Gabon, 2001



I would like to begin by congratulating the President

on his outstanding election to the presidency of the

General Assembly at this session. His election reflects

the recognition by the international community of the

place and the role that the Republic of Korea, a great

friend of Gabon, plays in the world and particularly in

Asia. I would like to assure him of our full cooperation

during his period of office.

To his predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland,

I express the satisfaction of my delegation for the

excellent work done in the course of the last session.

And to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, I

would like to reaffirm the highest appreciation of the

Government and the head of State of Gabon, His

Excellency El Hadj Omar Bongo, for the dedication

and determination with which he has endeavoured to

make a reality of the ideals of peace, justice and

welfare contained in the United Nations Charter. The

Nobel Peace Prize, which has just been awarded to him

as well as to the United Nations, is eloquent testimony

to the work being done by the United Nations system to

promote peace and build a more prosperous world. He

can rest assured of Gabon’s support for his efforts in

the service of the United Nations.

It is little more than a year ago that the heads of

State and Government of the Member States of the

United Nations met here in New York at the historic

Millennium Summit. On that occasion, they laid down

the guidelines for the future work of the international

community and reaffirmed their commitment to the

purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of our

Organization. The Millennium Summit thus enabled

our nations to renew their commitment to act in unity

and solidarity in order to take up the numerous

challenges facing the world.

The tragedy which took place on 11 September

2001 in the United States of America has, more than

ever, strengthened our determination to combat

international terrorism. We must put an end to it by all

possible means — military, diplomatic and political. It

is for this reason that Gabon unreservedly supports

Security Council resolutions 1368 (2001) and 1373

(2001) as well as the adoption of a comprehensive

convention on terrorism.

There is no possible doubt that the coalition

which has been created will be victorious in the fight

against terrorism. In this surge of solidarity, the

international community must, in parallel, find

appropriate responses to the world problems that can

serve as a pretext for certain radical groups. There is an

urgent need to act to find solutions to the conflicts and

economic and social problems of our time.

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As far as armed conflicts are concerned, we are

convinced that if illicit trafficking in small arms and

light weapons could be ended, it would be easier to

arrive at a prompt and lasting settlement. The

implementation by everyone of the recommendations

of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in

Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held

here in New York last July, would enable us to reach

that goal.

Faithful to the commitment of President Omar

Bongo, Gabon remains committed to and involved in

efforts to restore peace in the world, particularly in

Africa. Here, I would like to express our satisfaction at

the return of peace to Congo (Brazzaville) following a

national dialogue involving all parties, under the

auspices of the international mediator. The stability

which has been restored to this brother country has

made possible the voluntary return of the numerous

Congolese refugees from my country to their homes

since August, thanks to excellent cooperation between

the High Commissioner for Refugees, the Gabonese

authorities and the Congolese authorities. Similarly, we

welcome the significant progress that has been made in

the Burundi peace process, which on 1 November 2001

culminated in the establishment of a transitional

government.

I would like to pay deserved tribute to former

President Nelson Mandela for the dedication and

determination with which he conducted the process to

that important stage. For his part, the President of the

Gabonese Republic will, at the request of the members

of the Burundi Peace Initiative, pursue his efforts with

a view to consolidating the peace process in that

country.

Concerning the situation in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, we welcome the important

efforts already undertaken in establishing the United

Nations peacekeeping mission. We earnestly hope that

the Johannesburg phase will make possible the start of

an effective inter-Congolese dialogue.

The situation in the Middle East, because of the

threat it presents to international peace and security, is

also a source of deep concern. I therefore urge the

parties to resume negotiations, the only way to arrive at

a lasting peace.

At the very moment when the process of

globalization of financial markets and trade is affecting

every aspect of the life of our societies, one must

recognize that an ever-growing number of the world’s

peoples risk being marginalized if concrete measures

are not taken on their behalf. The international

community therefore needs to mobilize new and

additional resources to enable them to narrow

considerably the gap separating them from others. The

forthcoming International Conference on Financing for

Development, scheduled for March 2002 at Monterrey,

Mexico, accordingly arouses great hopes. If this

important conference is well prepared, it will help us to

satisfy these legitimate expectations.

Leaders have understood that Africa holds the

key to its own development. The creation of the

African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s

Development are part of this logic. Much remains to be

done for development to blossom, but the foundations

have already been laid. To achieve full success,

however, Africa needs the assistance of the United

Nations and the international community.

Another question vital to our planet’s future at the

beginning of the third millennium is that of the

protection and preservation of the environment. The

World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is

to be held in Johannesburg from 2 to 11 September

2002, will provide us a further opportunity to evaluate

the progress made in implementing policies reflecting

the commitments we undertook in Rio de Janeiro 10

years ago. What conclusions will we be able to draw as

to the implementation of Agenda 21? What chance of

success will we be prepared to give the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change and the

Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations Convention to

Combat Desertification in Those Countries

Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification,

and the Convention on Biodiversity? In other words,

what we must do is to respond more simply and

directly to the issue of the choices and concessions we

are prepared to make to be able to pass on to future

generations a preserved environment that is similar to

the heritage we ourselves received from our fathers.

Any efforts made by the countries of Africa to

ensure better economic growth will be in vain if no

large-scale effort is mounted against such diseases as

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and, not to be

forgotten, arterial hypertension, which is another of the

main causes of death in Africa. There is therefore an

urgent need to implement the United Nations

recommendations on AIDS, particularly with regard to

care, support and treatment. There is also an urgent

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need to make operational the special Trust Fund

created for that purpose.

At a time when the United Nations, and in

particular the Security Council — the body primarily

responsible for the maintenance of peace in the

world — is increasingly called upon to take on the

numerous challenges posed by the third millennium,

the matter of reforming that body continues to be

highly relevant. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive how a

continent like Africa can be without permanent

representation on the Council.

The reality of today’s world, divided between

universalism and particular interests and identities,

clearly illustrates that humanity is still searching for

harmony and unity. That is why we are firmly

convinced that a solution to the concerns I have just

mentioned is to be found in the international

community’s promotion of the virtues of dialogue and

solidarity, which are the pillars of the new humanism.

Without respect for those values, the dream cherished

by the founders of our Organization to build a peaceful

and united world will remain a chimera. Working

towards establishing a new humanity free from

selfishness, hatred, passions and injustice must

constitute our common concern.