Lesotho, 2004

I would like, on behalf of

my delegation, to join previous speakers in

congratulating you, Sir, on your election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at this session. At

the same time, I would like to extend our compliments

to your predecessor, Mr. Julian Hunte, as well as to the

Secretary-General, for a job well done.

If there has been one consistent and predictable

area of convergence in our debates during General

Assembly sessions of the past, as well as during the

current session, it is the compelling need for a peaceful

and stable world - a world where humankind lives in

harmony, mutual tolerance and respect for the

collective benefit. For if we have peace and stability at

the national, regional and international levels,

humankind will be able to concentrate on the real

issues of the development of this, our only world.

Never before has our world been so insecure or

faced such enormous challenges. Sadly, this insecurity

results from manís inhumanity and his insensitivity to

human life. Yet it is also through man's efforts that the

effects of such challenges can and must be mitigated

or - better still - defeated.

It is common knowledge that the root cause of the

world's insecurity today is international terrorism and

armed conflict. Terrorist actions continue to haunt and

to shock us. The recent murder of innocent, young,

defenceless school children in Beslan, Russia; the

bombings in Indonesia; and daily killings in Iraq,

Palestine and Israel, are simply too ghastly to

countenance. Equally, the recent massacres of men,

women and children in refugee camps in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and the

Sudan are not only dastardly in the extreme, but stand

in stark contrast to everything that modern civilization,

humanity and morality espouse.

Our world will continue to be insecure for as long

as terrorists continue to be harboured and financed by

some States Members of the United Nations. We must

recognize that none of us is immune from terrorism.

But a more honest and practical solution would be for

all States Members of the United Nations to commit

themselves not to harbour or finance terrorists and their

organizations. In that way, terrorists would have no

safe haven, thus rendering it possible to chase them

from pillar to post until terrorist organizations are

eliminated from our world.

We submit that yet another, equally pragmatic,

solution may be found in the answer to the question:

what is it that drives an inherently good human being

to commit such inhuman and senseless acts of State

terrorism, organizational terrorism or individual

terrorism? In short, we must confront the causes of

terrorism, honestly and without malice to anybody.

Lesotho is deeply concerned by the fact that

armed conflicts continue to cause suffering and hinder

economic growth in Africa and elsewhere. However,

we commend the United Nations for all its efforts

aimed at the elimination of human suffering in armed

conflict situations. When, in July 2003, the Assembly

adopted its historic resolution 57/337, on the

prevention of armed conflict, it recognized that

multilateral cooperation, under the auspices of the

United Nations, could be an effective means to prevent

armed conflict and to address its root causes.

Furthermore, it acknowledged the responsibility of the

United Nations to stand up to the challenge of

preventing, rather than just responding to, conflict.

I should like to take this opportunity to express

my delegationís appreciation to the Secretary-General,

for the comprehensive report to be presented at this

session on the implementation of that important

resolution.

For years now, the situation in Somalia has posed a

threat to international peace and security. The swearing-

in of Somalia's transitional parliament on 22 August

2004, in Nairobi, Kenya, paves the way for genuine

recovery for Somalia. In that regard, my delegation

compliments the Government of Kenya, the Inter-

Governmental Authority on Development, the African

Union and all other stakeholders for their efforts to

bring about normalcy in Somalia. We must not allow

the momentum to decrease, or the process to be

derailed by those who seek to fuel hatred, division and

the killing of the people of Somalia, including as a

result of the smuggling of arms, which takes place

despite the arms embargo.

The humanitarian and security crises engulfing

the Darfur region in the Sudan are a cause for serious

concern to all of us. A lot has been said about that

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grave situation, but not much has been done to contain

the humanitarian and political crises.

However, my delegation is hopeful that words

will finally translate into action. We had hoped that,

with the help of the African Union mediators, the

representatives of the Government of the Sudan and the

two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)

and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - could

be persuaded to sign and respect the protocol on

security. We reiterate our call to all concerned parties

to enter into negotiations. We wish to remind the

Government of the Sudan that it is its primary

responsibility, first and foremost, to protect the civilian

life of its nationals.

The Great Lakes region remains politically

volatile. This situation has been exacerbated by the

recent massacre of refugees from the Democratic

Republic of the Congo at the Gatumba refugee camp in

western Burundi. We hope that the fact that the Forces

for National Liberation (FNL) have claimed

responsibility for the killings would make

investigations easier.

The peace process in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo remains elusive, at a time when we had

thought that the gains that had been made from the

Congolese dialogue, in South Africa, could be

consolidated. We reiterate the call by the Secretary-

General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for renewed commitment by

the Transitional Government in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, the Security Council and the

international community to work in full partnership to

see the transitional process through to elections

scheduled for 2005.

It is worth mentioning that, at the regional level,

the Southern African Development Community

(SADC) heads of State or Government, at their recent

summit in Mauritius, mandated the SADC Organ on

Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation actively to

remain seized of the situation in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo.

My delegation has never condoned the killings of

Israelis by the Palestinians or of Palestinians by the

Israelis. We have always considered the root causes of

the problem in the Middle East, which is the illegal

occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel. That problem

has been exacerbated by the construction by Israel of a

separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The International Court of Justice, the principal

judicial organ of the United Nations, on 9 July 2004

rendered its advisory opinion that such construction

was contrary to international law. We therefore appeal

to Israel to implement the important resolution adopted

by the General Assembly in view of the Courtís

advisory opinion. Moreover, it is our submission that,

unless and until the issue of the inalienable rights of

the Palestinian people is addressed vigorously, urgently

and truthfully, peace and security will remain elusive

in the Middle East.

We should perhaps recall that, four years ago, we

gathered in this very Hall with hope for, and

anticipation of, a better life for all humankind in the

twenty-first century, as we adopted the Millennium

Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals.

We set time-bound and measurable goals for

combating, inter alia, poverty, hunger, disease, the

spread of HIV and AIDS, illiteracy, environmental

degradation and discrimination against women.

Needless to say, we are today, as we were then,

committed to the achievement of those goals.

However, we did not anticipate that, as we

approach the comprehensive review in 2005, the

HIV/AIDS pandemic would have become the greatest

threat to life itself, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Undoubtedly, the HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens to

render futile and irrelevant all our efforts at the

betterment of humankind, including the attainment of

the Millennium Development Goals.

As early as the year 2000, Lesotho had declared

HIV/AIDS a national disaster, and various measures

were being taken at the national level to control and

manage the pandemic. We have not been alone in that

fight, fortunately. It is in that spirit that we wish to

recognize and appreciate the dedication of Mr. Stephen

Lewis, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for

HIV/AIDS in Africa, and of Mr. James Morris, Special

Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa.

Through his advocacy, Mr. Lewis has helped

Lesotho start a robust programme of antiretroviral

treatment, while Mr. Morrisís initiatives have ensured

food supply for vulnerable and orphaned children.

Interventions of this nature give credence to the lofty

declarations adopted at various international summits

on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, as they complement and

strengthen our own initiatives and limited resources.

My delegation reiterates the call for increased

support for the New Partnership for Africaís

13

Development (NEPAD), the framework for achieving

the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. It is yet

another mechanism that will enable African countries

to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, to eradicate poverty

and to reduce the high unemployment rate.

In the same context, the Millennium Challenge

Account is indeed a worthy and commendable

initiative by the Government of the United States of

America to launch the least developed countries on the

road to sound and sustainable development.

The prevailing situations in Western Sahara and

in Cuba continue to be of major concern. My de1egation

will ó because it must ó repeat the statement we have

made on many previous occasions: that the people of

Western Sahara have suffered long enough. We have

therefore noted with appreciation the latest

reaffirmation by the Security Council of its support for

the 1991 settlement plan, allowing the nations of

Western Sahara to determine the future of the disputed

territory in a referendum. We hope that the referendum

will be held soon, and urge that this be the case.

By the same token, the unilateral economic

embargo against Cuba is causing untold misery to the

people of that country. My delegation believes that,

when two countries are at war with each other, or when

a country has been condemned by the international

community for gross misconduct, an economic

embargo could be justifiable. However, we are not

aware that any war has been declared against Cuba, or

that the Government of Cuba has compromised or

broken international law. We therefore remain in the

dark as to what might justify the victimization of

millions of Cubans by the unilateral economic

blockade, for we contend that it is the sovereign,

democratic and, indeed, sacred right of the people of

Cuba to determine the system of Government most

appropriate for their country. Accordingly, we urge that

normalcy be restored to Cuba through the removal of

the economic blockade.

The coming into operation of the International

Criminal Court signifies, in our view, an end to

impunity. We are elated that there now exists an

international body that can take over when national

courts are unable or unwilling to try perpetrators of the

most egregious violations of human rights. We would

indeed live in a safer world if State parties to the Rome

Statute of the International Criminal Court adhered to

it, and if the Court attained universal jurisdiction. My

delegation encourages States that have not yet ratified

the Statute to do so as a matter of urgency ó indeed,

as a matter of common sense.

We are pleased to note that the ICC has

commenced investigations in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo and Uganda. We congratulate both these

sister countries for their cooperation with the ICC.

In order for the United Nations family to address

todayís challenges effectively, the Organization must

be reformed, with the Security Council being the

central focus of that effort. The Security Council must

reflect the reality of the international community in the

twenty-first century. That must be done against the

background of multilateralism, upon which international

peace and security is premised. In that regard, allow me

to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte,

President of the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth

session, for the hard work and commitment he

displayed as the Chair of the Open-ended Working

Group on the Reform of the Security Council.

In conclusion, let me reiterate that it is only

through solidarity, unity of purpose and honesty among

us Member States that the United Nations will defeat in

our time the greatest challenges ever to face

humankind. Otherwise, as Secretary-General Kofi

Annan stressed in his opening statement, history will

indeed judge us harshly.