Chad

As in the past, and despite present ordeals, Chad, my country, is very glad to take active part in this meeting of peoples united by the same fate and motivated by the same spirit of peace, justice and equality. I am convinced that the wise choice of someone with the experience and requisite skills of Mr. Julian Hunte to preside over this historic meeting will guarantee the success of the session. My country has assumed similar responsibilities within the previous Bureau and knows just how consuming yet exalting they can be. My delegation would also like to express its encouragement and congratulations to Mr. Hunte and other members of the Bureau. My delegation and I, personally, would like to assure him of our complete availability and full support for the success of his mission. We would like to reiterate our deep gratitude to him and especially to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Jan Kavan, for the skill and enthusiasm with which he led the Assembly during the fifty- seventh session. Allow me also to express to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan our sympathy and admiration for the courage and the firm resolve that he places at the service of the ideals and causes of the United Nations, which is now confronting many exceptional challenges. Finally, the Government of Chad would like to associate itself with other members of the international community to condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks against the United Nations offices in Iraq, which claimed the lives of several staff members of the United Nations, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello. These heinous acts of violence should in no way break our resolve to pursue the noble goals of our Organization, foremost among which is to help peoples in difficulty to fully regain their rights to lead 3 their lives in conformity with the values of freedom, democracy and justice. I would therefore like to extend the condolences of the Chadian Government to all United Nations personnel, and the Brazilian, Egyptian and other Governments for the deaths of those who sacrificed themselves for the freedom of others. If the international community has been thoroughly overhauled since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the cold war, it has been victim to a new kind of trauma since 11 September 2001. Since that time, terrorism has been a dire threat to international peace and security. Globalization has complicated the rules of the game in trade between the North and the South, and new forms of conflict have emerged at the regional level. The best response to all this must be based on collective and joint action. As a full member of the international community, Chad, which is faithful to its quest for peace, strongly reaffirms its resolute condemnation of any act of terrorism, act of violence or any use of force — in the defence of any cause — to resolve disputes among nations.. Such actions must be dealt with by our regional organizations first and foremost, and, if they fall short, to our common Organization, the United Nations. Although it has been the subject of some controversy, the United Nations continues to be the only Organization in the world to truly enjoy international legitimacy. But to continue to best ensure that its mission and functions are carried out and to maintain its legitimacy, our Organization must enjoy the full support of all Member States. We must all contribute to assisting it in regaining its principal mission. The United Nations must once again become a common tool for us all and no longer be seen as showcase, much less a sounding board, for the will and power of the few. It will undoubtedly achieve this goal all the more easily if the long-postponed reforms are successful and reflected in the enlargement of the Security Council to include new or emerging Powers of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas — in sum, in recognition of the true state of the world today. This would do justice to those nations and render a service to the Organization itself. In that respect, the Iraqi crisis has only further convinced us of the need to pursue those reforms. We cannot continually evade this crucial issue. Stability and international peace and security are at stake, for the kind of globalization that our peoples seek cannot evolve in the interest of all if the international political system is predominantly unilateral in nature. Pending this revolution, which all peoples who cherish justice ardently seek, we still note with satisfaction that our Organization remains active in all crisis areas, particularly in Africa, where we urge it to be more proactive. Indeed, Africa is confronted with many difficulties that have ensued from both wars and other crises, as well as from a lack of good governance. The recent establishment of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) promises to save the continent from the economic quagmire in which it has been plunged. But the coherence of this extensive programme is connected with the support of the entire international community. The anticipated outcome will depend on true solidarity on the part of all economies worldwide. My country, which has been committed to the path of democratic pluralism since 1 December 1990, has made significant progress. These efforts will be sustained until we have perfected the republican institutions provided for under the Constitution of 31 December 1996. The Government of Chad believes it important that this democratic process be achieved so that the rule of law and also peace and prosperity, which are the ultimate goals, might be attained. To that end, in 1999 the President of our Republic promulgated, a unique type of law that sets out modalities for the use of oil revenues. This has resulted in a system in which a substantial part of this direct income —10 per cent — is set aside for future generations, and the remaining 80 to 90 per cent remainder goes to priority sectors — those vital areas I mentioned earlier — and the region of production receives 5 per cent. Secondly, the law provides for an office for the control and surveillance of oil income. It is made up of nine members, including only one representing the Government, with five representing civil society and two the Parliament. As an independent body, that office will have broad powers and prerogatives, including authorizing expenditures from oil revenue and verification of their proper use. In this new international context, in which States are increasingly interdependent and in which the world 4 has truly become a village, Chad, while addressing its internal problems, is endeavouring to open itself to the outside world. It is following with great interest developments in the international political situation and is working to make its modest contribution to the efforts of the international community in settling conflicts, especially in Africa. Therefore, we note with satisfaction, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the new awareness of the parties involved and the emerging understanding, by the Congolese people themselves, of the enlightened self-interest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We fervently hope that the transition process will continue uninterrupted until the final return of stability to that fraternal country. In the Central African Republic, realities in the field have shown positive change, but it is up to our Central African brothers to close their ranks to an even greater extent in order to consolidate peace in their country. The national dialogue under way offers them an excellent opportunity for a deep and constructive process of reflection on ways of bringing about national reconciliation. With respect to our border with the Sudan, we welcome most particularly the prospects for peace that have been emerging in that long-suffering country. Accords were concluded on 3 September 2003 under the auspices of President Idriss Deby at Abeche in Chad, between the Government of the Sudan and the People’s Liberation Army of the Sudan, and the protocol on security questions signed on 25 September between the Government and the SPLA also is a welcome development on the path to peace. Chad encourages the two parties to do their utmost to conclude a genuine peace agreement that would put an end to the sufferings of that fraternal country. We note with satisfaction a trend towards peace and stability in West Africa. For us, the Ivorian crisis was a serious cause for concern. The Marcoussis agreements gave rise to a real hope finally to see a peaceful solution emerge. Today all eyes are turned to Abidjan, where the Transitional Government has the heavy responsibility of conducting national reconciliation in the interest of all the children of that country. Chad encourages the Ivorian people to help the Transitional Government to carry out its mission, so that peace might be consolidated in Côte d’Ivoire. With regard to Liberia, we hope that, with continued international assistance, its situation will become stabilized. The participation of the countries of the subregion in peacekeeping operations and the presence of the Economic Community of West African States Mission in Liberia in Monrovia all give rise to hope and are a guarantee of political stability. The adoption of resolution 1497 (2003) was very timely. It represents a framework for settlement which should be used finally to break the infernal cycle of violence in that country. We would therefore like to ask the parties to the conflict to overcome their differences and work towards the return of a just and lasting peace. I cannot conclude my words on Africa without joining my voice to those of other delegations that spoke earlier from this rostrum and welcoming finally the wise decision of the Security Council to lift the embargo that for years had penalized the fraternal people of Libya. Outside of Africa, other hotbeds of tension remain, especially in the Near and Middle East, that require the involvement of the international community in the quest for adequate solutions. In the Middle East, the Israeli-Arab conflict has long been one of the concerns of the United Nations. Today conditions seem to have been met for a constructive dialogue between the two neighbouring peoples, since the road map containing the peace plan was agreed to by the parties to the conflict. This peace plan will, it is hoped, allow Palestine to achieve, by the year 2005, national independence and international sovereignty. Regarding the Middle East, the Republic of Chad welcomes the interest shown by the international community in the restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty and independence. We hope that the process of restoring power to the Iraqis will continue pursuant to Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) in a way that best serves the interests of the Iraqi people. In East Asia, the question of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, territorial conflicts and terrorist attacks are jeopardizing stability, not just for States in the region but for the entire world. Nevertheless, we are pleased to note that a dynamic for peace has definitely begun to prevail in that region. We welcome, therefore, the holding of multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear programme, and we encourage States in the region, whose role in this respect is crucial, to 5 become truly involved in order to facilitate the quest for a final settlement of that crisis. We welcome also with relief the significant improvement that has taken place in the context of relations between India and Pakistan. This favourable climate will no doubt enable the two nuclear Powers to maintain good-neighbourly relations and to undertake the true problems of development. Above and beyond these conflicts, which are all of great concern, there remain two major issues with which the international community has not dealt with courageously, in spite of good intentions and of the resolutions adopted in various forums beginning with the Millennium Summit. I am speaking of development assistance and of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Both are Millennium Development Goals with respect to which commitments were entered into here, in June 2001, at the special session on HIV/AIDS, and at Monterrey in March 2002. While it is encouraging to note that the heads of State or Government of the Group of Eight, at their most recent Summit in May 2003, gave their support to the achievement of those goals, they still have to translate such commitments into action, as was emphasized by the Secretary-General in his report on the work of the Organization. That means, inter alia, that developed States should implement the outcome of the Monterrey Consensus and the results of the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002. But the conclusions of the most recent World Trade Organization (WTO) Conference in Cancún have shown that we have not yet embarked on that path. We must all translate into action the Summit’s resolutions on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Indeed, in spite of the increase in resources and the strengthening of the political commitment at the highest level — following the example of the commitment made by the President of the Republic of Chad — the situation remains one of great concern and calls for unfailing determination and exceptional efforts in order to stem this pandemic. I would almost say that we must invent a new kind of containment in order to stem the spread of this disease. In any case, the disease is waging a brutal war against humankind, which must respond by utilizing the means required to fight a global war. This is a prerequisite for the survival of many nations throughout the world and therefore for the stability of our future world. I cannot conclude without drawing the attention of the international community to the crucial issue of the representation of the Republic of China on Taiwan in our Organization. That country has diplomatic relations and relations of cooperation with many Member States, including Chad. Paradoxically, however, with regard to the United Nations, it finds itself without any status. Its ostracism is unjustified and unjustifiable. Indeed, the Republic of China was one of the founders of the United Nations and was represented here from 1949 through 1971. The fact that this item comes up each and every year in the debates of the General Assembly proves that a substantive issue is at stake. Chad deems it inadmissible for 23 million Taiwanese to be discriminated against by the United Nations and its specialized agencies. It is thus unfortunate to note that, in the current context, the World Health Organization, for example, cannot lend Taiwan assistance in the event of epidemics, which was recently the case with severe acute respiratory syndrome. Yet the Taiwanese also have the right to live in serenity, to lead a democratic life and to be in solidarity with the world’s other peoples. They need peace — the very foundation of democracy and a condition for development. Peace presupposes the resolution of conflicts through mediation. That implies, in both hearts and minds, a culture of tolerance and respect for differences. We urge this session to put an end to Taiwan’s exclusion by restoring its status as a full-fledged United Nations Member, and we take this opportunity to invite all States in the region to halt the military escalation.