Chad, 2001

The

Government and the people of Chad were profoundly

shocked and saddened by the horrendous attacks on the

United States of America that took place on 11

September 2001 in New York and Washington. I would

like to take this opportunity to convey once again the

sincere condolences of the Government of Chad to the

leaders of that friendly country and to the families of

the innocent victims.

Those extremely barbaric attacks demonstrate

how urgently necessary it is for the international

community to move beyond the intentions expressed in

the various agreements on terrorism and agree on the

implementation of a genuine common plan of action to

eradicate terrorism totally and to free our world from

the suffering to which it is subjected as a result of

extremism and fanaticism in all their forms. We must

work together to preserve peace and understanding

among peoples for the sake of mankind’s future and all

those who comprise it — Jews, Muslims, Christians

and others.

While vigorously stressing that nothing can

justify terrorism, the Republic of Chad would

nonetheless like to share with the Assembly some

thoughts prompted by the serious situation facing the

world.

Terrorist bases are found on every continent, and

the struggle against this scourge involves every

religious community. It is for this reason that we must

denounce the equation that is being made between

terrorism and a given religion. It is unacceptable for

certain media to perpetuate that equation in world

opinion, thereby inciting hatred and exclusion. The war

against terrorism must therefore be global and

multidimensional in nature. It must be the subject of

genuine cooperation among all peace- and justice-

loving States, and it must take place within the most

appropriate international framework, namely, the

United Nations.

This worldwide struggle need not necessarily be

military to be effective. It must go hand in hand with

economic measures to end the poverty and injustice

evident in our world. We must also act on the political

and diplomatic level to settle crisis situations and to

identify, try and punish those truly guilty of terrorist

acts and their accomplices.

Not long after the holding of the Millennium

Summit and the Durban Conference against racism,

and just before the high-level International Conference

on Financing for Development, scheduled for 2002, we

must unfortunately once again deplore the injustice,

poverty and suffering endured by the overwhelming

majority of the world’s peoples. In the course of our

many international meetings, we have constantly said

that the world needs more solidarity and that the

wealthier countries must expand their financial efforts

to contribute to the economic and social development

of the neediest peoples. In saying that we are not

asking for charity, but rather for realizing the legitimate

right of those peoples to development. Alas, the real

state of affairs falls far short of our hopes.

17

Poverty continues to grow in the world, and the

future of the world’s poor is undermined by the plight

of their children. Hundreds of millions of those

children work in inhuman conditions in order to

survive. They are left to their miserable fate in the

streets, subject to violence, drugs and prostitution,

whose corollary is AIDS. The situation is all the more

appalling given that, despite promises to reduce or

cancel the debt of poor countries, that debt continues to

grow, its burden hampering economic growth. At the

same time, some financial speculators can make tens of

billions of dollars in a single financial market

transaction — 10, or even 20, times the amount of

recent years’ generous debt write-offs.

How can our world continue to profess respect

for human rights while allowing those in the North and

South who benefit from the global system that

generates such poverty and all the injustices

exacerbated by globalization? What meaning do human

rights have for people who do not even have access to

the basic right to feed themselves? Can we therefore

continue to dream of a better world knowing that the

rich countries are continuing to cut back their

development assistance?

It is therefore inconceivable to us to hope to fight

terrorism without the genuine solidarity of the rich

countries with the neediest. Yes, in this troubled world

in which the international community is threatened by

major conflict, it would not be out of place to reaffirm

our desire to see the emergence of genuine solidarity

among peoples and nations in the form of sound and

mutually advantageous cooperation in order to redress

these injustices, which are, I stress, the main breeding

grounds of terrorism.

In order to address all the challenges posed by

this difficult world, my country, Chad, knows that it

must rely above all on its own capacities if it is to

occupy its rightful place in international life and to

make its modest contribution to the building of a better

world. That is the underlying message of the

unrelenting struggle waged by President Idriss Deby

since 1 December 1990 to establish a pluralistic

democracy in Chad, the guarantee of sustainable

development in peace and stability.

I wish to state today that my country recently

reached a decisive stage in the consolidation of that

pluralistic democracy through the presidential election

of 20 May. That election, the second of its kind in the

history of Chad, involved seven competing candidates

and resulted in the election of Mr. Idriss Deby, the

outgoing President, to a second five-year term. It took

place in total transparency, as attested by national and

international observers. Moreover, the Chadian

Government attaches great importance to the

legislative elections to be held in 2002, with the

assistance of the international community.

On the economic level, since 1995 Chad has

followed a recovery strategy intended to lay the basis

for sustainable economic and social development.

Thorough reforms have been undertaken to improve

and stabilize public finance, to correct external

imbalances and to launch lasting growth. These actions

require an effective anti-poverty policy, with respect to

which Chad, through me, expresses its gratitude to the

international community for its support, in particular at

the fourth Geneva round table of 1998 on the

development of Chad and at the sectoral meeting and

the mid-term review meeting of 2000.

Furthermore, following lengthy and heated

discussion, the oil project has been finalized and is

operating well. Chad is now vesting great hope in its

effects and looks forward to using its resources to

finance its poverty reduction strategy. In that regard, I

would recall that, for the first time in the history of

petroleum exploitation, legislation has been enacted to

guarantee transparency in revenue management and to

reserve a portion of the profit for local communities in

the producing region and their future generations.

Along with these domestic efforts, Chad will

continue to work tirelessly for subregional and regional

integration in Africa. The challenges facing the modern

world require all nations to pool their means and

efforts in great economic, monetary and cultural

groupings. Even if the international situation should

become favourable and the industrialized countries

should choose to heed the voice of Africa, we believe

that it is up to Africans ourselves, first and foremost, to

build our continent.

The launching in July 2001 in Lusaka of the

process of establishing the organs of the African Union

opened encouraging prospects for the achievement of

the legitimate aspirations of the African peoples to

peace, security and well-being in a much fairer world.

The African peoples are convinced that only a genuine

union will allow Africa to address its challenges and to

18

extricate itself from the economic stagnation and

violence that plague it.

Civil war and violence of all sorts, generated by

injustice and poverty, are found throughout the world

and on every continent. Their proliferation and extent

are deeply worrisome, especially since they are fuelled

and perpetuated by certain countries that place their

own interests above those of the peace and stability of

nations. What can we say about the hesitation of

certain countries to participate actively or morally in

prevention, management, settlement or peacekeeping

operations? In our opinion, it is equally unthinkable to

seek to combat terrorism while allowing crises that

feed it to persist.

With respect to such crises, allow me to refer to

certain conflicts situations that are of particular

concern to my country, Chad.

Central Africa, which in recent years has become

a theatre of political and tribal tensions, has ultimately

become aware of its situation in the international

landscape. It has therefore resolutely committed itself

on the path to ensuring the creation of improved

security conditions. In that regard, we must commend

the efforts of the international mediators and those

statesmen who have personally and effectively

contributed to defusing a number of hotbeds of tension

in that part of the continent.

However, while we may welcome the restoration

of peace in Congo Brazzaville, the same is not yet true

in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where,

regrettably, war continues to claim innocent victims.

We hope that the inter-Congolese dialogue begun in

Addis Ababa will result in a peaceful settlement to that

fratricidal conflict, which has gone on too long.

We also certainly welcome the stabilization of the

situation in the Central African Republic, but recent

events have revealed the precariousness of the

situation. In this regard, Chad reaffirms through me

that it will tolerate no destabilization of that fraternal

country through its borders and will always do its

utmost to promote understanding and concord among

its Central African brothers. It also calls on the

international community to assist that neighbouring

country in the restoration of lasting peace.

In Burundi, although armed confrontations

continue to occur, we welcome the establishment of a

union Government and hail the tireless work done by

President Nelson Mandela as facilitator to ensure that

the current negotiation process leads to national peace

and concord in the country.

As to Angola, the Government of the Republic of

Chad reaffirms its support for the legitimate

Government in its efforts to achieve peace and security.

In West Africa, the agreement on voluntary

disarmament signed under the auspices of the United

Nations Mission in Sierra Leone has yielded tangible

results and is now the only proper course for resolving

the crisis in that country. We encourage the Economic

Community of West African States to continue to work

to restore lasting pace to that subregion.

As to the Horn of Africa, Chad encourages any

initiative on the part of the belligerent parties to bring

about national reconciliation in Somalia on the basis of

the Arta agreements. Likewise, the Chadian

Government welcomes the observance of the ceasefire

between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and exhorts these two

fraternal countries to build peace along their common

border. As to the embargo on Libya, Chad unreservedly

supports its immediate lifting, without conditions and

in full, because it unjustly penalizes the fraternal

Libyan people.

In the Middle East, it is time for the tragedy of

the Palestinian people, which has lasted for more than

half a century, to be brought to a peaceful, fair and

lasting conclusion. It is more urgent and necessary than

ever for pressure of all kinds to be brought to bear on

the State of Israel to induce it to fulfil the terms of the

resolutions adopted by the Security Council on the

Palestinian question, in particular resolutions 242

(1967) and 338 (1973). The credibility of the

international community depends on the ability of the

Palestinians to enjoy all their rights, including the right

to an independent and sovereign State.

Turning to another injustice in the world, namely,

the inhuman embargo imposed on Iraq, my

Government calls for its immediate and unconditional

lifting, because it no longer has any justification. As to

the injustice committed by our Organization vis-à-vis

the Republic of China on Taiwan, the time has come to

set things right, in order to allow that country, whose

human, economic and political weight is unquestioned,

to occupy its legitimate place in the family of nations,

which is to say in the United Nations, following its

recent admission to the World Trade Organization,

which we welcome.

19

On this solemn occasion, we cannot fail to refer

to another undemocratic and unjust feature of the

structures of our Organization. In this regard, I would

like to recall in the strongest terms that Chad still

adheres to the common African position on the

restructuring of the United Nations, including the

enlargement and reform of the Security Council, so as

to ensure fair representation for all regions of the

world.

Before I conclude, allow me to extend to you, Sir,

the warm congratulations of the Chadian delegation on

your well-deserved election to lead the fifty-sixth

regular session of the General Assembly. I am

convinced that your personal and professional qualities

will guarantee the successful conduct of our work.

Allow me also to convey the sincere thanks of my

delegation to your predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri, for

the tact and wisdom with which he conducted the work

of the previous session.

I wish lastly to convey the Republic of Chad’s

sincere congratulations to our brother Kofi Annan,

Secretary-General of this Organization, on the renewed

trust that the international community has just placed

in him for a second term, and also on the Nobel Peace

Prize that was awarded to him and to the United

Nations. The dedication of the Secretary-General to the

cause of peace, progress and development has been

thoroughly demonstrated. We therefore wish to assure

him of the support and encouragement of the

Government of the Republic of Chad throughout his

new term in office.