Let me start by extending my
sincere congratulations to you, Mr. President, and your
country, Switzerland, for your election to preside over
the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. I am
confident that with your extensive experience and
diplomatic skill, you will lead this session to a
successful conclusion. I pledge the support of the
Eritrean delegation in your noble efforts for the
common good. I wish also to commend your
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki,
President of the Assembly at its sixty-fourth session,
for his excellent leadership. He indeed served us well. I
would also like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki
moon for his leadership and his report on the work of
our United Nations at the outset of this general debate
(see ).
We meet again, at this sixty-fifth session of the
Assembly, to expound on the state of our individual
countries and to reflect on regional, continental and
global affairs. We come to this gathering year after
year to share our thoughts and explain our positions on
some issues of interest. Yet we realize that the outcome
of our deliberations and resolutions falls far short of
our own expectations, let alone the aspirations of
humanity. We agree that the institutions and procedures
of this Organization have long outlived their time, and
yet we remain paralysed in our efforts to transform the
United Nations.
While the prospects for a rapid reform of the
United Nations system appear to be dim, we cannot
and will not give up. We have to continue to speak out
and work tirelessly for a United Nations that is fit for
the twenty-first century and for a more just and
equitable world. At the same time, we have to focus on
our own nations and regions to ensure a peaceful and
stable environment and a dignified life for our peoples.
It is that perspective that informs Eritrea’s policies at
the national, regional and international levels.
Internationally, Eritrea seeks, through robust and
constructive engagement, to make its modest
contribution to global peace, security, justice and
equity and to the protection and enhancement of the
environment in the face of changes that threaten the
very survival of humanity.
Regionally, Eritrea’s efforts are directed at
securing peace, stability, development and cooperation
in the wider Horn of Africa and the Red Sea regions.
We endeavour to contribute to transforming our
dangerous neighbourhood, a neighbourhood mired in
numerous conflicts, into a cooperative and peaceful
region. In that connection, I wish to touch upon some
of Eritrea’s immediate concerns.
In regard to the Sudan, Eritrea is working closely
with the Sudanese parties and with regional and
international actors as the country enters a critical
period in its history. Eritrea believes that the
international community as a whole needs to
wholeheartedly support the parties to the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement as they approach the
momentous referendum date in January 2011, and
beyond. Irrespective of the outcome of the referendum,
relations of trust and cooperation between the parties
are crucial for peace and stability, not only in the north
and south, but throughout the region. For all those
reasons, we ought to encourage the parties to reach
agreement on the post referendum issues and relations
as soon as is feasible. There is also a need to
simultaneously help the protagonists in the Darfur
conflict to finally reach an agreement within the
context of the Doha talks that are set to resume in the
next few days.
On Somalia, it is Eritrea’s considered view, borne
out by the bitter experience and spiralling violence of
the past two decades, that there can be no military
solution to the problem in Somalia. While that
conviction by now is widely shared in the international
community, serious doubts continue to be raised as to
whether the alternative — that is, a Somali-owned and
Somali-driven, inclusive political process — is
possible and practicable.
Eritrea does not by any means believe or suggest
that that is easy or that it can lead to immediate results.
It will undoubtedly be a complex and protracted
process, but ultimately achievable. For, even in the past
two turbulent decades, Somalis have more than once
demonstrated that, given the right environment, they
are capable of finding home-grown solutions to their
problems. Eritrea therefore urges the United Nations
and all those concerned with peace and stability in
Somalia to earnestly engage all Somalis and to give the
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political process the serious and sustained attention it
deserves.
I turn next to the matter of Eritrea and Ethiopia.
While the United Nations grapples with the Sudan and
Somalia, it continues to ignore the grave consequences
of Ethiopia’s continued occupation of sovereign
Eritrean territory, eight years after the ruling of the
Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission and three years
after the Commission ended its work by depositing
with the United Nations the demarcation of the
boundary between the two countries.
Ethiopia’s illegal occupation and the United
Nations silence, which mean the continuation of the
conflict, are exacting a heavy price on the peoples of
Eritrea and Ethiopia and are complicating the regional
situation. I wish to remind the United Nations that
Eritrea awaits responsible and urgent action to end
Ethiopia’s violation of international law and its threat
to regional peace and security.
Eritrea’s constructive engagement on regional
and international matters stems from its firm
conviction that a conducive external environment is
essential for nation-building. As Eritrea enters its
twentieth year of independence, it remains focused on
broad-based and people-centred political, economic,
social and cultural development that will afford a life
of dignity and prosperity to our people. After several
years of consistent investments in health, education,
agriculture and other essential infrastructure, we have
created a solid basis for sustained economic growth. It
is expected that trade and domestic and foreign
investment will provide additional impetus for the
growth of our economy. I wish to seize this opportunity
to extend an invitation to all interested countries and
their enterprises to become our partners in
development.