First
and foremost, Madam President, on behalf of my
delegation and on my own behalf, permit me to convey
to you our heartfelt congratulations on your
outstanding election to the presidency of the sixty-first
session of the General Assembly. We are certain that
due to your qualities, talent and experience, you will
lead us satisfactorily in our work. Our congratulations
are also directed to your predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson
and his team, whose dedication and fervour have
enabled us to accomplish an enormous amount of work
that has been appreciated by all and was carried out
within an especially troubling international context.
In addition, we would like to pay a well-deserved
tribute to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, the
Secretary-General of our Organization, whose
extremely important role in promoting the
implementation of our ideals will be engraved in the
annals of our Organization.
We have unceasingly, before this same Assembly,
condemned all forms of violence and intolerance,
especially in its most terrible manifestation that has
been most visible in our time — terrorism. We have
committed ourselves to respect the United Nations
Charter, which was created precisely to save
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succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to
maintain international peace and security.
Our responsibility requires that we work together
in order to eliminate the major scourges that threaten
humanity. With regard to fighting terrorism, I reiterate
that my country has signed and ratified most of the
international instruments pertaining to that scourge,
and that it is cooperating with different countries and
relevant United Nations institutions in order to
continue that fight. Furthermore, along with terrorism,
the past year has seen alarming situations in many
young States that are victims of war and serious armed
conflicts, taking place throughout the world, and that
cause instability and challenge the efforts made by
those States to establish democratic institutions and
foster socio-economic progress for their peoples.
As far as my country is concerned, despite
attempts to destabilize and anti-constitutional seizures
of power — problems that it continues to experience —
we organized free and transparent presidential elections
for 3 May 2006, in which the Chadian people renewed
their confidence in His Excellency President Idriss
Deby Itno. Subsequently, a political dialogue took
place from 28 July to 2 August 2006 in N’Djamena.
There, 54 out of the 78 legally recognized political
parties took part in that important forum, whose
conclusions will, undoubtedly, lay the foundation for
the consolidation of the rule of law and the
strengthening of the democratic process in our country.
It would be an illusion to think that my country
will enjoy the necessary stability, without difficulties,
needed to consolidate the democratic rule of law, if it
continues to suffer the pernicious effects of the Darfur
crisis. We have just normalized our relations with the
Sudan, after we had been compelled to break off
diplomatic relations because of the subversive plotting
against us in connection with Darfur. We hope to renew
the bonds of friendship and good neighbourliness with
that fraternal country that we have had in the past.
Nevertheless, we continue to be concerned about
the Darfur crisis, which threatens not just our security,
but also that of the entire subregion. The Darfur
conflict has caused enormous harm to Chad and the
Chadian people since it began in 2003, including a lack
of security, economic loss and environmental
destruction. Incursions of the Janjaweed into Chadian
territory brought the fighting in Darfur into the eastern
part of Chad, resulting in the displacement of more
than 50,000 Chadians, the deaths of hundreds and the
plundering of thousands of heads of livestock, among
other problems.
Chad was the first country to receive and assist
refugees from Darfur — more than 300,000 — before
the international community intervened. In addition to
those refugees, we have an increasing number of
Central African refugees. Central Africa is, after Chad,
the next biggest victim of the Darfur crisis, which risks
spreading — if we are not careful — throughout the
entire subregion of Central Africa.
In that connection, we welcome the extension to
the end of December 2006 of the African Union
mission in Darfur. It is better than nothing.
Nevertheless, faced with the difficulties of the
Government of the Sudan and the African Union in
containing the crisis, we reaffirm our position that is
well known and not new. The United Nations must take
over from the African Union, pursuant to Security
Council resolution 1706 (2006). We say that in
friendship with our Sudanese brothers, while
respecting their sovereignty. Our position should in no
way be construed as hostile to the fraternal
Government of the Sudan. It has nothing to do with
what some are calling an international conspiracy
against the Sudan. It is based simply on common sense
and is aimed at providing assistance to the innocent
victims of the war. Furthermore, Chad has more to gain
than any other country from the restoration of peace to
Darfur, if only because that would enable the hundreds
of thousands of Sudanese refugees located on our
territory to return to their country and thus put an end
to the sacrifices being made by the Chadian host
population.
Furthermore, we are finding it difficult to ensure
the security of the refugee camps, which, as they are
open and located not very far from the border, are used
by some Sudanese rebels as safe havens, resupply
stations and recruiting grounds. That is why we had
hoped that international forces would be sent to the
eastern part of the country to help us to secure the
refugee camps and guarantee their neutrality, as well as
to ensure the security of the common border and to
prevent the crisis in Darfur from spilling over.
At this time of rapid globalization, which many
thought would be inclusive and beneficial, the gap
between rich and poor countries is growing. Despite
the efforts being made by our States — which are
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weakened and subjected to abusive constraints by
international institutions and other partners — the
integration of our economies within the globalization
process aimed at achieving harmonious and sustainable
development still seems remote, while the current rules
and regulations of the market economy undermine the
competitiveness of our economies. How can our beset
countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals
given our ongoing lack of income, the heavy debt
burden and the scourges of HIV/AIDS and malaria?
My country had a disagreement with the World
Bank following our revision of Law 001 pertaining to
oil revenues. We are therefore pleased with the fruitful
dialogue that we have had with the Bank, which has
led to a mutually acceptable compromise and to the
resumption of our cooperation with that great
institution.
In the same vein, with regard to the defence of
our interests so that our people can benefit from the
natural resources of our country, it should be pointed
out to the international community that there has been
a recent deterioration in our relationship with two
members of the oil consortium that is active in our
country because they have refused to pay a profits tax
to the Chadian authorities. Furthermore, we have
expressed the outrage of the people of Chad at the fact
that they benefit from only 12.5 per cent of the fees
associated with the exploitation of their oil resources.
We have denounced the fact that three years of the sale
of our oil yielded us only $588 million, while the oil
companies amassed $5 billion. We ask that justice be
done. Indeed, we demand our legitimate right to
participate directly in the production and marketing of
our resources. If we cannot, the sovereign rights of our
country will be trampled underfoot, its objective of
poverty reduction will come to naught and our dream
of economic and social progress will remain an
illusion.
Beyond our own problems, we are concerned
about conflict situations elsewhere on the continent and
in other parts of the world. We welcome the efforts
made within the African Union and the United Nations
to find lasting solutions, and we express our readiness
to provide assistance to the extent possible.
For example, we believe that the national
reconciliation process in Côte d’Ivoire is on the right
track, although some minor problems have been
encountered. We note that both the African Union and
the United Nations are playing a major role there. All
Ivorian political stakeholders must acknowledge the
pain and suffering of the people and understand that
there are limits to the patience of the members of
international community. They must make a
determined effort to put an end to the conflict — a
conflict that has had grave consequences for the
stability of the subregion.
In the Middle East, including Palestine, we were
appalled and outraged by the recent events that took
place in southern Lebanon, resulting in the massive
destruction of the infrastructure of the country and the
loss of life among civilians. We hope that the
provisions of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)
will be respected with a view to a favourable outcome.
We also remain concerned about the continuing
deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian
territories, especially the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank. We call on the international community to
involve itself more fully in the resolution of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict, which has for too long been a
source of instability in that region.
Anti-personnel landmines and unexploded
ordnance are a legacy of armed conflict, and my
country continues to pay a high price for armed
conflicts and other wars conducted on its territory. As a
State party to the Ottawa Convention, it is in the
process of destroying them in cooperation with friendly
countries, international organizations and non-
governmental organizations and I would like to take
this opportunity to thank them for their ongoing
support. I request those friendly countries and
institutions to continue to provide assistance so that the
programme to combat those deadly devices can be
strengthened.
The structures of our Organization are neither fair
nor democratic. In this regard, my country continues to
align itself with the African position with regard to the
restructuring of the United Nations, including the
expansion of the Security Council, with a view to
ensuring equitable representation for all regions of the
world. The reforms undertaken in the past year,
especially in the framework of the implementation of
the recommendations and decisions of the 2005
Summit, have the unswerving support of my country,
which is looking forward with interest to the outcome
of the various consultations currently under way.