Mauritius, 2004

Mr. President, I bring

you the greetings and the best wishes of the

Government and people of Mauritius. It is also a matter

of pride and honour to see you preside over this

premier world institution. That honour is not only

recognition of the contribution of your country, Gabon,

in world affairs but also a great moment for our

continent, Africa. We are confident that, with your

wide experience and vast diplomatic skills, you will

successfully steer the work of the Assembly. My

delegation pledges its full support to you during your

tenure.

My delegation would also like to place on record

our gratitude to your predecessor, Mr. Julian Hunte, for

his able and excellent leadership of the General

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Assembly at its fifty-eighth session. As fellow

islanders, we derived great satisfaction and pride from

his unequalled stewardship. He assumed and

discharged the high responsibilities of President of the

Assembly with commitment, dedication and great

diplomacy. We thank him for his service to the world

community.

Allow me also to commend the Secretary-

General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his relentless efforts and

determination to ensure that our Organization

continues to play its role effectively in the international

arena.

This session of the General Assembly is taking

place as we prepare ourselves to tackle and face major

challenges and developments over the next 12 months.

Of particular importance to small island developing

States such as my own, 2005 will begin with two major

events: the International Meeting for the full and

comprehensive review of the implementation of the

Barbados Programme of Action, which will be hosted

by Mauritius; and the World Conference on Disaster

Reduction, to be held in Japan.

Ten years after Barbados, small island developing

States continue to face practically the same challenges

in their drive to achieve sustainable development.

Their small size, fragile ecosystems, geographic

isolation and limited resources, compounded by the

threats of climate change, rising sea levels and natural

disasters, make them particularly vulnerable. While it

is a fact that many developing countries face the

increasing pressures posed by the combined forces of

globalization and trade liberalization, such pressures

are even more exacerbating for small island developing

States. Their small markets and the limited market

access for their products constrain them greatly in their

efforts to integrate smoothly into the global economy.

They also suffer from natural vulnerabilities to

phenomena such as hurricanes, earthquakes and

tsunamis. The devastation caused by the recent series

of hurricanes in the Caribbean islands demonstrates the

extent of our vulnerability. It is true that those

vulnerabilities have been recognized in a variety of

international forums, but such recognition has yet to

crystallize in concrete actions in favour of small island

developing States. The precarious situation of our

States is of direct concern to the international

community as a whole.

May we then resolve to take bold initiatives to

implement meaningfully the Barbados Programme and

to respond to related emerging issues so that small

island developing States can build resilience and

capacity and be integrated fully into the global

economy? Similarly, in the multilateral trading system,

we expect the emergence of an environment conducive

to enabling our States to improve their

competitiveness, their market access and the

diversification of their economies. We therefore expect

the World Trade Organization to soon establish a work

programme for small economies.

As a small island developing State, Mauritius is

indeed honoured to host the International Meeting. The

International Meeting should be not only a collective

gathering to reflect on the specificities of our concerns.

It should also be a landmark in the history of the major

United Nations conferences, with deliverable outcomes

and the means necessary for their implementation.

We in Mauritius are leaving no stone unturned to

make that event truly historic and memorable. It is

important that the entire international community

participate in that meeting, which, allow me to point

out, is a United Nations meeting on small island

development States and not a meeting for those States

alone.

(spoke in French)

The work to be undertaken by the small island

developing States is based upon sustainable

development and the restricted resources available to

those countries. How can one not welcome, therefore,

the decision taken by the Government of Burkina Faso,

host of the next summit of la Francophonie, which has

chosen solidarity and sustainable development as the

theme of the summit.

Our preoccupation with sustainable

development — the basis of the Johannesburg

Summit — is even stronger in the context of

globalization today. Although only a handful of

developing island States are French-speaking, we trust

that the Summit will highlight the need for us to find,

within the international community, ways and means to

help small island developing States, which may then

become models for sustainable development.

(spoke in English)

Global warming, and its related effects on climate

change, is now an undisputed reality, and islands suffer

the brunt of it, even though — let me emphasize this —

we are the least responsible for the cause. We believe

that the Kyoto Protocol is the most appropriate

mechanism for global action now and in the future, to

address the issue of global warming. We call, therefore,

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for its ratification and entry into force, as soon as

possible.

Africa, home to 34 of the world’s 48 poorest

countries, remains an enormous challenge for the

United Nations. The deadly spread of HIV and AIDS

continues to claim a devastating toll on the continent,

particularly in southern Africa. We in Africa are

committed to further democratize our societies and

give our people a rightful voice in the decision-making

process. That is why at the continental level, we are

doing all we can, despite our scarce resources, to

consolidate the African Union and make it central in

our collective bid to grapple with the development

concerns of our region. Using that perspective, we have

come up with our own home-grown programme, the

New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)

in order to attain the ultimate goal that we have fixed

for ourselves — the total integration of Africa.

Since we launched the African Union Peace and

Security Council last May, we have received

encouraging support from some of our development

partners. I should like to use this platform to urge the

international community to support the African Union

in that field to enable it to come to grips with the

conflicts that continue to divert our attention and

meagre resources from our development efforts.

In addressing the issue of conflicts on the

continent, the African Union has amply demonstrated

that it means business, and any assistance it gets from

the international community can only help it to achieve

its goals. But let me hasten to say that the African

Union’s involvement in peace processes should not

distract the United Nations Security Council from its

primary responsibility to maintain peace and security

in Africa. Indeed, the Security Council should not

allow itself to be perceived as being selective in its

approach with regard to conflicts in various parts of the

world. Experiences in the Great Lakes region and in

West Africa have shown that the combined efforts of

the Security Council and the African Union can bring

tangible results.

Before I leave this part of my statement, let me

refer to the unjust treatment that continues to be meted

out to the Saharawi people who are still struggling for

their right to self-determination. It is the duty of this

world body to ensure a speedy conclusion of that

matter. In this regard, my delegation reiterates its

support for the Settlement Plan and any other political

initiative acceptable to the parties concerned that will

help to take the process forward for a durable and

sustainable solution. The Saharawi people deserve that

commitment from us.

As this Assembly is aware, Mauritius has always

favoured a bilateral approach in our resolve to restore

our exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos

Archipelago which, prior to independence from the

United Kingdom, was unlawfully detached from our

territory, in violation of the Declaration on the

Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and

Peoples contained in General Assembly resolution

1514 (XV), and Assembly resolutions 2066 (XX), 2232

(XXI) and 2357 (XXII). Such bilateral approaches

have unfortunately not yielded any result so far and

certain recent regrettable unilateral actions by the

United Kingdom have not been helpful.

While we shall continue to favour a settlement of

the matter through dialogue, we shall use all avenues

open to us in order to exercise our full sovereign rights

over the Chagos Archipelago. The Assembly should

also note that this issue has a tragic human dimension.

Before Mauritius acceded to its independence, all the

inhabitants of the Chagos were forced to leave the land

of their birth, where they had lived for several

generations. The plight of those inhabitants must now

be comprehensively addressed.

In the same context, my delegation looks forward

to the resumption of dialogue with the French

Government over Tromelin island.

Mauritius is a firm believer and, indeed, a keen

player in regional cooperation and integration, not as

an end in itself but as a sure means to enable us to

integrate the global economy. We consider regional

cooperation as a necessary step to enable Africa to

benefit from globalization. We have therefore spared

no effort to promote regional cooperation. Since the

early 1980s we in Mauritius, have been playing a pro-

active role in advancing the objectives of the Abuja

Treaty. Mauritius is a very active member of the

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

(COMESA) and of the South African Development

Community (SADC).

As the new Chair of SADC, we look forward to

working very closely with all our fellow member States

in advancing the objectives of the organization,

promoting community building through regional

integration and aligning national policies for regional

cooperation so that they stay on course in the

globalization process. We will also endeavour to forge

a strong relationship between SADC and its

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development partners as well as with other

subregional, continental and multilateral organizations.

After the failure of the WTO Ministerial

Conference at Cancún, the successful outcome of the

July 2004 General Council meeting has come as a ray

of hope to put the trade talks back on track. The July

package of frameworks and other agreements that the

WTO members approved will greatly enhance the

chances for a successful completion of the Doha

Development Agenda negotiations.

We therefore welcome the decision adopted by

the WTO General Council to fulfil the development

dimensions of the Doha Development Agenda, which

places the needs and interests of developing and least

developed countries at the heart of the Doha Agenda

work programme.

In that context, let me make an appeal for a

meaningful synergy to be established among the

development agencies and other United Nations

institutions, including the Bretton Woods institutions,

in order to ensure that developing countries develop

their capacity to increase their share of world trade as a

necessary pathway to prosperity.

The situation in the Middle East remains

extremely preoccupying for all freedom-loving nations

and peoples. We go on speaking of the need for a

comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East,

without realizing that each year the peace and security

situation in the region is growing worse.

Over the past year, we witnessed more targeted

assassinations, increased terrorist acts, daily

recriminations from both sides and an expansion of

settlement activities. The illegal construction of a wall

by Israel in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the

occupied Palestinian territories has worsened an

already complex situation.

Almost two years ago the road map called for a

final and comprehensive settlement of the Israel-

Palestinian conflict by 2005. The year 2005 is at our

doorstep and we are still grappling with how to put the

derailed peace process back on track. We believe that

the road map remains the only viable option for peace

in the region. We call on both Israel and Palestine to

exercise maximum restraint, undertake confidence-

building measures and create the appropriate

environment, with the help of the Quartet, to

implement the road map.

My delegation believes that what is needed today

is not a wall, but a political solution and a renewed

commitment from the international community that

would resolve the conflict altogether. Only the creation

of the much-awaited Palestinian State, existing side by

side with Israel with secured and recognized borders,

can bring peace and stability to the Middle East.

The political process in Iraq reached an important

milestone last June with the handing over of authority

to the Iraqi Interim Government. My delegation

believes that the holding of national elections early

next year, as required by Security Council resolution

1546 (2004), will give the people of Iraq a unique

opportunity to take the destiny of their country into

their own hands. However, the current security

situation in Iraq is very disturbing. My delegation

condemns all acts of violence that can disrupt Iraq’s

political and economic transition. The international

community must be fully engaged in its efforts to

rebuild a safe, democratic and peaceful Iraq.

Given the potential threat posed by nuclear

weapons and weapons of mass destruction, it is a

matter of serious concern that we still have not been

able to find common ground to initiate a process

leading to complete disarmament. Significant

differences still persist among parties to the Treaty on

the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We once

again appeal to all Member States to translate their

stated commitments to the cause of disarmament into

action.

Mauritius supports and implements fully the

international disarmament treaties such as the

Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and

Toxin Weapons Convention and has always supported

the various United Nations resolutions related to the

consolidation of those regimes, including resolution

1540 (2004), which focuses on non-proliferation

issues.

Along with our fight against weapons of mass

destruction, we should also stay the course against the

illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, which

have been the weapons of choice in recent conflicts,

particularly in Africa.

Terrorist acts continue to create fear and havoc

among peaceful nations and lead to the loss of lives,

particularly among innocent civilians, including

women and children. We should therefore reflect on the

effectiveness of the international response to terrorism.

It is becoming increasingly evident that the war against

international terrorism cannot be won by military

might alone. Several reports submitted to this

Assembly have already amply demonstrated that

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problems such as poverty, social inequality,

unemployment and illiteracy constitute breeding

grounds for terrorism. Genuine international

cooperation is therefore needed to comprehensively

address the root causes of terrorism.

Allow me to share some thoughts with respect to

the future of our Organization. The world emerged

from the Second World War resolved to ensure peace

among nations, and the United Nations was born with

that vision firmly in mind. Now, more than half a

century later, in full recognition of the drastic and far-

reaching changes that have transformed our world,

there is full consensus for a reform of our

Organization.

There is indeed general agreement that the

current structure of the Security Council needs to be

reviewed to reflect the new realities of the world. We

firmly believe that a greater commitment has to be

demonstrated by every member of the Organization in

order to reach an agreement on a reformed Security

Council based on wider representation, transparency

and equitable geographical distribution with the

inclusion of developing countries from Africa, Asia

and Latin America as permanent members. Here, let

me reiterate our conviction that India fully deserves to

have that status. In that respect, I need to underscore

the need for small island States, which are scattered

over all the oceans of the world, to have an adequate

voice in the Council.

It is therefore our sincere hope that the High-level

Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change appointed by

the Secretary-General will make concrete and practical

recommendations to make the United Nations more

credible and responsive to the expectations of people in

every corner of the globe. The high-level plenary

meeting, which is to be held next year, would also be

an opportunity for us to take stock of progress made in

respect to the goals set in the major United Nations

conferences and summits.

Mauritius continues to be an active supporter of

the United Nations in its efforts to save succeeding

generations from war and suffering and to promote

social progress and better standards of life. Mauritius

believes that a strengthened United Nations, evolving

within the framework of a credible multilateral system,

is the only effective instrument at the disposal of the

international community to bring order and ensure the

coherence of international economic, social and

environmental policies.