Let me first of
all say that I am happy to see the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, represented by Ambassador
Kerim, presiding over the General Assembly at its
sixty-second session.
My country extends to him wishes for the greatest
success in accomplishing his mission. We would like to
assure him of our full cooperation. Please also allow
me to pay tribute to Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of the
Kingdom of Bahrain for the skill with which she
conducted the work of the sixty-first session.
I would also like to welcome the presence among
us of Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the
United Nations. I congratulate him on his accession to
this post of the highest prestige in our Organization.
The vast experience and the qualities of a diplomat that
he is known for are a guarantee of success in this lofty
function. I am convinced that he will be able to work
for the benefit of our Organization in continuing the
efforts of his predecessor, Mr. Kofi Annan, to whom I
would like once again to pay tribute.
The general debate in this Assembly is a special
moment in international life. Indeed, it is an
opportunity every year for heads of Member States to
take stock of the world’s affairs, to exchange views in
this regard and to reflect the aspirations of their
nations.
The sixty-second session of the General
Assembly opens this year again in a rather troubled
international context. At the dawn of the twenty-first
century, the challenges facing humanity are more
pressing and more complex with each passing day,
giving rise alternatively to hope and fears.
The first of these challenges to which I would
like to refer here today has to do with peace and
security. International events today highlight even
more than before the paramount need to breathe new
life into efforts for disarmament and non-proliferation.
Nuclear proliferation is a threat, not only to
international peace and security but also to the very
survival of humankind. Attempts by terrorist
organizations to acquire weapons of mass destruction
are also indicative of the reality of this threat.
Terrorism, indeed, is a particularly great danger to the
international community, a threat that we can only face
through concerted and resolute global action.
It is because of this conviction that Cameroon has
in the past year contributed to the adoption by the
General Assembly of the Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy. Once again, I would like to salute this historic
accomplishment. For the first time, Member States
have decided to take up concrete political, operational
and legal measures to coordinate their fight against
terrorism. They have committed themselves to
strengthening their capacity to react, as well as the
capability of the United Nations in this regard. They
have agreed to address situations that could lead to the
extension of this scourge. Today, the problem is to
apply this fundamental text, both in letter and spirit.
My country would like to reaffirm its availability and
its determination in terms of taking on commitments in
this work.
In many regions around the world, peace and
security continue to be seriously threatened. For years
now, the unrest in the Middle East has been a serious
threat to international peace and security. The
evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict causes deep
concern. It is paramount that Israel and the Palestinian
Authority resume a constructive dialogue. That is the
only way, in the opinion of my country, to move
forward toward a settlement. Cameroon is convinced
that only the efforts of all concerned parties, supported
by the Great Powers and based on the principle of two
States Israel and Palestine coexisting in peace
and security, will make it possible to reach a definitive,
fair and just settlement to this conflict.
In Lebanon, as in Iraq, reconciliation among the
various communities of these countries is the only
hope for a sustainable stability.
In Africa, in spite of initiatives undertaken by the
international community, there remain a number of
hotbeds of tension. Please allow me to highlight some
of these.
The crisis in Côte d’Ivoire seems to be reaching a
turning point. We are convinced that, with the firm and
sincere commitment of all parties and the support of
the international community, this fraternal country will
have definitively turned a particularly painful page in
its history. The people of Côte d’Ivoire, we are sure,
will be able to persevere in their choice of peace and
national reconciliation. It is extremely important that
they work together in good faith for a full and rapid
implementation of the Ouagadougou peace agreement.
The situation in Somalia continues to threaten
peace and security in the region. Cameroon is deeply
concerned by acts of violence in Somalia. We would
like to congratulate the mission of the African Union
for the support that it has extended to the Transitional
Federal Institutions. We are sure that the speedy
deployment of the envisaged United Nations force will
definitely have a positive effect on the stability in that
country and on the security of the population.
The human toll of the Darfur crisis causes
profound concern. It seems to us of paramount
importance that all efforts be undertaken to break the
tragic cycle of violence in that region. The effects of
the crisis have already been deeply felt by
neighbouring States and threaten to extend further. It
should be understood that Cameroon welcomes the
announcement of the deployment of the hybrid United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation in
Darfur. I am convinced that this operation will make it
possible to stabilize the situation in the area and save
innocent lives. My country welcomes the fact that the
Government of Sudan has unconditionally accepted the
deployment of this mission. In our opinion, this is a
decisive stage in the resolution of the crisis. At the
same time, Cameroon believes it is very important to
continue efforts to address the causes of the conflict,
by relaunching the political process and by
implementing a real programme of development in the
region, specifically by ensuring access to water
resources.
Cameroon follows with close attention the
developments in the situation in Chad and the Central
African Republic. Those fraternal countries with which
we have long common borders have, for a number of
years, been facing instability fomented by various
insurgent groups. That situation poses a serious threat
to peace and stability in those countries and to the
security and well-being of their populations and
triggers a true humanitarian tragedy in the region. It
also causes cross-border insecurity that affects other
countries in the region, including Cameroon. For that
reason, my country resolutely supports the upcoming
deployment of a multidimensional presence of the
United Nations and the European Union on the borders
of Chad, the Central African Republic and the Sudan. I
wish to reiterate from this rostrum that my country is
ready to cooperate fully with the United Nations in the
implementation of that operation.
With regard to the Democratic Republic of the
Congo we welcome the progress accomplished towards
peace in terms of establishing democratic institutions
in that country. The situation in the eastern part of the
country continues to be a source of concern to the
international community. It seems to us that seeking a
solution to the crisis of the two Kivus should be based
first and foremost on political and diplomatic methods
corresponding to the problem at hand.
The challenges we must face in terms of peace
and security are considerable. However, they must not
eclipse in our minds the equally significant challenges
confronting us in other areas. It seems crucial to me
that every necessary effort be exerted to reach the
Millennium Development Goals. This year we are
reaching the midpoint of the timetable we have
established for ourselves in that regard. It is very
important that States live up to the commitments made,
to the extent possible. The reduction in official
development assistance in 2006 underlines the need for
donors to try to increase the level of their aid so that
the goals set for 2010 and 2015 may be reached.
Furthermore, I wish again to state the hope that
the negotiations of the Doha Round are completed on
schedule and ensure that the interests of the countries
of the South are protected and that the globalization of
trade retains its significance.
I cannot remain silent about the terrible
experience of thousands of young people from Africa
who, for a number of years now, have set forth at risk
to their lives in their attempts to reach Europe in
their eyes the new promised land. That migration keeps
increasing and is of course attributable to the
difference in the level of development between the
North and the South. In that regard, the countries of
origin, the countries of transit and the receiving
countries must intervene to seek humane solutions that
take into account the underlying causes of that
phenomenon. It is indeed clear that neither controls nor
repatriation will offer an adequate or sustainable
response to the problem.
The issue of climate change is becoming one of
the most important and most urgent issues of our time,
as has been recognized by all, and it is urgent that we
act. The destinies of future generations depend on that.
In that context I wish to congratulate the Secretary-
General for his initiative in convening the High-level
Event on Climate Change, which has just been
concluded here.
The holding of negotiations in December 2007 in
Bali, Indonesia, on the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and on the post-Kyoto
regime should also be a focus of our attention.
Furthermore, we welcome the intention of the Tunisian
Government to organize from 18 to 20 November
2007, an international conference on the effects of
climate change and strategies for adaptation on the
African continent and in the Mediterranean region. In
that domain we should try to reach a global agreement
that would be part of the United Nations Framework
Convention process and which would tackle the matter
of climate change in all its aspects.
The challenges we have just discussed can only
be taken up on a global scale. The United Nations
should be at the forefront of that struggle and for that
purpose needs the active cooperation of all its
Members, particularly the great Powers. But it should
also constantly adapt itself to the changing realities of
our time so as to be in a position to efficiently fulfil its
mission.
Accordingly, Cameroon attaches the greatest
importance to the reform of the United Nations. It
supports a progressive, gradual reform of the current
United Nations system which would take into account
the changing balances in the world in recent years and
the emergence of many new States. It is our intention
to continue to cooperate with other Member States for
a renewed United Nations, a model of modern and
effective governance, in its participation in world
affairs.