Comoros, 2001

On

behalf of the Comorian delegation, which I have the

honour to lead, and on my own behalf, I offer you, Sir,

our warmest congratulations on your election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at this session. We

express the ardent hope that our work, under your

enlightened leadership, will be successful.

My delegation and I pay a ringing tribute to your

predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri, for the excellent

manner in which he led the work of the previous

session. As to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan,

I praise the merits of that man of such great talent and

exemplary wisdom, and I also pay tribute to his

dedication to the service of our world Organization.

The Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to him,

together with our Organization, is concrete proof of his

outstanding values.

On 11 September, the entire world was plunged

into gloom and anarchy. Terrorist networks defied the

entire international community through their

reprehensible attacks on American interests here in

New York, this global, hospitable and cosmopolitan

city — this capital of the entire world.

Thus, I cannot fail in my duty to convey, from

this rostrum, the deep sympathy and compassion of the

Government and people of the Comoros to the

American people and Government following those

painful, tragic and most unfortunate events. We offer

our most grief-stricken condolences in particular to the

families of the victims, whose terrible pain we share

following these sudden deaths.

Furthermore, we were deeply moved by the loss

of lives in the aeroplane accident that took place last

Monday here in New York. We extend our sincere

condolences to the Governments and peoples of the

United States and the Dominican Republic and to the

bereaved families.

In the course of the previous session and of the

Millennium Summit, the central role that has been and

must continue to be played by our Organization was

broadly reaffirmed in many statements. The reform of

the main organ responsible for international peace and

security to make it reflect the realities of today’s world

was seen by all to be a priority. Today more than ever

before, that role must be strengthened, because the

United Nations responsibility requires it to be better

equipped fully and effectively to assume it.

In this respect, it is appropriate to point out that

this responsibility is of a different order. Above and all,

it is the responsibility “to save succeeding generations

from the scourge of war”, to cite the expression of the

Charter that governs our institution. This primary

responsibility requires the Organization to ensure the

peace and security of peoples. Today, crises of all sorts

and the precariousness of the cause of peace in many

regions demonstrate the United Nations highly difficult

task in assuming that responsibility. The varied threats

to peace that are spreading throughout the world call

on us to focus greater attention on taking urgent

international action, for no continent is safe from the

danger.

Terrorism is one component of that danger. We

must not allow extremist groups, regardless of their

pretexts, to plunge the world into perpetual psychosis

and to claim millions of innocents as their unfortunate

victims. The attacks of 11 September were a harsh

blow for all of us, a challenge to all mankind. The

Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros therefore

strongly condemned those hateful and barbarous acts,

just as it condemns terrorism in all its forms.

Thus, in the framework of mobilizing efforts to

combat terrorism, the conferences held in Doha and

Dakar last month, in which the Government of the

Comoros played an active role, reified the commitment

of the Arab world and the African continent to this

difficult but necessary struggle. In the same way, the

meeting in Brussels brought the countries of Europe

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together in a manifestation of the continent’s abiding

concern over terrorism.

In this approach, however, it is first necessary to

define the notion of terrorism by clearly establishing

what constitutes State, group and individual terrorism.

We must then distinguish between terrorist acts and the

legitimate claims of certain peoples to their right to

self-determination, which indubitably cannot be

exercised without confrontation, since it is often met

with resistance and even oppression. Finally, it is

essential that we in no way confuse terrorism with

Islam, since we know, on the one hand, that every

terrorist act is the expression of an extremism that is by

no means linked to a given religion or nation, and that,

on the other, Islam is known for its great tolerance and

openness, advocating love of one’s fellow man, peace

and solidarity.

With respect to my country, the Islamic Federal

Republic of the Comoros, the concern of our highest

authorities vis-à-vis this problem has led them to

establish a national mechanism to combat terrorism,

which has been placed under the leadership of the

Prime Minister. In January 2000, my country also

signed the International Convention for the

Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. In addition

to such national commitments on the part of every one

of our countries, it is clear that we will need to engage

in international action by joining regional and

continental forces to fight this scourge, which threatens

world peace and destabilizes the economies of our

countries.

This requires an objective political reading of the

situation prevailing in areas of tension throughout the

world. From that perspective, the situation in the

occupied Arab territories, among other problems, calls

for our attention today. The Palestinian people has the

same right as every other nation on Earth to life,

happiness, prosperity, peace and security. That is why,

in respect for the law and in order to reach a just,

lasting and definitive solution to this problem, the

Comorian Government believes that an independent

Palestinian State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,

is necessary. From another point of view, the United

Nations has the responsibility to safeguard the welfare

of peoples. That entails guaranteeing the conditions for

a better life by protecting fundamental human rights.

Indeed, the serious diseases affecting our

countries, in particular the developing ones; difficult

access to better education and health care; the famine

that afflicts several regions of the world; the

deterioration of our environment; and the violation of

human rights remain the major challenges to our

millennium. Some of these evils, such as famine,

serious disease and the extreme poverty afflicting many

countries, are in themselves very eloquent

manifestations of a gap between North and South that

we will ultimately have to bridge.

As to disease, AIDS is at the heart of our

discussions and concerns, because it kills, empties

entire regions and every year creates millions of

orphans whose future is bleak. Thus, in the Islamic

Federal Republic of the Comoros, despite a relatively

low rate of incidence, the Government remains aware

that the country’s geographical position and the

prevalence of tourism in our island subregion are

factors that could contribute to the rapid spread of the

disease, given the influx of tourists and seasonal

holiday-makers.

That is why our Government is devoted to

making the national programme against AIDS a useful

tool by giving it, as much as possible, the appropriate

means, with the undeniable help of the World Health

Organization and Joint United Nations Programme on

HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The commitment of the

Government of Comoros to this fight against AIDS is

also expressed by its participation in all regional or

international measures to this effect. Thus, a delegation

from Comoros, led by His Excellency Mr. Hamada

Madi Boléro, the Prime Minister, took part last June in

the special session of the General Assembly on AIDS,

held in this city. The recommendations from that

session were borne in mind by our national authorities.

Speaking of diseases, I should not overlook

malaria, which still affects many regions. In Comoros,

it affects all layers of society and becomes a source of

major concern for the national authorities. This is why,

beyond the national provisions within the framework of

the national strategy to fight malaria, my country

welcomes the initiative to proclaim the period 2001-

2010 the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Africa.

I spoke earlier about the gap that separates

economies of the North from those of the South. From

this point of view, the Third United Nations

Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in

Brussels in May 2001, is of particular interest for our

countries, and we count on more resolute commitment

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from all of us, rich and poor countries, so that the

recommendations made on that occasion and those that

will be adopted within the framework of the conference

that is currently being held in Doha, in Qatar, will lead

to positive changes and lay a solid basis for sustainable

and effective development by revitalizing our

economies.

Our peoples expect much from our Organization,

recognized as offering the best framework to guarantee

the fundamental rights of all. This is why, confident in

the United Nations to ensure the respect for unity and

territorial integrity of our respective countries, the

Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros urges our

Organization to consider the legitimate claim of the

Chinese Government with respect to the reintegration

of the Chinese province of Taiwan in its natural entity.

My country, especially sensitive to this problem, as we

ourselves have had a painful secessionist experience,

believes firmly in the need to find swift solutions to

this type of situation, which could undermine the

stability of regions.

The Millennium Summit prompted great hopes,

which we must turn into reality, in order to thus

recognize all the importance that it has in the eyes of

humanity. This means that there should be a follow-up

of the recommendations made on this occasion. We can

only strongly wish that everyone will take due account

of the true diagnosis made of our world in order to seek

together the appropriate remedies.

Everyone’s interest and survival depends on this,

because when our neighbour’s peace is threatened, no

one is safe; likewise, as long as hunger, disease,

ignorance, violence, injustice and poverty still subsist

in certain regions, they will be a cause of shame for all

humanity and a potential threat to peace and stability.

A year after the last session, during which I spoke

from this high rostrum on, among other points, the

general situation that prevailed in my country, the

Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros, I would like

to speak about certain aspects of the way the situation

is evolving. I am pleased to announce today that the

process of national reconciliation, led by the Head of

State of my country, His Excellency Colonel Azali

Assoumani, in which he opted for direct dialogue with

our brothers from the island of Anjouan, is making

progress daily.

Indeed, at the present time, a draft constitution,

which would govern the future of the whole of the

Comoros, has just been handed to the Head of State

and will be submitted to a referendum before the end of

this year. All of the political parties took part in

drafting this document, and we also benefited from the

assistance of the entire international community,

including the Organization of African Unity, the

Organization of la Francophonie and the League of

Arab States with respect to expertise in constitutional

law.

Alongside these efforts, provisions are being

made to prepare the upcoming elections, for which the

international community, through the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) and the European

Union, will also provide considerable technical

assistance.

In this transitional phase towards the

establishment of new institutions, the Government of

Comoros is not sparing any effort to improve the

current conditions in order to allow our population to

lead a decent and acceptable life. These significant

efforts must of course be supported by the international

community in order to help the social sectors in

difficulty. The great challenge for our Government, in

addition to this reconstruction now under way, remains

the achievement of harmonious social and economic

development.

This is why, on behalf of the Government of

Comoros, I launch an urgent appeal to the entire

international community to continue to provide its

valuable support in this period of national

reconciliation for the reconstruction and establishment

of institutions.

The secessionist crisis did not make us lose sight

of the problem of the Comoran island of Mayotte,

which is a major concern for the people and

Government of my country. This island of Comoros,

administered by France, is completely cut off from the

rest of the archipelago, thus limiting the free movement

of people and goods among islands and leading to

considerable human loss for people who want to reach

their families in Mayotte.

While the Government of Comoros is confident

of the willingness of the French authorities to

cooperate fully with their Comoran counterparts in

order to find a lasting and negotiated solution to the

problem of the Comoran island of Mayotte, we

reiterate our desire to see the international community

take part in this approach, out of respect for the law

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and in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the

United Nations that admitted Comoros to the United

Nations, once the new Comoran entity is set up to

allow the return of Mayotte to its natural fold.

Lastly, I would like to extend our profound and

sincere thanks to our fraternal countries and friends, to

the partners of Comoros that accompanied us in every

way they could, in the search for a lasting solution to

the crisis that has shaken our country and is still

present in our struggle to preserve and perpetuate the

precious gains that we have made from the change of

30 April 1999. May all the crises that are affecting the

world today see a fortunate conclusion in the interest of

our peoples.