Mali, 1992

The delegation of

the Republic of Mali, which I have the honour to lead, welcomes your

outstanding election, Sir, to the presidency of the General Assembly at its

forty-seventh session. We are convinced that your great skills as a diplomat

will enable you to guide the work of our Assembly wisely and effectively. I

can assure you that you will receive our full cooperation throughout this

session.

We also warmly congratulate your predecessor, Ambassador Shihabi,

Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations,

who presided over the work of the forty-sixth session with remarkable

efficiency.

Finally, we are pleased to take this opportunity to pay a well-deserved

tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who is working tirelessly for the strengthening of

the United Nations, the maintenance of peace, and the flourishing of our

Organization.

My delegation welcomes the new Member States, whose presence here

confirms the universality of our Organization and the inestimable value of the

ideals and principles contained in the Charter.

My country, Mali, has undergone profound political changes over the last

two years. On 26 March 1991, at the cost of enormous sacrifice but with

clarity of purpose, our people brought a monolithic dictatorial regime to an

end. The united actions of democratic forces made it possible to organize a

transition, to ensure the normal functioning of elections, and to establish

the institutions of the Third Republic. Thus the National Conference held in

Bamako from 29 July to 12 August 1991 drew up the fundamental instruments for

the Third Republic of Mali. The democratic process has continued in

accordance with a precise electoral timetable, drawn up with the contributions

and assistance of all the country's political forces. The campaigning of some

40 political parties confirmed the irreversible commitment of the country

towards a political opening which is unprecedented in the history of modern

Mali.

The election of the President of the Third Republic, His Excellency

Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare, and his official appointment on 8 June 1992 are the

culmination of long years of struggle and sacrifice of an entire people. A

new Coalition Government is in place and a National Assembly made up of 11

political parties is working to strengthen the administration, the rule of law

and respect for human rights in the Republic of Mali.

To conclude this chapter, I should like to express the profound gratitude

of the people and the Government of Mali to friendly countries and to

international organizations and agencies, in particular the United Nations

system, for their valuable advice and their excellent contributions to the

various electoral consultations which led to the establishment of a pluralist

democracy.

The young Malian democracy was nevertheless born with a serious handicap,

that of the burdensome heritage of a past of several decades of dictatorship,

bad management, a single-party system and quasi-indifference to the suffering

of the population. This intolerable political situation, aggravated by the

impact of the drought and by continuing deterioration of living conditions in

arid zones, finally led to a rebellion among the nomadic population in the

north in 1990. To resolve this painful problem the Government decided on a

negotiated solution. Algerian mediation, along with assistance from friendly

countries and from certain eminent foreign personalities, made it possible for

us to create an atmosphere of mutual trust. Thus on 11 April 1992 in Bamako a

National Pact was signed, between the Government and all of these rebel

movements, before the nation and the whole of Africa and in the presence of

representatives from all continents. This agreement was accepted by all

parties as an instrument of peace, solidarity and national unity.

The agreement is first an act of national will, a plan of action to

combat drought and desertification, and as such falls within the scope of

Agenda 21. It is also a plan for agropastoral development requiring the use

of technologies adapted to arid and semi-arid zones and calling for the

re-establishment of populations in a damaged and vulnerable environment. It

is an integrated programme for human development designed to unleash the

initiative and production potential of men and women living in these areas.

Finally, it includes a strict respect for sovereignty and the territorial

integrity of our country, but also a recognition of the right to diversity.

The fresh hope it has stirred and its implementation require the

mobilization of major resources that greatly exceed our own capacities. That

is why my Government appeals to the international community, to governmental

and non-governmental organizations involved in cooperation, and to the good

will of all to help us to implement the various programmes under the

agreement. The National Pact remains for my country the ideal means for

ensuring peace and security, indispensable conditions for our development.

This development is imperative, and everything will be done by the Mali

Government to ensure the full implementation of all aspects of the agreement.

We should like the same to hold for all signatories old and new alike. The

Mali of today which respects human rights stresses dialogue and rejects

violence as a means of expression. Our young democracy allows all its sons

and daughters to express themselves freely and to defend their interests

within the framework of political parties or associations. This context must,

firstly, permit the reconciliation of hearts and spirits; secondly, it must

consolidate the peace which has been restored and thus ensure resumption of

the development activities in the northern regions of our country which, for

lack of security, had been abandoned over the last two years by most of our

development partners.

But neither the problem of the north nor the economic difficulties of the

country have hampered the will or the determination of our people to take

charge of and succeed in their development. These are signs of hope and

pledges of success that the new conditions of democracy will reinforce.

The deterioration in the political situation in certain parts of the

world is of concern to our delegation. At a time when the international

community thought it had seen the last of the great human tragedies which have

long darkened many regions of the world, now societies of old civilizations

have been drawn into the whirlwind of fratricidal conflicts.

Mali is concerned by the situation existing in the Horn of Africa, in

particular in Somalia. In addition to drought, the escalation of violence in

tenacious rivalries of factions confronting one another desperately and,

apparently, without any real justification, has subjected the Somali

population to terrible suffering. Food shortages, endemic famine and

malnutrition, and refugees flowing into neighbouring countries are all

situations requiring more intensive humanitarian intervention by the United

Nations to support the praiseworthy efforts of the Organization of African

Unity and of many others of good will.

In South Africa, the delicate process of change towards the establishment

of a State based on law and on fundamental principles of democracy and of

respect for human rights remains fragile in many respects. The negotiations

in the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) offer an opening we

heartily welcome. But the violence that has been provoked and encouraged by

the enemies of change threatens to delay the advent of a free, democratic and

multiracial South Africa.

A lessening in diplomatic isolation and the progressive lifting of

economic and sports sanctions are gestures of goodwill by the international

community. It is thus time for the South African Government to explore the

opportunities offered to it to assume its responsibilities all of its

responsibilities in order to halt the cycle of violence and to create

conditions conducive to genuine negotiations.*

In addition, the serious crisis afflicting Liberia for several years

continues despite the efforts of the Heads of State of the Economic Community

of West African States (ECOWAS). Mali hopes that the relevant decisions taken

at the ECOWAS Summit in Dakar will be honoured by all the parties to this

fratricidal conflict so that the West African subregion can regain its balance

and stability.

My delegation is pleased that in Angola the process of national

reconciliation has made it possible to establish a true democratic process,

thus finally bringing a long-lasting tragedy to an end.

As regards Mozambique, we hope that consultation and dialogue will

prevail over the use of arms.

The sensitive question of Western Sahara remains pending as we await the

implementation of all the provisions of the United Nations peace plan. Mali

urges all the parties concerned to let consensual approaches prevail in

dealing with that thorny problem so as to enable the United Nations to

accomplish its mission.

The breakup of Yugoslavia has taken the form of a cruel ethnic war, which

has led the United Nations to increase its initiatives in order to put an end

to the tragedy of millions of elderly people, women and children.

One of the oldest conflicts, that of the Middle East, which our

Organization has dealt with for several decades, has seen encouraging

developments with the opening and continuation of Israeli-Arab negotiations.

The international community must encourage the process that is under way, so

that contacts will lead to a just and lasting peace. For our part, Mali

reaffirms its support for any initiative leading to a comprehensive and

lasting solution to that conflict, which must necessarily include, first,

Israel's full withdrawal from the occupied territories; secondly, the

recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and

independence; and thirdly, the right of all States in the region to exist

within secure and recognized borders.

We are pleased to note that the United Nations peace plan in Cambodia is

now operational. This is proof that perseverance, mutual trust and dialogue

are effective weapons in preventive diplomacy.

Turning to the Korean peninsula, Mali, which maintains good relations

with both Koreas, encourages the process of direct negotiations embarked upon

by both parties with a view to the peaceful reunification of the Korean

homeland.

Indeed, all round the world, Mali hopes for the restoration of peace

through dialogue and agreement. Once rid of the spectre of violence and war,

the United Nations will be able to devote its human, technical and financial

potential to the noble objectives of economic and social development, so much

needed by the world.

While, politically, the beginning of the 1990s has ushered in an era of

democracy for many developing countries, and most particularly for those in

Africa, the economic situation of our countries remains extremely critical.

Indeed, unlike the industrialized countries, where we have seen a recovery in

economic activity under the triple impact of a decrease in interest rates, the

return of oil prices to a level close to that existing before the crisis and

the effective coordination of economic policies, in developing countries the

situation has been marked, overall, by continuing serious economic and

financial difficulties, deterioration of the terms of trade, a scarcity of

financial resources for private investment, debt burden and grave doubts

regarding the conclusions of multilateral trade negotiations and the threat of

protectionism. In order to prevent the profound imbalances augured by that

situation, our countries agreed to carry out structural adjustment reforms in

order to open themselves up more to the world economy. However, we remain

convinced that in order to emerge from the crisis and at the same time save

our democratic experience, international solidarity must be made manifest. It

must develop rapidly and be equal to the problems to be solved.

The international community must strive to free up, for the poorest

countries, sufficient resources to correct the imbalances in our economies, to

mitigate the effects of adjustment on the most vulnerable sectors and to

permit the financing of priority programmes for basic development.

Hopes for reforms in international economic relations to reduce

inequalities between the developed and the developing countries are,

unfortunately, still being frustrated by a lack of progress in the

establishment of an appropriate North-South dialogue. South-South cooperation

and subregional economic cooperation, enabling developing countries to

overcome certain difficulties through a rational use of their

complementarities can also help to reopen the irreplaceable North-South

dialogue.

Some progress has been achieved in subregional economic integration, but

our Organization must support that process by formulating policies that will

create common economic configurations at the subregional level. It is for all

these reasons that the Government of Mali strongly supports the spirit of

structural reform and supports the efforts of the Secretary-General in this

context.

As a Sahelian country, Mali was pleased with the holding of the Earth

Summit in Rio de Janeiro and is pleased with its pertinent recommendations.

This is an opportunity for us to recall that in the face of the serious

threats hanging over our planet, the international community as a whole must

set up, for its own survival, collective management of the environment that is

more responsible than it has been in the past, that is fairer and truly

universal. To that end it must undertake vigorous action to put an end to the

use of the countries in the South as dumps for toxic and nuclear waste from

industrialized countries. By the same token, we must help countries to combat

desertification, pollution and all other processes that are likely to threaten

the human habitat.

Our Organization has contributed to the consolidation of security and

cooperation among nations. It has never been so active and effective in the

service of peace. However, our most ardent desire is to see it evolve towards

greater democracy so as to respond to the major changes that have occurred

recently on the international scene. That democratization comes, necessarily,

through taking into account all the interests of all the components of the

United Nations in future reforms.

Humanity finds itself at a stage in its history that requires the

international community to display pragmatism, creativity and solidarity; in

brief, it must develop a fruitful system of partnership. Never in this

respect has mankind possessed so many human and technological assets.

Thus, we must build together a new international order based on equity

and justice.