Guinea, 2005

Allow me at the outset, on behalf of my delegation,

warmly to congratulate Mr. Eliasson on his outstanding

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

its sixtieth session. My country, Guinea, assures him of

its full cooperation as he carries out his important

mission.

I also pay well-deserved tribute to his

predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, for the competence,

effectiveness and devotion with which he led the work

of the fifty-ninth session.

I am also pleased to convey to Secretary-General

Kofi Annan the deep appreciation, encouragement and

support of Mr. Lansana Conté, President of the

Republic, for his tireless and praiseworthy work.

The summit meeting at this session of the General

Assembly has substantially stiffened our common

resolve to promote international peace and security, the

rule of law and the right to development. The

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assessment of the implementation of the Millennium

Development Goals and the renewed commitment of

States Members to achieving them are cause for hope.

The Republic of Guinea nevertheless remains

convinced that if we are better to meet the threats and

challenges we face, we must resolutely pursue the

reforms necessary to revitalize our Organization.

In the name of peace and security, the concerted

and decisive action of the United Nations system and

of regional and subregional organizations, the African

Union in particular, has made significant progress in

recent months.

In West Africa, and especially in the Mano River

basin, hopes for peace are gradually growing after

years of turbulence and tragedy.

In Liberia, the political and institutional rebirth

under way is encouraging, although many obstacles

still hinder national reconciliation and the country’s

economic revival. It is essential that, in order to

preserve their legitimacy and fairness, we do

everything possible to prevent October’s elections from

being manipulated by the forces of destabilization. We

therefore call on the international community to give

that country the assistance necessary to seeing the

transition through and launching its own

reconstruction.

In Sierra Leone, the process of national

reconciliation is continuing, thereby promoting

peacebuilding and development. My delegation

believes that adequate financing for the Special Court

for Sierra Leone and the transfer of all persons

presumed guilty of serious crimes under international

law are prerequisites for putting an end to impunity and

consolidate subregional stability.

As concerns Guinea-Bissau, my country

welcomes the smooth holding of the presidential

elections, which herald a positive new era that will be

conducive to national reconciliation and a return to

constitutional order.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the signing of the Pretoria

Agreement on 6 April 2005 has given rise to real hopes

that the crisis can be resolved. However, recent

developments are a source of concern to us. Our

Government calls on all parties concerned to spare no

effort to promote a political settlement of the conflict,

since peace and stability in the subregion hinge on this.

In Burundi, major progress has been made in the

peace process, particularly through the holding of

legislative and presidential elections in free, fair and

peaceful conditions. Guinea welcomes this and calls on

our brothers in Burundi to continue on the path to

national reconciliation and reconstruction.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where

the transitional period is at a decisive stage, problems

persist in the eastern part of the country. My country

encourages all parties to abide by the relevant

provisions of the comprehensive agreement.

In the Sudan, despite the sad death of Vice-

President Garang, the establishment of a national unity

Government and the political will shown by the various

protagonists will help to defuse tensions.

Guinea urges all parties in Darfur to pursue the

negotiations that have begun under the auspices of the

African Union with a view to achieving a

comprehensive, consensus-based solution.

In the Horn of Africa, Somalia has reached a

decisive stage with the creation of a Transitional

Federal Government. My delegation makes an urgent

appeal to the various factions to engage in negotiations

with the Government in order to reach a

comprehensive peace agreement.

Regarding the Ethiopia-Eritrea dispute, we call

on both parties fully to respect the Algiers Accord and

to implement the Boundary Commission’s decision.

As to the situation in the Western Sahara, Guinea

supports a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution.

It encourages the parties concerned to enhance their

cooperation with the Special Representative of the

Secretary-General.

Concerning the Middle East, our Government

welcomes Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

However, we remain concerned by the occupation of

the West Bank, the continued illegal construction of the

separation wall and the continuing detention of

Palestinian political prisoners.

That is why we appeal to the two parties to

respect the relevant resolutions of the General

Assembly and of the Security Council, as well as the

Quartet road map. This is the only way to bring about

the creation of two States — Palestine and Israel —

living side by side in safety and security within secure

and recognized boundaries.

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In Iraq, despite the holding of legislative

elections that led to the establishment of a transitional

Government, we cannot but deplore the current climate

of daily violence. We agree that everything should be

done to help the country’s leaders to consolidate the

political transition, put an end to indiscriminate

violence and build a united, democratic and prosperous

Iraq.

With regard to Asia, our Government reaffirms its

belief in the principle of one China. We also attach

importance to the peaceful and independent

reunification of the two Koreas as well as to ongoing

efforts to maintain peace, security and stability on the

Korean peninsula.

My delegation notes with profound concern the

resurgence of terrorist activities throughout the world.

We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and in

all its manifestations, for it constitutes one of the most

serious threats to international peace and security. We

express solidarity with all States that have fallen victim

to it.

To eradicate that scourge, my delegation

reaffirms the need to tackle with determination its root

causes, including injustice, exclusion, poverty and the

intensification of social divisions.

We welcome the adoption by the Assembly on

13 April 2005 of the resolution on the International

Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear

Terrorism, and we urge Member States to reach

agreement on a comprehensive convention on

terrorism.

The seventh Review Conference of the Parties to

the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons and the Second Biennial Meeting of States to

Consider the Implementation of the Programme of

Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit

Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its

Aspects, which were held, respectively, in May and

July 2005, shows the concern of States parties to do

more to address disarmament-related problems.

However, we note and deplore the fact that the

States parties to the Treaty have not yet succeeded in

reaching consensus on questions of substance. Hence

we urge all States to continue negotiations in order to

strengthen the international non-proliferation regime.

With regard to combating the proliferation and

illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Guinea

has resolutely undertaken to eradicate that scourge and

welcomes the adoption of a draft instrument for the

tracing of such weapons.

We invite the donor community to provide

appropriate support for the implementation of the

subregional programme of the Economic Community

of West African States (ECOWAS). The initiative to

transform the ECOWAS moratorium into a binding

legal instrument merits due consideration by Member

States.

Aware of the importance that peoples attach to

development goals, of the latter’s interdependence and

of what is at stake, the Government of Guinea has

adopted a national poverty-reduction strategy whose

implementation has, regrettably, been compromised by

external factors linked to rebel attacks, a massive

influx of refugees and regional instability.

My delegation appeals urgently to all

development partners to support Guinea in its efforts to

implement that strategy, which remains the most

certain way of achieving the Millennium Development

Goals. In that connection, we welcome the recent

progress made in the framework of poverty reduction,

particularly the commitment of the G-8 to double

official development assistance (ODA) over the next

few years and immediate debt cancellation for the 18

most indebted poor countries. We commend and

endorse all other initiatives designed to increase funds

for ODA. We express the hope that the Gleneagles

initiative, which represents an important step forward

in the right direction, will be translated into reality and

will be extended to all least developed countries.

Furthermore, in the context of the current World

Trade Organization trade negotiations, we urge

Member States to show a spirit of compromise and

diligence in order to overcome their differences and

come to an understanding on a consensus programme

for the implementation of the Doha Development

Agenda before the sixth Hong Kong Ministerial

Conference. What is at stake is the very future of the

multilateral trading system.

Our work is taking place following the High-level

Plenary Meeting, as a consequence of which our

leaders have adopted an outcome document to guide

our actions. The decisions and commitments taken at

the summit clearly indicate that a new era has begun.

The time for promises has passed, and we must now

translate our commitments into concrete action in a

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spirit of true solidarity between developed and

developing countries, on the basis of a far-reaching

reform of our Organization.

By so doing, we will leave to future generations,

to which we owe a debt, the right tools to lead

humankind towards a better future.