Mali

May I first of all congratulate you, Mr. President, most sincerely on your outstanding election to the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly at its fifty-second session. I have no doubt that thanks to your eminent qualities and your rich experience you will carry out remarkably well the mission entrusted to you. You may be assured of the complete support of the delegation of Mali. I also want to express our appreciation and thanks to your predecessor, Ambassador Razali Ismail, for the important contribution he made to the last session as President of the General Assembly. To the new Secretary-General of the Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, I would like to express my fraternal and warmest congratulations. His election on 17 December 1996 was a tribute to the eminent qualities of a man who has devoted his life to the service of the United Nations. While wishing him every success in the difficult mission conferred upon him, it is my firm conviction that he will do honour to his continent, Africa, in guiding our Organization towards the next millennium. As this fifty-second session of the General Assembly opens this year, the United Nations is at a crossroads. Two years ago in this very Hall, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, 128 Heads of State or Government forcefully reaffirmed their faith in the United Nations in its principles and its objectives. They unanimously appealed for profound reflection on the role and resources of the world Organization so that it might be given the human, material and financial capacities that are vital to its mission, and so that it might be able to enter the twenty-first century with determination and professionalism. This appeal was not in vain. Under the dynamic leadership of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, whose courage and lucidity I wish to commend, our Organization has today embarked on an ambitious programme of reform. On 14 July last Mr. Kofi Annan, continuing the work of his predecessor, submitted to the General Assembly his report on the reform of the United Nations. Like other Member States, Mali is now considering the proposals contained in that report and will without delay submit its observations thereon. My delegation is delighted at the political will expressed by all to initiate the appropriate reforms in order to make our Organization better able to respond to the needs of our day and to the aspirations of the peoples for which it was created. While on the topic of reform, I cannot gloss over the substantial progress made by Member States in the different working groups of the General Assembly. 1997 will mark the crowning of sustained efforts, including the fulfilment of the mandates given to the Working Groups on, respectively, the Agenda for Development and the strengthening of the United Nations system. The unanimous adoption by the General Assembly of the documents that endorsed the often difficult and painstaking deliberations of these two Working Groups 11 eloquently reflects our shared will to succeed, by consensus, in laying the groundwork for the restructuring and modernization of our Organization in the priority fields of development and economic cooperation. As for the reform of the Security Council, the high- level Working Group established to study this issue has made considerable progress, although concrete measures have not been adopted on such fundamental items as the expansion and composition of the Council, and thee use of the right of veto. However, I welcome the many constructive and often complementary proposals that have enriched the debates this year. I am convinced that by redoubling our efforts we will be able to benefit from the momentum that has been created, and that we will succeed in restructuring and modernizing the Security Council by making it more democratic and credible as well as more legitimate and transparent. The maintenance of peace and security, we know, requires the prevention, management and settlement of crises — of which there unfortunately are still a large number, often pernicious. These crises are currently sources of grave concern to the entire international community, and particularly to Africa, where some countries continue to be afflicted by multifaceted conflicts. In this respect, it is gratifying to note that significant advances have been made here and there towards the restoration of peace and security. My delegation is gratified at the dynamic process that led on 20 July to the holding of general, free and credible elections in Liberia, marking the end of a long and brutal civil war and the establishment in that country of democratic institutions. This victory, which is above all that of the people of Liberia themselves, must be welcomed as a successful example of the settlement of a regional conflict and should serve as a source of inspiration for the settlement of other crises. Mali, which has played an active role in the settlement of the Liberian crisis in both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), would like to recall here that assistance for the reconstruction of Liberia is the only means of consolidating the peace won at such cost. The results obtained by the Inter-African Mission to Monitor the Implementation of the Bangui Agreements are a good example of the virtues of direct dialogue and of international mediation. My country welcomes the positive evolution of the crisis in the Central African Republic as a result of the commendable efforts of the International Mediation Committee established by the Nineteenth Summit Meeting of Heads of State and Government of France and Africa. As regards Western Sahara, my delegation is pleased with the progress achieved at the end of the fourth round of private contacts on the implementation of the United Nations Settlement Plan, with a view to the organization of a referendum for self-determination. Conversely, the existence of other centres of tension and breaches of democratic order are of grave concern. This is the case in Angola, where the delaying tactics of the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA) are putting a severe strain on the peace process under way. My country supports without reservation the measures recently decided upon by the Security Council relating to this party to the conflict. Likewise, in Sierra Leone, the situation is extremely confused because of the obstinacy of the leaders of the military coup d’état in holding on to power in spite of the pressure exerted by the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity and, more particularly the Economic Community of West African States whose select ministerial committee has courageously and selflessly undertaken difficult negotiations in order to achieve the re-establishment of constitutional order with the return of the democratically elected president. My country, which is a member of the International Mediation Committee in the Republic of the Congo, is gravely concerned by the situation of widespread civil war prevailing in that country. Once again, we appeal to the sense of responsibility of the parties and ask them to engage resolutely and very quickly in a political settlement of the crisis so that the mediation process can be brought to a successful conclusion. This crucial moment for Africa is equally crucial for the Middle East, where the dynamic of peace that began with the Madrid Conference is increasingly being called into question by the recent serious events. This is the time and place to call urgently on the co-sponsors of the peace process and the international community as a whole to take further initiatives to safeguard the peace process, inter alia by persuading the parties to resume the negotiations as a matter of urgency with a view to the application of the agreements that have been concluded. 12 My country, Mali, also remains concerned by the persistence of the sanctions against Member States of our Organization, in particular the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and by the suffering the sanctions cause for the peoples of these countries. For more than 50 years, the realization of the ideal of disarmament has been at the centre of our constant concern to build a system of collective security, free of weapons of mass destruction. From this viewpoint significant progress has been made towards, in particular, the reduction and ultimate elimination of nuclear arsenals. In this respect, Mali welcomes the entry into force on 29 April 1997 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. Nevertheless, the objective of general and complete disarmament has still to be achieved. On the basis of this conviction, Mali has demonstrated its commitment to this goal by taking concrete initiatives at the international, regional and national levels. Evidence of this is the resolution initiated by my country in 1994 and co-sponsored by about 20 Member States, regarding “Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and collecting them”. This initiative by Mali, which contributed to initiating the now well-known concept of “microdisarmament” within our Organization, is aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the disastrous consequences of small arms, particularly in the developing countries where, as we know, they play a large part in fuelling conflicts. All this emphasizes how important it is urgently to support the efforts of the countries of the Saharo-Sahelian subregion in order to stem the phenomenon of the proliferation of small arms, especially through effective control of borders and the review of legal instruments regarding the bearing of arms. Along the same lines, from 24 to 28 March 1997, the Government of Mali organized, together with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a “Week of Peace” to commemorate the first anniversary of the “Flame of Peace”. The international forum, held on that occasion, which brought together the representatives of the countries of the subregion and of the institutions and bodies to which I have just referred, gave an opportunity to analyse the factors that led to the restoration of peace in the northern regions of Mali and to identify ways and means of ensuring lasting peace and of promoting a real culture of peace. I would like here to echo the fervent appeal made at that forum for good governance, which favours participation over exclusion and dialogue over confrontation, and which assures respect for democratic principles and human rights. I also wish, from this rostrum, to make an appeal to the international community to give its full support to the proposal for a moratorium on the import, export and production of light weapons that was formulated during the consultations held at the same time as the “Week of Peace”. In addition to the countries of the West African subregion, these consultations brought together representatives of the United Nations, OAU, the ECOWAS/Togo agreement on non-aggression and defence assistance (ANAD), and our development partners. Furthermore, the conflicts in recent years have shown that conventional weapons can also cause mass destruction. For that reason my country welcomed the adoption on 18 September 1997 of the Convention on the total ban of anti-personnel mines, and supports the international efforts, including the Ottawa process, to achieve the total elimination of anti-personnel mines at the global level. The values of peace, freedom and economic and social justice which inspired the founding fathers of the United Nations must remain today, more than ever, the foundations of the joint action incumbent on us in the quest for a decent life for everyone. In this respect, we must, together and in a united way, seek concerted solutions to the persistent problems of underdevelopment. Thus, from New York in 1990, with the World Summit for Children, to Rome in 1996 with the World Food Summit, the great international conferences of the decade have contributed remarkably to the preparation of a new design for human society at the dawning of the third millennium. The paradigm of sustainable development, based on economic growth that is sustained, socially equitable and ecologically viable, constitutes the common denominator on which the international community now agrees in order to give new direction to the collective search for the economic and social well- being of our peoples. The mixed results of last June’s special session of the General Assembly devoted to an overall evaluation of the implementation of Agenda 21 are a sharp reminder of the vital need to think for our 13 world globally and act collectively to meet the challenges confronting our planet. Regardless of the angle from which we approach them, the problems at the end of this century cannot be resolved except through concerted and integrated action — action capable of managing harmoniously the upheavals accompanying this changing period of history. The consensus achieved in the Agenda for Development shows our shared faith in the virtues of a new global partnership for development, based on the imperative of interdependence and on mutually beneficial action. Since the conceptual framework has been defined and accepted by all, it is now time — and high time — to move to action through a rational mobilization of resources in keeping with the generous goals formulated in the Agenda for Development. The settlement of the debt crisis, just remuneration for commodities, the renunciation of trade barriers and an increase in official development assistance — this is essentially the direction that needs to be taken in order to build a world that is more accommodating to all, so true is it that our global village cannot be built in a lasting way if the majority of its members are excluded. The fight against poverty in this context has absolute priority, because it is simply unacceptable at the dawning of the third millennium that millions of men and women throughout the world should continue to lack the minimal conditions for a decent life. The aspiration of peoples for a better life is a legitimate quest which cannot be ignored. As Mali sees it, any work towards sustainable development is above all a national responsibility, through the effective definition and application of sound macroeconomic policies, based on transparency, the pre- eminent rule of law, the practice of democracy, respect for human rights, social justice, and the participation of all in the effort of national development. For my country, this is the surest path to follow in our quest for the shared ideal assigned to us by the United Nations Charter: “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”. We are on the eve of a new millennium, which will see the emergence of new challenges and new threats, but also of great dreams and hopes for humankind. As responsible leaders of our States, we have an obligation to seek ways and means to meet these challenges. But we also need to guide in the right direction the aspirations of our peoples to live in peace, liberty, progress and active solidarity. Fifty-two years ago the founding fathers of our Organization cleared the way for us to attain these noble objectives, which are still relevant. If we apply the terms of the Charter, we will be able to respond to particular uncertainties and put an end to the climate of doubt, fear and suspicion that characterizes present day international relations. We must also agree to do more and to do better in our quest for a better future for the human race. We believe in the United Nations as the institution to help us achieve this. The President of the Republic of Mali, His Excellency Mr. Alpha Oumar Konaré, is convinced that a restructured, modernized United Nations, endowed with the essential capacity to act, can help to resolve our disputes, ensure more orderly management of world affairs and eliminate the injustice, disparity and egoism that threaten humankind. That is why my country, Mali, will continue to work with enthusiasm and determination to ensure the emergence of a United Nations that is truly united in its diversity, at peace with itself and resolutely committed to the service of all peoples.