After
three years of political crisis and a three-year absence,
Madagascar is proud today to resume its place here in
the community of nations. On behalf of my fellow
countrymen, I am particularly honoured to participate
in this general debate under the theme “The role of
mediation in the settlements of disputes by peaceful
means”.
The successive crises around the world, most
recently in North Africa, demonstrate the importance
and relevance of that theme. Madagascar has been
through one itself, and it has just taken a major step
forward thanks to the help of international mediation,
which has allowed the Malagasy to reach a promising
consensus.
I also wish to pay a sincere tribute to the late Dag
Hammarskjöld, the former Secretary-General of this
great Organization, a pioneer of preventive diplomacy
and an architect of the concept of peacekeeping, as we
mark the fiftieth anniversary of his tragic passing.
During his tenure, he worked tirelessly to solidify the
legitimacy of the United Nations in the peaceful
resolution of international disputes. Now again, we
owe him a great debt for the universal recognition of
the virtues of mediation in resolving tensions and even
conflicts.
We have just commemorated the tragic events of
11 September 2001, which shook the city of New York
and indeed the whole world. It is also 10 years since
the United Nations Year of Dialogue among
Civilizations, during which the dialogue of cultures
and the culture of dialogue were promoted on the
international stage in order to combat the clash of
civilizations.
When we speak of conflicts, we have in mind two
different ideologies that do not uphold the same values.
That can mean two countries, two regions or even a
Government and its people. In the last case, when one
no longer respects the other it triggers a popular
uprising that ends in a conflict, leading to a crisis;
hence, the importance of the role of mediation in
settling disputes through peaceful means.
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In that regard, any mediation should collate first-
hand information. It should see for itself the realities
prevailing on the ground in a conflict before proposing
a solution that would be lasting and acceptable to all.
History has shown that the excessive acts of a
leader who resorts to force have serious repercussions
for his country that can lead it into chaos and cost the
lives of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of
innocent people. It is an entire people who,
unfortunately, suffer the grave consequences. This
occurs because true solutions are often too slow in
coming, plunging a large segment of humankind into
poverty, since we must respond to suffering, anguish
and despair. We want to change and we will change.
To better illustrate my words, allow me to speak
of the case of my country, Madagascar. Everyone here
knows as well as I do that the island of Madagascar has
been in political crisis since late 2008. The Malagasy
people rose up with determination to break with a past
marked by poor governance and non-respect for
democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law
that gave rise to widespread impoverishment,
unbearable and inescapable social poverty, and the
growing frustration of the majority of my countrymen.
The Malagasy people therefore demanded a better life
and genuine change, with strengthened respect for
universal principles.
When the search for a solution to the crisis turned
to the principle of consensual and inclusive
management of transition, and when that consensus
proved difficult to reach, commendable mediation
efforts among the Malagasy protagonists were made by
local civil society organizations, the bilateral and
regional partners of the big island, and the international
community.
I permit myself to mention here and to strongly
commend the untiring and patient efforts of the
mediation team of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC), a regional body mandated by the
African Union, as well as the determined initiatives of
other entities, such as the United Nations, the
International Organization of la Francophonie and the
Indian Ocean Commission. The involvement of these
and all actors concerned in the mediation was critical
in responding with effectiveness and pragmatism
commensurate with the emergency and in meeting the
vital needs of the Malagasy people and economy,
which could and would have been weakened if the
crisis and the negotiations had lasted any longer.
The Malagasy people were patient and showed
unprecedented and exemplary courage in the peaceful
settlement of the political crisis, despite all the
economic and social restrictions, as well as the absence
of international aid that it has suffered for the past
three years. The post-crisis road map for Madagascar,
proposed by SADC mediation, was initialled on
9 March and signed by the political factions
representing the vast majority of Malagasy
stakeholders on 17 September. The great political
Malagasy family is now determined to move forward
and to work together in the overall interest of the
nation for the well-being, peace and serenity of the
entire people.
An extremely important threshold has just been
crossed, but there is still much work to be done. Now,
we must focus primarily on the implementation of the
provisions of the road map, with full respect for the
people’s primary aspirations, leading towards the
holding of free, credible, fair and transparent elections.
That, in my opinion, is the only definitive solution to
the crisis ensuring a return to constitutional normality.
We have finally managed to reach a consensus
agreement, reflected in the sense of compromise of
which we are particularly proud, based as it is in the
inherent culture of Fihavanana — a notion of social
life that has guided the Malagasy people since the
dawn of time and that can be boiled down to the
principles of fraternity, solidarity, mutual respect,
tolerance and wisdom. We have thereby expressed our
resolve to move forward towards the reconstruction
and development of our society.
For my part, I will spare no effort and will do my
utmost to ensure that these actions achieve the
anticipated results and are rapidly crowned with
success. I therefore launch a solemn appeal to the
international community to make the needed individual
and collective contribution to their implementation. In
particular, I draw the attention of the United Nations to
the work that it must undertake in assessing
Madagascar’s electoral needs so that an electoral
timeframe, drawn up in a credible, neutral, transparent
and independent way and based on respect for
fundamental rights and international standards, can be
established as soon as possible.
History teaches us that, even following the use of
force, all wars and conflicts always end around a table.
That clearly shows that mediation can be chosen as an
alternative to weapons. We are opposed to the use of
any form of repression whatsoever. It is entirely
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possible to resolve differences by peaceful means, as in
the case for Madagascar, by resorting to a more
effective method, such as dialogue.
The world is evolving. The world is changing,
and all of us leaders here want a better world for our
respective peoples. Yes, it is possible, and we can do it.