Togo, 2002

The

preservation of international peace and security, the

fight against terrorism in all its forms, the eradication

of poverty throughout the world, the promotion of

sustainable development and the establishment of a

more just and more human international order are the

challenges that we must strive to meet, primarily

through the irreplaceable framework of the United

Nations. We are meeting once again to find new

perspectives in the light of the evolving international

situation in order to provide new impetus to our actions

by coming together around common objectives.

Before continuing my statement, allow me, on

behalf of the delegation of Togo and on my own behalf,

to address our warmest congratulations to Mr. Kavan

on his election as President of the General Assembly at

its fifty-seventh session. His election to that high post

is a tribute not only to him personally, but also to his

great and beautiful country. I assure him of the fullest

cooperation of my country towards the success of his

mission.

I also take this opportunity to convey to his

predecessor our full gratitude for the effective way in

which he led the work of the previous session.

To Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who works

tirelessly to strengthen peace and security throughout

the world, we reiterate our high appreciation of his

commitment and dedication.

I congratulate Switzerland and Timor-Leste on

their admission into the great United Nations family.

Democracy, respect for fundamental freedoms

and human rights and good governance are factors in

development and peace and values to which Togo has

long adhered and to which we are deeply attached. It is

in the spirit that we must consider the political reforms

that were launched 15 years ago at the initiative of our

Head of State. These reforms seek to build a peaceful

democracy based on the widest possible national

consensus and rooted in the historical and socio-

cultural realities of our country.

Today, our efforts have led to the establishment

and effective operation of almost all the institutions

called for in the Constitution of the Fourth Republic, to

the restoration of State authority and security and to the

revitalization of the national economy. We have

achieved these results despite the difficulties that

hindered the process of democratization as a result of a

poorly begun transition, and despite all kinds of

manoeuvres and obstacles constantly set up by an

unhelpful opposition. Priority has been placed above

all on the continuation of political reforms to ensure

that they are undertaken in a climate of restored calm

and ongoing concertation among all the political forces

of our nation.

It was in this context that, at the initiative of the

Head of State, Mr. Gnassingbé Eyadema, we launched

an inter-Togolese dialogue among all the country's

principal political actors that led to the signing of a

framework agreement in July 1999. The

implementation of that agreement allowed the

establishment of a dialogue between the Government

and the opposition on such essential political questions

as the organizational modalities of early legislative

elections.

It was the will of the Head of State and of the

Government to ensure that these elections, open to all

political groups without exception, should take place in

a climate of peace and security, with the necessary

guarantees of transparency and legality. It is also our

aim that, at the completion of this electoral process, a

new phase should begin in our country's political life

7

with the revitalization of a National Assembly in which

political groups that wish to be represented can be so.

All of these achievements, which strengthen

political pluralism in Togo, deserve the support and

encouragement of our partners, particularly those in

Europe, with a view to normalizing our relations of

cooperation. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

As I stressed a year ago from this very rostrum, the

people of Togo do not deserve the treatment they have

received. It is now clear that the rash imposition of

sanctions as a means of political pressure entails limits

beyond which such measures become ineffective and

run counter to morality and to the duty of international

solidarity.

I wish once again to launch an urgent appeal for

the resumption of the cooperation that Togo has a right

to expect from the international community as an act of

solidarity, support and encouragement for the

indisputable efforts that have been made by my

Government towards the development of the country

and the consolidation of the bases of our democracy in

a climate of peace, stability and national harmony.

It is well known that we in Togo have made peace

and national security our credo, given that no

undertaking for sustainable development can be

successfully carried out if the recourse to violence

prevails over dialogue, concertation and mutual respect

and if the world continues to face such terrorist acts as

the tragedy of 11 September 2001. Those terrible

events, which are still vivid in our minds, require us,

individually and collectively, to respond appropriately

to the threats represented by terrorism. Togo, which has

been a repeated victim of terrorist aggression,

understands the importance of the challenge and spares

no effort in assuming its share of the responsibility in

this struggle.

We must here welcome the speed with which the

United Nations has reacted to this problem and

contributed to the emergence of an acute awareness of

the phenomenon and the dangers it entails for all

mankind. Today, as was the case a year ago, it is

imperative that we recognize the urgency and need to

pursue this campaign. It is clear that we must seek

together the factors that will contribute to maintaining

peace in all its dimensions.

Yes, crises and armed conflicts still afflict the

world, unfortunately, in Africa and elsewhere. While it

may be true that some glimmers of hope have emerged

in Africa with the resolution of the conflict between

Ethiopia and Eritrea and with respect to the settlement

of other crises, the situation remains alarming. It is

alarming in the Great Lakes region and the Mano River

region, which is again experiencing a genuine security

problem, with major humanitarian consequences.

Whether we are talking about the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, the Mano river region, the

Sudan, Somalia or any other country affected by crises,

we reaffirm that only dialogue and negotiation can lead

to peace and ensure the lasting settlement of disputes.

We therefore urge the parties to such crises and armed

conflicts to be more courageous and demonstrate

greater political will so as to give peace a chance

through negotiating processes already under way and

by respecting and effectively implementing the

provisions of agreements that have already been

signed.

In this respect, we welcome the recent

announcement of the withdrawal, beginning next week,

of Rwandan troops from the eastern part of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we hope that

the implementation of this decision will strengthen the

process under way.

The situation in the Middle East also remains

worrying. We must find a solution to the vicious circle

of violence — violence breeding violence. Togo has

always stressed that violence can lead only to bitterness

and resentment and that it further perpetuates violence.

This cannot be said enough: dialogue and negotiation

are the only means that should be used to settle

disputes. We therefore strongly urge both Palestinians

and Israelis to end the vicious circle of violence and

immediately take up negotiations with a view to

achieving a just, comprehensive and final settlement of

the question of Palestine, which is at the heart of the

conflict in the Middle East. Of course, such a

settlement would require recognition of the legitimate

rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to

a viable Palestinian State. But it would also entail the

recognition of the equally legitimate rights of the

Israeli people to live in peace and complete security

within internationally recognized borders.

This session began just a few days after the

conclusion of the World Summit on Sustainable

8

Development, at which the international community

stressed more than ever before the need to protect

humankind and the natural world. Now more than ever

we must protect humankind in its multifaceted

character and the environment in all of its variety.

I am pleased to note, too, that this session of the

General Assembly is taking place during a historic time

for our continent of Africa. Indeed, two years ago, on

12 July 2000, at Lomé, Togo, African countries laid the

groundwork for a new Africa by adopting, before the

whole world, the Constitutive Act of the African

Union. The African heads of State or Government

solemnly launched the new continent-wide

organization at Durban in July, thereby translating into

reality their determination to shape a new destiny for

Africa.

Some might be tempted to say that, despite the

establishment of the African Union, nothing decisive

will be done and that the continent will still be trying

to find itself while stagnating in underdevelopment. It

is true that, given the current economic and social

situation, such pessimism could be warranted. Indeed,

our continent of Africa is still the principal victim of an

economic order that is out of balance and unfair — one

that all too often deprives it of the fruits of its own

labour.

Unstable commodity prices, yearly increases in

the price of crucial capital goods, debt, limited access

to the markets of industrialized countries for our

finished and semi-finished goods and the competition

with which our products have to contend as a result of

the export subsidy policies of certain rich countries —

policies that benefit their own industries — are

seriously hampering the development of our countries.

Today more than ever it is vital to ask how Africa

can reconcile the repayment of its debt with the

implementation of its economic growth and

development goals. Turning the current situation

around is a task that we must undertake through

reflection and action.

The establishment of a new structure — the

African Union — marks a decisive turning point in the

history of our continent, which, more than ever before,

needs the invaluable support of the international

community in carrying out its development

programmes. We are aware that Africa cannot rise to

the challenge of growth and development unless it

becomes organized to mobilize and make the best use

of its resources using external aid only as a

complement to its own efforts. We earnestly hope that

the consolidation of various subregional organizations

for economic integration, together with the synergistic

implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's

Development, will provide Africa with the means to

achieve its ambitions.

In conclusion, I should like to stress that the new

international context and the multidimensional nature

of the problems to be faced mean that we must work

with greater determination and solidarity within the

United Nations in order to push back insecurity,

poverty and misery. In this regard, we must consider

providing this shared Organization with the

wherewithal and the increased resources to enable it to

achieve peace and economic and social development

for our peoples.

That is the price to be paid for the future of

humankind. I earnestly hope that the United Nations

will, more than ever before, become the ideal tool to

implement our ideals of peace, justice, progress and

liberty for the benefit of our peoples.