Sudan, 2003

I should

like to begin my statement with a quotation from the

Koran:

“O mankind! We created

You from a single (pair)

Of a male and a female,

And made you into

Nations and tribes, that

Ye may know each other

(Not that ye may despise

(Each other). Verily

The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah

Is (he who is) the most

Righteous of you.” (The Holy Koran, XLIX:13)

Peace be upon you.

I should like at the outset to congratulate Mr.

Julian Hunte on his well-deserved election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at this session. I

should also like to express the gratitude of my

delegation to his predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan.

We would like to express our appreciation for the

important role that the Secretary-General,

Mr. Kofi Annan, continues to play in revitalizing the

work of the Organization. In this connection, we

welcome his ideas regarding the institutional reform of

the Organization. I would also like to take this

opportunity to express to the United Nations our

heartfelt condolences for the untimely deaths of Mr.

Sergio Vieira de Mello and his colleagues.

When I addressed the Assembly from this

rostrum last year, I made clear that my Government

and my country were eager to achieve peace in the

Sudan. I am very pleased, therefore, to inform the

23

Assembly that our words have been matched with

deeds, and peace is now on the horizon — peace that

will put an end to an armed conflict that has

squandered the human and natural resources of the

country and hindered the development of the Sudanese

people.

My country has continuously reiterated its desire

for dialogue and negotiation with the Sudan People’s

Liberation Army Movement (SPLM). Our efforts,

together with those of the mediators, have been

continuing for more than 10 years and have recently

been crowned with success in the form of an agreement

by both parties as a result of an initiative put forward

by the countries of the Inter-Governmental Authority

on Development, under the patronage of the sisterly

country, Kenya, and with much appreciated positive

support by the IGAD partners.

At the most recent round of negotiations, His

Excellency Mr. Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, First Vice-

President, led the Government delegation, and Mr. John

Garang led the SPLM delegation. Four days ago, it

resulted in an agreement on security arrangements and

the extension of a ceasefire. It is expected that that

agreement will pave the way for a final round of

negotiations that will lead to just and lasting peace

throughout the Sudan as soon as possible.

I would like to take this opportunity to express

our gratitude to the IGAD member countries for the

role they played in the Sudan peace process, under the

stewardship of the President of Kenya and his special

envoy. Our thanks and appreciation also go to IGAD

partners, namely the United States of America, the

United Kingdom, Italy and Norway. We would like to

express particular gratitude for the positive

intervention of the Government of the United States of

America at the most critical juncture in the negotiation

process. We also appreciate the considerable efforts

that Egypt and Libya have continued to make in the

interests of peace in the Sudan, as well as those of the

Arab League and the African Union.

We are confident that Members will understand

how important the ceasefire agreement is for the

humanitarian situation. The report of the Secretary-

General on the humanitarian situation in the Sudan

demonstrates the extent of the progress made in this

area. Next month will mark the one-year anniversary of

the cessation of hostilities. Peace remains a basic

requirement for the rehabilitation of the areas affected

by war and will allow for the transition from

humanitarian relief to comprehensive sustainable

development.

We would like to reiterate our full conviction that

the peace, security and stability of the countries of the

region are directly linked with peace in the Sudan. That

is why my country has endeavoured to heal the wounds

of the past in its relations with neighbouring countries,

in particular Egypt and Ethiopia. Our relationship with

those two countries has moved beyond the

reconciliation stage; we now have exemplary strategic

security ties with them, thereby protecting the interests

of our peoples and consolidating peace and security in

the entire region.

We would like to express gratitude to our friends

and brothers and to the United Nations in general for

their humanitarian assistance during the conflict. We

call upon the international community to help in the

post-conflict reconstruction of our country and the

rehabilitation of internally displaced persons and

refugees, and to assist in the achievement of

sustainable development in support of the fledgling

peace.

It gives me great pleasure to tell the Assembly

that we have made appreciable constitutional

achievements that will open the door wide for

participation by all the Sudanese people in all areas of

political life. Economic plans and policies adopted by

the Government have started to bear fruit, whether in

the form of reduced levels of inflation, high rates of

growth or the stabilization of exchange rates. We will

continue to enhance those policies with a view to

reducing poverty and achieving sustainable

development within the framework of the 25-year

comprehensive development strategy for the period

2003-2027.

In his report on the work of the Organization, the

Secretary-General reminded us that, as the challenges

facing us change, so must we alter our methods of

dealing with them. It is high time, therefore, that we

summon the political will to reform the Security

Council by dealing with the double issues of

membership and the right of veto so as to make it more

representative and democratic in its membership and in

its decision-making. While touching on Security

Council reform, we warmly welcome Council

24

resolution 1506 (2003), which lifted the sanctions

imposed against fraternal Libya. In that connection, we

wish to stress the need to lift all unilateral sanctions,

used as a means for the political and economic

coercion of States. We urge the Security Council not to

be quick to impose sanctions on countries, particularly

the developing countries, because of their adverse

impact on their people.

The high-level participation at this session to

discuss various international issues is clear evidence of

the General Assembly’s importance. We strongly

support its efforts to rearrange its priorities and agenda

items, in order to improve the administrative and

procedural aspects of its work, to enhance its relations

with the Security Council, the highest organ in the

United Nations, to contribute to the maintenance of

international peace and security and to face ongoing

challenges.

Another challenge of great concern to us lately is

the increasing acts of terrorism. Terrorist acts that

occurred in various parts of the world last year clearly

prove that no country is immune to terrorism. All of us,

regardless of our religion or beliefs, could be the

victims of such crimes. As I mentioned earlier,

terrorism has no religion or country. Hence, in order to

face this grave threat, we need to reach an international

consensus on its definition, root causes and means to

combat it, under the auspices of our international

Organization.

In that context, we express our support for the

call of His Excellency Mohamed Hosni Mubarak,

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to convene an

international conference, under the auspices of the

United Nations, to address the issue of terrorism. In the

context of its international and regional role, the Sudan

will have the honour next year to host the Non-Aligned

Movement ministerial conference. We hope that the

conference will consider issues of collective security

and challenges.

The deteriorating socio-economic situation of the

least developed countries requires the international

community to make every effort to extricate them from

the labyrinth of poverty, hunger and disease. Our

experience in the Sudan has proved that, regardless of

their endeavours, the least developed countries cannot

achieve the objectives of the Brussels Programme of

Action without substantial assistance from their

development partners. I commend the tireless efforts of

the High Representative of the Secretary-General for

the Least Developed Countries in mobilizing

international support for initiatives on the subject. We

join the appeal to the international community by His

Excellency Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of

Mozambique, as Chairman of the African Union, to

extend support and assistance to the New Partnership

for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the framework

adopted by the African continent and endorsed by the

United Nations and donor countries as a tool for coping

with development challenges in the continent.

I am pleased to inform members that the Sudan,

as Chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority on

Development (IGAD) and Common Market for Eastern

and Southern Africa (COMESA), has tried its best to

formulate policies and take steps that will further

consolidate and promote links of cooperation between

EGAD and COMESA member States. Such efforts are

in line with the NEPAD initiative aimed at achieving

peace, development and prosperity for the peoples of

the entire African continent. To that end, a number of

specialized conferences have been convened in the

Sudan to address issues of economic cooperation,

disarmament and combating terrorism, as well as issues

of internally displaced persons and refugees, all with

the aim of attaining the NEPAD goals.

Another agenda item subject that we think will

negatively impact the future of humankind if not

properly addressed is that of human cloning, which is

now at the centre of a heated scientific, religious, legal

and ethical debate. The Sudan strongly supports the

call for an international convention against the

reproductive cloning of human beings. We also

condemn all medical ventures that disdain human

dignity and the sanctity of the Creator.

Statements over the past few days clearly

demonstrate the keen interest of the international

community in maintaining international peace and

security. While adding our voice to those calling for the

revitalization of multilateral diplomacy, we also call

for the prompt handling of the critical security and

humanitarian situation in Iraq. Furthermore, we call for

the empowerment of our Iraqi brothers so that they

may exercise their right to sovereignty, as guaranteed

to them by international law, and live in peace and

harmony with their neighbours. It gives me pleasure to

remind the Assembly of the important resolution

adopted a few weeks ago by the Council of Ministers

of the League of Arab States, which recognized the

25

transitional Governing Council of Iraq. Such

recognition is a significant step that will, hopefully,

enable Iraq to regain its sovereignty and to play its

regional and international role.

The question of Palestine has been a deep

concern to the human conscience. For more than five

decades, it has been a major threat to international

peace and security. We have been firmly convinced that

Israel’s maintenance of a huge military presence, its

aggression and its killing and suppression of the

Palestinian people, will only aggravate a situation that

is already deteriorating. The only viable way to achieve

peace is to adhere to the relevant resolutions of

international legitimacy and international law. The

international community, particularly the influential

parties in the peace process, are urged to exert pressure

on Israel.

The conflict in Somalia has been a bleeding

wound in the Horn of Africa and the time has come to

stop that painful bleeding. We call upon the leaders of

all Somali factions to join hands to preserve the unity

and stability of their country, and to achieve

development and prosperity for their people, in order to

protect them from the scourge of war and fighting. We

remain confident that the neighbouring and other

interested countries will spare no effort to help reach

an agreement that will preserve the unity, security and

stability of Somalia.

The Sudan is now a genuine partner in the

international efforts aimed at the prohibition of

chemical weapons. One of the significant roles played

by the Sudan in that regard was its hosting last August

of the First Conference of the African National

Authorities of the Chemical Weapons Convention

States Parties. We are committed to implementing the

recommendations adopted at the conference,

particularly to creating a chemical-weapon-free zone in

Africa and to enhancing international cooperation in

the peaceful use of chemical materials.

I call upon the international community to make

renewed efforts to declare the Middle East a zone free

of nuclear weapons and of all other weapons of mass

destruction. That inflamed region must abide by

international agreements banning nuclear weapons. The

nuclear facilities of all States, without exception and

with complete fairness, must be subjected to the

comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic

Energy Agency (IAEA).

Here we recall, shortly after its fifth anniversary,

the unjust bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical and

veterinary factory by the former United States

Administration which claimed that it was used to

manufacture weapons. It was a baseless accusation, as

Members are aware, that has been refuted by American

scientific and academic institutions before relevant

international organizations. The Sudan’s complaint is

still alive in the Security Council. In that connection, I

call upon the current United States Administration to

rectify the serious mistake that it inherited from its

predecessor, by compensating the Sudan morally and

financially.

I hope that before the end of this session my

country will finally bid farewell to the longest African

conflict, an achievement that would enable the Sudan

to play its role at the regional level and to contribute to

the stability and sustainable development of the

African continent.

In conclusion, I reaffirm our deep conviction that

the United Nations is the sole, irreplaceable mechanism

for administering and promoting international

cooperation in all fields. Therefore, we should distance

the United Nations from serving narrow interests and

from attempts to exploit it to pursue special agendas. In

that connection, we express our readiness and our

commitment to assist the United Nations system in

achieving the lofty goals enshrined in the Charter.