Mali, 1998

Allow me first of all, on behalf of the delegation of Mali,

to extend to Mr. Didier Opertti my very warm

congratulations on his outstanding election to guide the

work of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly.

To ensure the success of the lofty mission entrusted to

him, I wish to assure him that he will have the full and

open cooperation of my country’s delegation. I would also

like to congratulate his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy

Udovenko, President of the General Assembly at its fifty-

second session, for the skill and ability with which he

guided our work at a time when the reform of the United

Nations occupied a prominent place on the agenda of our

Organization.

I also take this opportunity to convey to Secretary-

General Kofi Annan and his team all our gratitude for

their tireless commitment in the service of the ideals of

the United Nations. The delegation of Mali fully

appreciates his programme of reforms designed to adapt

our Organization to the changing realities of the world.

The fifty-third session of the General Assembly has

opened at a time when the growing impoverishment of

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the poorest countries, the resurgence of hotbeds of tension

and the difficulties incumbent in a stronger and more united

cooperation are demonstrating that the rhythm of

international change is unprecedented and requires our

Organization’s attention.

Indeed, it would now appear that increased

interdependence and the globalization of the economy are

contributing heavily to the rise of new tensions and creating

profound imbalances for the developing countries. The

entire world, under the yoke of the logic of extreme

competition, is going through a phase of profound

confusion. Everywhere, North and South, workers live

under the remorseless threat of market rules, which grow

murkier and more pitiless every day. Financial crises are

likely to undermine the developing countries’ efforts at

economic reform.

The imbalance between North and South is being

exacerbated, the gaps are widening and differences

becoming entrenched. Characterized by a disparity in

income, access to services and the possibility of living in

dignity, poverty is growing in the developing countries and

even spreading within the developed world.

My delegation certainly believes that, if genuine social

development and poverty reduction are to be achieved,

strong economic growth is necessary and that the poorest

countries must have access to markets in order to better

participate, on a sustainable basis, in the world economy. In

this respect, we welcome the Secretary-General’s suggestion

that the developing countries be encouraged to participate

more actively in the drafting of new international standards

and in ensuring that these standards be transparent.

Specifically, non-tariff barriers should be eliminated for

African and the least developed countries; vigorous

measures should be adopted to ease the debt burden,

whether by converting the public debt of the poorest

countries into grants or by easing access to the Debt

Initiative for the heavily indebted poor countries.

But let us make no mistake: what is truly at stake

today is a globalization focused on sustainable human

development. The challenge at the end of this century and

into the twenty-first will be to close the gap between North

and South.

In this respect, as the highest authorities have said; we

are convinced that the history of humanity is the history of

men. Our constant quest for man is our roadmap for the

world’s progress. Our struggle will always be against a

blind global market and in favour of sharing and solidarity.

Let us have economic growth, by all means, but let our

work and its fruit be shared so as to end these

inequalities. Let us not close our eyes: Where there is

injustice and iniquity, there is no peace.

Respect for human and national rights is an integral

factor for economic prosperity and social equity, as well

as for promoting and maintaining peace and security. We

can achieve such respect and right such imbalances if,

through a renewed political dialogue undertaken in all

responsibility and candour, we tackle the challenges with

global vision and solidarity, in the conviction of true

partnership and shared and equal responsibility in the

building of a better world, a world of humanity.

In this context, the major challenge facing the

Government of Mali today is achieving sustainable human

development through the struggle against poverty. This

development hinges on a strengthened process of

democratization, the rule of law and the implementation

of decentralization, the vehicle for local development,

designed and guided by the people.

Mali is rigorously pursuing a freely agreed policy of

economic reform and entrenching its democracy. The

positive results of these efforts, though fragile, are very

encouraging, but there remain problems and difficulties

which our programmes — howsoever participatory —

will require major outside assistance, peace and stability

in our subregion, Africa and the world to solve. The same

holds true for many countries, especially in Africa, which,

through the courageous reforms they have undertaken, are

once again on the road to economic growth.

Like them, we intend to continue and consolidate our

economic reforms with strong growth aimed at poverty

reduction. The international community, however, must

reverse the trend towards decreased official development

assistance, which is essential to our basic minimum needs.

We pay tribute to the tireless efforts of the United

Nations system and our development partners and urge an

increase in official development assistance, without which

we will scarcely enjoy the benefits of our reforms,

undertaken with so much sacrifice in the fight against

poverty.

We also need a partnership aimed at strengthening

our economic capacities to convert and market our

commodities, facilitating their access to markets,

promoting the resurgence of our private sectors and

increasing flows of direct foreign investments. All this

must take place in a more favourable economic

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environment if unemployment and poverty are to be

consistently reduced.

The end of the cold war transformed the international

context for United Nations missions and activities. In the

sphere of international peace and security, our Organization

is now taken up with domestic conflicts that often have

serious international repercussions. Unfortunately, in many

cases, recent events allow us to assume that this type of

conflict will continue to claim our attention.

Now that certain guiding principles in the area of

peace and security are widely accepted, it is quite obvious

that peacekeeping will remain our priority objective. It is

therefore essential that we improve our preventive system

and strengthen our institution’s capacity to organize and

lead these operations efficiently and successfully.

For its part, Mali will always fight for more peace,

justice and solidarity throughout the world. For us, security

and development are indissoluble. The grave crises shaking

the world, and Africa in particular, strengthen our

conviction that the United Nations, the Organization of

African Unity (OAU) and the subregional organizations

must cooperate closely with one another in the search for

effective early warning, conflict prevention and

management, and peacekeeping mechanisms. In this

framework, and with particular reference to Africa, the

prevention of conflicts and disarmament are of great

concern.

Given all of the challenges of democracy, development

and security that Africa must meet, President Alpha Oumar

Konaré of the Republic of Mali said a few weeks ago that:

“The development of the continent must be

managed on new terms. The difficult situation of our

continent has arisen almost everywhere as a result of

democratic failures, which we must redress in our

young and fragile democracies by an essential

democratic commitment. We must promote pluralistic

expression, the transfer of power and dialogue founded

on law. We must eschew violence.

“The future of our continent does not lie in the

emergence of ethnic republics, which will only lead us

into general anarchy. It is important, we feel, not to

deny, much less crush expressions of autonomy. They

must be managed politically in a democratic context

of the basic transfer of power and the emergence of

local power with a view towards regional integration.

“Thirty-eight years after the independence won

in 1960, there is no question of redrawing the

borders inherited from colonialism, but nothing

today can justify border conflicts. We must be able

to settle all border disputes politically. It is essential

today that any ill-defined border be corrected in

serenity, not in the heat of tension. The OAU’s

Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management

and Resolution should be able to speed that forward.

“At a time when everyone is welcoming

integration, borders must have a different meaning.

They must be managed as border countries, joint

areas and shared space.”

President Konaré also said that:

“Post-election periods are also increasingly

becoming times of conflict. This must be prevented

by the proper preparation for elections, because

some recent incidents of electoral challenge have

threatened democracy. People must know that the

only access to power is through the ballot box,

whence all legitimacy flows. Everyone must

participate.

“We must therefore seek to control electoral

challenges without ever endangering pluralistic

expression and the transfer of power. Strength must

always reside in law and right — the whole law and

right and nothing but law and right — and oppose

any impulse to disorder and violence.”

In the view of the President of the Republic of Mali,

“Africa can no longer be managed as it has been

since 1960. A new Africa is on the move, an Africa

which wishes to define its future and take

responsibility for its own development; which is

searching for solidarity, not alms; which is

responsible and confident. It is an Africa once and

for all on its own feet, a democratic Africa.”

That Africa more than ever needs security and peace. To

have that security and peace, Africa must, like the rest of

the world, be free from weapons of mass destruction and

conventional weapons, particularly light weapons.

With regard to disarmament, Mali hails the decisions

of the Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to

the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT), in particular on the Treaty’s permanent extension.

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We also hail the entry into force on 29 April 1997 of the

Chemical Weapons Convention and the progress in

negotiations regarding the Biological Weapons Convention.

We warmly welcome the coming entry into force of the

Convention on anti-personnel landmines. Mali, which

ratified this Convention early on, began last May destroying

its stocks, which Mali’s army had never used.

While welcoming also the notable progress made on

instruments regarding weapons of mass destruction, Mali is

deeply concerned about conventional weapons, which

remain an area so far unexplored and not subject to

international norms. Recent conflicts, particularly in Africa,

which have claimed so many human lives, are fuelled not

by weapons of mass destruction, but by light weapons. That

is why my country, together with the United Nations and

the countries of the West African subregion, has undertaken

specific initiatives to counter this phenomenon.

We are pleased by the welcome given to President

Konaré’s initiative regarding the moratorium on the import,

export and production of light weapons by the Economic

Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and more

recently by the Organization of African Unity during the

Ouagadougou summit and by the Non-Aligned Movement

at the Durban summit. But it is important now to go further

to reduce and contain the threat of the proliferation of light

weapons. This moratorium is in essence a confidence-

building measure, aiming over the long term to strengthen

the ability of the Governments involved to exert stricter

control over the illegal traffic in light weapons.

Here we wish to pay tribute to the far-sightedness and

responsible commitment of the ECOWAS countries, which

plan to announce a moratorium soon. This will be a

precedent demonstrating Africa’s clear will to prevent

conflicts by exerting pressure on the means which incite

and fuel them. The international community must keep up

the momentum by mobilizing around the issue of light

weapons, supporting the moratorium and making it effective

by implementing a programme of coordination and

assistance for security and development, which underpin the

moratorium and help to widen it.

We are an active party, and we support the proposals

that emerge daily for tracking the illegal traffic in light

weapons and establishing a control mechanism. Although

it is a complex and difficult matter, we must work together

energetically to perfect such a mechanism.

There must be more support for resolution 52/38 C,

regarding assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic

in small arms and collecting them, and States must

demand more on this issue of the international community

and the United Nations, which we congratulate on the

action already taken. We must show our commitment to

make vigorous progress in creating a mechanism to curb

this matter and, at the same time, actively support

initiatives such as the moratorium, consciousness-raising

and the mobilization of all State and non-State actors to

better ensure peace and reduce the threat posed by this

illegal proliferation to people, particularly women and

children, and to States and democracy.

On behalf of the delegation of Mali, I would like

once again to voice our solidarity with and compassion

for all the peoples of the world who are still living in

conflict situations.

Regarding the Middle East, we are deeply concerned

over the deadlock in the peace process and the policy of

fait accompli aimed at changing the religious, civil and

historic character of the Holy City of Al-Quds. The

agreements concluded on the basis of “land for peace”

must be implemented. We reaffirm our unswerving

support for the just struggle of the fraternal Palestinian

people to realize their legitimate right to self-

determination and to establish an independent State.

We remain convinced that in Angola scrupulous

respect for the Lusaka Protocol is the only path to lasting

peace and reconciliation. I wish once again to honour the

memory of Matre Alioune Blondin Beye, Special

Representative of the Secretary-General, and the seven

members of his team who tragically perished on the road

to peace in Angola.

We have continually voiced our grave concern about

the suffering of the fraternal people of the Libyan Arab

Jamahiriya as a result of the embargo imposed on it.

While noting recent events, we should like to recall the

decision taken by the heads of State or Government of the

OAU at their recent summit and to reaffirm that the time

has come to end the suffering of the fraternal Libyan

people by lifting the embargo and finding a lasting

solution.

Concerned about acts of terrorism, which we

condemn in all its forms, Mali firmly condemned the

lethal attacks against diplomatic missions of the United

States in Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi. We reiterate our

condolences to the families of the victims and call for

greater international cooperation to prevent and combat

this threat. We also call for the convening of an

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international conference on terrorism under the aegis of the

United Nations, whose exclusive competence in the area of

international peace and security we need increasingly to

reaffirm.

I would like to conclude on the issue of the expansion

of the Security Council. Clearly this body, which was

conceived in a context quite different from today’s, cannot

be left untouched in the course of reform. My delegation

endorses the demands of Africa for democratization and an

equitable distribution of the two categories of seats,

permanent and non-permanent, with all the prerogatives and

powers that go with them.

We are convinced that a restructured United Nations,

democratic and given essential powers, can help ensure a

more orderly management of world affairs by eliminating

the injustices, disparities and selfishness which threaten

mankind, so that nations can finally, in a spirit of solidarity,

devote their resources and their energy to the progress and

development of mankind.