Guinea

I am very pleased on behalf of the people and the Government of Guinea to convey to Mr. Harri Holkeri of Finland our warmest congratulations on his unanimous election to preside over our deliberations at the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. His election highlighted his merits, his personal qualities and his rich experience in international affairs. It also reflected the high esteem in which the international community holds his great country, Finland, whose commitment to the ideals of peace, justice, progress and the advancement of women is well known and appreciated by one and all. As a member of the General Committee at this session, my delegation wishes to assure the President of its support and full cooperation. It gives me pleasure also to pay tribute to the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia, who honourably carried out his weighty responsibilities in the service of the Organization. Let me also pay tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, whose exemplary work at the helm of the Organization merits our highest appreciation and our support. I take this opportunity moreover to thank the Secretary-General for his report (A/54/2000) entitled “We the peoples: the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century”. That remarkable document takes account of all the current concerns of Member States. I welcome the admission of the State of Tuvalu as the one hundred eighty-ninth Member of the Organization. This reinforces the universality of the United Nations. This session of the General Assembly is a historic one. It is taking place just as the Organization has successfully concluded the Millennium Summit, which brought together in this Hall nearly all the world's leaders. The outcome of that important Summit is a source of hope for our peoples at the dawn of the new millennium. Just one week ago, from this very rostrum, the Prime Minister of Guinea informed the international community of a barbarous act of aggression against the Republic of Guinea, an act of aggression whose sole aim was to destabilize my country. Deadly, devastating attacks have been carried out against the peaceful population of Guinea. These were led by armed gangs from Liberia, but it is regrettable to have to note that another fraternal African country, Burkina Faso, has also been involved in the aggression. The Republic of Guinea, a land of peace and hospitality, which has paid an enormous price by receiving hundreds of thousands of refugees and which is working for the restoration of peace and harmony in West Africa, has thus been the victim of aggression by the same people who caused the genocide and mutilations in Liberia and in Sierra Leone. 41 I urgently call on the international community strongly to condemn this aggression, which is part of a plan to destabilize the subregion. It is this that justifies my Government's request to the Security Council that vigorous measures be taken to guarantee peace, security and stability in the West African region. The Government of Guinea has had to face the severe consequences of the massive presence of 800,000 on its territory for the past decade, and it has been obliged to divert resources from our country's economic development programmes. That is why my Government is most grateful for the United Nations initiative to convene a conference for support and solidarity with respect to Guinea. On behalf of my Government, I wish once again to convey my delegation's sincere thanks to the Secretary-General and to all others who have contributed to this important initiative. My country looks forward with great interest to the completion of this initiative with the convening of a second meeting, scheduled to be held in November at Geneva. This is the proper moment for my delegation to turn to the thorny question of conflict in Africa. Indeed, many of the crises that have emerged on our continent pose a threat to peace and constitute a grave violation of the principles and purposes of the United Nations. The scope of these crises and their proliferation jeopardizes all efforts at national development and at achieving subregional integration. I take this opportunity to welcome the report (A/55/305) of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, chaired by Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi. Its recommendations enabled the Security Council to adopt an important resolution on ensuring an effective role for the Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in Africa. My delegation hopes that the new provisions of that resolution will be used to guarantee the effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Among the central priorities of Africa, which remains the theatre of many conflicts, is the strengthening of its capacity to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts. Thus, whether it be the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea or the situation in the Great Lakes region, in Angola or in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there have been significant breakthroughs in the pursuit of peaceful, just and lasting solutions, thanks to concerted action by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations. In the West African region, the quest for peace in Sierra Leone is continuing with the commendable assistance of States members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and with the active support of the United Nations, through the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). My delegation expresses its full support for Security Council resolution 1306 (2000), which placed an embargo on the illegal sale of diamonds from conflict zones. We appeal urgently to all States and to all specialized agencies to cooperate actively in the effective implementation of that resolution. The proliferation and uncontrolled distribution of light weapons is another subject of grave concern, and is a major factor complicating and prolonging conflicts in Africa and, more tragically, encouraging the recruitment of child soldiers. Indeed, the resurgence of rebel movements and the expansion of large-scale banditry in our countries have been made possible by that phenomenon. The firm support of the international community is required to eradicate it. In that connection, my delegation is pleased at the initiatives taken by the United Nations and by the OAU to support the efforts of our States to combat this scourge, which threatens the stability of our continent. The beginning of the third millennium brings many challenges and hopes. It brings the hope of seeing a plan for the settlement to the conflict in Western Sahara, thanks to the joint efforts of the OAU and the United Nations, and the hope of finally seeing Israel and its Arab neighbours give peace a chance through a just and lasting settlement to the crisis, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, as well as the respect for the rights and dignity of all peoples in the region. The question of development remains one of the major challenges of this century, and as such it must remain at the centre of our Organization's concerns. At a time when a portion of the planet has contentedly crossed the threshold of this new millennium and is embarking, under the rubric of globalization, on what is called “the new economy”, a major portion of the world — indeed, the largest portion — continues to live in poverty, suffering the perverse effects of this globalization. With regard to the alarming situation prevailing on the African continent, the main concern of the 42 peoples of the United Nations must be Africa, so that the root causes of its non-development can be eradicated and so that it can be enabled to eliminate poverty and enhance its capacities in order for it to have better access to markets. To do that, debt cancellation, an increase in official development assistance and better attention to its specific needs should make it possible to integrate the African continent into the world economy. That is why my delegation, based on the correlation between peace and development, is pleased at the recent decisions taken by the G-8 in Okinawa, aimed at more effectively combating poverty and at bridging the digital gap between the North and the South and at humanizing globalization. In that respect, my country calls for more solidarity on the part of the rich countries, and we deeply hope that — over and above professions of good faith — concrete measures will be taken to allow the developing countries, particularly those in Africa, to experience sustained growth leading to sustainable development. With that in mind, my delegation appeals to all its development partners to contribute, by means of more generous and better-targeted aid, to strengthening the institutional capacities of our States and to creating adequate infrastructures, which guarantee balanced development and success in the struggle against poverty. The Republic of Guinea is very much concerned by the ravages of the AIDS virus. We believe that this battle must further mobilize the international community so that the necessary sacrifices can be made to halt this scourge, which has taken more victims in Africa than anywhere else in the world. That is why my delegation supports the important decisions that resulted from the recent International Conference held in Durban, South Africa. The protection of fundamental human rights, the satisfaction of priority human needs and social justice must remain at the forefront of United Nations concerns. The United Nations, in its irreplaceable role as an instrument for the promotion of cooperation and understanding between peoples, must strengthen the culture of peace and sharing. Today it is unanimously acknowledged that the United Nations can continue to play an effective role only if there is a necessary reform of its organs, in particular the Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The aspirations of strengthening its authority and ensuring more equitable representation in the Council for the Organization's Members have been reiterated many times by the overwhelming majority of United Nations Members, and recently by virtually all of the heads of State or Government during the Millennium Summit. We must also restore to the General Assembly its central role as the main deliberative body and, finally, reform the other organs, with a view to a greater revitalization of the entire United Nations system. These are the aspirations of the peoples of the United Nations — to enable this Organization to face the challenges of the twenty-first century. In his statement at the Millennium Summit, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea reiterated the total commitment of our country to the principles of the United Nations and to the Charter. In this Assembly, I would like to reaffirm this commitment, which has never been found wanting in the history of my country. Under the leadership of its President, General Lansana Conté, a man of peace and dialogue, Guinea has always struggled to uplift human dignity, to defend freedom, to restore peace and to cultivate harmony among peoples. Guinea will continue, side by side with other Member States of our Organization, to work resolutely to free humankind from the spectre of war, violence, exclusion and intolerance, and for a world of peace, justice and solidarity for all.