Nigeria, 2006

I bring you, Madam

President, good tidings from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal

Republic of Nigeria, who could not be here in person

as a result of a national tragedy. He has asked me to

deliver his statement to the Assembly and it is now my

privilege and honour to read it out.

“On behalf of the people and the

Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I

would like to extend my sincere congratulations

to you, Madam, and your country, the Kingdom

of Bahrain, on your historic election as President

of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.

Your assumption of that high office is a source of

inspiration to us all, particularly to women all

11 06-53329

over the world. I assure you of the support and

cooperation of my delegation.

“I would like to extend my profound

appreciation to your predecessor, His Excellency

Mr. Jan Eliasson, for the commitment and

dedication with which he presided over the affairs

of the sixtieth session. This was particularly

evident during the delicate negotiations that

resulted in the establishment of the Peacebuilding

Commission and the creation of the Human

Rights Council.

“The founding fathers of the United Nations

envisaged an international organization whose

primary strength would rest on the ability of its

Members to act collectively and in a spirit of

cooperation in solving international problems.

“The theme for this year’s general debate,

‘Implementing a global partnership for

development’, aptly captures this aspiration and,

indeed, reaffirms one of the objectives of the

Millennium Development Goals. Nigeria restates

its firm commitment to the principle that genuine

global partnership is the key to development. This

is particularly so in the face of the many

challenges confronting us today.

“For Africa, the most urgent challenge

remains the resolution of conflicts and the

maintenance of peace and security as the

foundation for socio-economic progress. We

remain undaunted and have collectively decided

to take action to address the problem under the

auspices of the African Union. Our efforts have

been bolstered by the active engagement of the

Security Council and the international

community, for which we remain grateful. I am

happy to note that in Liberia and Sierra Leone,

where hostilities have happily ceased, there are

signs of progress everywhere as democracy and

its benefits take their most important first steps.

“With respect to Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria

welcomes the recent efforts by all parties to

overcome their differences through dialogue. We

urge them to remain steadfast in their

commitment in order to ensure that the peace

process remains on course. However, it is now

doubtful that elections can take place in October.

But we must not allow the elections in Côte

d’Ivoire to be postponed beyond 31 December

2006. If the proposed extraordinary meeting of

the Economic Community of West African States

in early October fails to achieve this goal, a

Security Council resolution will become

necessary to impose heavy sanctions on all

culprits and their relations.

“Nigeria is encouraged by the progress

towards implementation of the Darfur Peace

Agreement, which was signed in Abuja last June.

We are, however, concerned by the slow pace of

implementation regarding key aspects of the plan,

which has exacerbated the humanitarian situation.

We share the frustration of the international

community over the lack of access to vulnerable

groups in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

We call on all parties to respect their

commitments.

“The situation in Darfur has placed a heavy

burden on the African Union and continues to

exert pressure on its meagre resources, as it

struggles to maintain a peacekeeping force of

over 7,000 troops. Africa’s commitment to peace

in Darfur was reaffirmed by the latest decision of

the Peace and Security Council of the African

Union, at its meeting in New York on

20 September 2006, to extend the mandate of the

African Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) until

31 December 2006. Nigeria calls on the

international community to urgently assist the

African Union with the logistical and financial

support to sustain AMIS through that date.

“If the early removal of the obstacles that

have thus far prevented the conclusion of the

negotiations on the replacement of the African

Union force with a United Nations peacekeeping

force cannot be achieved, the African Union may

be left with no other option but to allow the

troops to return to the contributing countries. The

consequences of the withdrawal of AMIS without

a United Nations umbrella will be the full

responsibility of the Government of the Sudan.

“Nigeria is concerned by the increasing

threat of violence and insecurity in the world

brought about by threats or acts of terrorism.

Nigeria strongly condemns all acts of terrorism

and calls upon the international community to

redouble its efforts to defeat this heinous crime in

all its forms and manifestations.

06-53329 12

“On the situation in the Middle East,

Nigeria welcomes Security Council resolution

1701 (2006) and calls for the implementation of

the terms of the ceasefire by both parties. We

believe, however, that a long-lasting solution

must come through dialogue and a readiness to

abandon violence as a means of resolving the

crisis. The root causes of the Middle East crisis

must also be addressed in a comprehensive

manner for lasting peace to be attained. We

reaffirm our commitment to a two-State

arrangement: Israel and Palestine living in peace

within secure borders, in accordance with

Security Council resolutions. We therefore call on

the international community to show greater

commitment to the peaceful and early resolution

of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

“West Africa has experienced conflicts for

many years as a result of the illicit proliferation

of small arms and light weapons in the region.

We believe that the restoration and maintenance

of peace are critical for socio-economic

development in the subregion. Towards that end,

in June this year, States member of the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

adopted a landmark Convention on Small Arms,

Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and Other

Associated Material to reduce violence in the

subregion and pave the way for the achievement

of peace, security, stability, cooperation and

development. The Convention bans international

arms transfers, except those for the legitimate

defence and security needs of member States. Of

greatest significance is the ban on transfers to

non-State actors, who have been largely

responsible for political instability in the

subregion, as elsewhere.

“In this regard, I wish to express Nigeria’s

deep disappointment that the first United Nations

Review Conference on implementation of the

Programme of Action on small arms and light

weapons failed to agree on a final document,

including a similar ban on arms transfers to non-

State actors. I urge all Member States to be

guided by the example of ECOWAS on this issue

when and if the Conference reconvenes.

“As a demonstration of Nigeria’s

commitment to the fight against illicit small arms,

we have deposited the instrument of ratification

of the Firearms Protocol to the United Nations

Convention against Transnational Organized

Crime. We also call for a comprehensive and

legally binding global arms trade treaty.

“Humankind has made giant strides in the

field of nuclear technology since the discovery of

the atom. This has opened up vistas of

opportunities for determined and committed

societies to uplift the standard of living of their

citizenry. Indeed, nuclear energy has become a

veritable source of socio-economic development

and a reliable source of electricity generation. We

note in particular the global trend towards the

utilization of nuclear technology for the

generation of electricity, agricultural

development, human health and environmental

development, especially for developing countries.

“In the context of this development and of

the enormous energy crisis that confronts us in

Nigeria, my Government decided to inaugurate

the Board of the Nigeria Atomic Energy

Commission. With the inauguration of the Board,

our quest for energy self-sufficiency has begun.

“Nigeria remains resolute in its commitment

to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) and the Treaty of Pelindaba on

the African nuclear-weapon-free zone. We wish to

assure the international community of our

determination to restrict the use of nuclear energy

to purely peaceful purposes.

“I take this opportunity to reiterate our deep

appreciation to this body for the invaluable

support it has given to the New Partnership for

Africa’s Development (NEPAD). We are also

very appreciative of the interest shown by the

international community and the commitments it

has made in support of NEPAD. The NEPAD

initiative remains our continent’s most viable

socio-economic blueprint; it could bring

sustained economic growth while strengthening

good governance and enhancing the protection of

the human rights of our peoples.

“Trade is one of the most potent and

genuine engines of economic growth and

development. We therefore support efforts that

would enhance the ability of our countries to

enjoy the benefits of the successful conclusion of

agreements on regimes under the auspices of the

13 06-53329

World Trade Organization (WTO). In this

connection, we regard the recent breakdown of

the WTO Doha round of development talks as a

very serious setback. The successful conclusion

of Doha development talks and the

implementation of their outcome would provide

succour to the almost 1 billion people currently

subsisting on less than one dollar a day. We urge

all parties to return to the negotiating table and

resume talks in the spirit of global partnership,

cooperation and global economic progress.

“Nigeria remains committed to the fight

against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria,

tuberculosis and related diseases. We have taken

bold steps to deal with them. To this end, we

hosted the Special Summit of the African Union

on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Abuja

in May this year. At the Summit, African leaders

reaffirmed their commitment to earlier

declarations and pledged to take immediate action

to ensure universal access to relevant drugs. We

applaud the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS

(resolution 60/262) which was adopted at the

United Nations High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS

last June and hope that it will be fully

implemented.

“On 14 August this year, Nigeria lowered its

flag for the last time on the Bakassi peninsula and

effectively withdrew its presence there in

accordance with the ruling of the International

Court of Justice. With this final act, Nigeria has

fulfilled its obligations under the terms of the

agreement between my country and Cameroon. I

use this opportunity to recognize the positive

contributions of Mr. Kofi Annan and members of

the international community and to thank them

for their assistance and support. Nigeria hopes

that our brotherly neighbour will protect and

respect the rights and freedoms of Nigerian

nationals who decide to remain in the area in

accordance with the mutually agreed terms.

“Nigeria believes that the reform of the

United Nations system must not lose momentum.

National or regional interests should not be

allowed to obscure our common objectives for a

reinvigorated United Nations. The reform should

be linked to the overall interest of making our

Organization stronger, more effective and better

positioned to meet the challenges facing both the

weak and the strong.

“The identity, importance and relevance of

the different organs of the Organization must be

maintained. Above all, nothing should be done to

weaken one in favour of the other. The General

Assembly, as the pre-eminent, deliberative,

policymaking and representative organ of the

United Nations, deserves the support of all

Members. It remains the only organ where States

big or small, rich or poor, find equality and voice.

“It is in this context that African countries,

along with other Members of the United Nations,

have called for the reform of the Security

Council. For us, no reform will be complete

without the reform of that vital organ. The

Security Council, as now constituted, does not

reflect the realities of our time. We hope that

progress will be made on this issue during this

session.

“I cannot conclude this statement without

paying a special tribute to my brother, the

distinguished statesman Mr. Kofi Annan. Nigeria

salutes his dedicated service to our Organization.

He has, in the past 10 years, assiduously piloted

the United Nations through very important

milestones and turbulent waters.

“It is, indeed, impossible to forget the

reform agenda that you have initiated and set in

motion. We are proud of you and your services

and wish you the best in your future endeavours.

As I am attending the General Assembly for the

last time in my capacity as President of the

Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to take this

opportunity to thank all my colleagues and the

Secretary-General as well as all the staff of our

Organization for their support and cooperation

over the past seven years.”