Cameroon, 2007

Let me first of

all say that I am happy to see the former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia, represented by Ambassador

Kerim, presiding over the General Assembly at its

sixty-second session.

My country extends to him wishes for the greatest

success in accomplishing his mission. We would like to

assure him of our full cooperation. Please also allow

me to pay tribute to Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of the

Kingdom of Bahrain for the skill with which she

conducted the work of the sixty-first session.

I would also like to welcome the presence among

us of Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the

United Nations. I congratulate him on his accession to

this post of the highest prestige in our Organization.

The vast experience and the qualities of a diplomat that

he is known for are a guarantee of success in this lofty

function. I am convinced that he will be able to work

for the benefit of our Organization in continuing the

efforts of his predecessor, Mr. Kofi Annan, to whom I

would like once again to pay tribute.

The general debate in this Assembly is a special

moment in international life. Indeed, it is an

opportunity every year for heads of Member States to

take stock of the world’s affairs, to exchange views in

this regard and to reflect the aspirations of their

nations.

The sixty-second session of the General

Assembly opens this year again in a rather troubled

international context. At the dawn of the twenty-first

century, the challenges facing humanity are more

pressing and more complex with each passing day,

giving rise alternatively to hope and fears.

The first of these challenges to which I would

like to refer here today has to do with peace and

security. International events today highlight even

more than before the paramount need to breathe new

life into efforts for disarmament and non-proliferation.

Nuclear proliferation is a threat, not only to

international peace and security but also to the very

survival of humankind. Attempts by terrorist

organizations to acquire weapons of mass destruction

are also indicative of the reality of this threat.

Terrorism, indeed, is a particularly great danger to the

international community, a threat that we can only face

through concerted and resolute global action.

It is because of this conviction that Cameroon has

in the past year contributed to the adoption by the

General Assembly of the Global Counter-Terrorism

Strategy. Once again, I would like to salute this historic

accomplishment. For the first time, Member States

have decided to take up concrete political, operational

and legal measures to coordinate their fight against

terrorism. They have committed themselves to

strengthening their capacity to react, as well as the

capability of the United Nations in this regard. They

have agreed to address situations that could lead to the

extension of this scourge. Today, the problem is to

apply this fundamental text, both in letter and spirit.

My country would like to reaffirm its availability and

its determination in terms of taking on commitments in

this work.

In many regions around the world, peace and

security continue to be seriously threatened. For years

now, the unrest in the Middle East has been a serious

threat to international peace and security. The

evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict causes deep

concern. It is paramount that Israel and the Palestinian

Authority resume a constructive dialogue. That is the

only way, in the opinion of my country, to move

forward toward a settlement. Cameroon is convinced

that only the efforts of all concerned parties, supported

by the Great Powers and based on the principle of two

States Israel and Palestine coexisting in peace

and security, will make it possible to reach a definitive,

fair and just settlement to this conflict.

In Lebanon, as in Iraq, reconciliation among the

various communities of these countries is the only

hope for a sustainable stability.

In Africa, in spite of initiatives undertaken by the

international community, there remain a number of

hotbeds of tension. Please allow me to highlight some

of these.

The crisis in Côte d’Ivoire seems to be reaching a

turning point. We are convinced that, with the firm and

sincere commitment of all parties and the support of

the international community, this fraternal country will

have definitively turned a particularly painful page in

its history. The people of Côte d’Ivoire, we are sure,

will be able to persevere in their choice of peace and

national reconciliation. It is extremely important that

they work together in good faith for a full and rapid

implementation of the Ouagadougou peace agreement.

The situation in Somalia continues to threaten

peace and security in the region. Cameroon is deeply

concerned by acts of violence in Somalia. We would

like to congratulate the mission of the African Union

for the support that it has extended to the Transitional

Federal Institutions. We are sure that the speedy

deployment of the envisaged United Nations force will

definitely have a positive effect on the stability in that

country and on the security of the population.

The human toll of the Darfur crisis causes

profound concern. It seems to us of paramount

importance that all efforts be undertaken to break the

tragic cycle of violence in that region. The effects of

the crisis have already been deeply felt by

neighbouring States and threaten to extend further. It

should be understood that Cameroon welcomes the

announcement of the deployment of the hybrid United

Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation in

Darfur. I am convinced that this operation will make it

possible to stabilize the situation in the area and save

innocent lives. My country welcomes the fact that the

Government of Sudan has unconditionally accepted the

deployment of this mission. In our opinion, this is a

decisive stage in the resolution of the crisis. At the

same time, Cameroon believes it is very important to

continue efforts to address the causes of the conflict,

by relaunching the political process and by

implementing a real programme of development in the

region, specifically by ensuring access to water

resources.

Cameroon follows with close attention the

developments in the situation in Chad and the Central

African Republic. Those fraternal countries with which

we have long common borders have, for a number of

years, been facing instability fomented by various

insurgent groups. That situation poses a serious threat

to peace and stability in those countries and to the

security and well-being of their populations and

triggers a true humanitarian tragedy in the region. It

also causes cross-border insecurity that affects other

countries in the region, including Cameroon. For that

reason, my country resolutely supports the upcoming

deployment of a multidimensional presence of the

United Nations and the European Union on the borders

of Chad, the Central African Republic and the Sudan. I

wish to reiterate from this rostrum that my country is

ready to cooperate fully with the United Nations in the

implementation of that operation.

With regard to the Democratic Republic of the

Congo we welcome the progress accomplished towards

peace in terms of establishing democratic institutions

in that country. The situation in the eastern part of the

country continues to be a source of concern to the

international community. It seems to us that seeking a

solution to the crisis of the two Kivus should be based

first and foremost on political and diplomatic methods

corresponding to the problem at hand.

The challenges we must face in terms of peace

and security are considerable. However, they must not

eclipse in our minds the equally significant challenges

confronting us in other areas. It seems crucial to me

that every necessary effort be exerted to reach the

Millennium Development Goals. This year we are

reaching the midpoint of the timetable we have

established for ourselves in that regard. It is very

important that States live up to the commitments made,

to the extent possible. The reduction in official

development assistance in 2006 underlines the need for

donors to try to increase the level of their aid so that

the goals set for 2010 and 2015 may be reached.

Furthermore, I wish again to state the hope that

the negotiations of the Doha Round are completed on

schedule and ensure that the interests of the countries

of the South are protected and that the globalization of

trade retains its significance.

I cannot remain silent about the terrible

experience of thousands of young people from Africa

who, for a number of years now, have set forth at risk

to their lives in their attempts to reach Europe in

their eyes the new promised land. That migration keeps

increasing and is of course attributable to the

difference in the level of development between the

North and the South. In that regard, the countries of

origin, the countries of transit and the receiving

countries must intervene to seek humane solutions that

take into account the underlying causes of that

phenomenon. It is indeed clear that neither controls nor

repatriation will offer an adequate or sustainable

response to the problem.

The issue of climate change is becoming one of

the most important and most urgent issues of our time,

as has been recognized by all, and it is urgent that we

act. The destinies of future generations depend on that.

In that context I wish to congratulate the Secretary-

General for his initiative in convening the High-level

Event on Climate Change, which has just been

concluded here.

The holding of negotiations in December 2007 in

Bali, Indonesia, on the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change and on the post-Kyoto

regime should also be a focus of our attention.

Furthermore, we welcome the intention of the Tunisian

Government to organize from 18 to 20 November

2007, an international conference on the effects of

climate change and strategies for adaptation on the

African continent and in the Mediterranean region. In

that domain we should try to reach a global agreement

that would be part of the United Nations Framework

Convention process and which would tackle the matter

of climate change in all its aspects.

The challenges we have just discussed can only

be taken up on a global scale. The United Nations

should be at the forefront of that struggle and for that

purpose needs the active cooperation of all its

Members, particularly the great Powers. But it should

also constantly adapt itself to the changing realities of

our time so as to be in a position to efficiently fulfil its

mission.

Accordingly, Cameroon attaches the greatest

importance to the reform of the United Nations. It

supports a progressive, gradual reform of the current

United Nations system which would take into account

the changing balances in the world in recent years and

the emergence of many new States. It is our intention

to continue to cooperate with other Member States for

a renewed United Nations, a model of modern and

effective governance, in its participation in world

affairs.