Comoros, 2007

Echoing previous eminent speakers at this rostrum, on behalf of

my country, the Union of the Comoros, and on my own

behalf, it is a genuine pleasure to address our warm

congratulations to the President on his brilliant

assumption of the presidency of the sixty-second

session of this Assembly. It is a pleasure likewise to

address our warmest congratulations to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for the effective manner in

which he has carried out his duties in this world

undergoing vast change, which requires increased

commitment by our Organization. May I also extend

our sincere thanks to the American Government and to

the leaders of this magnificent city of New York for the

fine preparations that they have made to receive and

welcome us here.

The situations of conflict that claim innocent

victims in the Middle East, in Darfur, in Somalia

and in so many other regions where hotbeds of tension

erupt appeal to our collective conscience and call

for urgent measures for calm and for the resolution of

such problems. My Government endorses any action

taken by the international community, particularly the

African Union and the United Nations, in seeking

solutions to these problems, which are a source of

concern for the whole world.

The world has reason to be concerned. Fear and

uncertainty have become widespread, within both

developed and developing countries. Paradoxically,

science and technology have never been so effective.

The world has never been so rich, nor has it displayed

such great profits.

Today, the countries of the South are

overwhelmed by the burden of debt, civil war,

insecurity, destitution, precariousness and endemic

disease. Therefore, security and harmony in this world

call for greater solidarity and greater humanism.

The international community should thus

emphasize development assistance to help the small

countries to meet environmental challenges,

particularly the effects of climate change, degradation

of the ecosystem and desertification. Such solidarity

should also be forthcoming in combating other

scourges affecting our countries, most specifically

HIV/AIDS, malaria and all other diseases that decimate

our peoples and impede our development.

In addition, yet another scourge besets the world,

and that is terrorism, which recognizes no borders. Nor

does it recognize race or religion in its unspeakable

cowardice and blindness. We should do everything

possible to ensure that it can no longer flourish on

poverty and prosper on the weakest links of the world

chain.

Also, we must ensure that fanaticism and

intolerance can no longer impose their law on the

world and destroy humankind. Indeed, in bolstering

tolerance and respect for the right to difference and for

the dignity of every people, we will avoid possible

setbacks, attacks on human rights and the amalgam of

terrorism and particular religions or regions. In this

way, we will be successful in guaranteeing lasting

peace, stability, security and development, because it

would be an illusion to speak of such ideals in a world

of poverty, where economic development and the

well-being of each and every individual have not yet

been achieved.

Moreover, at this midpoint on the way to the

deadline of 2015 set for the Millennium Development

Goals, while notable progress has been achieved, full

achievement of these objectives depend to a large

extent, on international solidarity and respect for the

various commitments entered into by the wealthiest

countries.

The reform of our Organization is more necessary

than ever to ensure that it is fully representative and

better reflects its universal nature. Thus, Africa and all

other regions of the world should be appropriately

represented within the Organization in order to more

effectively embody the principle of equality of States

within this great concert of nations.

The President took the Chair.

Allow me to take this exceptional opportunity to

present some insight into the situation in my country,

the Union of the Comoros.

Since assuming the highest office, I have

endeavoured, with my Government, to give effect to

the commitments made to the people of the Comoros

and to the international community in connection with

respect for human rights, the rule of law and good

governance, particularly through the restoration of a

system of justice that should serve as a model, the

struggle against corruption, the struggle against

insalubrious housing and advancing the situation of

women.

In this certainly very ambitious endeavour, I rely

largely on the people of the Comoros themselves to

establish at the national level the conditions necessary

for the success of the mission and task I have set

myself. I am also confident that international solidarity

will continue to increase, to support to a small country

such as ours in confronting the numerous problems that

it encounters daily. Indeed, I would like to express

from this rostrum our gratitude to all the countries and

organizations that support us in this undertaking of

building a nation in the Comoros that is peaceful and

prosperous.

But I have to emphasize that there was a time not

so long ago when the African continent and other

regions of the world were shaken by endless coups

d’état. That illegal, antidemocratic and frequently

violent form of access to power plunged the countries

in question into instability.

It would appear that that time is now passed, with

the advent of democracy and multiparty systems. The

large majority of political forces would appear to

accept democratic succession through free and

transparent consultation of peoples as being the only

acceptable means for acceding to power.

However, another mode of violent political action

continues to exist in developing countries and appears

to be assuming particular importance, namely, the

armed rebellions affecting many countries, including

the Comoros, my country. Armed uprisings are a

source of destabilization and an obstacle to

development efforts. Such uprisings are frequently at

the centre of political and geopolitical interests that

support them, to the detriment of the best interests of

the countries themselves. They benefit from the

explicit or hidden support of internal or external forces

which use them.

My country is not free from this phenomenon.

Indeed, the former Head of the Executive of the island

of Anjouan refuses to hold free and democratic

elections at the end of his term. He is leading an armed

uprising that has attacked the presidency of the Union,

the representation of the Government of the Union in

the island and the contingent of the National

Development Army. The uprising jeopardizes the hopes

for development of the country by causing delays in

repayment of the debt of the Comoros to the

international institutions and hampers the resumption

of investment from abroad. It is for this reason that I

state here our major concern at the political crisis that

we are experiencing.

Therefore, I make a solemn and urgent appeal to

the entire international community to assist us in

establishing lasting stability in the Union of the

Comoros by settling the problem of the uprising that

continues in the autonomous island of Anjouan.

Indeed, all the steps taken by the Government of the

Union have encountered to date the intransigence of

the rebels of Anjouan, who refuse to comply with the

resolutions of the African Union and the

recommendations of the international community

regarding the organization of free and democratic

elections in Anjouan, as occurred in the other two

islands and in respect of the constitutional legality,

particularly, the exercise in Anjouan of legitimate

powers.

From the bottom of my heart, I would wish to

thank all our bilateral and multilateral partners for their

unflagging support in the search for a prompt and final

solution to the crisis that we are experiencing. For all

these partners, I have always demonstrated our

goodwill in seeking to settle the Anjouan crisis by

peaceful means because the important thing is to save

national unity and preserve the people of the Comoros

from anything that might damage our development

efforts.

I take this opportunity also to thank the

authorities of the African Development Bank and all

those instrumental in providing partial debt relief to the

Comoros, with a view to facilitating our economic

recovery.

The Assembly will understand that the Comorian

Government cannot sanction any action that would

establish the Balkanization of our country. The

Comorian people remember only too well the

unfortunate experience regarding the sister island of

Mayotte. Although the one case is a problem within the

Comoros and the other a dispute with France, which is

a friendly country and principal partner of the

Comoros and I stress that fact, France is a friendly

country, a friend and principal partner of the

Comoros both situations involve the disunion of our

country, and we cannot remain indifferent to them.

Over 30 years have passed since the independent

nation of the Comoros was admitted to the United

Nations, within its authentic borders, that is, comprised

of four islands: Ngazidja, Mwali, Ndzouani and Maoré.

During those 30 years, all organizations that have

recognized our independence have unflaggingly

supported the just claim by the Comoros of sovereignty

over the island of Mayotte, a claim upheld by the

successive Governments in Moroni. That is a principle

that the people of the Comoros will never give up, even

if the approach has varied from one administration to

the next. Today, my Government would like, in a calm

atmosphere, to deal with this matter with France,

giving priority to dialogue and consultation. For we

must together find a rapid response to the problem of

the human tragedies caused by the frequent shipwrecks

of makeshift boats transporting on virtually a weekly

basis dozens of Comorians from the other islands who

visit Mayotte to meet with their families. We must

promptly together deal with the inhuman treatment

inflicted on Comorians from the other islands residing

in Mayotte, and we must seek to facilitate the free

movement of goods and persons among all the islands

of the archipelago. Lastly, we must find together a

modus vivendi that reflects particularly the social,

cultural, linguistic, economic, religious and historical

realities that shape the life of all Comorians.

To that end, I am happy to note the convergence

of views with Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the

French Republic, who, during his address to this

Assembly stated,

“I want to say, in the name of France, that there

will be no peace in the world without respect for

diversity, without respect for national identities,

without respect, I venture to say, for religions and

beliefs, or without respect for cultures.

Attachment to one’s faith, to one’s identity, to

one’s language and culture, and to one's way of

life, thought and belief in all that is legitimate,

and profoundly human.

I thus appeal to the United Nations to take on this

matter by working to achieve a closer rapprochement

between the two parties, with a view to a prompt

settlement of the question. I truly believe that together

with the French authorities we can find the ways and

means to move towards a final, just and lawful solution

to this problem.

In the ongoing quest for peace and freedom, I

have a particular thought for those who, throughout the

world, are engaged in struggle and are claiming their

rights to unity and territorial integrity. Thus, from this

rostrum, I would like to renew to our friend the

People’s Republic of China, our commitment to a

policy of a single China, single and indivisible. To our

brother country the Kingdom of Morocco, I would like

to reaffirm our support for its legitimate fight to

recover its territorial integrity.

In conclusion, I hope that peace reigns in our

world, that goodness and good faith win our hearts so

that the people of the world can live in happiness and

in greater solidarity than ever.

I would like to finish with a few words in Arabic.

The Israeli-Arab conflict is the source of tensions

in the Middle East, and the Palestinians in the occupied

Arab territories live in inhuman and tragic economic

conditions because of Israeli practices. The

international community must deal decisively with this

situation by requiring the Israeli authorities to

implement relevant Security Council and General

Assembly resolutions and decisions. Additionally, the

provisions of international law, international

humanitarian law and human rights must be observed.

As we all know, there can be no peace in the Middle

East without a just and lasting solution to the

Palestinian question effected by the withdrawal of

Israel from the Arab territories that it occupied in 1967.

Without the establishment of a viable Palestinian

State, with East Jerusalem with its capital, and the

settlement of the question of refugees on the basis of

the General Assembly resolution of 1949, the conflict

will not be settled. Construction of settlements must be

stopped, the separation wall must be demolished and

Palestinians must be compensated for damage caused

by its construction. I also invite our Palestinian

brothers to renounce division and disintegration and to

engage in dialogue. The international community and

the United Nations must provide swift humanitarian

assistance to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, open

the crossings and dismantle anything that hampers

movement.

We also state our solidarity with our brothers in

Lebanon, and we call for full implementation of

Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), the cessation

of Israeli incursions into Lebanon and withdrawal from

the Sheba’a Farms.

On the subject of Darfur, we give priority to the

peace talks to be held in Libya on 24 October this year.

We hope that all the parties will attend these talks. The

international community must assume its responsibility

and urge the parties to participate in those negotiations,

which we hope will be final and decisive. We also hope

that the African Union mission and character in Darfur

will be respected and that the sovereignty, unity and

territorial integrity of the Sudan will be fully respected.