Togo, 1999

I am pleased

to join those who spoke before me in expressing my

warmest congratulations to the President on his election to

lead this fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly. This

choice reflects the great esteem in which the international

community holds his country, Namibia, as well as being a

tribute to his past as a freedom fighter and to his qualities

as a statesman. I assure him of the wholehearted support of

my delegation as he carries out his duties.

I would also like to extend my most sincere

congratulations to President Gurirab’s predecessor,

His Excellency Mr. Didier Opertti, Minister for Foreign

Affairs of Uruguay, for the skill with which he conducted

the work of the fifty-third session of the Assembly.

To Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan,

I would like to express the utmost appreciation of the

Government of Togo for the perspicacity and tenacity he

has shown in seeking solutions to the many problems facing

the Organization.

Finally, I would like to take advantage of this

opportunity to warmly congratulate the Republic of Kiribati,

the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga on their

admission into this great family, the United Nations.

We have met once again this year to take stock of

actions carried out in pursuit of our common objectives

and to coordinate our views on what actions to take in

order to address today’s challenges. Given the current

state of the world, we must acknowledge that, despite the

significant progress that has been made, the world is still

marked, unfortunately, by instability, raging wars and

tensions that are most often due to widespread poverty

and to the uneven distribution of resources, as well as to

the legitimate aspiration of peoples for greater freedom,

justice and well-being.

Indeed, at a time when mankind is getting ready to

embark on the third millennium, our world offers one of

the bleakest pictures in its history from an economic and

social point of view. All kinds of problems linked to

underdevelopment, poverty and inequalities between

developed and disadvantaged countries — problems long

denounced in this and other forums — have worsened in

recent years as a result of the globalization of the

economy. Although developed countries have benefited

from this phenomenon, especially in the areas of trade

and investment, developing countries are suffering the

negative impact of globalization on their economies,

which have already been rendered fragile by their

unbearable debt burden, the plummeting of prices for raw

materials and the steady decline in official development

assistance.

As regards the external-debt problem in particular,

we can never stress enough how the accumulation of this

debt hampers development efforts. The awareness of the

extent of this problem and of its impact on development

is such that the most industrialized countries and the

Bretton Woods institutions and those of the United

Nations system now acknowledge that most of the

developing countries’ debt can never be repaid. They also

acknowledge quite openly that the debt burden is the

major obstacle to the development of poor countries and

that the mechanisms that have been established to resolve

the debt crisis have not been very effective.

Within this context we can only welcome the

commitment of the G-8 summit, held last June in

Cologne, to cancel a portion of the debt of world’s

poorest countries. My delegation encourages the

international community to continue to take bold steps

aimed at resolving the debt problem in an effective and

lasting manner. These steps might include the cancellation

of all of the bilateral debt of the poorest countries, a

significant reduction of the debt burden of middle-income

and low-income countries, and increasing the flexibility

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of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative so

as to make its benefits more generally available. However,

we should point out that the implementation of such

measures should not be carried out to the detriment of

official development assistance, which, unfortunately,

continues to decline.

As regards trade, it is generally acknowledged that the

expansion of international trade is a true engine for growth

and development. We would like to see the international

community take appropriate measures to integrate

developing countries into the international-trade regime,

through increasing access for their exports to the markets

of developed countries, by supporting the diversification

and strengthening of developing countries’ production

capacities, and by improving terms of trade.

We sincerely hope that the forthcoming negotiations

at the World Trade Organization, the tenth United Nations

Conference on Trade and Development and between the

European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific

countries will take into account the interests of the weakest

partners.

In recent years, many initiatives have been taken on

the bilateral and multilateral levels to try to address the

challenges faced by the African continent. In this respect,

I would cite the United States initiative for a Partnership

for Economic Growth and Opportunity in Africa and the

Tokyo International Conferences on African Development.

While this may be satisfying, there is still reason, in the

name of efficiency, to call for some degree of coordination

between these initiatives and those of the United Nations

system.

Efforts to promote development and eradicate poverty

in Africa cannot be dissociated from our daily struggle to

safeguard peace and security. For our countries again this

year, preserving and consolidating a climate of peace and

stability have been the major imperative, given the many

real dangers.

Thus, the Government of Togo, traditionally inclined

to search for peace and stability, has spared no effort to try

to reconcile points of view whenever discord arises,

convinced that dialogue and cooperation should be

emphasized in the settlement of disputes and that any

conflict that may arise in any country of a subregion

represents a tragedy for the entire subregion, and perhaps

Africa as a whole.

Inspired by the spirit of subregional solidarity that,

under the President of our Republic, Mr. Gnassingbé

Eyadéma, current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of

State and Government of the Economic Community of

West African States (ECOWAS), we have carried out

actions and taken appropriate initiatives to find negotiated

solutions to the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, the conflict in

Sierra Leone and the border dispute between Guinea and

Liberia.

Following the crisis that erupted in Guinea-Bissau in

June 1998, the efforts of the ECOWAS and the

Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries led to the

signing of a ceasefire and a peace Agreement in

November 1998. The subsequent deployment of an

ECOWAS Monitoring Group contingent with woefully

inadequate means did not allow us effectively to

implement the provisions of the Abuja Agreement and the

Lomé Protocol, nor did it entirely allay tensions. Despite

the brutal upheaval of the peace process on 7 May 1999,

the Security Council ratified the Secretary-General’s

proposal to maintain the United Nations office in Guinea-

Bissau with a new mandate. We hope that the

Organization and the international community will

continue to provide the necessary assistance to the people

of Guinea-Bissau, who so desperately need it. We

welcome the commitments undertaken that will ensure

respect for the elections of November 1997. We expect

that tranquility and security will return to Guinea-Bissau.

In Sierra Leone, thanks to the initiative and

determination of the ECOWAS heads of State and to the

support of the international community, the Government

of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front

signed, in our capital city of Lomé on 7 July 1999, a

Peace Agreement whose implementation will, we hope,

allow the people of Sierra Leone to embark decisively on

the path of national reconciliation, stability and

reconstruction. Thus, as I pointed out yesterday

before the Security Council in the context of the open

debate on the situation in Africa, the restoration is closely

linked to the implementation of the Lomé Peace

Agreement.

That is why I am pleased by the Secretary-General’s

proposal in his latest report on Sierra Leone to create a

United Nations force of 6,000 in that country, in keeping

with this Agreement. I am convinced that the Security

Council, which has already begun to consider the matter,

will authorize as soon as possible the deployment of that

force, which, in compliance with its mandate, will help

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the Government of Sierra Leone to implement the stalled

disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme.

We also wish particularly to thank the Government of

the United Kingdom, which chairs the international contact

group on Sierra Leone; the international organizations and

humanitarian agencies; and all those who have variously

contributed to restoring peace in that country. I recall the

fine spirit of solidarity that was manifest during the

negotiations on the Lomé Peace Agreement, which allowed

the representatives of the United States of America, the

United Kingdom, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and the

Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, as

well as the permanent representatives of the United Nations

and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Sierra

Leone to pool their efforts around the seven-member

ECOWAS contact group, which worked tirelessly day and

night for success in Sierra Leone. That is why we feel that

the decision to embark as soon as possible on the

disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme

with the dispatch of 6,000 United Nations blue helmets

would put an end to this war.

As for Liberia, the Ad Hoc Committee of the

Ministers for Foreign Affairs of ECOWAS met on 26

August 1999 in Lomé to study the destabilization of that

brotherly country. My delegation makes an urgent appeal to

the parties involved to respect the relevant provisions of the

ECOWAS Treaty and the non-aggression protocol signed in

Lagos on 22 April 1998 in order to allow the immediate

restoration of a climate of peace, security and confidence in

the subregion. In this respect, we were pleased by the

recent signing in Abuja, on 16 September, of the

understanding between the heads of State of Guinea and

Liberia during the ECOWAS mini-summit, held in the

capital of Nigeria. We also appeal to the international

community to provide the necessary support to countries of

the subregion that have borne the burden of refugees,

Guinea-Bissau in particular, so that they may address that

problem.

Elsewhere, the perpetuation of armed conflicts, with

their humanitarian consequences of all kinds, deeply

concerns my delegation. In this respect, we welcome the

signing in Lusaka on 12 July of the Ceasefire Agreement

between the main parties to the conflict in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo and ardently call for a stronger

commitment of the Security Council to assist the Southern

African Development Community countries.

In Angola, we hope that the joint efforts of the United

Nations and the Organization of African Unity will allow

the people of that country to achieve reconciliation and

will encourage the restoration of peace and stability in

that country. In any case, Togo is determined to apply the

decisions of our United Nations with respect to the steps

taken against the belligerent parties in Angola.

As to the border dispute between Ethiopia and

Eritrea, my delegation sincerely hopes that these two

brotherly countries will truly embark on the path towards

a peaceful solution of their dispute.

It is comforting to note that real progress has been

made with regard to the crisis stemming from the

Lockerbie affair after many years of procrastination which

penalized the fraternal people of the Libyan Arab

Jamahiriya. The Government of Togo believes that in

placing the two Lockerbie bombing suspects at the

disposal of the United Nations, Libya has met its

obligations under Security Council resolutions and that

the Security Council must immediately lift the sanctions

imposed on that country. This will contribute to ending

the suffering of our Libyan brothers, which has lasted too

long.

With regard to the Middle East, we reaffirm our

strong conviction that an era of lasting peace, stability and

security for all can come about only through the

continuation of the peace process and the most resolute

political will on all sides, based on Security Council

resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and

the principle of “land for peace”. In this context, the

Government of Togo welcomes developments in that

region, through steps recently taken by President Yasser

Arafat and Prime Minister Ehud Barak. We urge the

parties concerned to continue to work tirelessly to find

ways and means to allow the harmonious continuation of

the peace process.

One of the most important events that will have

most deeply marked this fading century is undeniably the

end of the cold war. Among other things, it resulted in

averting the spectre of a nuclear holocaust; at least, we

hope so.

Deeply attached to the principle of general and

complete disarmament under effective international

control, Togo is still concerned about nuclear

disarmament and the elimination of other weapons of

mass destruction. This is why we appeal for continued

efforts to put an end to the proliferation of nuclear arms

and the threats they entail.

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The same applies to proliferation of and illicit

trafficking in light weapons and small arms in Africa. My

country welcomes United Nations initiatives to curtail and

contain this phenomenon, and hopes that the international

conference decided upon by the General Assembly in

resolution 53/77 E of 4 December 1998, and scheduled to

take place in Geneva in 2001, will make it possible to find

effective solutions to this problem.

I would also like to stress the role played in this

context by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace

and Disarmament in Africa, which organized in Lomé, from

2 to 4 August 1999, a workshop on illicit trafficking in

light weapons. I am pleased to take this opportunity to pay

a well deserved tribute to the Secretary-General of our

Organization, who has just provided this Centre with a

Director, whose main task it is to revitalize its activities and

mobilize the necessary funds to finance its operational

expenses. Because of its important role in implementing the

Programme for Coordination and Assistance for Security

and Development, as well as in the destruction of arms

collected during the peace process in Liberia, we feel that

support for its work is urgently needed. In this connection,

we thank the Italian, Japanese, Norwegian and Swedish

Governments for their generous voluntary contributions and

reiterate our appeal to the international community to

provide financial and logistical support.

I turn to the functioning of our Organization. Here I

stress the fundamental role of the Security Council in

maintaining international peace and security. My delegation

reaffirms its support for all reforms to strengthen the

effectiveness of the Council and provide representation for

Africa, in the form of a permanent Member, in keeping

with the will of the heads of State and Government of the

Organization of African Unity.

Throughout its long history, my country has never

strayed from the purposes of our Organization. We have

often expressed and shown our dedication to the ideals of

peace and justice, as well as the principles of democracy

and the protection of human rights. Going beyond the social

and political crises that we have known in recent years, the

people of Togo are resolutely engaged in a new process of

national understanding and harmony, something I wish to

emphasize. On 19 July 1999, on the initiative of General

Eyadema, President of the Republic, an internal dialogue

bringing together all of the political actors of the country

was organized following preliminary meetings held at Paris

and Lomé between March and June 1999.

The opportunity was given to representatives of the

presidential leadership and of the Togolese opposition to

freely express themselves on the major issues of political

life in our country, under the arbitration of international

facilitators. In this regard, I would like to renew our

deepest gratitude to France, the Federal Republic of

Germany, the European Union and the International

Organization of La Francophonie for the important role

they played during these negotiations, which led to the

signing of a framework agreement on 29 July 1999. For

the implementation of the agreement, the Government has

shown itself ready to make all necessary concessions that

are in the national interest, it being understood that

national reconciliation is vital to the continuation of the

process of democratization and the consolidation of the

rule of law in Togo, as elsewhere.

We are sure that reason and the national interest will

prevail, so that the hopes of the people of Togo and the

international community are not disappointed.

The Government regards the signing of the

agreement as an important step in our resolute march

towards building a democratic society and bringing about

development. We therefore solemnly appeal to the

international community to resume effective cooperation

with Togo, in order to allow its population to enjoy the

fruits of democratization. Poverty is the enemy of

democracy.

The complexity of the issues and the many

challenges to be taken up at the dawn of the third

millennium call for a strengthening of international

cooperation and, above all, greater solidarity with Africa.

No nation, no country, whatever its resources and

abilities, can tackle these challenges alone. Cooperation

between the peoples of the United Nations is vital to us.

We must therefore act together, consolidating our

solidarity within the framework of our Organization,

which, after half a century of existence, has proved that

it is an irreplaceable tool at the service of mankind.

Togo, which once again proclaims its faith in the

United Nations, would encourage it to relentlessly pursue

in the century to come the achievement of its Charter

purposes.

May this session strengthen us in our common

struggle to consolidate peace, justice, freedom and

progress in the world and foster more understanding

between nations. Togo is ready to contribute to this effort.