Guinea, 2003

On

19 August 2003, the international community took a

blow to the body in Baghdad in odious acts that caused

the tragic loss of approximately 20 United Nations

officials, including the lamented Sergio Vieira de

Mello, Special Representative of the Secretary-

General. By attacking a symbol as prestigious as the

United Nations, the forces of evil intended to destroy

the firm resolve of our Organization to carry out its

mission of safeguarding international peace and

security.

Those unspeakable crimes demonstrate once

again the intensity of terrorism in all its forms and

underscore the vital need for the international

community to reaffirm its solidarity in order to find the

ways and means to stamp out this scourge, which

remains one of the greatest threats to humankind’s

harmonious development. My delegation energetically

condemns those vile acts and pays tribute to the

memory of the victims. It renews to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Kofi Annan, the sincere compassion of

the people and Government of Guinea, particularly of

His Excellency General Lansana Conté, President of

the Republic of Guinea.

My delegation also wishes to take this

opportunity to express its deep gratitude to Mr. Annan

for the courage and the effectiveness with which he is

leading the destiny of our Organization. The Republic

of Guinea will be unstinting in its efforts to make its

contribution to the influence of the United Nations,

which, it hardly needs to be said, remains the primary

framework for concerted action in the conduct of

international relations.

I wish to take this opportunity to convey my

delegation’s warmest congratulations to you, Mr.

President on your well-deserved election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth

session. Appreciating your great ability, there can be no

doubt that you will skilfully follow up the work of your

predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan, whose dedication and skill

were greatly appreciated in the course of the previous

session.

Africa, where more than one third of the

population lives in absolute poverty, continues, alas, to

be the scene of fratricidal wars, whose negative effects

undermine the development policies of its States.

Notwithstanding that bitter state of affairs, marked

progress has been made in extinguishing hotbeds of

tension. Hope is reborn in West Africa.

Sierra Leone is being stabilized, thanks to the

active support of the international community, but also,

and above all, thanks to the patriotism of Sierra

Leoneans and the determination of their leaders to

close the book on war. My country, while expressing its

appreciation for the respect shown for the criteria for

the withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in Sierra

Leone (UNAMSIL), takes the view that the success of

that plan also hinges on increased assistance to Sierra

Leone, as well as the effective restoration of State

authority throughout the territory.

In Liberia, with the departure of President

Charles Taylor on 11 August, a new era is becoming

apparent for that country, scarred by 14 years of

fratricidal war, which augurs well for the subregion as

a whole — particularly the Mano River basin, whose

overall development has long been jeopardized. We

wish to pay tribute to the efforts of the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the

United Nations that have made it possible to secure a

ceasefire and to achieve the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement in Accra, thus opening the way for the

establishment of a Government of transition and

national reconciliation. My delegation appeals to the

international community for effective support for the

implementation of the Accra accord, so that Liberians

can finally be reconciled among themselves and can

tackle the reconstruction of their country in renewed

democracy.

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The joint action undertaken by ECOWAS, the

United Nations and the development partners to deploy

the multinational force and ensure the maintenance of

peace in Liberia should be supported and welcomed.

The establishment of this stabilization force has proved

vital to facilitate the implementation of the

Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to make it possible

to carry out a disarmament, demobilization and

reintegration programme and to promote the return of

refugees and national reconciliation.

However, my country remains convinced that the

perpetrators of hateful crimes must answer for their

acts. That is why we support unreservedly the decisions

of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in its fight

against impunity. That is a moral and political

requirement.

In Côte d’Ivoire, my delegation urges all the

parties to pursue dialogue to implement effectively the

Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, and thus achieve

national reconciliation.

In Guinea-Bissau, recent developments have

made even more fragile a situation that was already

precarious because of years of political instability and

economic crisis. My delegation appeals for the creation

of better conditions for a rapid return to normal

constitutional life, which is vital to the recovery of that

fraternal country.

Guinea attaches great importance to the

restoration of lasting peace in our subregion. It has

paid a heavy price in terms of instability, whose

negative consequences have impeded its progress.

Despite a particularly difficult economic situation

marked by the drastic drop in bauxite and aluminium

prices and the soaring price of petroleum, Guinea

continues to tackle the burden of refugees and

displaced persons. I wish to reiterate the Guinean

Government’s appeal to the donor community for

increased assistance in managing refugees and

displaced persons and for strengthening the capacity of

our country to pursue its programme to combat poverty

while consolidating its democratic achievements.

I would like to address the situation in the Great

Lakes region, where there are promising prospects. In

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the

humanitarian crisis in the eastern part, considerable

progress has been made, particularly in the context of

the disengagement of foreign armed forces and current

demobilization and reintegration operations. We hope

that the Transitional Government of National Unity

will do its utmost to preserve the territorial integrity of

the country and to promote a return to normal

constitutional life.

My delegation appeals to the international

community to support the United Nations Organization

Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

(MONUC) with the resources necessary to carry out its

mandate, which has been enhanced by Security Council

resolution 1493 (2003).

In Burundi, my delegation welcomes the

encouraging results in the implementation of the

Arusha Agreement and calls on all parties to put an end

to hostilities to strengthen the peace, which is still

fragile, and to promote humanitarian assistance.

In the Central African Republic, my delegation

appreciates the commitment of the new authorities to

promote the return to constitutional legality in the

context of consensual management.

In the Horn of Africa, the permanent and binding

commitment of Ethiopia and Eritrea concerning the

delimitation of borders is a prelude to the return to

peace between the two countries. With regard to

Somalia, my delegation hopes that the Mbagathi

Conference in Kenya will make it possible to overcome

past contradictions and restore comprehensive

everlasting peace.

I cannot fail to address the thorny question of the

Western Sahara, which has mobilized the energies of

the international community for decades. The Republic

of Guinea, which has always advocated a peaceful

settlement of the issue, remains convinced of the urgent

need for a political settlement under the auspices the

United Nations — the only body that can guarantee a

fair and lasting solution that is mutually acceptable to

all parties.

The future of our continent is closely bound up

with international peace and security, and so we will

continue to express our profound concern about

conflicts that cause upheavals in other parts of the

world.

First, in the Middle East, the appointment of

Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the publication of the

Quartet’s road map and the establishment of a

unilateral cease-fire by the Palestinian armed groups

had given us grounds for hope. These hopes,

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unfortunately, are threatened by the resumption of the

cycle of violence. We have together a historic duty to

salvage peace. The international community and the

Quartet must do everything to give a fresh impetus to

the dialogue between the parties. For their part,

Palestinians and Israelis have the obligation to honour

their respective commitments, in order to win mutual

trust.

My delegation is convinced that a comprehensive

and lasting settlement of the crisis in the Middle East

necessarily involves tackling the Lebanese and Syrian

aspects and the implementation of the relevant

resolutions of the Security Council. Guinea, which has

always been at the forefront in defending legitimate

struggles for just causes, hails the historic role of

President Yasser Arafat in restoring the inalienable

rights of the martyred people of Palestine. Here we

reiterate our firm opposition to any attempt to

undermine his political or physical integrity, and once

again send him our sympathy and support. We also

encourage the new Prime Minister of Palestine, Mr.

Ahmed Qorei, to do his utmost to create favourable

conditions for dialogue aiming at a durable resolution

of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On the question of Iraq, which is going through a

phase that is crucial for its future, my delegation

encourages the United Nations to continue and

strengthen its peace mission and its mission of

reconstruction and humanitarian assistance so that the

Iraqis can quickly take charge of their country’s destiny

in unity and democracy.

With regard to Afghanistan, the international

community needs to step up its assistance, particularly

in the area of security and development assistance, so

as to give support to the Transitional Administration, in

implementation of the Bonn Agreement.

My delegation urges on the Korean peninsula the

parties to pursue their efforts to achieve the peaceful

and independent reunification of the two Koreas and to

settle the nuclear issue by dialogue.

The Guinean Government reaffirms its

commitment to the principle of a single China. It

welcomes the efforts being made by the People’s

Republic of China to safeguard international peace and

security.

Concerning the crisis in Cyprus, whose resolution

is still bogged down, in spite of the Secretary-General’s

determination, we appeal to the parties to show

political will, so that they may return to the negotiating

table on the basis of the revised plan.

Poverty, armed conflicts, weapons of mass

destruction, terrorism, organized transnational crime

and violations of human rights and international

humanitarian law, continue to be major obstacles to

peace, security and development. Safeguarding

international peace and security depends on our

commitment to eradicating the proliferation of small

arms and light weapons, as well as mercenary

activities, all of which fuel conflicts, particularly in

Africa.

This is all the more true since in July, in this very

Hall, Member States were able, at the First Biennial

Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of

the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent,

Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms

and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, were able to

gauge the devastating effects of light weapons, whose

major victims, unfortunately, continue to be women

and children. My delegation reiterates the appeal by the

Economic Community of West African States

(ECOWAS) for adequate financial assistance to

effectively implement the moratorium on small arms

and light weapons. It also calls for effective

implementation of Security Council resolution 1467

(2003), adopted at the end of the workshop organized

by my country when it held the presidency of the

Council in March 2003, on the theme “Proliferation of

small arms and light weapons and mercenary activities:

threats to peace and security in West Africa.”

Mindful of their primary responsibilities for the

recovery of the continent, African leaders are

continuing their efforts in implementing the New

Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)

effectively. The commitments undertaken at the second

summit of African Union heads of State at Maputo are

part of this process. Guinea welcomes the support of

the international community, particularly the G-8

countries for the African Union and its programme,

NEPAD. We also welcome the initiatives taken by

development partners to increase public assistance,

relieve debt and provide for improved access to

markets.

Guinea welcomes also the useful arrangements

planned by the United States, the European Union and

Japan to combat the HIV/AIDS, malaria and

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tuberculosis pandemics, as well as food insecurity.

These efforts, which we encourage, were undoubtedly

strengthened by the recent agreement at the World

Trade Organization (WTO) enabling the poorest

countries to have access to generic drugs and thus to

tackle the health tragedy of 6 million deaths annually

as a result of those three pandemics alone.

My delegation, however, regrets the lack of

consensus at Cancún at the Fifth Ministerial

Conference of the WTO. We remain convinced that the

international community will continue the debate,

aiming at further integration of the weaker economies

into the world trading system. We need to do our

utmost to ensure that globalization is better managed

and less iniquitous. The common good must be at the

heart of our concerns.

The path ahead of us is still long and full of

pitfalls. The midterm review shows that, at least as far

as Africa is concerned, there is not great optimism abut

achieving the objectives of the Millennium

Declaration. We hope that the spirit of solidarity which

is still developing at the level of the international

community can be translated into tangible acts and

galvanize everyone to action, so that future generations

will acknowledge our struggle to ensure the

development of humankind. In order to achieve this,

we must reaffirm our unity and promote multilaterism

to enable our common Organization to tackle the

challenges of peace, security and social and economic

progress.

The latest developments in the international

situation have demonstrated the extent to which the

United Nations is still the unique framework for

consultation and concerted action in the management

of world affairs. Strengthening the role and capacities

of the United Nations is therefore more than ever

essential in order to provide fair, lasting and equitable

solutions to issues of major importance. My delegation

appreciates the efforts to reform the United Nations

and revitalize the work of the General Assembly.

In this regard, we support the recommendation of

the Secretary-General concerning the setting up of a

high-level panel to propose ways to strengthen the

United Nations by reforming its institutions.

All these steps to help improve the effectiveness

of the Organization must of course be underpinned by a

genuine reform of the Security Council so as to make

its membership more representative. This will make it

possible to enhance its transparency and give all States,

large and small, the opportunity to find a voice there

and thus make their due contribution to the building of

a renewed world.