Comoros, 2011

It is a

great honour and a privilege for me to address this

Assembly for the first time since I took office as

President of the Union of the Comoros, on 26 May.

Allow me at the outset to warmly congratulate

His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his

election as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-sixth session. I wish also to congratulate His

Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss and his entire team on

their remarkable work. Lastly, I should like to pay a

well-deserved tribute to the Secretary-General, His

Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his commendable

and unceasing efforts to ensure that our Organization

can better meet its objectives in a world increasingly

marked by all kinds of crises: political, economic,

social and environmental.

The Assembly is convening in its sixty-sixth

session at a time when all humankind is struggling

through one of its most difficult times. Indeed, peace,

the most precious common good in the world, has

never been more threatened. It is under threat on all of

our continents, in our regions, in our subregions and in

every one of our countries. It is threatened by political

crises, diseases and natural disasters. It is also

threatened by poor living conditions, unemployment,

insecurity and underdevelopment.

The hotspots that have emerged in various

regions of the world and the recent uprisings in North

Africa and the Middle East have claimed, and continue

to claim, many victims. Our countries continue to be

burdened by emerging diseases, but also and especially

by non-communicable diseases. In fact, cancers,

diabetes and, in particular, cardiovascular diseases

have taken many lives in our countries and threaten

their development.

The problem of education and the lack of basic

infrastructure, energy and potable water also pose a

threat to peace and security in many developing

countries. Moreover, no country today is safe from

natural disasters linked to climate change. This

situation is all the more tragic in small island

developing States such as mine.

I need not mention the toxic effects of the

financial crisis, which continues to affect our countries

and seriously compromises the future of the global

economy. Therefore, I should like to issue an urgent

appeal to the international community to enhance its

role in seeking rapid resolutions of all of these crises.

Indeed, only by working together and effectively

to fight disease will we be able to ensure that our

populations are healthy and our human resources are

more productive. By joining our efforts, we may also

curb unemployment through education and job creation

and succeed in re-launching the socio-economic

development of our countries. In addition, eradicating

corruption — which is increasingly rampant in our

countries — will help us succeed in re-launching

development, which is an essential factor of peace and

stability. Moreover, by strengthening the culture of

democracy and rule of law, our countries will evolve

towards greater peace and stability, which are key

conditions for sustainable development.

The President took the Chair.

We must further develop solidarity among the

member countries of this concert of nations. That must

be done to bring our world out of its vulnerable state.

The efforts of the developing countries in increasingly

difficult situations will not succeed without active

solidarity. The quasi-collective mobilization effort seen

today in Europe and generally in the West to stem the

financial crisis is most commendable. However, it must

be extended to other sectors and continents. Likewise,

it is indeed appropriate to act swiftly and in unison to

achieve the Millennium Development Goals, which

have inspired so much hope in our countries.

In this world in crisis, the Union of the Comoros

has for the second time experienced an exemplary,

peaceful change at the top level of the State. However,

its solid footing in democracy and good governance

will become truly irreversible only when poverty,

misery and vulnerability cease to exist. That is why we

have taken measures to fight corruption and to better

use our national resources and preserve and protect

biodiversity. Indeed, as a small island developing State

that is directly concerned, we attach very special

attention to the question of climate change and the

environment. We work every day to improve the

standard of living of our fellow citizens. But we also

need the support of the international community.

In addition, and despite its difficult situation, my

country will never set aside its responsibility to act

within the international community. We intend to offer

our modest contribution to mankind’s quest for a better

world. Thus we take an active part in building peace

and security by participating in the Eastern Africa

Standby Brigade, in accordance with the requests of

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the international community. While we are aware that

our means are modest, we intend to play our role

within the African Union-United Nations Hybrid

Operation in Darfur, because promoting peace

anywhere in the world, particularly in Africa, remains

for us a major imperative.

Terrorism, piracy and other transborder organized

crime, including the trafficking of drugs and light

weapons, are direct threats today to human security and

to the national security of many countries. My country

is doing its best to combat those scourges. But the

international community must also provide greater

assistance towards prevention, both structurally and

operationally. Early warning mechanisms, exchanges

of information and experiences, mutual assistance in

training, organization and capacity-building will enable

States and regional organizations, particularly the

African Union, to enhance their capacities.

Issues that have remained unresolved, sometimes

for decades, are sources of conflicts likely to

jeopardize the cause of peace and security. That is the

case in the question of Madagascar. The political crisis

affecting the brotherly people of Madagascar deserves

the full attention of the international community. The

current efforts of the transitional Government, under

the aegis of the Southern African Development

Community, call for multiform support from the

international community so that that large island can

finally regain peace and security for the well-being of

its people.

The same is true with regard to the question of

Palestine. The Comoros has always supported the

struggle of the brotherly Palestinian people and

supports the request of the Palestinian authorities to the

international community for the recognition of a

Palestinian State in its borders of June 1967, with East

Jerusalem as its capital. Indeed, for more than 30 years

Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands has remained

an unresolved issue. As for my country, it supports that

recognition and appeals to all countries that love peace,

freedom and justice to do the same.

The Union of the Comoros cannot have any other

position on that question, since it is directly concerned

by another equally sensitive question that affects not

only its national unity, territorial integrity and history,

and international law, but also peace in the Indian

Ocean region. Here I refer to the question of the

Comorian island of Mayotte.

Allow me to emphasize that the inclusion of the

question of the Comorian island of Mayotte on the

agenda of several sessions of the General Assembly

and in relevant resolutions of the Assembly, the African

Union, the League of Arab States and the Organization

of Islamic Cooperation has not yet provided a solution

to this thorny question, which has placed us in

opposition to France for decades.

As the Assembly is aware, the unilateral decision

of France to make the Comorian island of Mayotte a

département is for us and for the international

community null and void and can in no way be

considered a fait accompli. Furthermore, the visa

regime imposed by the French authorities on

Comorians of the three other islands has broken up

many families by turning the sea channel that separates

Mayotte from its sister island Anjouan into a huge

cemetery, where rest the remains of thousands of my

compatriots who only wished to gain access to a part of

their territory.

However, we cannot simply continue to condemn

without any follow-up, or maintain fixed positions that

do not contribute to the settlement of the issue, while

we continue daily to witness many losses due to the

visa regime imposed by France.

Therefore, I wish to reiterate from this rostrum

my country’s legitimate determination to continue to

claim the reintegration of the Comorian island of

Mayotte as part of its natural grouping. However, we

hope to be able to conduct this struggle by means of

the necessary negotiations with France — an economic

partner of the Comoros — but also and above all

through including our brothers and sisters in Mayotte,

because there can be no realistic and lasting solution to

the dispute without their involvement.

That is the new approach that I proposed as soon

as I was inaugurated to settle the territorial conflict that

has divided my country and France for just over

30 years. Indeed, I believe that any search for a

solution to this thorny problem must include our

Mahorais brothers and sisters, with whom we share ties

knitted through history, blood, language, religion and

culture. We believe that the large Comorian diaspora in

France and the island of Réunion can join with its

brothers and sisters of Mayotte and the other three

Comorian islands in order finally to renew their natural

bonds, carry out projects and live out their common

destiny in harmony.

29 11-51191

In this light, and in our desire to see this problem —

which has lasted too long — be finally settled

favourably and peacefully, that we hope to promote the

negotiations with France and our Mahorais brothers

and sisters that we believe to be essential.

Speaking of territorial integrity, I would like to

make particular mention of countries that occupy a

special place in Comorians’ hearts. For the Kingdom of

Morocco, a brother country whose legitimate positions

on the Western Sahara my country has always

supported, I hope that the dialogue being held under

the auspices of the United Nations will quickly lead to

a peaceful solution to the problem. To the People’s

Republic of China, that great country and friend to the

Comoros, we here reaffirm our unfailing support for it

in its legitimate struggle for one China, developing in

peace and prosperity.

I cannot speak of justice and equity without

bringing up the need for internal reform of our

Organization, particularly the Security Council. We

believe that only better representation of every

continent on the Council, including the essential

African presence as a permanent member, can ensure

better cohesion within the international community and

thus do away with frustration and antagonism.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all the

friendly countries and the regional and international

organizations that continue to support us in multiple

ways in our efforts to re-launch our country’s

socio-economic development. In particular, I thank

Qatar, which hosted the conference on assistance in

investment and development in the Comoros, the

commitments for which have begun to materialize,

thanks to the untiring efforts of high-level Qatari

authorities. I would also like to thank the American

Administration for its kind efforts to make our stay in

this great and beautiful country enjoyable.