universal culture that are enshrined in

conventions, charters and international treaties. This

movement is immense, it continues to grow and it can

be more effective than military action, which in our

understanding should only constitute a last resort.

Ecumenism and dialogue among cultures are

other avenues for action that can be better and more

frequently used to bring together the dominant

religions and all the people of the world, based on the

ideals of peace, solidarity and fraternity.

The fight against poverty and hunger in the

world, with a global plan monitored by the United

Nations as an international convention, higher and

fairer remuneration for commodities or natural

resources extracted from developing countries and

technical support to poor States would contribute

greatly to eliminating social inequalities and the social

seedbed and support of those who prefer violence.

In this regard, the globalization of the economy

must be regulated in order to mitigate the asymmetries

between the centre and the periphery of the economic

system and to ensure that each person has the

necessary means for survival with dignity.

Such regulation should further address

environmental matters. There are countries that have

experienced rapid industrial development without

paying due attention to the protection of the

environment. Other countries are now involved in an

identical endeavour, thus increasing the production of

carbon dioxide and worsening the greenhouse effect. It

is plain that a new meeting of all world leaders is

urgently required in order to approve and begin the

execution of a global plan of environmental protection.

We therefore support the initiative of the

Secretary-General to that end, convinced that the

countries that most pollute the atmosphere, such as the

richest countries, should contribute more resources to

its protection.

Today, the Republic of Angola is in a position to

engage more actively in this collective effort of

solidarity for humanity, because the country has been

at peace for a little more than five years and is moving

towards complete normalization of its political,

economic and social life. Proof of that lies in the fact

that Angola has already signed all the international

protocols in favour of environmental protection, such

as the Kyoto and the Montreal Protocols, while

contributing to conflict resolution and peace in its

region and in the African continent as a whole.

As a country that has recently chaired the

Peacebuilding Commission, we are pleased to learn of

the important progress achieved in consolidating the

peace processes in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Serra

Leone.

However, the conflict between Ethiopia and

Eritrea and the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, still prevail,

while the issue of Western Sahara’s self-determination

remains unresolved. I am convinced that the

Organization will remain engaged in the search for a

solution to these problems in the shortest time possible

and that United Nations forces will be urgently

deployed in Darfur.

The Commission of the Gulf of Guinea is

currently headquartered in Luanda, where the

representatives of the Zone of Peace and Cooperation

of the South Atlantic met recently at the initiative of

Angola. Both institutions promote peace, security,

stability and multiform cooperation among their

members, in consonance with the principles of the

United Nations Charter.

I must highlight the decisive role that regional

and subregional organizations can play in the

prevention and resolution of conflicts. At the same

time, they can alert everyone to the need to strengthen

the mandates and the financing of United Nations

peacekeeping operations, without prejudice to post-

conflict activities, such as disarmament and the

resettlement of populations, among other actions.

In the particular case of Africa, it is in our

interest to see the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) fully achieved, so that the growth rate of the

entire continent can be aligned with that of the world

economy. The reduction of extreme poverty by 50 per

cent by 2015, as foreseen by the United Nations, must

be accompanied by a decisive fight against hunger and

disease, including HIV/AIDS and other endemic

scourges. The effectiveness of these actions depends,

however, on complementary achievements, such as

fairer trade with developed countries, greater fluidity

in the transfer of capital, official development

assistance and forgiveness of foreign debt.

In recent years, significant progress has been

made in the reform of the United Nations system. It is

nevertheless important to continue to move forward in

that process, especially in regard to the Security

Council, with the objective of strengthening the

authority and the effectiveness of the Organization and

making it more representative, more democratic and

more participatory in the areas of international security,

development and human rights.

In spite of criticism and some known failures, the

United Nations remains the only institution at the

international level with the prestige and credibility to

resolve inter-State conflicts and crises that, due to their

dimensions, escape the control of the authorities of a

State or endanger its population.

The United Nations-led fight against

conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological

weapons and landmines, in addition to the

peacekeeping and humanitarian operations of the Blue

Helmets in many regions, have contributed to greater

world security. In that regard, it is important to

strengthen the monitoring of the implementation of the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT), so as to move towards a global disarmament

process and discourage a new arms race. It is also

urgent to relaunch the Middle East peace process in a

committed and comprehensive manner, for the Middle

East remains unstable and the source of a constant

threat to world peace.

A recurring theme in the Assembly’s agenda is

the embargo against Cuba. It is imperative to put an

end once and for all to the economic, trade and

financial embargo imposed by the United States of

America, as it violates the principles of international

law and Chapters I and II of the United Nations

Charter. Angola hopes that the United Nations will

state its view on this matter and remain faithful to the

core of its Charter, according to which all actions must

be the result of a debate and a collective decision, thus

excluding unilateralism.

The challenges that lie ahead of us entail a

constructive dialogue among all the countries involved,

especially among heads of State and Government, who

will have to overcome possible differences and

impediments and will have to find middle ground

between the possible and the desirable, between

boldness and realism.

We believe that through joint action, the

promotion of dialogue among civilizations and the

revitalization of the spirit of international solidarity, it

will be possible to build a better world for all. A world

of peace, based on justice and the rule of law, without

weapons of war and without dangerous pollution is a

safer world. Its construction depends entirely on the

political will of all States Members of the United

Nations, especially the permanent members of the

Security Council. Let us all unite our forces for a better

world for all.