Ethiopia

At the outset, allow me to express my sincere congratulations to the President on his election to lead the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I am fully confident that under his presidency, we will have productive discussions and reach a fruitful conclusion. I would also like to convey my appreciation to the outgoing President for his conduct of the work of the last session. Let me also take this opportunity to once again convey my Government’s warmest congratulations to our Secretary-General on his appointment to lead our Organization for a second term. Indeed, his re-election is well deserved. We are also delighted that the United Nations and the Secretary-General were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this year. It is a testimony to and a recognition of the important work the United Nations has been doing. It is now over two months since the terrible events of 11 September. What happened on that day touched not only the people of the United States but also the whole world. Not only because scores of countries lost nationals, but also because New York, the seat of the United Nations, is in many ways the capital of the world. The terrorists might have succeeded in committing this unimaginable and barbaric crime, but we have no doubt that they have failed to extinguish the hope and vitality that New York symbolizes and embodies. Terrorism is not new to Ethiopia. For the past 10 years, we have been victims of terrorist attacks, and we have combated it. That is why we remain committed to doing our utmost to enhance the international effort to root out terrorism. 23 Over the long term, terrorism will be defeated when the ideological cover it is wearing is removed and shown to be empty. But this can be achieved only when those who are capable of perpetrating heinous crimes are not only denied safe havens, but also deprived of any alibi. This is where, among other things, the fight against poverty becomes all the more critical. The fight against poverty is not as elusive as the fight against terrorism. For the former, we know the causes, and we know how to fight it and which tools to use. What we lack is the global political will to act. The grimness of conditions in Africa in this regard is obvious. There is no need for me to go into detail regarding the statistics on the situation in Africa. African leaders have taken the conclusions of the Millennium Assembly a step further and have come up with the New African Initiative, now called the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). They have drawn a broad plan on how to bring peace, security and development to a continent that has been plagued by conflict, overwhelmed with insecurity and mired in underdevelopment. The main thrust of the initiative is that we in Africa have duly acknowledged the responsibility for our continent’s fate. Hence, we fully accept that peace, security, democracy, good governance and sound economic management are essential conditions for economic growth and sustainable development. At the same time, we are fully aware that Africa at present lacks the required resources and capacity to implement this initiative. This new African initiative thus calls for a complementary obligation on the part of the international community. I would like to point out the importance of this mutual obligation. Without it, we cannot look forward to the future with confidence; without it, the consequences are bound to be grave. This is the challenge that we face in Africa. The international community must confront it with renewed vigour and dedication. On the subject of our national effort to seize the opportunity presented by the prevailing peace in my country, I have the pleasure to inform the Assembly that we are now back on track in terms of playing our proper role for peace and investing all our energy and resources in fighting poverty at the national level. This is a war, and we count on our partners to stand with us in waging it. Our strategy in fighting poverty touches on everything we do — in politics, diplomacy and the economic domain. We want to succeed in the fight against the HIV/ AIDS pandemic affecting our country. This major scourge must be defeated. We are determined to fight against corruption, and our record is unambiguous in this area. We are committed to pursuing this without any let-up. I would now like to turn to the political and security situation in our subregion, which, for obvious reasons, is critical for us, as it should be a source of concern for the international community. The problem in Somalia needs to be resolved as speedily as possible. There is no reason why the situation should be allowed to continue festering, to the detriment of the people of Somalia and of the subregion in general. The parties to the conflict have to sit down without preconditions to establish a broad- based Government. That is what was called for by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development at the meeting at the summit level in November 2000. This has to be implemented. This is the most viable alternative. To do less would amount to abandoning Somalia for international terrorists to wreak havoc there and in the subregion. The establishment of a broad-based Government in Somalia that includes all the major political forces in the country is a crucial step towards peace-making in Somalia, for which there is no substitute. Ethiopia intends, along with other members of the IGAD subcommittee on Somalia, to play a more proactive role for the realization of this objective. We are also prepared to do our level best to assist in the process of national reconciliation in Sudan. We plan to be more active in this undertaking as well. We believe that to bring the peace process forward, the will and determination of the parties is critical. But they need to be assisted, and assist we will, in good faith and with all the necessary responsibility. With regard to the situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the implementation of the Algiers Peace Agreement, it is neither prudent nor proper for me to conceal from the international community both our disappointment and, more importantly, our growing concern. But let me, right from the outset, lest I be misunderstood, make one important point absolutely clear. Ethiopia is committed to the peace process and to 24 the scrupulous implementation of the Algiers Agreement. This is how we intend to continue in the future. We want the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) to succeed. However, success in this or in any other conflict situation cannot be achieved by the efforts of one of the parties alone. This describes the situation we are facing in the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Prudence dictates that we call a spade a spade. Eritrea is not complying with the Algiers Agreement, an agreement which we believe is fair and in the interest of both parties to protect. The Temporary Security Zone established by the Algiers Agreement is required to be a demilitarized zone separating the two forces. This is the most critical provision of the Algiers Agreement, whose violation would logically unravel the whole peace process. Eritrea has continued to refuse to maintain the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone as a demilitarized buffer area between the two forces. Regrettably, this violation is taking place under UNMEE’s nose. We have continued to complain, but in vain. UNMEE might have felt that Eritrea’s compliance would eventually be secured through appeasement and by ignoring Ethiopia’s legitimate concern. But our experience has made it unmistakably clear that appeasement has never worked with Eritrea. And it is not working now. What we have started witnessing lately is an ever-increasing mobilization of troops by Eritrea along the common border. Under these circumstances, lack of vigilance on the part of UNMEE and its policy of appeasement appears to be making another round of fighting close to inevitable. The Eritrean authorities might have felt that tension along the common border is useful in the light of domestic political necessities. It might serve a purpose for diverting popular attention from the domestic front, but it is manifestly reckless and dangerous. Under the circumstances, we call on the United Nations, as a co- guarantor of the Algiers Peace Agreement, to shoulder its full responsibility to ensure that the Agreement is scrupulously followed. The Security Council should send an unambiguous message to Eritrea to immediately desist from all actions that endanger the peace process. UNMEE needs to wake up and take Ethiopia’s real concern seriously. Let there be no doubt about Ethiopia’s continuing commitment to the scrupulous observance of the Algiers Agreement and to the peace process. Ethiopia will continue to do this faithfully. Ethiopia is also equally determined to respond to real threats, and reserves its right to act in self-defence. There should be no doubt about Ethiopia’s commitment to peace and stability and to carrying out its responsibilities to the best of its abilities on matters that affect the international community as a whole ─ first of all in its own subregion and in Africa. Its commitment to the United Nations endures. Ethiopia is a country that has always been true to principles of international law and to their scrupulous observance. We are proud of this tradition and we cherish it. This is a tradition we will continue to be guided by.