YouSaid · the spoken record

Rodolphe Adada,

lines on the record: 111
first: 1998-09-24
most recent: 2005-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In conclusion, I wish to thank the African Group for having endorsed the candidacy of the Congo for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for 2006 to 2007. I would like to reassure you that we are fully determined to work resolutely for peace, freedom and justice throughout the world.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We request that special attention be given to this disease. Concerned about preserving the environment, the Congo and other countries of the subregion entered 14 into a partnership agreement with the international community in 2002 within the framework of the Congo River Basin Initiative. The second summit meeting of heads of State and Government on conservation and sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa was held at Brazzaville in February 2005, and adopted a long-term strategy for the preservation of the forest, fauna and biodiversity in the greater Congo basin. I wish to thank the European Union, the United States of America, France and Germany for their support of this initiative.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In the Middle East, notwithstanding the persistence of the Israel-Palestine conflict, we welcome and encourage the efforts made over the past several months by the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Ariel Sharon, and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, which reflect a common desire to bring about a fair and lasting solution. Consolidation of peace, restoration of macroeconomic balances and combating pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, these are the top priorities of my Government. Our Government intends to expand its activities to deal with other scourges. We organized in Brazzaville in June 2005 a conference on trypanosomiasis, during which a resolution declaring trypanosomiasis the number-one priority for public health, like HIV/AIDS and malaria, was adopted.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the appeal made by the President of the Republic of the Congo to the international community in general and to the development partners in particular to make the Great Lakes region a special development area. Nine of the eleven countries that make up our subregion of Central Africa are now in a post-conflict situation. This subject was discussed at length at the twenty-third meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, which was held at Brazzaville from 29 August to 2 September 2005. We welcome the existence and work of that committee, of which my country is now chair, and at the same time we ask the United Nations to act on the outcome of the committeeís multidisciplinary mission to Central Africa in June 2003.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Concerning the Great Lakes region, the first summit meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes, which was held in November 2004 at Dar es Salaam, aroused great hopes for a return to peace, stability and development in that subregion. In a few months, the second summit meeting of the International Conference will be held at Nairobi and will adopt a security, stability and development pact, under which our countries intend to implement action programmes and protocols in order to make a reality of their desire for a shared future of peace, security and development. The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region is a unique experience of regional peacebuilding. We very much hope that this subregion will be the first to implement the reforms proposed by the Secretary-General concerning peacebuilding.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We applaud the efforts by the international community in support of the electoral process leading to a successful transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our subregion was very much involved in those efforts. As current chairman of the Economic Community of Central African States, the President of the Republic of the Congo, Mr. Denis Sassou-Nguesso, was assigned by his peers, following the twelfth Conference of Heads of State and Government held in June 2005 at Brazzaville, the task of promoting successful transition. Pursuant to that mandate, together with my colleagues from Angola, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we met with the international partners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, namely Belgium, the European Union and, of course, the United Nations.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We call for greater mobilization on the part of the international community in support of the African Union's efforts to bring an immediate end to that political and humanitarian crisis. In Cote d'Ivoire, because of the differences between the parties to the conflict and despite the tireless efforts on the part of the United Nations and the African Union, the holding of elections, initially set for October 2005, has now been brought into question. We urge our Ivorian brothers to rise above their differences in the higher interest of their country and of peace and stability in the subregion. Peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo determine the stability and development of the whole of Central Africa and the Great Lakes region.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We welcome the Central African Republicís return to constitutional order after several years of crisis and instability. These countries deserve increased support from the international community so as to consolidate situations that are still fragile. 13 In the Sudan, we welcome the reconciliation between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the central Government and the new Government of national unity, which has just been established. But the reconciliation between the north and the south in Sudan should not lead us to forget the tragedy that has for two years been affecting another segment of the population in the west of the country, namely, Darfur.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The Congo regrets, however, that the serious issue of disarmament was not even mentioned in the outcome document because of a lack of consensus, even though nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons are the greatest threats to humanity. The Congo reaffirms its full support for the objective of general and complete disarmament and the total elimination of weapons of mass destruction. Africa has always been a source of concern for the United Nations, and the Security Council with good reason spends most of its time on Africa. We have reason to be pleased that some degree of progress has been made in several countries. In Burundi, we welcome the efforts of the international community, which a month ago led to the successful completion of the electoral process in that country.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“A Human Rights Council would, together with the International Criminal Court, enhance the effectiveness of mechanisms to promote and defend human rights. Institutional reform of the United Nations - encompassing, of course, all its principal organs, including the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Secretariat - like reform of the internal management of our Organization, is both a political and a moral imperative that would enable the United Nations to move with the times and to prepare more effectively to face the coming decades.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“It is only the United Nations that will enable us to face the formidable challenges of the future. The Congo therefore welcomes the adoption of the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting, which sets out the main course of action to be taken. The outcome document gives us reasons for hope about ways in which to meet the challenges facing our world. At the same time, it gives rise to some questions. The Congo welcomes the clear reaffirmation by all heads of State or Government of their commitment to continue to discuss and seek solutions to the worldís main concerns: issues of development, collective peace and security, human rights and the rule of law, and strengthening the United Nations. We welcome the consensus regarding the need to create a Peacebuilding Commission and a Human Rights Council.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Finally, we commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his courageous and tireless initiatives to renew and revitalize the United Nations system. The sixtieth session of the General Assembly is taking place in an international situation characterized not only by recurrent wars but also by the resurgence of terrorist acts that spare no region in the world and by natural disasters that have plunged many families into mourning. We wish to express to the Government and the people of the United States of America our sincerest condolences following Hurricane Katrina. Combating terrorism, like preserving our environment, calls for greater solidarity. The United Nations, whose sixtieth anniversary we are celebrating, remains the essential tool for expressing that solidarity.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“I should like at the outset to sincerely congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at the present session. That election is a sign of confidence in your qualities as a statesman and a recognition of your country, Sweden, which reminds us of its illustrious son Dag Hammarskjld, the second Secretary-General of the Organization, who sacrificed his life for the cause of humanity. I should also like to express to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping, Minister of State, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Gabonese Republic, our heartfelt congratulations on the skill and wisdom with which he guided the work of the fifty-ninth session and successfully led the difficult negotiations that produced the document recently adopted at the World Summit (resolution 60/1).”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Kofi Annan, in his statement to the General Assembly at the 3rd meeting, on 21 September, “today, more than ever, the world needs an effective mechanism through which to seek common solutions to common problems.” In order do this, we must not only act together in complying with the rules that we ourselves have implemented, but we must also comply with the commitments we have made.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We therefore welcome the reform process undertaken by the Secretary-General and are truly hopeful regarding the recommendations of the high- level panel which was set up to examine the principle threats and challenges to collective peace and security and to make proposals with respect to reform of the international system. Among the reforms expected, we firmly support the idea of enlarging the Security Council in its two components, namely, permanent and non-permanent members. We must take into account — among other things — the diversity of today’s world in order to highlight the criteria of geographical representation and of responsibility in the management of worldwide affairs, without ever sacrificing effectiveness, cohesion, transparency or credibility. As was stated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Brazzaville will shortly host a summit that will consider plans to conserve the forests of this world heritage area. We therefore welcome the support given to that plan by France, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Germany, South Africa and a number of non-governmental organizations. Congo reiterates its support for multilateralism. We remain convinced that the United Nations is the ideal framework for meeting the challenges that face the world. But the world has changed. New challenges are before us that require reforms that will allow the United Nations to adapt itself to current missions and the global configuration of the twenty-first century.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Congo’s eligibility for that Initiative will undoubtedly allow us to allocate a majority of our resources for development and therefore to follow up with what was contained in our Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which we expect will be validated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. That would help us succeed in our efforts, within our national plan, concerning good governance and transparency in the management of our national affairs. Therefore, in following up on those various objectives, our country has joined the African Peer Review Mechanism under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and we have signed on to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Concerning the environment, we are involved in a partnership with the international community concerning the Congo Basin Initiative.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“47 The efforts of the Government, which are supported — and we appreciate that support — by the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, will be continued. We would also appreciate any other contribution that would help the Congolese Government resolve that thorny issue. Additionally, Congo, in hoping to benefit from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative, is very sensitive to the decisions taken in Paris on 9 and 14 September 2004, respectively, by the Paris Club and the donors. Here I reiterate the appreciation of my Government for those efforts.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“That conference will undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity to search for lasting solutions to the recurrent crises that cause bloodshed in the region. I reiterate my country’s willingness to make its contribution to that process. As you know, the Republic of the Congo is among the countries in our subregion which is in a post-conflict situation. Under the leadership of President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Congo is endeavouring at the same time, to consolidate peace and to re-establish a comprehensive macroeconomic equilibrium. Among our current priorities, the question of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration continues to be very important. Our national programme concerning those issues will, for the 2004- 2006 period, involve more than 40,000 ex-combatants.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Similarly, we expect implementation of the conclusions of the multifaceted mission that was dispatched to Central Africa in June 2003 by the Secretary-General. We appreciate those conclusions as being very relevant, especially those establishing programmes for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration to help consolidate the peace processes taking place; helping to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS; stopping the circulation of small arms and light weapons; protecting the environment and creating conditions for development in Central Africa. In order to meet all of the challenges and to establish all the conditions required for stability, we are placing our hopes on the international conference for peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes region, preparations for which are already under way.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is in that context that we are pleased with today’s signature of the terms of reference of the joint oversight mechanism between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. That overview of the political situation in our subregion, which includes a number of countries in post-conflict situations, fully justifies the request of Central Africa to have a United Nations office. We are pleased with the existence of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Questions of Security in Central Africa and, in particular, the work given to that Committee. We wish to continue to have the input of the Committee in its relations with the competent bodies of the subregion, in light of what is at stake.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We call upon the political leaders of that country to remain focused on the national interests. Unity and development in Burundi depend on that. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, political life in the eastern part of the country in particular has recently been marked by a number of grave events such as the Ituri crisis, the Bukavu rebellion and the Gatumba massacres. We renew our support for the global and inclusive agreement, as well as for the institutions for transition. We call on the international community to continue to pay all the attention required to that country, and we support all initiatives that would increase troop strength and the means of action of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In our subregion of Central Africa, we were pleased with the positive outcome on 12 July 2004 of the national forum held in Sao Tome and Principe, scheduled under the Memorandum of Understanding, dated 23 July 2003, and concluded under the auspices of the Economic Community of Central African States, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, the African Union, the United States of America and Nigeria. In the Central African Republic, where there is still a peacekeeping force of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, supported logistically by France, our hope is to see the democratic process move forward and proceed to the general elections which are scheduled for 2005. We welcome the efforts of the international community in Burundi — in particular, the South African mediation — for the results achieved to date.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Peace, that fundamental aspiration, remains beyond the grasp of 46 the peoples of the region; it is our joint responsibility to put in place the conditions for lasting peace. In Africa, the attention of the international community remains focused on the too-great number of crises. To be sure, we can be pleased at recent developments in the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, following the Accra III summit, but we must continue to work to make the process irreversible. In the Sudan, the Darfur crisis continues to be of great concern, in both its humanitarian and its political dimensions. A greater mobilization by the international community is required to support the efforts of the African Union. The objective is to avoid a disaster and to ensure peace for the people of the Sudan.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In spite of all the problems that have hobbled the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations, the resumption of negotiations this summer in Geneva gives us some reason to hope for the establishment of equitable rules of international trade. We continue to hope for greater equity and solidarity among poor and rich nations with a view to achieving globalization that is fair. We therefore support the recommendations of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization. To meet the Millennium Development Goals, we also need peace and security — which, unfortunately, are lacking in a number of regions. The situation in the Middle East continues to concern us.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Today, despite the fact that some progress has been made in implementing the Millennium Development Goals, the situation remains troubling. The assessment of the implementation of the Goals scheduled for 2005 is thus of particular importance. Here, we support all initiatives that would give fresh impetus to international cooperation to combat poverty and hunger. I am thinking in particular of the initiative of His Excellency President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil, which rightly focuses on the Millennium Development Goals and on the Monterrey Consensus. The African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa, held on 8 and 9 September in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, was also intended to address those concerns.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The election of Mr. Jean Ping to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session does honour to our continent, to our subregion of Central Africa and to his country, Gabon. I congratulate him sincerely on behalf of my delegation. We are familiar with Mr. Ping’s high sense of duty, his selfless dedication to his work and his great skill, and we have no doubt that — like his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte of Saint Lucia — he will spare no effort to meet our expectations. To the Secretary-General we say how much we appreciate his initiatives and his tireless efforts to make the Organization more effective. At the Millennium Summit, Member States made solemn and very important commitments.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“To implement this vast project, which we have called “The New Hope”, we are mobilizing all the national forces capable of providing assistance to the State, including local government authorities, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector. In that framework, we have conducted negotiations with our external partners with a view to benefiting from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative. All of these achievements can be implemented only in a world free from fear, as envisaged by the founders of our Organization, and as we believe today. This is why we wish to reiterate our faith and attachment to the United Nations, an irreplaceable framework and beacon of all hopes for peace for humanity, and which has never seemed more clearly necessary than today.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“It is in this framework that the 17 March 2003 agreement must be placed, thanks to which peace continues to reign throughout the entire territory. Having regained peace, we are seeking to build on it each day, particularly by implementing the programme of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants. We are also working towards the resettlement of internally displaced persons. It is not hard to fathom that these missions require considerable funding, which the Congo cannot provide alone. We would like to thank all our partners for their active solidarity. We must still meet the great challenges of reconstruction, economy recovery, poverty reduction and the fight against HIV/AIDS, all sectors for which national strategies have been adopted.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We intend to seize this historic opportunity to exorcise the demons of hatred and violence and lay the foundation for peaceful coexistence among our peoples and nations, which share a common destiny. While reaffirming the central role that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has to play in that conference, I would like to stress that the Republic of Congo, my country, which is close to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in so many ways, would not understand if it had to attend as an observer at this crucial event. The same goes, by all accounts, for other neighbouring countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, such as Angola and the Central African Republic. The issues of peace, security and building national unity were at the core of the Congolese authorities’ concerns during the past year.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We welcomed the multi- country programme of demobilization and reintegration put forward by the World Bank. Since then, we welcomed the visit of the Security Council in June 2003 to the Great Lakes region and the multidisciplinary mission of the United Nations system, and we are eagerly awaiting its conclusions. These conclusions will allow us to meaningfully participate in the future public debates of the Security Council on our subregion, one year after the meeting that elaborated a comprehensive, integrated, determined and concerted approach to the problems of peace, security and development of Central Africa. Energized by that approach, we intend to participate in the international conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes region.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We must also follow with great interest developments in Burundi, where every step forward 16 must be supported and encouraged to make the process irreversible. To that end, the international community is urgently called upon to make good on the financial commitments made during the conferences in Paris and Geneva. The situations that I have just mentioned lead us to the relevant conclusions of the open Security Council meeting on 22 October 2002 on strengthening cooperation between the United Nations system and the Central African region in the maintenance of peace and security. At that meeting, we expressed our appreciation for the cooperation between our region and the United Nations while welcoming, inter alia, the work of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Still with respect to our subregion, I would like finally to stress in particular the crisis that raged in the Democratic Republic of Sâo Tomé and Pr'ncipe in July 2003. At that time, ECCAS, the African Union, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and Nigeria worked in perfect concert to re-establish the constitutional order shattered in this country on 16 July 2003. While we commend the contribution made by the United States and South Africa, we would like to appeal again for the entire international community to give substantial assistance to the Democratic Republic of Sâo Tomé and Pr'ncipe, particularly to the emergency programme that has just been established by the Government of this country.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“CAEMC’s involvement in the Central African Republic, which has received much encouragement, particularly from the Security Council, mainly aims at the reconciliation of the Central African people, the pacification of the country and the prompt restoration of constitutional order. The holding of a Central African dialogue fits precisely in the framework of the recommended measures. This country, which has suffered greatly these past years, truly needs assistance from the international community to regain peace, stability, economic growth and democracy. That is the meaning of the appeal made at Brazzaville on 17 May 2003 by the ECCAS Ministers at the meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I would like to reaffirm our steadfast wish to see this neighbouring and brotherly country find peace again, a guarantee for stability of the subregion. I am also duty-bound to draw the attention of the international community to the situation in the Central African Republic, which has been confronted for years with serious and persistent economic, social and security problems. I would like to recall here that alarmed by this ever-worsening situation, CAEMC has established an ad hoc committee on the Central African Republic, presided over by His Excellency El Hadj Omar Bongo, President of the Gabonese Republic. It has also deployed a peacekeeping force in that country.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We continue to support the intention of the Angolan Government to submit for consideration at the present session a draft resolution on international assistance for the reconstruction and economic development of Angola. We also welcome the positive developments under way in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, distinguished in particular by the establishment of transitional institutions and the deployment of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Ituri. We urge the international community to continue its support for the pacification and reunification process under way in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to further contribute substantively to the reconstruction programmes in place.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Thus, during the past year, significant progress had been registered in the various countries that have experienced, or are experiencing, armed crises — Angola, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, the Central African Republic, Burundi and Chad. In the quest to resolve these crises, we have counted on the cooperation of diverse partners, especially the United Nations and African Union. Allow me to briefly touch on some of the situations that require particular attention from the international community. With respect to Angola, while we welcome the return of peace in that country, ravaged for nearly three decades by civil war, we wish to urge the international community to help the Angolan authorities in their efforts at reconstruction.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“My country, which is the current acting President of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CAEMC), takes such concerns to heart as it discharges its mandates in the management of various crises that are shaking our subregion. We have already had the opportunity to deplore the fact that Central Africa suffers from the paradox of being both one of the richest subregions on the continent and one of the weakest zones in terms of human development indices. All the current initiatives of the leaders of the subregion are geared towards the resolution of this paradox.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, put forward his thoughts in a statement entitled, “For a Pan-African Pact against Aggression” 15 at the summit in Maputo, which constitutes a contribution to preventive diplomacy that will help to spare the African peoples the horrors of fratricidal strife and enable them to devote themselves exclusively and usefully to development objectives and a code of conduct between African States, lending timely support to the framework outlined by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of the Republic of Mozambique, on behalf of the African Union. The Acting President clearly informed the international community about the resolve of the African continent to overcome current obstacles to building a new Africa in the areas of peace, security, democracy, human rights, economic development and regional integration. It is precisely in this sprit that His Excellency Mr.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“This is to illustrate the degree of cooperation that prevails among the countries of Central Africa when it comes to questions of peace and security. Africa is seen today as the focal point for the challenges confronting humanity, in particular as regards armed conflict, underdevelopment and the proliferation of pandemics. But this is not all that Africa has to offer the rest of the world. Various courageous initiatives now show Africa’s determination to take its fate into its own hands: the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the African Peer Review Mechanism and the Council for Peace and Security. The African Union Summit that was just held in Maputo, Mozambique, eloquently displays this attitude of ours. My delegation associates itself with the statement made on 24 September by His Excellency Mr.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“My country hosted in Brazzaville, from 12 to 14 May 2003, a sub-regional seminar on the implementation in Central Africa of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and presented at that time a report reflecting Africa’s firm determination to eradicate this scourge. As part of its implementation of the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel landmines, from 9 to 10 September 2003, Congo destroyed its stock of landmines. During two public operations carried out with the support of Canada and the United Nations, our Government destroyed 5,220 landmines. We intend to continue with an operation to search out landmines in the southern part of our country that borders on Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“This year we are celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first special session of the General Assembly on disarmament. It is regrettable to note that, since the end of the cold war, so little progress has been accomplished and today’s deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament is a tragic display of our failure. At a time when the international community is legitimately concerned about weapons of mass destruction that might fall into the hands of terrorists, it is important to remind all of the actors that they must abide by the multilateral agreements and scrupulously respect them. Within the context of disarmament activities, we welcome the holding, last July in New York, of the first Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Still on the subject of peace and security, it seems to be necessary and essential to emphasize that we must refrain from conflating terrorism, religion or civilization as belonging to any geographical area or supporting any national liberation struggle. Just as we must be firm, demanding and united when confronting acts of unjustifiable blind violence, we must also be vigilant so as not to be tempted by convenience. In our relentless struggle against terrorism, it is important to give appropriate responses when it comes to the sovereignty of peoples, respect for human rights, social justice and combating poverty. We must also seriously analyse the causes that serve as the breeding ground or pretext for terrorism. This is also part of conflict prevention and, to some extent, the prevention of terrorism.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The two parties must come to their senses and return to the vision set out in the road map, which provides for the creation of a Palestinian State that is independent, democratic and viable, living side by side with Israel and its other neighbours in an atmosphere of peace and security. The Security Council approved this vision in Security Council resolution 1397 (2002) and the two parties committed themselves to respecting the road map on 4 June 2003 at the outcome of the Aqaba Summit. We must now bring them back to the negotiating table, with no pre-conditions, and demand that they refrain from any measure or unilateral action that is incompatible with the goals of the road map.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In paying tribute to their courage and dedication, we must do everything within our power to ensure that their sacrifice was not made in vain and that the cause they served so heroically does indeed triumph in the interests of the Iraqi people and the noble ideas of the United Nations. We must therefore encourage the Security Council to return to its essential unity so that the international community, led by the moral authority of the United Nations, can help the Iraqi people to find peace, security and stability and reconstruct their country devastated by war and many years of embargo. Not far from Iraq, the international community is still confronted with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 14 This shows that the infernal cycle of violence can only lead to a dead end.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“It symbolizes the sovereign equality of all States, large and small, and is a way of paying tribute to your great qualities and your diplomatic experience. We are convinced that you will know how to skilfully guide our debate on multilateralism to a satisfying outcome, very much in keeping with the high expectations of the community of nations. This year, once again we see the challenges to peace and international security at the very core of our major preoccupations. Everyone remembers the attack of 19 August 2003 against the United Nations offices in Baghdad. The death of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, and several dedicated servants of the United Nations, is still alive in our memories.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We must reaffirm, loud and clear, the role of the United Nations as a central axis of collective security and inspiration for the rules of international cooperation aimed at justice and equality. For this reason it is important to strengthen the role of our Organization and improve its effectiveness. The Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has now presented a very edifying report in this connection and we very much encourage him to persevere along the path of reform and rationalization and to place the multilateral system at the core of the management of crises and the display of leadership in the world. Your election, Sir, to the presidency of this session of the General Assembly is, for us, a tremendous asset.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Finally, and most recently, we have witnessed the failure of the Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Cancún. This deadlock in defining a negotiating process to revive the Doha round places in jeopardy the growth prospects of the world economy which would otherwise benefit all people. This can also be interpreted as a new opportunity to marginalize the countries of the South. All of this shows that this present session is being held in a particularly worrisome context. These developments are dangerous for the management of international affairs that should be marked with a spirit of dialogue, consultation and openness. We must, therefore, return to the spirit of multilateralism that characterized the Millennium Summit.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Three years ago, we held the Millennium Summit, during which we crafted a clear-cut common vision for the twenty-first century, a road map to confront the challenges of globalization: peace and security now facing new threats, development and international cooperation, the environment, pandemics and so forth. One year later the first challenge to this reassuring and ambitious edifice arose, the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The international community reacted unanimously and immediately adopted a collective response. A few months later we witnessed the aggravation of tensions with the Iraq crisis, which severely tested the principle of collective security and moral authority of the United Nations, to the point that we doubted the rationale for and the survival of what should be, after all, our common home.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)