Cameroon, 2006

I should like, on behalf of my delegation, to

say how delighted we are to see you, Madam, the

representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a friendly

country, presiding over the General Assembly at its

sixty-first session. I would like to assure you of our

sincere wishes for your success. You can rest assured

that my delegation will fully cooperate with you.

I would also like to pay tribute to the Kingdom of

Sweden, a friendly country whose Minister for Foreign

Affairs, Mr. Jan Eliasson, presided over the General

Assembly at its sixtieth session in such an outstanding

manner. Major progress was made during that session.

Finally, I should like to extend to Montenegro a

warm welcome to the family of the peoples of the

United Nations.

This session of the General Assembly is taking

place at a time when the world is once again facing

major challenges. I am thinking in particular of the

upsurge of terrorism, which threatens the security of

States and our collective security. I am also thinking of

the persistence of underdevelopment and the almost

endemic poverty in the countries of the South. I am

thinking, too, of pandemics of all kinds, including

HIV/AIDS. Finally, I am thinking of cross-border

organized crime.

Our world and our Organization need more

generosity, more solidarity, more ethical behaviour and

more tolerance, but also more courage and more

imagination to tackle these challenges, which require a

global approach in the multilateral context in which the

United Nations is the forum par excellence.

06-53958 18

Opinions are being expressed in various quarters

deploring the inability of the Organization to respond

adequately to the fundamental aspirations of the

world’s people, while some also believe that the

Organization has become obsolete. Cameroon would

like to reaffirm that it believes that, despite the

inevitable shortcomings inherent in an organization of

such size, the United Nations is today, more than ever

before, the only institution that can bring about

consensus in an effort to ease tension and find

solutions. Very simply put, there is no substitute for the

United Nations in managing in a coherent manner the

problems to which I have referred.

In that regard, I would like to pay special tribute

to the work of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I also

wish to convey to him the gratitude of my country and

my personal regard and appreciation for his efforts.

Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, he has

reinvigorated multilateralism in an especially difficult

international environment. Cameroon is proud to have

contributed to the election of this noble son of Africa

following its assumption of the chairmanship of the

Organization of Africa Unity. Today, while peace to

many seems to be but a myth, Africa is truly honoured

that Mr. Kofi Annan has taken his place among the

world’s great peacemakers. In that regard, the Noble

Peace Prize awarded to him was richly deserved.

In an international environment characterized by

difficulties in ensuring that the rule of law prevails

over the use of force, the Secretary-General was

courageously able to promote the voice of reason. In an

environment of heated passions, he succeeded in

delivering a message of peace and brotherhood. Allow

me, by way example in that regard, to refer to his

unequivocal commitment to Cameroon and Nigeria —

two brotherly countries linked by history and

geography — in the peaceful and consensual

implementation of the International Court of Justice

(ICJ) ruling of 10 October 2002 finally resolving the

border dispute between our two countries.

The Greentree Agreement of 12 June 2006,

implemented following the withdrawal of all Nigerian

troops on 14 August 2006, is a credit both to the United

Nations and the personal commitment of the Secretary-

General. I would like to take this opportunity to thank

friendly countries, including the Federal Republic of

Germany, the United States of America, France and the

United Kingdom. Along with the United Nations, those

countries agreed to provide their moral and political

support to the Greentree Agreement, which defined the

modalities for the implementation of the ICJ ruling of

10 October 2002 on the Bakassi Peninsula. More

importantly, they agreed to help us to implement it.

I would also like to reaffirm here and now

Cameroon’s solemn commitment to continue to fulfil in

good faith all its obligations emanating from the

International Court of Justice decision and the

Greentree Agreement. In particular, I would like to

affirm that Nigerian nationals living in Bakassi

desiring to remain there will be treated in the same way

as the 4.5 million Nigerians living in Cameroon, who

are able to live their lives in peace and harmony with

Cameroonians.

That process has taught us that true lasting peace

can never be imposed; it can only be established

through patience and a spirit of compromise. In short,

real lasting peace can only come from genuine joint

political will.

Allow me to highlight some of the many

initiatives undertaken by the United Nations that

reflect the geopolitical developments under way and

the aspirations of people around the world. In that

regard, I would specifically like to refer to the

Millennium Declaration, which is a genuine charter of

international solidarity binding on all of us as an urgent

obligation. In addition, the Organization’s ongoing

attention to Africa is prominently reflected in the

Secretary-General’s report on sustainable development

and the causes of conflict in Africa, a document that

will be an ongoing source of encouragement to our

countries.

I also wish to recall that the Secretary-General

laid the foundations for the reform of the Organization,

which was made necessary in the light of the changes

that have taken place in the world’s balance of power

since the founding of United Nations. I should

therefore now like to say a few words about what has

come to be known as United Nations reform.

The Organization stands no chance of

maintaining its place in world affairs unless it

safeguards its legitimacy. In other words, it must

ensure that its representative character is beyond

reproach. The reform we seek should therefore take

into account the development of the international

system in the course of recent decades. Likewise, it

will no doubt be necessary to modify the role played

by some organs of the United Nations system. In that

19 06-53958

connection, I am thinking in particular of the role of

the International Court of Justice. It is in everyone’s

interest that the reform be properly carried out while

taking into account today’s realities. But however

reform is carried out, I believe that Africa should have

permanent representation in the Security Council. That

is not just a matter of justice, but also one of common

sense.

In order to retain its credibility, the Organization

should resolutely continue to pursue its efforts with

regard to major issues related to peace and

development in the developing world. On the political

level, special attention should be paid to the Middle

East, Darfur and the issue of nuclear proliferation.

With regard to development, the Millennium

Development Goals should be attained within a

reasonable time frame.

In order to avert doubts as to the positive aspects

of trade globalization, the United Nations likewise has

a responsibility to maintain a balance between the

countries of the North and the South in such major

trade negotiations as the now-suspended Doha Round.

Failure in that regard would have disastrous

consequences for Africa.

Finally, our Organization must continue to

safeguard the cultural identity of the various peoples of

the world and to promote a dialogue among cultures

and religions. The sharing of experiences and the

knowledge gained through such an honest and

respectful dialogue will be the best antidote to the

clash of civilizations that some predict as well as a sure

alternative to terrorism and violence.

Over the years, the United Nations has become a

crucial stakeholder in the international arena. I believe

we should all welcome that development because, first

of all, this parliament of nations is the only forum in

which virtually all peoples are represented and where a

blueprint for international democracy is gradually

being drafted. We should welcome it also because —

and this is an important point — the systematic

consideration by our Organization of crises or tensions

gives negotiation a chance and makes the use of force

less likely. True, it has not just been success stories,

but I think that, broadly speaking, the balance sheet is

quite positive. This should prompt us not to begrudge

the United Nations our trust and to give it means

commensurate with its ambitions, its responsibilities

and the expectations we have of it.

For its part, Cameroon will continue to support

all the initiatives of our Organization aimed at

maintaining peace and solidarity among peoples. I need

hardly say that the human person must remain

paramount among our concerns. This, inter alia, will be

the task facing the new Human Rights Council, of

which my country is honoured to be a member.

Our Organization cannot remain indifferent to the

tragedy of the massive migration flows that we have

been witnessing for some time. Clearly this situation

poses a challenge not only to our States but also to the

entire international community, and we must all work

together to strengthen cooperation in this area between

the countries of the North and the countries of the

South.

I believe that, appearances to the contrary — and

although many hotbeds of tension and threat still

remain — the international community seems to be

moving towards greater stability. Credit, to a large

extent, goes to the work done by the United Nations,

its various organs and its staff, who are carrying out

their responsibilities in conditions that are often

difficult, even dangerous.

That is the substance of the message of Mr. Paul

Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon, to the

General Assembly at its sixty-first session.