Cameroon

I should like at the outset to express the profound sympathy and condolences of Cameroon to the Government and the people of the United States of America and of the Dominican Republic for the accident involving the American Airlines Airbus on 12 November in New York. It was also with great dismay and sadness that we learned of the natural disaster that struck the brotherly people of Algeria with such severity. On behalf of the people and the Government of Cameroon, I would like to extend to that country our most profound condolences and solidarity. Rarely has a session of the General Assembly been such a focus of international public attention or aroused the interest of the worldwide media to the extent that the current session has. The annual session of the General Assembly is a powerful symbol of the coming together of nations, the promotion of cultures and respect for differences and freedoms. This year, however, a shadow has been cast over our session by the recent, terrible attacks of 11 September, which took place not far from here. Cameroon addressed that subject at length during the debate on international terrorism that took place on 5 October. I should therefore simply like to reaffirm, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon, our sincere condolences to the families that have suffered as a result of the tragedy, as well as our solidarity with the city of New York and the Government of the United States. We must, of course, emerge from this period of mourning. We must unite our forces to eliminate the centres of destruction that are responsible for this tragedy. Each of the States Members of the United Nations, acting together, must nip international terrorism in the bud before it spreads any further. Lowering our guard when confronted with this great peril, or appearing to be helpless in the face of the criminal fanatics who are sowing terror, would expose each State and each individual on earth, turning them into potential victims of this lethal danger. The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Han, comes from Korea, whose patient, wise and resolute peoples have long been engaged in a courageous political struggle to heal the wounds of the past. We are convinced that he will be able to guide the Assembly at its fifty-sixth session through this period of great turbulence. He can rest assured of my delegation’s full support. The delegation of Cameroon would also like to express its gratitude to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Harri Holkeri, who presided with great skill over the work of the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session. He perfectly reflected the modest, generous and supportive character of Finland. The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations and its Secretary-General is cause for hope and optimism for the development of the Organization. Cameroon welcomes that dual tribute. As the head of State of Cameroon said in his message of congratulations to the Secretary-General, Africa is proud that the Oslo jury chose to honour Kofi Annan. That award strengthens and reaffirms the unanimity and confidence of the General Assembly, which presided over the re-election — an election that seemed quite natural — of that great servant of the peoples of the United Nations for a second mandate as Secretary- General of our Organization. Indeed, all States Members of the United Nations must be proud that the Nobel Peace Prize was also awarded to the Organization. It is the first time in the history of the United Nations that the Organization itself has been honoured with such a distinction. That gesture confirms — if such a confirmation was needed — that the Organization, in which we are all players, is truly a major instrument of world peace that embodies all of our hopes for a better world. As an instrument of world peace, the United Nations took up, the day after the attacks of 11 September, both the struggle against international terrorism and the crisis in Afghanistan. The international community as a whole, through Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, was able to support the military intervention carried out against the presumed masterminds of those attacks, their networks and their Taliban protectors. In the same way that we honour the memory of the victims of New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, we must also honour the memory of the 32 civilian victims in Afghanistan, including the three French and German journalists. Cameroon, I repeat, believes that the alleged criminals must be held responsible for their actions. Moreover, we urge the international community to strive to prevent Afghanistan from re-engaging with the old demons of conflict between the armed clans that have defeated the Taliban today. Cameroon therefore calls for an immediate manifestation of the United Nations presence in Kabul. Under the powers granted to it by the international community, in particular under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security Council, with the essential support of all Members of our Organization, must swiftly undertake all necessary actions to restore and maintain peace in Afghanistan and to provide humanitarian assistance to people who have been left destitute and traumatized by an apparently endless civil war. We must urgently prevent the flames of war from spreading inexorably throughout Afghanistan. We must also recall from this rostrum, however, that it is high time to douse the fires that have been burning for decades in Palestine, a land of peace. We must extinguish the fires that, conflict after conflict, are devastating the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region, as well as those that have consumed Angola for over 25 years. It is high time that, like those who fought the fires in New York on 11 September, we act as firefighters to put an end to the fratricidal wars of the African continent, Central America and other disadvantaged regions of the planet. We must remain vigilant in preserving the particularly fragile peace in the Balkans. We are convinced that the best firefighter to contain the ravages of war and the threats that loom over peace and security throughout the world is the United Nations. Without the determination of States, however, and the respect of those States for unanimously adopted rules, it is vain to hope to achieve the result targeted for the Organization by the Charter. The activity of the United Nations will have no effect if the resolutions it adopts to contribute to settling a conflict are not respected by the parties concerned and involved. Why, after more than half a century, have we not been able to end the conflict in the Middle East, in which Palestinians and Israelis are in ever more brutal and violent opposition? Why can we not find the resources necessary to the United Nations to nip in the bud the fratricidal wars that have bled and disrupted entire regions of the African continent since the dawn of independence? These are the persistent questions that haunt international public opinion. Just as all men must naturally be equal before the law, States must be treated on the same footing of equality out of respect for international law and the principles defined by the United Nations. The implementation of resolutions and recommendations adopted at the Millennium Summit would enable great progress to be made towards the world of harmony that globalization is supposed to establish. Man and the safeguarding of his life and dignity, wherever he may live, must be restored as our priority. Man and the safeguarding of his life and dignity must once again be the central focus of our actions, thoughts and concerns. The attacks of 11 September in the United States and the spotlighting of international terrorism must prompt us to take action, of course, but it must also and especially lead us to reflection. We have seen how the promoters of those who thus endanger the new world order also invoke a policy of double standards to justify their fanatical acts. We have also read in many of their communiqués their claim to be leading a crusade on behalf of a religious community that, according to them, has been treated unfairly by others. We understand, finally, that they have also cited the living conditions of many hundreds of millions of people, the poorest of the poor, as an argument for fighting that part of the world that plunders and dominates them in a spirit of complete indifference. We must do all we can to avoid giving such excuses and pretexts to individuals and groups who in fact have nothing but criminal motives. Cameroon has maintained and continues to maintain that the United Nations must, more than ever before, continue to affirm the necessary links of solidarity within the international community and the need for balance in international relations. Support and development assistance for the poorest regions of the world are essentials recalled not only in the resolutions of the Millennium Summit, but also at the most recent Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held this year in Brussels. The recovery efforts of the countries of the South — inter alia, the New African Initiative on economic matters — 33 must be accompanied and supported by the most prosperous States. During the annual session of the Economic and Social Council last summer in Geneva, over which Cameroon had the honour of presiding, these principles and requirements were broadly recalled and, thank goodness, endorsed. In spite of the commitments undertaken at one world summit after the other, the gap between the regions of the North and the South is growing wider by the day. Destitution, poverty, epidemics, the AIDS pandemic and the technology divide are not matters of fate. Over and above solidarity, a more just and balanced practice of commercial exchange, notably through the opening of markets to the most disadvantaged countries, could also help to bridge that gap. The forthcoming International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held next year in Mexico under United Nations auspices, should provide an opportunity for a deeper reflection on these priorities. On 1 January 2002, Cameroon will take its place at the Security Council table on behalf of Africa as a non-permanent member. I would like to express on behalf of His Excellency Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon, all of our gratitude to all of the Member States of our Organization for the confidence placed in my country. In the current international circumstances, we realize the full value of this confidence. Cameroon is committed to fully assuming its official duties in making its modest contribution, in the Council, to the maintenance of international peace and security.