Mauritius, 2002

It gives me

immense pleasure to address the fifty-seventh session

of the United Nations General Assembly under your

able leadership. Allow me, on behalf of my delegation,

to extend to you our wholehearted congratulations on

your election as the President of the present session. I

wish to assure you of my delegation's support and

cooperation throughout your tenure of office.

I also wish to convey my thanks to His

Excellency Dr. Han Seung-soo of the Republic of

Korea for the remarkable manner in which he

conducted the work of the Assembly's fifty-sixth

session. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan

also deserves our gratitude for his inspiring and

commendable initiatives in furthering the objectives of

our Organization.

We are happy that the Swiss Confederation and

Timor-Leste have joined us as the newest members of

the United Nations family. Timor-Leste stands out as a

shining accomplishment of the United Nations system

to uphold the right to independence of a nation in

adverse conditions.

The terrorist atrocities of 11 September will never

fade from our collective consciousness, and the agony

and the pain of the day are still with us. The

sophisticated infrastructure of the terrorist

organizations that was utilized to inflict that

monstrosity must be dismantled at any cost. We owe it

to ourselves and to the generations that will come after

us to mobilize all our energies and efforts to never let

that happen again, anywhere.

Mauritius is committed to remain fully engaged

in the global coalition against terrorism, and we shall

continue, together with other States, to take all

measures nationally, regionally and internationally

so that the scourge of terrorism is never inflicted on

unsuspecting civilians and countries. We are alive to

the chilling reality that no country is or ever will be

safe until the war against terrorism is finally and

completely won. We condemn cross-border infiltration;

it must stop and must be made to stop.

The threats posed by international terrorism have

heightened the need for collective action to preserve

world peace and security. While we combine our

efforts to wage a war on terrorism, we should, at the

same time, continue to work towards global

disarmament and a complete elimination of weapons of

mass destruction within a specified time frame. My

delegation reiterates its appeal for the early convening

of a conference on nuclear disarmament.

The term of Mauritius as an elected non-

permanent member of the Security Council will end in

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December this year. During its tenure on the Council,

Mauritius was instrumental in the establishment of an

ad hoc working group on conflict prevention and

resolution in Africa. It has made positive and

constructive recommendations that have been endorsed

by the Security Council.

In contrast to previous years, when the General

Assembly listened to a litany of horror stories out of

Africa, I am happy to note that substantial and positive

developments are taking place on the continent. There

is a new dawn in Africa and the stark realization that,

without enduring peace and stability, there will be no

sustainable development.

We congratulate the African leaders who have

spared no effort in the search for African solutions to

African conflicts and crises. The Pretoria Agreement

between Presidents Kabila and Kagame represents a

major breakthrough for the peace process in the Great

Lakes region. We are aware that the implementation

will be difficult. We are, however, confident that the

international community will provide all necessary

assistance to the leaders in the region for a smooth

implementation.

With the positive developments in Angola, the

successful general elections in Sierra Leone, the

settlement of the boundary problem between Eritrea

and Ethiopia and the progress made in the

implementation of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation

Agreement for Burundi, there are clear signals that

some of the major conflicts in Africa are being

successfully resolved.

As Africa embarks on the road of peace, we wish

to underscore the crucial role played by the

Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the

Economic Community of West African States and the

Southern African Development Community in their

relentless search for negotiated settlement of the

conflicts in our respective subregions. There is cause

for optimism, and it is gratifying that the days of doom

and gloom for Africa are on their way to extinction.

Our region, the Indian Ocean, which has

witnessed some turbulent times recently, is again

poised for stability and development. We applaud the

return to constitutional rule in the Comoros and the

consolidation of democratic institutions in that country.

We also welcome the formation of a Government of

national reconciliation in Madagascar and the efforts

under way to undo the damage caused by the recent

crisis there. Mauritius will be closely associated with

the countries of our region to further enhance regional

cooperation.

The launching of the African Union in Durban,

South Africa, in July this year was indeed a historic

and emotionally charged occasion. The birth of the

African Union heralds a new era of political, economic

and social transformation for our continent. The

continent is more than ever determined to shape its

destiny and to tackle comprehensively the burning

problems of poverty, hunger, disease and

underdevelopment that have debilitated millions of

Africans over the years. The African Union has raised

expectations that we, as leaders, are committed to

honour. The African Union will be able to respond in a

positive manner to the challenges confronting it, as

well as maximizing the opportunities for the

improvement of the lives of peoples of the continent. In

that context, the decision of African countries to take

responsibility for peacekeeping on the continent needs

to be encouraged. Since the burden of peacekeeping

must be equitably shared, I am pleased to announce

that Mauritius will contribute to the United Nations

civilian police for service in post-conflict operations.

Along with the launching of the African Union,

the home-grown New Partnership for Africa's

Development (NEPAD) is another chapter in the

unfolding of the success story of the African continent.

NEPAD commits Africa to building a strong and

enduring culture of democracy, respect for human

rights and accountability for the continent. Indeed, the

African Peer Review Mechanism is a credible

mechanism to promote the prospects of internationally

recognized norms and standards of good governance.

The establishment of the International Criminal

Court (ICC) marks a watershed in mankind's quest to

put an end to impunity and to bring to justice those

responsible for crimes against humanity, for genocide

and for international crimes. The ICC is the single most

important institution of this millennium, and it is the

duty of the international community to fully support it.

In May this year, during the special session on

children, Mauritius had the opportunity to join the

international efforts to pave the way for effective

protection for every child in every part of the world.

The children who addressed the gathering uttered

words of great significance that no one can, or should,

ever forget. The future is theirs, and it is for them that

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we ought to ensure the sustainable development of our

one and only planet. My country will ensure that the

principles, goals and actions discussed during the

special session are integrated in our various child

welfare programmes.

The Middle East is still not at peace. The death

toll rises every day, but we are encouraged by the

signals being sent by both the Israelis and the

Palestinian leadership. Our vision of the Middle East is

to see the early establishment of a Palestinian State

living side by side with Israel on the basis of agreed

and secure boundaries. The Palestinians also need to

have State machinery that observes the fundamental

norms of a democratic system, with responsibility and

accountability on the part of the leaders. They alone

have the absolute right to elect their leaders when

elections are held in January 2003.

We appeal to the Iraqi authorities to comply fully

and unconditionally with Security Council resolutions

with respect to allowing the arms inspectors to fulfil

their mandate.

Small island developing States are a particularly

vulnerable group of countries by virtue of their

inherent natural and structural constraints. The World

Bank; the Commonwealth; the United Nations

Conference on Financing for Development, held in

Monterrey, Mexico; and the World Summit on

Sustainable Development, held recently in

Johannesburg, South Africa, have all recognized that

those constraints, if not addressed effectively, could

undermine the trade and development prospects of

these countries, leading to their further

marginalization. We look forward to specific and

concrete recommendations for action in this regard at

the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade

Organization scheduled to be held next September in

Mexico.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development

addressed the fundamental question of what kind of

world we want for ourselves and for generations that

are yet unborn. The recent devastating floods in Europe

and Asia, as well as the droughts in many parts of

Africa particularly Southern Africa, where there are

more than 13 million people in danger of famine are

a stark reminder of the fragility of our planet's

ecosystem. The World Summit on Sustainable

Development has made the whole world conscious of

the havoc that nature may cause unless drastic

measures are taken immediately to redress the

ecological imbalance.

(spoke in French)

The Ninth Summit of La Francophonie, which

Lebanon will host next month and which will be held

on the topic dialogue of cultures', will undoubtedly

enable the French-speaking community to foster

sharing among various cultures with a view to

maintaining peace, security and democracy.

(spoke in English)

Mauritius reaffirms its legitimate sovereignty

over the Chagos Archipelago, including the island of

Diego Garcia, which was detached from the territory of

Mauritius by the United Kingdom prior to our

independence. We renew our call to the former colonial

Power, the United Kingdom, to accelerate discussions

with us for an early settlement of this issue. The

persons of Mauritian origin who were displaced from

the Chagos Archipelago continue to claim redress for

the serious human rights violations that they endured.

We support their efforts to seek redress.

We also call on the French Government to work

towards the resolution of the dispute concerning

Tromelin Island, over which Mauritius has sovereignty.

In conclusion, Mauritius reiterates its conviction

that the United Nations system remains the best

guarantee for international peace and security.

The framework within which the United Nations

organizes the collective security of States may not be

perfect, but it is at least one that is tested and has

served us relatively well for more than 50 years.

Working on the basis of the neutrality of rules and

principles is far preferable to the haphazardness of

expediency. We also should not be unmindful of the

linkages which exist between different situations, and

that is why we urge the international community to

observe the principle of equality of treatment in all

cases.