Chad

First of all, on behalf of the members of my delegation and on my own behalf, I would like to congratulate you, Sir, upon your election to the presidency of our Assembly. Your election is a great tribute to both our subregion in Central Africa and to your country, the Gabonese Republic. It is also a sign of recognition of your abilities as a statesman and a guarantee of our work’s success. My thanks and my congratulations also go to your predecessor and his team for their dedication and the enthusiasm with which they did a great deal of work — which was much appreciated by all — in a particularly tense environment marked by animated debates about the Iraqi crisis. Finally, I would like to pay a particular well- deserved tribute to the Secretary-General of our Organization, our brother Kofi Annan, whose commitment and unceasing efforts to establish lasting peace and sustainable development in the world are praiseworthy. He can count on Chad’s support for all of the initiatives that he is still undertaking with courage and tenacity, particularly in dealing with the problems and conflicts in Africa, initiatives through which he is thus contributing to restoring our Organization’s credibility. A year ago, when we addressed this Assembly and reiterated our commitment to defend the great causes of mankind, we took that opportunity to condemn terrorism and all forms of blind violence and intolerance that could lead our world astray. We recalled at the time that our States needed to apply the United Nations Charter in reacting to terrorist acts — or acts considered as terrorist — that constitute a threat to international peace and security. We reiterate those appeals, and call again on the sense of responsibility of our States to act together to curb by all possible means the major scourges that are such a dangerous threat to all mankind, physically as well as socio-economically. 5 With respect to combating terrorism, the Government of Chad, for its part, is actively cooperating with the appropriate institutions of the United Nations, under Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), in order to strengthen its national capacity to prevent and combat this scourge. The past year for Chad, as for many African countries, was a year of serious concerns regarding the armed conflicts raging everywhere — conflicts that took peaceful populations hostage, destabilized our States and continued to jeopardize the joint efforts being made to establish democratic institutions and promote socio-economic progress. Let us say, however, that the accomplishments under the agenda that led to the re-election of the President of Chad, His Excellency Idriss Deby, for a second term are progressing at a reasonable rate in spite of various difficulties. This agenda, which is perfectly in line with the Millennium Development Goals, seeks to create, through good governance, conditions that are conducive to the strengthening of peace and stability in the country so that we can promote education and health for all social strata, employment — particularly for the youth and women — and true synergy among the different forces and competencies arising from the various national entities. This must be done so that we can do an effective job in combating poverty and the great pandemics, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. I recall here that this agenda, in which the fight against illiteracy and ignorance is written in capital letters, is based on the most important principles: peace, security and justice. Without these, it will not be possible to build a society in which universal values such as democracy and the respect for human rights are ensured. In addition, the task of adapting our legislation to national and international realities was imposed on our national representation meeting, which made a commitment on 26 May 2004, to a procedure aimed at amending some provisions of the Fundamental Law adopted by referendum on 31 March 1996. This procedure, which will harmonize the Constitution with the requirements of democracy and fundamental freedoms, is in keeping with the final provisions of the Constitution, which itself authorizes the revision. In this context of globalizing economies, in which the rules of the game are constantly being subverted, in particular by the practice of the largest States of subsidizing their own agricultural products to the detriment of the poorer countries, all efforts to resolve these developmental problems have been inconclusive. Even a strict application by our States of structural adjustment measures is still seriously threatened by the double weight of foreign debt and the complexity of social problems. Those issues make it practically impossible to take action to stimulate economic growth in the developing countries. With the exception of oil resources, we are witnessing an ongoing decline in export earnings due to fluctuating commodity prices on international markets, and losses, caused principally by the policy of providing subsidies, continue to grow; yet States have been slow to help the least developed countries by meeting the commitments they made at successive development conferences. Here, let me speak of the cotton initiative, whose purpose is to obtain compensation for harm caused by subsidies that have been detrimental to the economies of cotton-producing African countries. It is increasingly urgent to ensure respect for the laws of competition, which the States seen as the principal initiators and defenders of free markets now seem to be disregarding. As if that were not enough, in addition to the inherent difficulties of the international economic environment, those very farmers are today confronting a threat of an entirely different scope: the invasions of locusts. This raises the spectre of famine throughout the Sahelo-Saharan countries. Chad is in a natural reproductive zone for locusts and is also considered a corridor for locust swarm migration. The situation is of even greater concern because, in addition to the other difficulties, the areas exposed to locust invasion are the ones that are protecting the Sudanese refugees. Our countries have taken the appropriate measures, thanks to the assistance of our partners; we have thus been able to deal with the progress of the first locust swarms. However, the threat has not disappeared. At the risk of having to manage a humanitarian crisis that could result from the destruction of food crops by the locusts, we must mobilize financial resources and the necessary technical and logistical means while we still have the time, in order to curb the scourge. We thank the countries and international 6 organizations that have helped my country, and I take this opportunity to reiterate my Government’s appeal to the international community for vigorous action against the threat of locusts. Responses to the appeal will help us set up appropriate structures for preventive action. While speaking of natural disasters, I must mention the consequences of tropical depressions that are doing a great deal of damage and that have, in the past few weeks, claimed thousands of victims among the populations of the Caribbean islands. We express our sympathy to those populations, and I would ask the wealthy nations to provide the needed assistance to help them recover from the disaster. In addition to natural disasters, armed conflicts too play a part in exacerbating the social crises from which our people are suffering. In 2004, my country and the United Nations have engaged in intensive diplomatic activity related, inter alia, to the humanitarian and security situation along the border between Chad and the Sudan. That situation, which is the result of a conflict between the rebels of Darfur, and the central Government in Khartoum, is of serious concern to my Government. The scope of the hostilities and the violent excesses perpetrated against civilian populations by the various parties to the conflict, have provoked massive and continuous flows of Sudanese refugees to the eastern and north-eastern regions of Chad. That flow has consequences for our people and for the environment, whose ecosystems were already in a precarious state of fragility caused by the aridity of the soil and the climate. The President of the Republic of Chad quickly understood the consequences of the conflict and made a commitment to help our brothers in the Sudan find a peaceful solution, by offering to mediate between the parties. He personally initiated the inter-Sudanese negotiations on the Darfur conflict, with the signature of the Abeche Agreement on 3 September 2003. That process was followed by the 8 April 2004 N’Djamena agreement on a humanitarian ceasefire, and the 25 April agreement on a joint commission; these will provide a framework for negotiations on a final and comprehensive settlement of the conflict. In other words, we could not remain indifferent to the tragedy that the people in Darfur were experiencing. It is our duty, more than any other country, to help our brothers in the Sudan to reconcile. We have spared no effort to help President Omer Hassan A. Al-Bashir and his Government, while respecting the sovereignty of their country, to resolve the Darfur conflict. Thus, we took the risk of exposing ourselves to criticism from the rebel movements, which accused us of favouritism, as well as the discontent of the Chadian people related to the people of Darfur. This clearly contradicts the widespread disinformation claiming that the Government of Chad might have supported some kind of rebellion against the legitimate authorities of the Sudan, with which our country has close ties of friendship and cooperation in all areas. We will never stop fulfilling our mission to mediate alongside the African Union to urge our Sudanese brothers to renounce war once and for all and to promote sincere dialogue in order to resolve the conflict. In spite of the recent uncertainties due to the hardening of positions, we place our hope in the Abuja talks under the auspices of His Excellency President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, current Chairman of the African Union. We believe that the adoption of Security Council resolution 1564 (2004), whose full implementation by the Government of the Sudan is expected in order to facilitate conditions conducive to the return of populations to their homes, will be followed by complementary measures aimed at convincing the other parties to the Darfur crisis to take a constructive approach at the negotiating table. We hope that the international community will be firm with all sides in order to promote a successful conclusion of the process of a political settlement of the Darfur crisis. Throughout the terrible times the populations along the border of Chad and the Sudan have endured, international solidarity has been evident. I must express the appreciation of the Government of the Republic of Chad for the many forms of assistance we have received from the international community, which has allowed us to help the refugees. I would also like to call upon States and organizations represented here to convey to the appropriate authorities in their countries and organizations an appeal to continue or renew humanitarian assistance to the refugees, whether from southern Sudan or southern Central Africa, whom we are sheltering in the south of our country. 7 I would also like to ask the international community to help the populations of the host regions not only to provide shelter for the refugees but also to make possible the reconstruction of their socioeconomic structures that have been affected by the unexpected flow of refugees. The flow of refugees and their prolonged stay in Chad would — if we are not careful — have consequences which might be dangerous to the security of my country. Having agreed to abide by the international commitments it has freely entered into, Chad is receiving the refugees and looking out for their safety. In the long term, the international support that my country enjoys should focus on promoting the voluntary return, within a short and reasonable time, of refugees to their countries of origin. International assistance to refugees must therefore be designed and conducted so as not to perpetuate the presence of the refugees in Chad. While we are working together with the international community to ease the pain of the refugees on our soil, we say frankly that we can in no way tolerate Chad being used as a base for subversive actions, for acts of terrorism or for the conduct of hostile or destabilizing actions against the institutions of the refugees’ countries of origin. Thus, the Government of Chad will act, with all the unambiguity reflected in its current position, against refugees who become involved in such activities. The gravity of the humanitarian and security situation born of the crisis that is raging in Darfur has not deflected my country’s attention from other similar concerns on the continent. We are following attentively and with great interest the evolution of other conflicts that are taking place in Africa and in other parts of the world. We are pleased to see the efforts being made within the African Union and the United Nations to find lasting solutions; we are available to help as best we can. Therefore, the Government of Chad has decided to respond to the needs outlined by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations by making available to the United Nations a contingent of 150 qualified men. On this solemn occasion, how could we fail to recall the unjust and undemocratic situation that characterizes the structures of our Organization? I would like to say firmly that my country remains committed to the common African position regarding the restructuring of the United Nations, including the enlargement and reform of the Security Council in order to ensure equitable representation of all regions. All the initiatives taken by Secretary-General Kofi Annan regarding United Nations reform are much appreciated by my country, which awaits with interest the outcome of the deliberations under way. The objective is the revitalization of the United Nations. All suggestions should help us to improve the performance of the principal organs and the functioning of present and future funds and programmes. To that end, my country would expect account to be taken of the concerns and viewpoints of Member States and groups of States that have been reiterated on many occasions in the Assembly. Chad awaits with equal interest the outcome of the study on globalization: the current characteristics and direction of globalization by no means enable weaker or transitional economies to benefit fully from the opportunities it offers. Another injustice should be pointed out. I must draw the Assembly’s attention to the question of the exclusion from our ranks of a large community of the 23 million men and women of the Republic of China on Taiwan. Those men and women, who increasingly are asserting themselves in international trade and are generating wealth throughout the world, deserve to be fully associated in decision-making on subjects and in areas with an impact on their lives and those of all humankind. The United Nations would have everything to gain and nothing to lose with their active participation in debates on the many topics of international concern. Their contribution would undoubtedly enrich the Assembly debates and would help us build the operational capacity of our world institutions, funds and programmes. The distressing legacy of armed conflicts includes buried caches of abandoned munitions and unexploded ordnance and, in particular, anti-personnel mines. Referring to the danger of landmines, the Secretary-General has said that these abominable weapons, buried by the millions, are not only waiting silently to kill or maim innocent children and women, but their presence — or even the threat of the presence of one single landmine — can put a stop to crop cultivation, deprive an entire village of its livelihood and thus place one more obstacle along the difficult path to reconstruction and development. Chad is 8 actively participating in the preparations for the Ottawa Convention review conference soon to be held in Nairobi and will continue to act to eliminate all of these arms so as to attain the objective of an Earth without mines. I would like to take this opportunity to thank, without exception, all the States and all the intergovernmental and non-governmental institutions that have helped us establish and implement our humanitarian demining programmes. We ask them for their continued generosity, and we ask them to extend their assistance to survivors among the victims of landmines, to help design and implement programmes enabling these individuals to be reintegrated socially and professionally. I appeal to all United Nations Member States to join in this humanitarian undertaking by acceding to the Ottawa Convention banning anti- personnel landmines.