Sudan, 1997

At

the outset I would like to express my congratulations to

the President on the confidence the General Assembly

showed in him by electing him to preside over fifty-

second session. We have no doubt that his experience and

capability in multilateral diplomacy will assist him in

conducting the deliberations of this session towards

success. We assure him of the cooperation and support of

the delegation of the Sudan.

I would also like to express my gratitude and

appreciation to the President's predecessor, His Excellency

Ambassador Razali Ismail, for his distinguished efforts

and bold initiatives within the context of strengthening the

role of the United Nations and the improvement of its

methods of work.

Likewise, we would like to extend our

congratulations to the United Nations Secretary-General,

Kofi Annan. In a very short time since the assumption of

his post, he has demonstrated enthusiasm, ability and

patience in leading this Organization. This has been

embodied in his initiative to reform it, improve its

methods of work and enhance its stature.

We commend the genuine endeavours of the

Secretary-General to reform the United Nations system.

In this connection, the Sudan will stand by his side until

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the United Nations realizes the purposes for which it was

established, chief among which is the strengthening of

peace and international cooperation for the achievement of

development and the eradication of poverty, particularly in

Africa and in developing countries.

We would also like to affirm the keenness of the

Sudan that the programme of reform should result in

strengthening the ability of the United Nations to respond

to humanitarian, social and developmental issues undertaken

by the Organization. Furthermore, the reform should lead

to the consolidation of the participation of developing

countries in the Organization and their equitable

representation in the Secretariat.

The Sudan calls for giving the reform endeavours

enough time. The results and recommendations of the

Open-ended High Level Working Group on the

Strengthening of the United Nations System, adopted by the

General Assembly, should be given special attention. My

country reaffirms its intention to participate effectively in

the meetings to be agreed upon within the proper

framework, with the aim of reaching a consensus on all

aspects of the reform.

The Sudan attaches special attention and interest to the

issue of reform of the Security Council through the

enlargement of its permanent and non-permanent

membership, and the improvement of its methods of work.

Our interest derives from our deep-rooted conviction about

the importance of enhancing transparency and democracy

in the work of the Council, so as to respond to the

changing realities and the current challenges facing

international peace and security, in accordance with the

principles and provisions of the Charter which define the

duties of the Council in the peaceful resolution of

conflict — far from using it as an instrument of peoples'

punishment.

The Sudan, while welcoming the efforts made for the

reform of the Security Council, reaffirms the necessity of

observing equitable geographical representation and

preserving the principle of state sovereignty. In this

connection, we would like to reiterate our commitment to

the New Delhi Declaration of the Non-Aligned Movement,

as well as our commitment to the African position taken at

the Harare summit.

We wish to stress the importance of linking the right

of veto to the aspects relating to enlargement of the Council

and improvement of its methods of work, in a way that

would secure a comprehensive consideration through

deliberate negotiations relative to all aspects, within a

democratic and open-ended membership.

It is important to deal with the points that the

Foreign Minister of Singapore made in his statement this

morning. At this time last year I informed the Assembly

of our efforts to establish peace in the Sudan, which

resulted at that time in the signing of the “Peace Charter”.

Today, it is with honour and pride that I convey to this

distinguished gathering that we have succeeded in

evolving that “Peace Charter” into a comprehensive

“Peace Agreement” signed in April this year by the

Government and the fighting factions and political entities

in southern Sudan. The Agreement has been endorsed by

the Sudanese Parliament, and thus it has, par excellence,

become one of the most important political events in the

history of the Sudan.

The Khartoum Peace Agreement provides for a

lasting settlement to the Sudanese problem. The

negotiating parties have reached a formula which

identifies a framework for peaceful coexistence in the

country. In the Agreement, the principle of citizenship

constitutes the basis for rights, duties and equality of

participation of all Sudanese in the responsibilities of

public life, without discrimination as to race or religion.

It further consolidates the principle of democratic

evolution in the Sudan. It clearly defines the question of

power sharing between the state governments and the

federal authority within the federal system in the country.

In addition, it provides for the bases and criteria for

wealth-sharing in the country.

With regard to public liberties and human rights, the

agreement guarantees the same liberties and rights

embodied in divine revelation and in the texts of relevant

international instruments and agreements. In that way it

will have a considerable influence in consolidating and

guaranteeing human rights. Furthermore, the agreement

allows for the people of southern Sudan to exercise their

right to self-determination through a free referendum to

be held at the end of a four-year transitional period.

An additional, complementary arrangement was

agreed upon to prevent hostilities and ensure a ceasefire

between the signatory parties with the aim of enhancing

the requisites for peace and stability. Furthermore, in

accordance with the collective will of the people of the

Sudan, a presidential decree granted an unconditional

general amnesty in respect of all crimes committed and

all civil and criminal claims asserted during the 14 years

preceding the signing of the agreement.

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In our quest to enhance the scope of a comprehensive

and lasting peace, an agreement was reached last week with

the only remaining faction that was still carrying arms,

thereby allowing for the resumption of peace talks on 28

October 1997 in the Kenyan capital under the auspices of

the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

I am honoured to be able to renew the determination and to

express the eagerness of the Government of the Sudan for

making the forthcoming talks a success.

The courageous steps taken by the Government of the

Sudan towards achieving a just and lasting peace have been

widely commended and appreciated by many States in the

world. One of its early positive results was the beginning

of the voluntary repatriation of displaced persons and

refugees from neighbouring countries.

We call upon the United Nations, the international

financial institutions and our development partners to

contribute to the resettlement of the returnees by shifting

from humanitarian assistance to programmes of

rehabilitation and the provision of developmental assistance

needed to consolidate the foundations of peace, which has

been sought for many decades. This call derives its

legitimacy from the spirit and content of the Security

Council ministerial-level meeting held on 25 September to

discuss the current situation in Africa. The meeting

consolidated the link between peace and development, the

latter being one of the basic human rights.

In the same context, in striving to develop a system of

good and responsible governance, the Sudan has witnessed

important constitutional developments, which have been

manifested in the establishment of a national committee for

preparing the draft of a permanent constitution to be

submitted to the legislative body and then presented to the

people in a referendum.

In the economic field, in support of a market economy

and policies of liberalization, we have taken serious steps

towards the rationalization of public expenditure, the

privatization of the public sector, the abolition of

restrictions on internal and external trade and the promotion

of investment. These policies have led to the reactivation of

the economy and reduced the inflation rate from 114 per

cent at the beginning of this year to 28.5 per cent in August

of this year. Furthermore, we have achieved a positive

growth rate of 5.5 per cent and stability in the rate of

exchange of the national currency. This progress was

commended by the International Monetary Fund mission in

its report to the Executive Council of the Fund last August.

However, the major obstacle to the accomplishment of the

economic reform programme continues to be an

insufficiency of external resources needed to boost

production. We therefore appeal to the donor countries

and the international financial institutions to provide the

necessary resources for the completion of the process of

economic reform. We also reaffirm that the Sudan

welcomes and encourages private and joint investments in

all fields.

As for the problem of debt, it is imperative to

address it within a comprehensive international framework

and not on a bilateral basis, so as to make possible the

building of a world economic system based on justice and

equality among all States without distinction.

In recognition of the importance of regional

economic cooperation, African States have taken steps

towards the revitalization of the African Economic

Community, in addition to the subregional economic

organizations, all of which need the support and

assistance of the international community.

We should not fail to stress the aspirations of Africa

with regard to the implementation of the United Nations

Convention to Combat Desertification and the importance

of following up on the outcome of the World Food

Summit in the context of achieving food security for the

nations of the continent and of the necessity to provide

the required resources to the countries concerned. In this

context, the Sudan reaffirms its readiness to effectively

contribute to the programmes and action plans for the

provision of food, with the serious participation of the

international community.

Economic development on the one hand and security

and stability on the other are two sides of the same coin.

In speaking about poverty eradication in the African

continent, we must stress the need for the realization of

peace as a means to guarantee the security of the African

peoples on the one hand and to accelerate the continent's

development on the other hand. In this respect we

commend the positive developments in Liberia and we

hope that this model will encourage our brothers in

Somalia and Congo (Brazzaville) to stop the bloodshed.

We also hope that in Sierra Leone the endeavours being

led by the countries of West Africa will succeed in

solving the problems facing that country. Africa's need for

security, stability and development requires it to become

a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass

destruction. Africa needs assistance in clearing anti-

personnel landmines, left behind by civil wars in a

number of its countries, including my own.

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The Sudan supports the efforts of the Organization of

African Unity (OAU) and of its Secretary-General, Mr.

Salim Ahmed Salim, to restore peace and stability in many

African States. With regard to the formation of African

peacekeeping forces, we stress the need to harmonize any

measures taken in this matter with the resolutions and

positions of the OAU. Africa should have the right, through

its regional organizations, to take the initiative and to lead

in this matter.

While addressing the subject of economic hardship in

Africa, it is incumbent upon us to mention the exasperating

effects of the imposition of sanctions, in particular those

imposed on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. We call for the

settlement of this issue on the basis of the proposal

presented by the OAU and the League of Arab States,

supported by the Non-Aligned Movement.

We support the proposal of the Non-Aligned

Movement to lay down specific measures and rules for

sanctions and to strictly observe the provisions of the

Charter. We share the concerns expressed by the Secretary-

General in his report on the work of the Organization for

this year about the negative effects of sanctions on peoples.

We look forward to the proposals he has promised to

present in this regard.

In Asia, we welcome the return of Hong Kong to the

parent country, the People's Republic of China. We are

following with interest the efforts of the Secretary-General's

Special Envoy to Afghanistan. We hope that the parties in

conflict will cooperate with the United Nations so as to

reach a formula for understanding and agreement. We also

call upon the international community to support the

continuous efforts to establish peace in the Korean

peninsula.

With regard to developments in the Middle East, the

Sudan believes that a comprehensive, just and lasting peace

cannot be achieved without a total commitment to the

principles of justice and the complete preservation of the

rights of the Palestinian people and the Arab States in the

region, or without a commitment to the agreements and

accords reached by the parties concerned. Israel should

abandon its settlement policies and withdraw from the all

the occupied Arab territories on the basis of the relevant

Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, which

continue to be the point of reference for a peaceful

settlement and for the achievement of a comprehensive

peace in the Middle East.

We agree with what the Secretary-General stated in

his report to the tenth emergency special session of the

General Assembly about the seriousness of the situation

in the region. The Secretary-General warned of the

consequences of the settlement policies in the occupied

Arab territories and the attempts to effect demographic

and legal changes in Al-Quds aimed at its Judaization and

the alteration of its legal, geographical, historical,

religious and civilizational status. The Sudan calls upon

the international community to shoulder its responsibilities

in the face of the deterioration of the situation and the

escalation of confrontation to save the region from the

spectre of war that appears over the horizon as a result of

the unacceptable Israeli practices. Furthermore, the Sudan

is strongly opposed to Israeli attempts to impose

collective sanctions on the Palestinian people whatever

the justification or the pretext.

In the domain of international relations, the Sudan

follows policies and holds firm positions based on its

commitment to international and regional charters, the

respect of good- neighbourliness and regional cooperation

and the suppression of terrorism and threats to regional

and international security.

The Sudan continues to call for the abandonment of

conflict and for regarding the interest of peoples as a

priority that supersedes transient disagreements.

The application of the slogans of pluralism and

democracy that characterize the present epoch in the

progress of humanity essentially requires respect for the

diverse cultural contexts of the peoples of the world.

Those cultures should be allowed the opportunity of free

and equitable self-expression in order to enrich human

experience and elevate the values of tolerance and

acceptance of the other. That would lead to the restriction

of recourse to violent and extreme expressions of injustice

resulting from isolation and cultural arrogance.

All religions uphold the principles of tolerance, the

acceptance of pluralism and coexistence with others. The

Holy Koran says:

“Say Ye: We believe in Allah and the revelation

Given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob,

and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus,

and that given to all Prophets from their Lord: We

make no difference Between one and another of

them: And we submit to Allah.'” (The Holy Koran,

II:136).

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In this context, we support the statement of the

German Minister for Foreign Affairs regarding the need to

encourage dialogue between civilizations to replace

conflicts and rivalry, in order to build a world of tolerance

and cooperation and so that slogans of pluralism and

democracy may not themselves become a pretext for

cultural hegemony.

The adoption by the United Nations of the idea of

setting up a body to promote dialogue between religions

and civilizations would pave the way for the realization of

that noble objective and would reinstate respect for lofty

moral values. It would act as a strong deterrent to such

social ills as drug abuse, the escalation of violence and

terrorism and family disintegration, thus clearing the way

for a better future for humanity as it enters a new

millennium.