Mozambique, 1999

On behalf of my Government

and on my own behalf, I wish to join previous speakers in

congratulating you, Sir, most sincerely on your election as

President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth

session. Your election to this high office is a matter of

honour to all Africans and to the United Nations family, for

you represent a nation whose plight remained on the agenda

of this Organization for many years. The attainment of the

independence of Namibia, the last stronghold of colonialism

in the African continent, and the subsequent political,

economic and social developments that have occurred in the

last few years, have indeed paved the way for the

consolidation of the process of political integration of

southern Africa. We wish you well in your new

responsibilities, and are confident that this body will be

well served in the months ahead. We shall cooperate with

you in every way we can.

A well-deserved tribute is also due to your

predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Didier Opertti of

Uruguay, for the exemplary manner in which he

spearheaded the proceedings of the Organization during

the last session.

I would also like to express my high regard to the

Secretary-General for his continued commitment to

international peace and security and for his leadership in

dealing with an ever-increasing array of challenges

worldwide. I wish to encourage him to continue on this

positive path.

My Government welcomes the recent admission to

the membership of the United Nations of the Republic of

Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of

Tonga. We are certain that the new Members will further

enhance the universal nature of our Organization.

I have come to the General Assembly first as a

messenger of a people — the Mozambican people — who

have embarked on a long process of political, economic

and social stabilization, following years of instability. The

process of consolidating Mozambique’s young, multiparty

democracy is making steady progress. Step by step, our

country is returning to normalcy, though we are conscious

of the hurdles still ahead.

We are currently preparing for the second multiparty

presidential and parliamentary elections, to be held on 3

and 4 December 1999. Periodic genuine elections constitute

an important political exercise, which my Government and

I are committed to pursuing vigorously with a view to

ensuring lasting peace and stability in Mozambique.

In the past five years of pluralistic democracy we have

registered important advances in the consolidation of

nation-building through collective efforts involving all

layers of society. Taking advantage of its diversity and

vitality, our Parliament has held fruitful discussion, which

resulted in the adoption of new laws that are contributing

positively to the revitalization of political, economic and

social institutions as well as to the consolidation of peace

and democracy.

More important, this forum has contributed to the

creation among parliamentarians of a new vision and

understanding of the facts about our country and a vision of

a united nation pursuing peace, progress and prosperity for

all Mozambicans, thus consolidating national reconciliation.

The period under review has equally witnessed significant

economic and social progress. We are proud that this has

been highlighted and commended by well-advised outside

observers and by many of the most respected organizations

and institutions as a good example of commitment to

implement economic reforms.

The Mozambican economy has grown at encouraging

rates, resulting in the allocation of an increased share of the

national budget to the social sectors. The whole network of

schools and health facilities destroyed during the years of

destabilization has been rebuilt, and most roads and bridges

are under rehabilitation.

My Government has succeeded in creating a more

enabling environment for private investment by redefining

its role as facilitator. We have identified and established

special incentive schemes in various areas with higher

potential for development. These incentives are aimed at

bringing new investments to a number of areas in order to

develop internationally competitive economic zones, create

employment opportunities and promote sustainable

economic growth. They are also intended to bring about

balanced development of the whole country, bearing in

mind that some areas were neglected during colonial times.

The streamlining of investment procedures, coupled

with political stability, has contributed to the attraction of

large investments such as the Maputo Development

Corridor project. The concept of development corridors is

an initiative regarded as the cornerstone of the regional

integration strategy involving the countries of the

Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Other transfrontier and national programmes in

partnership with other countries of the region play a

major role in this process. These include strategic projects

such as the $1.3-billion Mozal aluminium smelter plant to

be completed within one year and the projected $2-billion

Maputo iron and steel plant; both are part of the Maputo

Development Corridor project. The construction of

another $600-million iron and steel plant and the

construction of a new port in Savane are envisaged as

part of the Beira Corridor. Gas projects in the southern

and central regions of Mozambique, as well as sugar

plants and tourism, are other undertakings of great

importance being developed in Mozambique with the

participation of other SADC countries.

The ambitious plan for the development of integrated

programmes and projects in the Zambezi river basin, an

extensive and potentially rich part of Mozambique,

include the construction of a big hydroelectric dam at

M’panda M’kua. The Zambezi valley covers more than

200,000 square kilometres, nearly one third of our

national territory, and is endowed with a variety of

resources of strategic importance, which we intend to

develop in order to bring about sustainable development

for our country and for the SADC region. The Cabora

Bassa dam is already supplying electricity to Zimbabwe

and to South Africa.

Mozambique will thus be in a position to use its

geostrategic location to make a greater contribution

towards the integrated development of the southern

African region; this is one of the building blocks of

continental integration.

We believe that cooperative interaction involving

various segments of society, including the private sector,

is the key to the promotion of sustainable development

through a smart partnership in which all stakeholders will

benefit.

I come to this Assembly also as a messenger of the

peoples of southern Africa, a region striving to develop as

a community of nations and peoples at peace with itself

and with others and working towards balanced and

integrated development. Last month, the people and the

Government of Mozambique were honoured to host the

nineteenth Summit of Heads of State or Government of

our community, the Southern African Development

Community. The Maputo Summit was held on the theme

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“SADC in the next millennium: working together for peace,

progress and prosperity”. It brought together heads of State

or Government and other high-ranking representatives of all

its 14 member States and, as guests, the heads of State of

Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda, the Secretary-General of the

Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Executive

Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, as well

as other dignitaries representing a variety of other regional

and international organizations.

In reviewing the progress made over the previous 12

months, the Summit noted with satisfaction that the

economies of the Community continued to grow at in

average rate of 3 per cent, thanks to sound macroeconomic

policies implemented by member States and to the

harmonization and coordination of activities towards

economic integration. However, in order to eradicate

poverty, the region needs to grow at an average rate of 6

per cent per year. To achieve this objective we need to

mobilize more regional resources as well as to consolidate

an enabling environment to increase the share of foreign

direct investment. We have once again resolved to commit

ourselves to ensure that all of our countries and peoples can

benefit as they must from the globalization process. To that

end, efforts will continue to be made to consolidate peace

throughout the region, to harmonize sectoral policies and to

implement sound economic policies.

During the Maputo Summit, the heads of State and

Government signed three important documents: on wildlife,

on health and on productivity. They welcomed the recent

entry into force of the SADC Protocols on Shared

Watercourse Systems, on Energy, on Transport,

Communications and Meteorology, and on Combating Illicit

Drug Trafficking, and the charter of the Regional Tourism

Organization of Southern Africa. The entry into force of the

Trade Protocol on 1 January 2000 will bring additional

opportunities and challenges to our region, and will enhance

the programme initiated a few years ago with the entry into

force of other protocols. All these legal instruments are,

indeed, important steps towards regional integration leading

to a better future.

In southern Africa, HIV/AIDS is spreading at an

alarming rate. Governments in the SADC region, aware of

the far-reaching negative consequences, are seeking

collective and individual strategies to counter the spread of

AIDS. In Lusaka, Zambia, we met at a regional level to

look into advisable approaches that can enhance awareness

within each country and to consider measures that can help

Governments to mobilize financial and human resources to

face this global threat. We have no choice: either we stop

the spread of AIDS or we risk putting the viability of our

societies at stake, because in our region the most qualified

people are the ones at high risk.

This scenario foretells our future. Our economic,

social and political development will remain on the

horizon, and the structures of our societies will be

seriously undermined, unless effective, concrete steps are

taken. In this context, my Government very recently

adopted a national strategy against HIV/AIDS.

The resolution on cooperation between SADC and

the United Nations to be adopted this year must reflect

the positive progress that has taken place within SADC,

and stress the importance of greater interaction with the

United Nations in all fields of common interest. At the

same time, our Community — which is built on

democratic principles, equitable and sustainable

development, improved living standards of citizens, free

movement of factors of production, goods and services —

remains equally committed to strengthening its

relationship with other regional organizations.

The search for a durable peace is still a constant

objective of the region. It is for this reason that we

welcome the progress made in the settlement of the

conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The

signing of the agreement by all parties opens a new era

for the region and beyond. What is required now is for

the international community, particularly the United

Nations, to meet its responsibilities by sending, as

expeditiously as possible, peacekeeping forces with an

appropriate mandate and adequate resources, under

Chapter VII of the Charter, for the achievement of lasting

peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo.

We hope that the progress to which I have referred

to above will make a positive impact on the Angolan

conflict. The people of Angola must be given the

opportunity to live in peace and harmony. The

international community has a moral and political

obligation to assist the Angolans to reverse the

humanitarian tragedy which is unfolding in vast areas of

their territory. At the same time, the international

community, while supporting the Government of Angola

in restoring peace and stability in that country, must call

on Mr. Savimbi to abandon his aggressive and

irresponsible action. In particular, the Security Council

sanctions imposed on UNITA must be fully observed, in

order to prevent further suffering in that SADC country.

In this context, we salute the positive work already done

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by Ambassador Robert Fowler, Chairman of the Security

Council sanctions committee, and we encourage him to

continue with his work.

This is our vision of the future of Mozambique as an

individual country and also that of SADC as a whole.

The recurrence of conflicts in Africa has exacerbated

the plight of children as the main victims. The recent

Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit, held in

Algiers, echoing the recommendations of the African

Conference on the Use of Children as Soldiers, held in

Maputo in April this year, adopted a resolution calling,

inter alia, for the elaboration of an international convention

outlawing the use of children under 18 years of age in

armed conflicts. We urge all members of the United

Nations to adhere to and support this initiative, which, in

our view, must be associated with all other rights of the

child.

We believe that the implementation of that OAU

resolution, together with the concept of “children as zone

of peace” would constitute a valuable contribution to the

protection of children. In this regard, I commend the United

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Special

Representative of the Secretary General on Children and

Armed Conflict and non-governmental organizations for

their relentless efforts to promote and ensure respect for the

rights of the child.

Moreover, the proliferation of small arms and light

weapons, together with transnational crimes such as money

laundering and drug trafficking, constitute major sources of

instability for many countries, including my own. We in

southern Africa are undertaking a coordinated action with

a view to addressing these challenges and bringing about

peace and stability.

In May this year Maputo hosted the First Meeting of

States parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the

Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel

Mines and on their Destruction. The Maputo Meeting was

held when thousands of innocent civilians were being

maimed in many parts of the world, including my own

country. The Meeting adopted a Declaration calling upon us

to rededicate ourselves in the struggle against these

insidious weapons, in fulfilment of our obligations under

the Ottawa Convention. More important, the Maputo

Meeting offered a unique opportunity to remind the

international community of the need to meet the targets set

by the Convention. In four years we must destroy all

anti-personnel mines in warehouses, and in ten years we

must complete the demining process in affected countries.

As we concluded in Maputo, these targets are

non-negotiable. What is negotiable is the ways and means

for the attainment of these objectives. We therefore call

upon all States and organizations in a position to do so to

ensure that these goals are met. Failure to reach these

goals would undermine the credibility of the international

community and, above all, the universalization of the

Convention. It is our earnest hope that the General

Assembly will give additional impetus to the momentum

created by the adoption of the Maputo Declaration.

We in southern Africa are disturbed about the low

levels of foreign direct investment in Africa. We are

deeply concerned about recent evidence presented by the

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

showing a drastic reduction in official development

assistance, in particular for Africa. More worrisome is the

fact that the target of 0.7 per cent in official development

assistance has never been entirely met, and, on the

contrary, it has reached only one third of the established

target.

Lack of adequate funding has contributed to poor

realization of the goals set by major international

conferences, including those contained in the Cairo

Programme of Action, which was reviewed during the

recently held twenty-first special session of the General

Assembly on population and development.

Without political will there will be no sustainable

development in the global economy, and the risk of the

further marginalization of developing countries, with all

of its negative consequences, will remain high.

In addition, the issue of external indebtedness

continues to be the single most important obstacle to the

development of many countries, particularly in Africa.

Efforts must be made to ensure that the Heavily Indebted

Poor Countries Debt Initiative is accessible to the

countries in need.

As I speak on this issue, I must once again thank the

international community for the assistance rendered to

Mozambique under this Initiative, as of last June. The fact

of the matter, however, is that our debt burden continues

to undermine our efforts to achieve sustainable

development. We believe it is high time for the

international community to start writing off the external

debt of those countries that have made visible and

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sustainable progress in the implementation of tough

structural adjustment measures and political reforms. Such

a course of action would undoubtedly provide more

incentives for other countries to undertake these measures

and to redirect resources to the social sectors, in particular

for the provision of water and better education and to fight

the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

My Government wishes to commend the 5 May

Agreement signed by the Governments of Indonesia,

Portugal and United Nations which culminated in the

holding of a referendum in East Timor. We salute the

people of East Timor for the exemplary and orderly manner

in which they participated in the referendum and for the

clear and unequivocal way in which they decided for

independence. We are deeply saddened and gravely

concerned over the tragic developments that have followed

the announcement of the results of the referendum. We are

particularly distressed over the fact that massacres against

innocent civilians and indiscriminate destruction of property

have occurred, largely due to the failure by Indonesia to

secure order and by the international community to act

expeditiously.

The fact that the East Timor tragedy occurred when

similar situations had been prevented not long ago leads us

to believe in the existence of passivity and selectivity in

dealing with issues that undermine international peace and

security. We nevertheless commend the decision taken by

the Security Council to send a mission to Jakarta and Dili

and the subsequent actions taken with the cooperation of

the Government of Indonesia.

Along with restoring peace and stability, efforts must

be made to provide a speedy humanitarian response to

assist the people who were displaced or became refugees as

a result of the unprecedented levels of violence we have

witnessed in that territory. The tragedy in East Timor

underlines the importance of translating into deeds the

relevant recommendations contained in the “Report of the

Secretary-General to the Security Council on the protection

of civilians in armed conflict”.

Mozambique has given its modest contribution to the

United Nations Mission in East Timor and stands ready to

continue to play a role in future efforts of the international

community.

On behalf of my Government and on my own behalf,

I wish to seize this opportunity to convey our deepest

sympathy to those who have lost their loved ones. It is our

hope that their suffering will not be in vain, and that the

United Nations and all parties will ensure the early

implementation of the results of the referendum.

The issue of East Timor reminds us of other people

who are striving for self-determination. We are

encouraged by the latest positive developments that have

taken place in the Middle East. They confirm that, with

the necessary political will, taking into account the

interests of all parties to the conflict, peace is possible in

that region. Our task is to help the Palestinians and the

Israelis take maximum advantage of the momentum that

has been created as a result of the signing of the Sharm

el-Sheik Memorandum, on 4 September 1999, following

the deadlock in the implementation of the Wye River

Memorandum of 23 October 1998. Success in the

implementation of the current Memorandum depends on

strict observance of the principle of land for peace.

Recent incidents along the common border between

India and Pakistan are a source of great concern to all

peace-loving countries. We call upon both Governments

to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from taking

actions that might jeopardize further the already volatile

situation along their common border.

It is our earnest hope that the United Nations

intervention in Kosovo will bring lasting peace and

stability to that territory and the region. To this end

Mozambique is contributing with a small team of police

officers.

We equally hope that now that the Lockerbie issue

is in the hands of justice, the Security Council will

honour its undertakings by lifting the sanctions on Libya.

Both the final settlement of this issue and the holding of

a referendum in Western Sahara will have a positive

impact on the development of Africa.

We are at the threshold of the next century, and the

challenges ahead are enormous. They require stronger

commitment and greater international cooperation. In this

connection, we wish to commend the Secretary-General

for organizing the Millennium Assembly and the

millennium summit for the year 2000. Indeed, there could

be no better way to inaugurate the new era than by

assembling all world leaders to reflect on the strategies

and policies that will govern our planet in the next

millennium. Whatever themes we choose to debate, they

should include the promotion of a culture of peace within

nations, regions and throughout the world, for this will

allow the realization of all other objectives, in particular

the eradication of poverty, promotion of development,

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protection of human rights and meeting the challenges of

globalization.

It is therefore our hope that the forthcoming historic

gatherings will signal the beginning of the crystallization of

the process of building a better and safer world by

producing meaningful strategies, actions and policies that

will guide the United Nations of tomorrow. We agree that

these high-level events should not result merely in the

adoption of declarations that cannot be translated into

concrete actions for both the United Nations and

Governments.

We should therefore aim at pragmatic, action-oriented

and implementable decisions. Then, and only then, shall we

meet the aspirations of the founding fathers of our universal

Organization.