Mozambique, 2012

It is a great

honour to address the General Assembly. I would like

to join other speakers in congratulating His Excellency

Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election to preside over the

General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I am

sure that his diplomatic experience will contribute to

the success of the work of this session. I assure him

of the full commitment of the Mozambican delegation

to contributing to the success of this session. I

equally congratulate his predecessor, His Excellency

Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar, for

his commitment and dedication in leading the Assembly

at its most recent session.

I would also like to share with the Assembly our

satisfaction at the progress made during the most recent

session’s debate, held under the theme “The role of

mediation in the peaceful resolution of disputes”. That

theme merited special attention by the international

community in various forums and was highlighted by

the adoption, last May, of the Helsinki final document,

which defines the principles regarding the role of

the States in the mediation of disputes. The Helsinki document and the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful

Settlement of International Disputes, adopted in 1982,

which set a precedent for the peaceful resolution of

international disputes, represent a strengthening of the

principles that guide States’ actions in the search for

solutions to disputes through peaceful means.

We salute the timely choice of the theme “Bringing

about adjustment or settlement of international disputes

or situations by peaceful means” for this session, at a

time when various factors are hastening the advent of

conflict. Those factors, both internal and external in

nature, are due to political and/or economic factors.

They include the quest for self-determination, socio-

political exclusion, the use of natural resources, wealth

distribution, border disputes and cultural and religious

intolerance.

Therefore, we believe that conflict resolution

processes should prioritize a holistic approach to

resolving conflict, through a free and ongoing dialogue

among the parties to a conflict, thereby following

universally accepted principles such as dialogue based

on truth and the responsibility of the major stakeholders

at the national, regional and international levels;

participation aimed at reaching real solutions and

sustainable development based on an understanding

of the need to strengthen the synergies between peace,

development and democracy; and the fight against

poverty and promotion of sustainable development.

The importance we attribute to these principles

stems from our experience in a process of reconciliation

and peacekeeping, in which a constant and interactive

dialogue within Mozambican society has allowed for the

consolidation of national unity, peace, development and

the fight against poverty so as to further participatory

democracy.

It is therefore with pride that, on October 4,

Mozambique will celebrate 20 years of peace in

an atmosphere of stability and economic growth,

accomplishments that are the result of an inclusive

dialogue, a process of national reconciliation and our

observance of the principles of democracy, freedom

and justice.

The failure of preventive measures leads us to

resort to mechanisms for conflict management and

resolution. For those mechanisms to be successful, we

need to re-evaluate the mandates of, and conventional

approaches to, peacekeeping operations, given the

underlying changes that have come about in the actual nature of conflict itself since the establishment of the

United Nations. Given the multidimensional nature

of current conflicts, efforts aimed at their prevention,

management and resolution require the cooperation

of various stakeholders at the national, regional and

international levels under Chapter VIII of the United

Nations Charter.

We believe that success in the prevention,

management and resolution of conflicts is directly

linked to an understanding of their nature. The scope

and facilitation of mediation should be extensively

informed by the nature and dynamic of the particular

conflict, so as to allow for a better analysis and effective

action and to ensure that all parties to the conflict take

an integral role in its resolution. In order to pursue

these objectives, focus should be placed on cooperation

with regional and subregional organizations.

We note with concern the persistence of an

environment of tension and instability in Africa,

in particular in Madagascar, the eastern part of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau,

Somalia, the Sudan, South Sudan and Mali.

In the Southern African Development Community

(SADC) region, the various conflict resolution processes

are based on a regional architecture for the prevention,

management and resolution of conflicts. This is

substantiated within the SADC organ for cooperation in

the political, defence and security areas by instruments

that create the conditions for dialogue. To facilitate

its intervention in this area, the SADC organ created

a mediation unit that is based on the participation of

a group of elders who, through their deep knowledge

of the internal dynamics of the countries referred,

have been contributing to peacebuilding, security and

stability in the SADC region.

The SADC Summit of Heads of State and of

Government recently held in Maputo in August

thoroughly examined ways to improve the organization’s

intervention in the prevention, management and

resolution of conflicts. SADC thus reiterated its

commitment to working with the parties to the conflicts

in the Republic of Madagascar, the Democratic

Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zimbabwe

while at the same time reinforcing its partnership with

the international community.

The mediation efforts of SADC for the resolution

of the political deadlock in Madagascar and the SADC

facilitation of the implementation of the comprehensive political agreement in Zimbabwe, continue to make

progress towards the establishment of conditions for

free, fair and credible elections to take place in both

SADC countries.

With regard to Madagascar, the efforts of the

mediation team led by the former President of the

Republic of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, resulted

in the signing by 10 of the 11 political groups in

Madagascar of the SADC road map to end the political

crisis in that country.

In Zimbabwe, the political situation is generally

stable, as the inclusive Government has made

tremendous progress in the socioeconomic and political

areas. The process for the establishment of a new

constitution, which will guide future elections, is at an

advanced stage.

SADC reiterates its appeal for the complete lifting

of the economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in

order to contribute to the country’s economic recovery

and that of other countries in the region, with which

Zimbabwe maintains close economic ties.

However, SADC and the international community

continue to be concerned with the prevailing climate

of instability and the subsequent humanitarian crises

in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the

Congo. Cooperation mechanisms among SADC, the

International Conference on the Great Lakes Region,

the African Union and the United Nations and, above

all, extensive comprehensive internal dialogue among

the Congolese are needed in seeking lasting solutions

to the instability in eastern Democratic Republic of the

Congo.

With regard to Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, as

Chair of the Community of Portuguese-speaking

Countries, continues to be committed to seeking a viable

solution in order to restore constitutional order to that

country through internal dialogue and the coordinated

intervention of the international community. The

people of Guinea-Bissau yearn for peace, stability and

development. They want to be the masters of their own

destiny, which was why they fought for liberation. That

culminated in the country’s independence, whose thirty-

ninth anniversary was celebrated on 24 September.

Regarding Somalia, the Sudan and South Sudan,

Mozambique is delighted by the progress in the

respective political processes. We are confident that such achievements will contribute to lasting peace and

stability in those countries.

We follow with concern the lack of progress in

seeking viable solutions to the political process in

the Middle East. That process is a challenge not only

for the countries involved and for the region, but also

for the world at large, owing to its implications for

international peace and security. We therefore appeal to

all relevant actors to engage in a constructive dialogue

and to work towards a peaceful solution that guarantees

peace, security and stability.

We reiterate our belief in the importance of the

ongoing commitment of the United Nations towards

the prompt implementation of the relevant resolutions

of the Organization. We further reiterate that internal

dialogue, regional cooperation and the realistic

intervention of the United Nations must be the priorities.

We reaffirm our unequivocal support for the

cause of the Palestinian people, who have been denied

their inalienable right to self-determination. We fully

support the principle of establishing the two States of

Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace.

Similarly, we reaffirm our support for the

international community’s engagement in seeking a

sustainable solution to the issue of the Western Sahara’s

self-determination. We cannot understand or accept the

delays in conducting the referendum already agreed on

by all parties under the auspices of the United Nations.

Mozambique continues to follow with concern

the maintenance of the unjust economic embargo

against Cuba, which impedes the economic and social

development of that sisterly country. Mozambique

therefore reiterates the call of the majority of Member

States for the immediate lifting of the embargo.

The nature of the challenges that we face in the

area of international peace and security lead us to

affirm before the Assembly the increasing relevance

of multilateral mechanisms for the peaceful resolution

of disputes or situations of conflict. We note with

satisfaction that, throughout more than a half a century

of its existence, the United Nations has made undeniable

achievements in the maintenance of peace and in the

prevention and resolution of conflicts.

In order to more effectively respond to the growing

challenges to resolving conflicts, we must pursue more

resolutely the reform agenda of the United Nations

system, in particular Security Council reform and the revitalization of the General Assembly. In that task, we

believe that those two organs must adopt the following

approach. The steps should include a comprehensive

strategic plan of action and a detailed programme to

address conflict situations; strengthening the capacity

of resource mobilization for peacekeeping missions; the

negotiation and implementation of sustainable political

solutions; and engaging in a long-term perspective. The

Security Council must play a more proactive role in the

solution of conflicts by, inter alia, fully implementing

the resolutions that it adopts.

We therefore reiterate the validity and relevance of

the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter

and of other international instruments. Such values must

remain the main source of inspiration in the pursuit of

political and lasting solutions to conflicts. Mozambique

thus believes that multilateral organizations, such

as the United Nations, the African Union and other

subregional organizations, play a fundamental role in

the pursuit of peace and development.

The resolution of conflicts is a crucial condition for

the achievement of internationally agreed development

goals, including the Millennium Development Goals,

in particular by African countries and least developed

countries. In that context, as part of the ongoing

discussions on establishing a post-2015 development

agenda, Member States must act jointly in seeking

points of convergence that will make it possible to

adopt consensus and sustainable solutions for the well-

being of our people.

In that connection, we would like to express our

optimism over the consensus understanding reached

at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development. We are aware of the fact that the

success of such an agreement depends on an integrated

approach towards the economic, social, cultural and

environmental components, as well as on defining a

comprehensive framework for resource mobilization

under the terms of the common vision of resolution

66/288, entitled “The future we want”.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Mozambique’s

commitment to continuing to cooperate with the United

Nations in seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts and

to peace, stability and sustainable development.