Republic of the Congo, 2002

This

session of the General Assembly is beginning in a

context that is still deeply affected by the memory of

the painful events that struck the United States, and

especially our host city, just a year ago. So I shall

begin by paying tribute to the memory of the victims of

the attacks of 11 September 2001. This sacrifice is a

cruel reminder of how fragile our world remains,

exposed to the most unimaginable threats. Humankind

needs solidarity, and the Congolese people reaffirms

here, through me, its solidarity with the people of the

United States.

The election of Mr. Jan Kavan to preside over the

work of the fifty-seventh session is a tribute to his

beautiful country, the Czech Republic, and to his

reputation as an outstanding statesman whose

experience and knowledge will inspire and guide our

work.

To Mr. Han Seung-soo, President of the Assembly

at its fifty-sixth session, we express our earnest thanks

for his excellent work. Likewise, we express to the

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, our profound

gratitude and our wishes for success in the noble

mission that he is brilliantly carrying out at the head of

the Organization. Finally, we welcome and

congratulate the Swiss Confederation on the occasion

of its admission to the Organization. Undoubtedly, that

is a major event for the United Nations, which thereby

continues to increase its effectiveness.

Two years ago, during the Millennium Summit,

held in this Hall, the international expressed its wish to

see established throughout the world a climate of peace

and security favouring broad prospects for international

cooperation, with a view to sustained world

development. During that historic meeting, the world's

leaders adopted a Declaration whose ambitions were

commensurate with the high stakes. In particular, they

committed themselves to reducing by half by the year

2015 the proportion of the world's population living in

conditions of extreme poverty.

Since the Millennium Summit, the international

community has convened a number of meetings whose

objective was to improve the lives of our peoples

through policies of shared management, of solidarity

and of preserving the future in various areas involving

the responsibility of our States. We should periodically

evaluate our progress, and the current session offers us

that opportunity.

The absence of peace war and insecurity is

gravely undermining humanity. Unfortunately, no

region in the world has been spared. Because of

irrationality, the Middle East, a veritable powder keg,

is unravelling before us. The international community

must become further involved in the talks between

Palestinian and Israelis in order to put an end to the

cycle of violence that has ravaged that part of the world

for so long.

Our own subregion, which covers the Economic

Community of Central African States over which we

preside longs for peace and security. Having

suffered years of war and instability, Central Africa has

only one desire: to emerge quickly from this infernal

cycle. In that connection, we should firmly seize every

opportunity available to us in order permanently to

reverse old trends.

In Angola, the 4 April 2002 signing of a

Memorandum of Understanding as an addendum to the

Lusaka Protocol offers a glimmer of hope. We welcome

the signing of that agreement and, in the same spirit,

make an earnest appeal to the international community

to give its full support to the populations of those

countries faced with dire poverty.

The situation in Burundi remains worrisome

despite the formation of a Government of national

unity. We ask the parties to go even further and to

begin honest negotiations that could give South African

mediation, which we encourage, every chance of

success.

With regard to the Democratic Republic of the

Congo, we welcome the peace Agreement of 30 July

2002, signed in Pretoria between the heads of State of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of Rwanda.

We also see as a positive development the agreement

reached a few days ago in Luanda between the

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. By the

same token, we encourage the efforts of the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General for the

Democratic Republic of the Congo aimed at concluding

an inclusive agreement involving all the sons and

daughters of that brotherly country.

In the light of the foregoing, I should like to ask

the Assembly to devote all necessary attention to the

activities of the United Nations Standing Advisory

Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa.

That Committee has just held its 18th ministerial

meeting, in Bangui, Central African Republic, and will

report to the Assembly during the current session. Its

recommendations deserve broad support from the

international community. Central Africa needs to

regain peace and stability in order to play the major

role warranted by its immense potential.

Most of the conflicts that afflict our planet have

their roots in the extreme poverty from which

populations especially in developing countries

are suffering. Their poverty is marked by

underdevelopment, with all its evil effects, which

prevent them from adapting to the new context of the

international economy.

It is with the goal of stopping the cycle of dire

poverty that Africa has established, along with the new

African Union, an original plan for its development:

the New Partnership for Africa's Development

(NEPAD). NEPAD is Africa's contribution to assisting

in its own development. This development choice

shares the spirit of the new partnership defined in

March 2002 by the Monterrey Consensus and the goals

of the Rome World Food Summit and of the

Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable

Development.

Since 15 October 1997, when the transition

period in Congo began, my country has been facing

major challenges.

The first of these challenges to conclude the

transition and the electoral process has been met.

This political development, in spite of the setbacks and

difficulties encountered, has led, thanks to the

determination of the Congolese people, to the

establishment this year of new democratic institutions

following free and fair general elections.

The achievement of that first objective has given

us ample opportunity better to take up the other

challenges and priorities ahead of us, namely the

strengthening of peace and security, the consolidation

of national unity and democracy, the promotion of

human rights, economic reconstruction, and the

revitalization of international cooperation.

Our determination to engage in active and

dynamic international cooperation is reflected in

particular in our effective participation in Central

African activities through the Economic and Monetary

Community of Central African States and the

Economic Community of Central African States, of

which Congo holds the presidency; in our vision of a

common future for the peoples of the subregion; and in

our resolute commitment to the Partnership for Africa's

Development.

It is with great pleasure and conviction that I

convey to the Assembly the optimism and high hopes

of the Congo a State that has reclaimed its place in

the community of nations and intends to keep it. It

wishes to serve as a genuine haven of peace, well-

being, prosperity and modernity for current and future

generations.

It is with current and, in particular, future

generations in mind that we have resolved, along with

five other Central African States, to wage a widespread

campaign to preserve forests, animal life and

biodiversity in the Congo River Basin.

We welcome the determination of the United

States of America, France, Germany, Great Britain,

Japan and South Africa, as well as that of major

international organizations, specialized non-

governmental organizations and forestry companies to

take an active part in what we call the Congo Basin

Initiative.

It is also with the goal of speeding up the

implementation of the objectives of sustainable

development and of a healthy environment that my

12

country is committed to acceding, in the coming

months, to the Kyoto Protocol.

The Congo hopes to be a State that unreservedly

abides by the universal principles and values of human

rights, peace, fundamental freedoms and good

governance.

There can be no doubt that this vision is shared

by all of our States. It is the basis our of Organization,

whose principal objective is to work for peace and

freedom throughout the world.

The United Nations must tirelessly and resolutely

work daily for the triumph of peace and freedom. Let

us not forget this. We cannot forget that the United

Nations was create to save succeeding generations

from the scourge of war'. It was created essentially for

peace.