Guinea-Bissau, 2002

First of all, I would like to thank the

outgoing President of the General Assembly, Mr. Han

Seung-soo, for the superb manner in which he led the

work of the fifty-sixth session of the Assembly.

Permit me, Sir, to congratulate you on your

election to the presidency of the fifty-seventh session

of the General Assembly, and to express my best

wishes for success in your work at the head of this

important body. It is with enormous satisfaction that,

on behalf of the President of the Republic of Guinea-

Bissau, Mr. Kumba Yalá, we welcome Switzerland as a

Member of the United Nations. We also look forward

to welcoming the Republic of Timor-Leste, a member

of our community of Portuguese-speaking countries.

The loss of human lives can never be justified by

a cause, no matter what its noble goals. Just a year ago,

the people of Guinea-Bissau joined their voices to

those of the international community in condemning all

acts of terrorism and all actions which would threaten

international security.

We are convinced of the lofty ideals of

democracy, in which human security becomes the pillar

of society's development. Therefore, on my own

account and on behalf of the people of Guinea-Bissau,

I condemn the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001,

and we reiterate our conviction that the only way in

which to combat such infamy is to unite all our efforts

under the auspices of the United Nations.

Our readiness to cooperate in the quest for

solutions that will guarantee peace and stability in our

subregion is great, although the internal conflicts in

neighbouring countries inevitably entail costs in the

defence and security areas. They also compel us to

sacrifice the meagre budgets of priority sectors of the

Government's programme, such as health and

education.

The progressive establishment of democracy,

human rights, international cooperation and

development will restore the dignity of our people.

Convinced of this, we are developing partnerships with

the United Nations system to combat poverty in

Guinea-Bissau. We continue to make sacrifices to pave

the way for development. These sacrifices include

interruptions in the normal course of development in a

State where the 1998 conflict bore witness to the evils

of a people's poverty, and to the destruction of the

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precarious structures of a new State in a region where

there are pockets of conflict that tend to cross borders,

and thus to increase the climate of instability.

The Senegalese conflict, in the Casamance

region, provides an example of our resolve to help find

consensus solutions to put an end to many years of

armed conflict in the neighbouring Republic of

Senegal. Respect for the Charter of the Organization of

African Unity as it relates to the retention of the

borders inherited from colonialism calls for Guinea-

Bissau's participation in efforts to establish peace and

stability in a united and indivisible Senegal.

Based on this conviction, our country supports

the efforts of the People's Republic of China towards

peaceful reunification, under the theme of “one nation,

two systems.”

The economic and financial difficulties faced by

the Government of Guinea-Bissau have been the object

of attention by the members of the Security Council. It

is clear that peacekeeping efforts cannot be divorced

from the need to preserve economic and social stability

in Guinea-Bissau. Thus, progress on peacekeeping, on

economic recovery and on development in Guinea-

Bissau are interdependent.

Guinea-Bissau, a member of the African Union,

is involved in the struggle for peace, stability,

democracy, the defence of human rights, cooperation,

development, prosperity and human dignity. We are

bound, furthermore, by our national poverty reduction

strategy to contribute to the socio-economic

programme to revitalize our continent, following the

broader approach of the New Partnership for Africa's

Development (NEPAD).

It is clear to Guinea-Bissau that the United

Nations, as a forum for dealing with questions related

to world peace, respect for human rights, the

eradication of poverty and the promotion of sustainable

development worldwide, is encouraging and

contributing in practical ways to the success of NEPAD

and to ensuring that the commitments entered into in

Doha, Monterrey and Johannesburg will be effectively

implemented.

Guinea-Bissau remains committed to finding

solutions to its difficult socio-economic situation, and

appeals to the international community to contribute to

the implementation of our national poverty reduction

strategy.

I would like to recognize the intelligent, patriotic

manner in which Angola put an end to long years of

conflict, as well as the progress made towards the

resolution of the conflicts in Senegal, the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Burundi and the Comoros.

Dialogue is the best instrument for restoring

peace and working towards stability and development

for humanity. That is why we encourage the actors in

the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to join in the effort to

find acceptable solutions to bring about concrete

security and prosperity for both peoples. Strict

compliance with Security Council resolutions 242

(1967), 338 (1973) and 1397 (2002) will be the only

response acceptable to the Assembly and the only proof

that the parties recognize the incalculable value of our

Organization.

To realize the promises contained in the

Millennium Declaration and in the United Nations

Charter, which would guarantee a more prosperous and

just world, we join in the appeal made to the leaders of

Iraq to abide by Security Council resolutions with

respect to Chapter VII of the Charter, in order to avoid

a possible Council decision.

Guinea-Bissau shares the need for broader and

more effective participation in the work of the Security

Council, which is a vital organ of the Organization.

Permit me to recall that reducing poverty in the

poorest countries, such as ours, will guarantee the

prosperity, stability, peace and security of the entire

world and is the best way to neutralize terrorism.

We speak out in the struggle against the

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and for

the creation of conditions which will allow access to

basic resources such as water, to education and to the

protein necessary for healthy growth.

Solidarity among peoples is and will continue to

be the guarantee that we will be able to bequeath to

future generations the legacy of a prosperous world.