YouSaid · the spoken record

Casimir Oye Mba

lines on the record: 91
first: 1996-09-24
most recent: 1998-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“I have already mentioned the promising views he shared with the Security Council on the eradication of conflicts and the promotion of lasting peace in Africa. For Africa, and for the entire international community, we must encourage and support him.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The proposals of the Secretary-General on the reform of the budgetary, administrative, social and economic sectors reflect a spirit of innovation that will make it possible to face the challenges of the new millennium. More specifically, as regards the thorny question of the expansion of the Security Council, Gabon is, of course, in favour of it. We believe Africa should have two permanent seats — I repeat, two permanent seats — which would be occupied on a rotational basis by all African countries — I repeat, all African countries — in accordance with modalities to be determined by them. Before concluding, allow me to commend the achievements of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. We know his task is immense and difficult. He has already accomplished a great deal, with courage and skill.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I should like also to take this opportunity to express my delegation?s satisfaction with, and its support for, the efforts made by the International Seabed Authority, the guarantor of a common heritage of humankind, in the consideration of a draft code on the mining, exploration and exploitation of the seabed. We must make sincere and tireless efforts on all of these major issues. I very much appreciate the work of our Organization, which, through its executing bodies, its specialized agencies and with the support of other organizations, is making every effort to achieve these noble objectives. As I already said last year, Gabon supports the idea that the United Nations system needs rational and consistent renewal, in keeping with today?s realities.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In the field of human rights, Gabon welcomes the creation of an International Criminal Court, as established by the Statute adopted at Rome on 17 July last. The same applies to the Organization of African Unity Protocol, which created, at the organization?s thirty-fourth summit, a Pan-African Court of Justice. Because of industrial development, environmental questions have become an increasingly pressing concern for the international community. The awareness to which the Rio Summit gave rise unfortunately was not followed up by the concrete measures that were expected. Commitments have not been fulfilled, and as time goes 28 by, the Rio consensus must lead us more than ever towards a necessary commitment if we wish to avoid its remaining a dead letter.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I express my deepest sympathy to all of those persons who were wounded. Above all, the Government of Gabon most forcefully reaffirms its condemnation of acts of terrorism in all their manifestations, wherever they may occur. We believe that no cause can justify resorting to such acts. But I also denounce certain retaliatory measures that they inspire, in particular the placing of countries that are suspected of involvement under embargo. This type of response is neither appropriate nor efficient. In most cases, those types of measures affect mainly innocent civilian populations. We believe, therefore, that under the auspices of the United Nations, urgent dialogue must be undertaken to explore ways and means of preventing and combating terrorism.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The General Assembly held its twentieth special session on the fight against drugs last June. Gabon is pleased that on that occasion our Organization enshrined the criminal nature of the traffic in drugs and broadened the options for solutions to this scourge at the global level. That session gave political impetus to the international efforts of States in the fight against drug trafficking, which now spares no country. The Government of Gabon invites the United Nations and its specialized agencies to further support the efforts made in this respect at the regional level. As for the scourge of terrorism, and bearing in mind the horrible attacks in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam, I must first of all pay a tribute of compassion and respect to the memory of the Kenyan, Tanzanian and American citizens who lost their lives there.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This is truly intolerable. All of this notwithstanding, the international financial institutions continue to classify Gabon as an upper middle- income country, thus preventing its access to financing on flexible terms. Gabon is the only sub-Saharan African country in this situation, which is simply unjust. Gabon, a developing country just like any other, asks that international financial institutions apply new assessment criteria and, above all, that they give more appropriate consideration to our debt burden in order further to unleash our productive capabilities. This would benefit not only the people of Gabon but also our partners abroad. Other major problems must also mobilize the international community, inter alia, the drug problem, terrorism, major pandemics, human rights and the environment.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“A new direction has been reflected, inter alia, through an ambitious programme of liberalization of economic activities on the one hand and on the other by the privatization of large sectoral public enterprises. As for the structure of the economy of Gabon, let me say that our country remains dependent on the sale of three principal raw materials: oil, wood and manganese. The prices of these products have been on the decline for several months now. If we factor in the fluctuations in the United States dollar, which is also on the decline, we can see that the result is a decrease in the income of the State, which puts the country?s investment and development capacities in considerable jeopardy. This fact is not the only handicap to my country?s development. The debt and its servicing absorb almost 45 per cent of our budgetary resources.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“That is why Gabon believes it necessary to relaunch the idea of a new partnership based on fairness in order to respond to the legitimate aspirations of people — mainly, to eliminate poverty and to promote well-being. With globalization, States? autonomy and room for manoeuvre has been greatly reduced. The power of Governments is offset by the power of the markets. Openness and freedom, however, must not come to mean free rein to establish the law of the jungle, in which we, the small and the weak, will inevitably be crushed and destroyed. In this context, it seemed necessary to the Government of Gabon not to abdicate but to refocus the role of the State.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The situation at this end of century makes it imperative for the international community to deal with development and social issues if we wish to prevent our world from self-destructing. The content of the 1998 Human Development Report, published by the United Nations Development Programme a few weeks ago, strengthens this conviction. The conclusions of the 1995 Copenhagen summit therefore remain valid, and the United Nations must again take the initiative. Statements of intention no longer suffice. We need concrete action and realistic programmes that take into account the phenomenon of globalization. These 27 programmes must ensure that no one is excluded and that each of our nations, by making the necessary efforts to adapt, can become integrated in the most harmonious way possible.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“My country invites all States Members of the United Nations to work towards complete and general disarmament in the twenty- first century, the guarantor of a lasting peace. We must make the quest for peace a cardinal point of reference. However, that peace will remain in jeopardy as long as the basic needs of peoples are not met. The persistence of conflicts, non-respect for the human person, hatred and the rejection of democratic values all have serious repercussions on the economic health of States. Likewise, the phenomenon of refugees and displaced persons, epidemics and the cost of reconstruction in the wake of war all are burdens that affect already fragile economies and aggravate difficult social situations.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Disarmament took a step forward very recently with the adoption of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, which I personally signed on behalf of Gabon on 4 December 1997 in Ottawa, and which has just entered into force with the deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification by an African country, Burkina Faso. Other significant instruments, such as the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear- Test-Ban Treaty, have become a reality. Gabon, convinced of the prominent role of disarmament in the maintenance of international peace and security, is a signatory of these important instruments.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“My country supports the high priority given by the United Nations to the question of disarmament in general and to the elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in particular. Even if the harm they can cause is less, we are also concerned about the proliferation of conventional weapons, which are also tools of death and destruction. We therefore commend the statement by the President of the Security Council on the occasion of the ministerial meeting on Africa held on 24 September 1998, in which the Council asked the ad hoc Working Group to elaborate further concrete recommendations on the need to stem illicit arms flows to and in Africa. Apart from these concerns, we have certain grounds for satisfaction.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“main recommendation was the establishment of a subregional parliament of Central Africa, which would be charged with dealing with questions of common interest, with a view to strengthening measures for confidence-building and subregional peace, while serving as a forum for harmonization of views and the promotion of values related to the democratic experiences of member States. In general, we can say that the action of the Committee is a needed extension of the Organization of African Unity?s Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. All these preventive measures would be in vain if the international community made no further disarmament efforts.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Along the same lines, also concerning the logic of prevention, the Committee held from 18 to 21 May 1998 in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, the first conference on the question of relationships between democratic institutions and peace in Central Africa. That conference brought together members of Governments, representatives of opposition political parties, high-ranking officials of the forces of law and order, representatives of civil society and experts on matters of political freedoms, the press and human rights. The participants?”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Without repeating the report that has been made to the Assembly, I would like to recall here that, in accordance with the decision made by the heads of State or Government of the countries of Central Africa, Defence and Interior Ministers of the countries members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, meeting in Libreville from 28 to 30 April 1998, re-examined the plan for the establishment of an early-warning mechanism as an instrument for the prevention of crises and conflicts. Gabon, which now holds the chairmanship of the Committee, is doing everything in its power to meet the logistics needs to allow Libreville to be the headquarters of that mechanism.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is also in this new context that in two months we shall be organizing presidential elections for the second time. The logistical and legislative preparations are already at a very advanced stage; they are basically the work of government. The National Electoral Commission, which is already in place, will conduct the actual electoral operations. Its representatives were appointed last week in all departments and communes. The Prime Minister sent 26 invitations a month ago to various States and organizations, including the United Nations, to observe both the preparations and the polling process itself. A few days ago I had the opportunity to address the Security Council on mechanisms for conflict prevention in our subregion.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“This is why President Bongo, sensing the changes in history and the aspirations of his people, set in motion in mid-1989 the rethinking within the former single party in our country that led to the national conference of March-April 1990, which reopened the way to pluralism and democracy. New regulatory and control institutions have gradually been established since then and they are working. Individual and collective freedoms are recognized and enjoyed by our citizens, who can even appeal as high as the Constitutional Court, as a glance at our newspapers in Gabon suffices to make clear. This shows how deeply committed we are to the principles of participatory democracy, taking into account our overall level of development and our sociological environment.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“These include respect for human rights in general and for the rights of national minorities in particular; respect for cultural identities; respect for the territorial integrity of States; respect for national sovereignty; the principle of non-interference in internal affairs; the principle of good neighbourliness; and the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes. In any event, dialogue remains the best and most effective way of preventing conflicts and maintaining or restoring peace. Political differences must have a political response. The African populations, already overwhelmed by underdevelopment, cannot and should not have to endure, in addition, the deadly consequences of conflict. We must therefore always engage in dialogue.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Gabon reaffirms its support for this approach. All in all, the resurgence of nationalism, poor understanding and abuse of the rights of peoples as well as their manipulation, inevitably lead to national unrest, with its attendant deadly difficulties. Faced with these realities and possibilities, the Government of Gabon would more than ever like to reaffirm its commitment to certain principles which underlie the maintenance of peace and security, both internally and internationally.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In this respect, I would like to draw the attention of the Assembly particularly to one of the causes of conflict that I believe should be given our full attention because of the many dangers it poses to the stability of our entire continent. Furthermore, this phenomenon is also evident in Central and Eastern Europe. I refer to the question of transnational populations — in other words, communities dispersed over several States as a result of various historical circumstances. Aware of the danger in Africa, the founding fathers of the OAU, in their great wisdom, inscribed in its Charter the principle of the inviolability of frontiers inherited from colonization. To reshape States on the basis of diverse claims seemed to them to be simply risky. They therefore chose to take charge of our history through the openness of integration.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“In fact, through the phenomenon of globalization, the shock wave of conflict is often felt very far from the epicentre. It is equally clear that development cannot be ensured in an unstable environment, for peace constitutes the fertile ground in which development must take root and prosper. It is in that spirit that Gabon studied the remarkable report (A/52/871) that the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, submitted to the Security Council on the causes of conflict in Africa. He very rightly noted that historical legacies, internal and external factors, economic motives and particular situations are the source of many conflicts in Africa. These various causes are known to us and we must combat them.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Of course, we are not insensitive to the disturbances and violence occurring in other parts of the world — quite the contrary. Gabon shares the position of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on ways and means of resolving the problems in Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Somalia and between Ethiopia and Eritrea. We are following most attentively the resumption of dialogue between the Israelis and Palestinians, as seen in the recent summit meetings. These talks offer a glimmer of hope for a global settlement of the problems of the Middle East. We likewise believe that only political means will return peace to Afghanistan. With the same conviction, we encourage the efforts of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to preserve peace in South-East Asia. A global vision of peace is certainly necessary.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Turning to Angola, I wish first to honour the memory of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Matre Alioune Blondin Beye, and of members of his team, who worked tirelessly for peace in that country, tragically giving their lives to that cause. The heads of State and of delegation reaffirmed at the Libreville summit their support for the Government of Angola, which is sparing no effort in the search for 25 lasting peace in that country and for the full and speedy implementation of the Lusaka accords. Finally, with regard to the Republic of the Congo, the heads of State supported the reconstruction and national reconciliation efforts and condemned the destabilization manoeuvres originating outside the country.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“They also stressed the need for concerted action by the countries of Central Africa, the States members of the Southern African Development Community, of the Organization of African Unity and of the United Nations, and all those who are working to find a solution to the Congo crisis, renouncing any partisan decisions that could prolong the suffering of the peoples of Congo and of neighbouring States. The heads of State and heads of delegation of Central Africa therefore decided to establish a summit follow-up and negotiating committee under the chairmanship of the President of the Gabonese Republic, and reaffirmed that it would be appropriate to establish a regional peacekeeping force.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“That concern is shared by the other heads of State of Central Africa, and was at the root of the summit conference held on Thursday, 24 September 1998, at Libreville, at the initiative of President Bongo, on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That important meeting gave heads of State and heads of delegation an opportunity to express their support for President Kabila and to condemn the aggression against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the interference in the internal affairs of that country. They called for the withdrawal of foreign forces of aggression; for a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; for respect for the territorial integrity of that country; and for continuing the process of democratization begun by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Yet during that same period many African countries have courageously embarked on political reform and economic restructuring. Overall, there has been tangible progress. Clearly, stability is indispensable for such progress, which means that questions of international peace and security are the concern of the day on our continent, and more specifically in Central Africa. That subregion, so rich in potential, has come since the end of the cold war to be a world disrupted by “the disorder of nations”, fuelled and maintained by a variety of forces. Although living in peace within its borders and with its neighbours, Gabon is extremely concerned at this situation. President Bongo believes that our country cannot remain an isle of peace, freedom and even relative prosperity in an ocean of misery, violence and fratricidal wars.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“Now more than in the past, and especially since the end of the cold war, narrow nationalism has been resurfacing to nullify all the international community?s efforts to make of our world a global village in which peace and security, friendship among nations and international cooperation are the watchwords. Peace is a sine qua non for the development of peoples and of nations. That truth is easy enough to affirm, but applying it is complicated by the play of interests within States, often combined with outside interference. This has been and remains the bitter experience of Africa. For nearly a decade, the African continent has faced multifaceted political tension and violence between and within States, just when the end of the cold war had given rise to hope that resources would be mobilized for its development.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“The present times are characterized by political tension, by change and by socio-economic upheaval exacerbated by a grave financial crisis; our involvement is required, in more than one respect. Gabon remains convinced that the United Nations continues to be the best forum for working together to harmonize our different approaches towards peace and development. We owe it to ourselves to consider the circumstances in which the Organization was established to free the world from the spectre of war. Was it just to prevent world war, or was it to make use of the renewed humanism inspired by the San Francisco Conference to eradicate all the causes of armed conflict wherever they might emerge so as, in the words of the Charter, “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”?”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“I wish first to convey to Mr. Didier Opertti the warm, sincere congratulations of the Government and the delegation of Gabon on his well-deserved election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. This is a tribute to his country, Uruguay, and an unambiguous recognition of his personal and professional qualities. Our congratulations go also to all the other Assembly officers, and we wish them every success in guiding our work. We assure them of the support and cooperation of the delegation of Gabon. To the President of the General Assembly at the fifty- second session, Mr. Hennadiy Y. Udovenko, who spared no effort in carrying out his responsibilities, I convey our satisfaction and our deep gratitude.”
1998-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 53 (1998)
“It is my hope that this session of the General Assembly will enable us to take another step towards strengthening the ideals we all share. This transition towards a more humane world will not be without perils. We will have to combat simultaneously the upsurge of selfishness and the development of false solidarity, which can lead our peoples to fratricidal struggle. I am convinced that, united, we will take up the challenge to build a better world.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Gabon suggests that we can reconcile the seemingly contradictory requirements in this way: by eliminating the geographical imbalance in the Security Council so as to consolidate its legitimacy and effectiveness; by making the decision-making process in the Council more democratic; and by allowing for a fairer representation of Africa. Africa calls for two permanent seats, with the same rights the other permanent members have; the seats would be rotated in accordance with principles that the African Group will submit in due time to the General Assembly. Gabon reaffirms here its commitment to the principles of universality and the sovereign equality of States. These should underlie all the thinking in regard to reform.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“But it remains true that no reform plan can be successful until the financial situation of the United Nations is cured. My country recalls that we attach great priority to the recommendations formulated by the Organization of African Unity at its last summit, in Harare, and to the proposals made by the Non-Aligned Movement at its Ministerial Conference in New Delhi in April 1997. President Bongo spoke as long ago as 1977 on the question of an increase in the membership of the Security Council, and I had the occasion to repeat his position before the General Assembly in 1995 and 1996. Let me repeat it one more time.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“They call for appropriate treatment in respect of our foreign public debt, because the strict deadlines for repayment often hamper our efforts to revitalize our economy. Finally, partnership in all areas must be strengthened and the transfer of technologies encouraged, so that the national capacities of our countries can be revitalized. In his speech to the General Assembly, the Secretary- General expressed the hope that this session will be known as the Reform Assembly. Indeed, the world today is not what it was in 1945. Our Organization must adapt to the new realities. Gabon therefore welcomes the recommendations of the Secretary-General for the reform of the Organization. The current discussions must result in consensus machinery that will safeguard the various interests of the Member States.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It began with the Gabon Water and Energy Company. The privatization was carried out in very orderly and transparent conditions — to the surprise of not a few — and the programme will be continued in other spheres. Aware of the decisive role the private sector has to play in Gabon’s prosperity and in increasing the standard of living of its people, our Government is trying to establish a legal and regulatory environment which will facilitate private investment and open up various sectors of the economy to competition. We sincerely state that Gabon is open to all private investment. As President Bongo likes to say, “Gabon is not the private reserve of anybody”. The Gabonese authorities are making sure that our commitments in the area of loans and repayments are realistic and viable.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“I take this opportunity to say to the ACP countries — and all of them are here at the General Assembly — that we are ready to welcome them next month and that we await them all. Gabon is a beneficiary of the international economic environment, and I would therefore like to share with the Assembly our experience in this area. 18 Since mid-1995, Gabon’s economic performance has improved considerably. The rate of growth has increased significantly; inflation has been reduced to a very low level; and our situation outside the country has been strengthened. Structural measures and administrative reform are accelerating. The Government is stepping up the liberalization of the economy and the cleaning up of the business environment. A vast programme of privatizing public enterprises has already been put into effect.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is not entirely untrue. But would it be outrageous to say that it is not completely true either, because it is obvious that in Africa there exist countries whose development level is already allowing them to cherish some legitimate commercial and trade ambitions on the international market as well as countries that still require assistance, at least in certain areas, and particularly in the social area. To the latter countries, it would be better to say: “Trade and aid”. It is in that spirit that Gabon will attend the ninth summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) associated with the European Union in the context of the Lomé Convention. My country will have the honour of hosting this summit in its capital on 6 and 7 November 1997.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This may sound like a litany of ills, but until the situation improves we must continue to repeat that Africa is suffering from very serious structural problems. These consist, inter alia, of economies, often based on a single crop, that are dependent on the outside world; deterioration in the terms of trade; reverse finance flow; the lowest level of development; the largest number of least developed countries and of displaced persons and refugees. However, I think it is important to highlight the fact that in addition to its potential, which it owes to raw materials, Africa also represents an effective market of more than 700 million inhabitants. We know that if it is to develop, our continent must first and foremost rely on itself. Yet there is so much to be done. We are familiar with the slogan, “Trade, not aid”.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Gabon therefore hopes that there will be greater movement towards action at the forthcoming Kyoto Conference on climate change, which will be a test of the industrialized countries’ commitments to sustainable development. Similarly, we would encourage the International Seabed Authority to continue its work, particularly on the elaboration of a balanced mining code that takes into account the interests of all States as well as environmental questions. The importance of the eight most developed countries and their real ability to have an impact on the international economy give us ground to hope that the commitments entered into at the recent Denver summit will enable us to work towards strengthening an international economy at the service of humanity.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“I would just mention the Rio Conference on the environment, the Vienna Conference on human rights, the Beijing Conference on women, the Cairo Conference on population, the Copenhagen Conference on social development and the Stockholm Conference on the sexual exploitation of children, as well as the very latest special session of the General Assembly devoted to the mid-term review of Agenda 21. However, even after all those meetings that aroused such hopes, it looks as though our community is not truly determined to fulfil the obligations it has freely entered into. It seems to be difficult to translate proclaimed intentions into action.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We have taken a number of initiatives to combat them, including the reorganization of our security services and the creation of an interministerial commission to combat drug addiction. However, combating those phenomena clearly calls for resolution and determined acts of solidarity and cooperation at the international level. Turning now to the question of development, I should like to recall that the final goal of government is the well- being of peoples. Against that background, the international community has evidenced its will to improve the human condition by organizing various workshops, seminars and conferences.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“That is why Gabon, a party to the United 17 Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and a signatory of the Charter of the Rights and Welfare of the African Child, joins the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in condemning the use of children as soldiers and urges Governments and all combatants on the battlefield to halt a number of particularly shameful practices, namely, the recruitment of children into the armed forces, the participation of children in combat, and violations and abuses to which they are often subjected. In another area, the Gabonese authorities are deeply concerned by the struggle against the scourges of crime and drug proliferation, which are other sources of human suffering.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We are not sufficiently aware of the human suffering that underlies armed conflicts, particularly the suffering of the victims, and especially of women, the elderly and children, for killing them means killing the life, the past and the future of the human race. In that connection, one can only employ the word “abominable” in describing the growing use of children in conflicts. Over the past decade a million children have been killed, 6 million have been seriously wounded or handicapped for life, more than a million have been orphaned or separated from their families, and millions of others are suffering serious psychological damage. This dark picture is even darker in Africa than in other continents.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The representative I sent to Oslo told me that some of those present had tried to establish for those weapons a special category that they would be able to retain, a category of what they called “intelligent” anti-personnel mines. I do not know what that means. Intelligent or stupid, anti-personnel mines kill, and they often kill the innocent. They must therefore be banned. If while playing in a field your child’s leg is torn off by a so-called intelligent mine, you would find no consolation in the thought that the mine was an intelligent one. In any event, Gabon urges all United Nations Member States to bend all their efforts towards adopting a plan of action for general and complete disarmament. Humanity will be the better for it.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Thus, we welcome the progress made in this area by the entry into force of the Convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons, which demonstrates the will of the international community to eliminate that category of weapons of mass destruction. In the same connection, my country supports the Ottawa process aimed at a complete ban on anti-personnel landmines. The recent Oslo Diplomatic Conference on that subject worked along the lines we had hoped it would. We regret, however, that some countries were unable to join in the powerful and promising consensus that emerged there. We trust that in the near future they will be able to do so.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Although Africa is no longer of prime strategic importance, is Africa not today, where the United Nations is concerned, its real challenge, I might even say its guilty conscience — because of the Organization’s underlying philosophy and vocation? Looking beyond Africa, Gabon is also greatly concerned over the blockage in the Middle East process, and we invite all the parties there to resume the dialogue, with the support of the whole of the international community, for there, as elsewhere, no lasting solution can be achieved through force. The wars and conflicts we all deplore are made possible by the devastating force of weapons. We must therefore patiently and resolutely succeed in disarming the nations of the world.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“But how can we forget that United Nations files are bursting with piles of reports, declarations and resolutions on Africa, all of them equally relevant? Everyone here will recall that some 10 years ago the General Assembly held a special session on Africa. Yes, I know — they say that now that the cold war has ended Africa is no longer of prime strategic importance. Too bad for us! For my part, I would say “So much the better for us”, because we Africans have no reason to cry over the fall of the Berlin Wall. That was a tremendously important event for us too; it opened up new prospects. Today, however, the African peoples, just like others, are no longer willing to be paid in words and slogans. They thus expect concrete measures to emerge from the special meeting that was held by the Security Council last week.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Looking at the crises that have erupted recently in Central Africa, I have to say that today the subregion is facing the possibility of many conflicts flaring up, involving populations beyond our national boundaries, threatening the stability of our States and even calling into question the principle of the inviolability of borders — a principle that the Organization of African Unity has held dear since its inception. The danger is real. We must ward it off. Through me, Gabon welcomes the United States initiative to convene a special meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Africa, the first of its kind. We are grateful for the fact that on that solemn occasion, on 25 September 1997, the Security Council reaffirmed its principal responsibility for the preservation of peace on our continent.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In my capacity as Chairman of the Bureau of that Committee, I should like to draw the keen attention of all executive bodies operating under the aegis of the United Nations and the European Union, and our partners in the 16 subregion, to the benefits of effectively establishing this early-warning mechanism before the end of 1997. Still in that capacity, I wish to appeal to all Member States and to the international community as a whole to contribute to the Trust Fund set up by the Secretary- General to finance the work of the Committee.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“More recently, at its ninth Ministerial Meeting, last July in Libreville, attended by four out of five representatives of the permanent members of the Security Council, we adopted a major plan of action whose main thrust is: the establishment of an early-warning mechanism as a way of preventing conflict in Central Africa; the organization in the medium term of a regional conference on democratic institutions and peace in Central Africa; and training seminars for law enforcement personnel on peacekeeping operations, with the goal of preparing countries of the subregion to participate, with United Nations assistance, in possible future peacekeeping operations.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)