It gives me great
pleasure to congratulate the President on his election to
lead the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I
wish to assure him of the full cooperation of my
delegation in successfully discharging his high
responsibilities. I would also like to express our
appreciation to his predecessor for his excellent
stewardship of the Assembly’s previous session. And
allow me to take this opportunity to once again
congratulate Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his
reappointment to a second term, and to express our
admiration for work well done during his first term.
It is with a great sense of brotherhood that I
warmly welcome the Republic of South Sudan to the
family of our global Organization and offer our sincere
congratulations and best wishes to the newest Member
State. We also welcome the Libyan delegation, which
we recognized some time ago. We are not oblivious to
the Herculean challenge that they face.
The globalizing world has always presented
challenges to Africa and the developing world.
However, the negative developments over the past few
years, which appear to be far from being mitigated,
have made it even more difficult for countries such as
ours to move ahead on the path to development as fast
as we would have liked and our potential and
commitment would have allowed. There is a need for a
redoubled effort so that the achievements of the
Millennium Development Goals are not frustrated.
That was also the hope of the fourth United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries. For our
part, we feel that we have been on track for almost all
the targets, and our commitment is to be even more
ambitious, in line with our five-year Growth and
Transformation Plan. Nevertheless, the global
economic situation is a source of concern.
37 11-51384
Within that global context, the Horn of Africa has
been hit by the worst adverse climatic conditions in 60
years, causing a very tragic drought situation. At this
critical juncture, the international community should be
galvanized, particularly in helping to alleviate the
crisis in Somalia. The call made on Saturday at the
mini-summit on that issue needs to be reiterated and
amplified. We should do more for the people of
Somalia and those others in the region who have been
affected by the calamity.
Even more crucial in the Horn of Africa is
sustainable development. Our youth need to have their
hopes for the future not frustrated, and the condition of
our women and children requires much greater
attention. On top of denying people their human rights,
poverty is not a solid foundation on which peace and
security can be built. That need compels us to draw
attention to a number of challenges that we, in the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
region, face, particularly with respect to climate
change. The adverse consequences of climate change
are becoming evident in various ways. The challenges
are global, requiring global solutions, on the basis of
common but differentiated responsibility. We do not
believe that enough is being done commensurate with
the gravity of the threat to humanity in general.
Moreover, the whole issue embodies injustice because
Africa and the developing world happen to be the
worst affected, while contributing the least to climate
change.
As members of IGAD, we have for some time
tried to bring our collective effort to bear on the
various challenges the Horn of Africa faces. Realizing
the fact that one of the major factors hindering
development in our region is related to security and the
lack of durable stability, apart from doing our best to
lay the basis for the integration of our subregion
through various infrastructure-related projects, we have
continued to strengthen our common endeavour for
peace and security in the IGAD region.
The positive outcomes are there to be seen. No
regional group has been as closely identified with
peacemaking in the Sudan as IGAD. In Somalia, in
close collaboration with the East African Community,
the African Union and the United Nations, IGAD has
been the lynchpin in the effort to assist the people of
Somalia in achieving peace, stability and national
reconciliation. Now, with the extremists and
Al-Shabaab having been driven out of Mogadishu and
the tide turning against them, there is new hope in
Somalia, which should be sustained. The Kampala
Accord laid the basis for a breakthrough in Somalia,
for which we owe gratitude to President Yoweri
Museveni and Ambassador Mahiga, Special
Representative of the Secretary-General.
Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to
Uganda and Burundi for the sacrifices that they have
made, and continue to make, as the two countries that
spearheaded the efforts of the African Union Mission
and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to
keep those such as Al-Shabaab and their supporters at
bay. It must be underlined that it is a fight that has
humanitarian and development implications, not only
security or political. That is why the successful
cooperation of the IGAD countries for stability and
security in the Horn of Africa, and in the fight against
terrorism and extremism, has been so vital. It requires
the wholehearted support of the international
community, the General Assembly and, most
particularly, the Security Council.
I need not go into the details of what the IGAD
countries have requested of the Security Council in
terms of support for them to succeed in the effort that
they are making for peace in Somalia and to contain
those who not only encourage, but also take part in
carrying out terrorism. It is particularly vital for the
Council to act on the conclusions and
recommendations of a body established by the Council
itself. Sweet talk, devoid of any behavioural change in
practice and on the ground, should not lead the
Security Council to wish away concrete evidence
presented to it by a committee of its own creation.
Let us admit that there are double standards in the
fight against terrorism. Our counter-terrorism effort
cannot succeed if we are selective in that struggle. The
Prime Minister of India could not have been more
correct when he said from this rostrum last Saturday:
“There cannot be selective approaches in dealing
with terrorist groups or the infrastructure of
terrorism. Terrorism has to be fought across all
fronts.” ()
We in Ethiopia have never had a short-sighted
perspective on what we need to do to ensure that our
national interest and our national security are
protected. In this day and age, it is only through
collective effort that we can ensure peace, security and
stability. Some might imagine that they would benefit
11-51384 38
by encouraging discord in their neighbourhood. The
Horn of Africa has suffered because of policies
emanating from that kind of mindset for too long. That
should be combated. We seek the support of all fair-
minded people in that endeavour.
For our part, we have been guided by the
objective of protecting and defending the collective
security interest of the people of our region. That has
guided our policy in the Sudan and in the effort that we
have been making to nurture mutual confidence
between us and both the Republic of Sudan and the
new nation of South Sudan. We have also followed that
signpost in conducting our policy with respect to
Somalia.
Ethiopia is not a newcomer to international
diplomacy. As a founding member of the United
Nations, we take our responsibility as members of the
human family seriously. We view our vocation to be a
factor for strengthening international peace and
security and for enhancing friendly relations among
nations, large or small, on the basis of full equality.
That is why, as we continue to call for the reform of
the Security Council, we also remain committed to the
revitalization of the General Assembly, the true
representative of the people of the world in the true
spirit of the United Nations Charter, whose very first
phrase is: “We the peoples of the United Nations”.
In that same spirit, Ethiopia wants to express its
position on the historic turning point that the people of
Palestine and the people of Israel are passing through
and the challenges that they are facing. We are
convinced that no great wisdom is required to realize
that, at the end of the day, it is only through peaceful
negotiation and mutual accommodation that the two
parties can reach the final destination.
In that regard, it is not enough that the right of
the Palestinians to a viable State of their own be
acknowledged and be paid lip service. It is also
necessary that real, tangible and practical steps be
taken, and in good time, towards the realization of that
objective. That has not been done. No doubt, that is
partly the explanation for where we are today and at
this moment. On the other hand, while it is self-
defeating, and also unjust, to use it as a pretext for
delaying the realization of the dreams of the people of
Palestine, nonetheless, it is neither proper nor realistic
to underestimate and belittle the security concerns of
Israel.
When the time comes for us to pronounce
ourselves on this signature issue of the sixty-sixth
session of the Assembly, the position we take will be
based on our objective assessment of all dimensions of
the issue in good faith and in line with what we believe
is dictated by the cause of justice and sustainable
peace.
We are passing through a period not only of
uncertainty, but also of great historic and momentous
change. The world that emerged from the Second
World War is almost no more. Periods such as this need
to be handled delicately. That is why it is so critical
that more attention be paid to the need for preventing
conflicts and for mediation. We are pleased that the
President Al-Nasser has made this one of his top
priorities. We want to assure him that he can expect the
full cooperation of the IGAD countries.
Let me conclude by asking for the support of all
Member States for the draft resolution that the IGAD
countries will be submitting requesting observer status
for IGAD at the United Nations.