Chad, 2006

First

and foremost, Madam President, on behalf of my

delegation and on my own behalf, permit me to convey

to you our heartfelt congratulations on your

outstanding election to the presidency of the sixty-first

session of the General Assembly. We are certain that

due to your qualities, talent and experience, you will

lead us satisfactorily in our work. Our congratulations

are also directed to your predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson

and his team, whose dedication and fervour have

enabled us to accomplish an enormous amount of work

that has been appreciated by all and was carried out

within an especially troubling international context.

In addition, we would like to pay a well-deserved

tribute to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, the

Secretary-General of our Organization, whose

extremely important role in promoting the

implementation of our ideals will be engraved in the

annals of our Organization.

We have unceasingly, before this same Assembly,

condemned all forms of violence and intolerance,

especially in its most terrible manifestation that has

been most visible in our time — terrorism. We have

committed ourselves to respect the United Nations

Charter, which was created precisely to save

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succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to

maintain international peace and security.

Our responsibility requires that we work together

in order to eliminate the major scourges that threaten

humanity. With regard to fighting terrorism, I reiterate

that my country has signed and ratified most of the

international instruments pertaining to that scourge,

and that it is cooperating with different countries and

relevant United Nations institutions in order to

continue that fight. Furthermore, along with terrorism,

the past year has seen alarming situations in many

young States that are victims of war and serious armed

conflicts, taking place throughout the world, and that

cause instability and challenge the efforts made by

those States to establish democratic institutions and

foster socio-economic progress for their peoples.

As far as my country is concerned, despite

attempts to destabilize and anti-constitutional seizures

of power — problems that it continues to experience —

we organized free and transparent presidential elections

for 3 May 2006, in which the Chadian people renewed

their confidence in His Excellency President Idriss

Deby Itno. Subsequently, a political dialogue took

place from 28 July to 2 August 2006 in N’Djamena.

There, 54 out of the 78 legally recognized political

parties took part in that important forum, whose

conclusions will, undoubtedly, lay the foundation for

the consolidation of the rule of law and the

strengthening of the democratic process in our country.

It would be an illusion to think that my country

will enjoy the necessary stability, without difficulties,

needed to consolidate the democratic rule of law, if it

continues to suffer the pernicious effects of the Darfur

crisis. We have just normalized our relations with the

Sudan, after we had been compelled to break off

diplomatic relations because of the subversive plotting

against us in connection with Darfur. We hope to renew

the bonds of friendship and good neighbourliness with

that fraternal country that we have had in the past.

Nevertheless, we continue to be concerned about

the Darfur crisis, which threatens not just our security,

but also that of the entire subregion. The Darfur

conflict has caused enormous harm to Chad and the

Chadian people since it began in 2003, including a lack

of security, economic loss and environmental

destruction. Incursions of the Janjaweed into Chadian

territory brought the fighting in Darfur into the eastern

part of Chad, resulting in the displacement of more

than 50,000 Chadians, the deaths of hundreds and the

plundering of thousands of heads of livestock, among

other problems.

Chad was the first country to receive and assist

refugees from Darfur — more than 300,000 — before

the international community intervened. In addition to

those refugees, we have an increasing number of

Central African refugees. Central Africa is, after Chad,

the next biggest victim of the Darfur crisis, which risks

spreading — if we are not careful — throughout the

entire subregion of Central Africa.

In that connection, we welcome the extension to

the end of December 2006 of the African Union

mission in Darfur. It is better than nothing.

Nevertheless, faced with the difficulties of the

Government of the Sudan and the African Union in

containing the crisis, we reaffirm our position that is

well known and not new. The United Nations must take

over from the African Union, pursuant to Security

Council resolution 1706 (2006). We say that in

friendship with our Sudanese brothers, while

respecting their sovereignty. Our position should in no

way be construed as hostile to the fraternal

Government of the Sudan. It has nothing to do with

what some are calling an international conspiracy

against the Sudan. It is based simply on common sense

and is aimed at providing assistance to the innocent

victims of the war. Furthermore, Chad has more to gain

than any other country from the restoration of peace to

Darfur, if only because that would enable the hundreds

of thousands of Sudanese refugees located on our

territory to return to their country and thus put an end

to the sacrifices being made by the Chadian host

population.

Furthermore, we are finding it difficult to ensure

the security of the refugee camps, which, as they are

open and located not very far from the border, are used

by some Sudanese rebels as safe havens, resupply

stations and recruiting grounds. That is why we had

hoped that international forces would be sent to the

eastern part of the country to help us to secure the

refugee camps and guarantee their neutrality, as well as

to ensure the security of the common border and to

prevent the crisis in Darfur from spilling over.

At this time of rapid globalization, which many

thought would be inclusive and beneficial, the gap

between rich and poor countries is growing. Despite

the efforts being made by our States — which are

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weakened and subjected to abusive constraints by

international institutions and other partners — the

integration of our economies within the globalization

process aimed at achieving harmonious and sustainable

development still seems remote, while the current rules

and regulations of the market economy undermine the

competitiveness of our economies. How can our beset

countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals

given our ongoing lack of income, the heavy debt

burden and the scourges of HIV/AIDS and malaria?

My country had a disagreement with the World

Bank following our revision of Law 001 pertaining to

oil revenues. We are therefore pleased with the fruitful

dialogue that we have had with the Bank, which has

led to a mutually acceptable compromise and to the

resumption of our cooperation with that great

institution.

In the same vein, with regard to the defence of

our interests so that our people can benefit from the

natural resources of our country, it should be pointed

out to the international community that there has been

a recent deterioration in our relationship with two

members of the oil consortium that is active in our

country because they have refused to pay a profits tax

to the Chadian authorities. Furthermore, we have

expressed the outrage of the people of Chad at the fact

that they benefit from only 12.5 per cent of the fees

associated with the exploitation of their oil resources.

We have denounced the fact that three years of the sale

of our oil yielded us only $588 million, while the oil

companies amassed $5 billion. We ask that justice be

done. Indeed, we demand our legitimate right to

participate directly in the production and marketing of

our resources. If we cannot, the sovereign rights of our

country will be trampled underfoot, its objective of

poverty reduction will come to naught and our dream

of economic and social progress will remain an

illusion.

Beyond our own problems, we are concerned

about conflict situations elsewhere on the continent and

in other parts of the world. We welcome the efforts

made within the African Union and the United Nations

to find lasting solutions, and we express our readiness

to provide assistance to the extent possible.

For example, we believe that the national

reconciliation process in Côte d’Ivoire is on the right

track, although some minor problems have been

encountered. We note that both the African Union and

the United Nations are playing a major role there. All

Ivorian political stakeholders must acknowledge the

pain and suffering of the people and understand that

there are limits to the patience of the members of

international community. They must make a

determined effort to put an end to the conflict — a

conflict that has had grave consequences for the

stability of the subregion.

In the Middle East, including Palestine, we were

appalled and outraged by the recent events that took

place in southern Lebanon, resulting in the massive

destruction of the infrastructure of the country and the

loss of life among civilians. We hope that the

provisions of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)

will be respected with a view to a favourable outcome.

We also remain concerned about the continuing

deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian

territories, especially the Gaza Strip and the West

Bank. We call on the international community to

involve itself more fully in the resolution of the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict, which has for too long been a

source of instability in that region.

Anti-personnel landmines and unexploded

ordnance are a legacy of armed conflict, and my

country continues to pay a high price for armed

conflicts and other wars conducted on its territory. As a

State party to the Ottawa Convention, it is in the

process of destroying them in cooperation with friendly

countries, international organizations and non-

governmental organizations and I would like to take

this opportunity to thank them for their ongoing

support. I request those friendly countries and

institutions to continue to provide assistance so that the

programme to combat those deadly devices can be

strengthened.

The structures of our Organization are neither fair

nor democratic. In this regard, my country continues to

align itself with the African position with regard to the

restructuring of the United Nations, including the

expansion of the Security Council, with a view to

ensuring equitable representation for all regions of the

world. The reforms undertaken in the past year,

especially in the framework of the implementation of

the recommendations and decisions of the 2005

Summit, have the unswerving support of my country,

which is looking forward with interest to the outcome

of the various consultations currently under way.