Ethiopia

Allow me, from the outset, to extend warm congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your election to preside over the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. I would like also to express our appreciation to your predecessor, Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab, for the able manner with which he discharged his responsibilities as President of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly. I wish also to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for all the efforts he has been making to make the United Nations equally relevant to all of us. I wish, in particular, to congratulate him on the success of the Millennium Summit, which we are hopeful will be a landmark for more meaningful and enhanced cooperation among nations. We have indeed been encouraged by the well- deserved emphasis that was given to Africa and to Africa's predicament at the Millennium Summit. It is our hope that the Summit may have helped create greater determination for cooperation with the peoples of Africa so that Africa may make real progress in addressing the challenges of development, peace and stability. The problems of Africa are defined by two very closely related challenges. Africa's development continues to be arrested by problems of insecurity, instability and lack of peace. On the other hand, it appears unrealistic to expect durable peace in Africa without hope in the future that could be brought about only by visible indications of possibilities for progress. In both areas, Africa has not had the necessary support commensurate with the complexity of the challenges it has faced. It might be necessary to hasten to add here that indeed Africa itself might not always have taken advantage of available opportunities for making progress, and that we might sometimes have squandered real opportunities for breaking out of the vicious cycle of poverty and lack of peace and stability. While this may be partly true, the significance of the missed chances that Africa has allowed to pass should not be exaggerated. It is far from the truth that Africa has enjoyed sustained, resolute and all-out support, either in the area of economic development or in the sphere of peace and security. On the other hand, it is precisely this type of cooperation that is required by many in Africa to be able to embark on sustainable 4 economic development and growth. But whether with respect to debt relief, or to declining terms of trade, or to all aspects of the challenges of and obstacles to development, the types of cooperation made available to our countries have always been limited as well as entangled with all kinds of conditions which have been far from helpful. Like all regions of the world and like all countries, Africa and African nations should and must assume primary responsibility for what happens in Africa in general and in individual African countries. But at one time or another in their history, most regions of the world and most countries have had occasions to rely on international solidarity and cooperation as a catalyst for creating conditions for development and stability. But Africa's fate has been different. For whatever reason, it has been easier to lose hope with respect to Africa than to give the continent the benefit of the doubt; this, even when little has been done to help Africa address the real challenges it is facing in a variety of areas. This is not only in the area of economic development. We have seen the same thing taking place with respect to the need for Africa to promote respect for the rule of law and to create conditions for peace and stability. Africa is also being marginalized in terms of the universal applicability of the principles of international law. It is our hope that Africa will be judged by the same standard in this regard. Otherwise, there can be little chance for peace and stability in our continent. We say this from experience. There is no effective substitute, if opportunities are to be created for the peaceful resolution of situations of crisis in Africa and for a quick and an appropriate response by the international community to violations of international law. Peace can never be promoted through appeasement of aggression or by creating the impression that, depending on circumstances, on where they take place and to whom they happen, some acts of aggression can be tolerated. We in Ethiopia have, only a week ago, celebrated our New Year. We have entered the year 1993 with confidence that it will be a year of peace and progress. Our people have made the commitment to resume the task of economic development with full force, a task which was rudely interrupted two years ago when our country became a victim of aggression. It is also in this spirit that we are proceeding with full commitment to put behind us the crisis we have had with Eritrea. Even before the deployment of peacekeepers, contrary to experience in other places, the cessation of hostilities has held for months now. We look forward both to the deployment of the peacekeepers and to a speedy conclusion of a comprehensive settlement. All those prepared to contribute to this effort should rest assured that what they should expect from Ethiopia, its people and their Government, is the fullest cooperation. For us, agreements concluded are made to be respected, not violated. In any case, what our people wish to be identified with, fully and with no ambiguity, is peacemaking, not war-making. We hope that we will have the opportunity to work for peace and for economic growth and development. There are few who need the blessings of peace more than the people of Ethiopia and of our subregion. As much as our people refuse to see aggression rewarded at their expense, they have, on the other hand, never been wanting in demonstrating full commitment to peace and legality. Our people will never jettison this noble tradition. Ethiopia also takes its responsibility for peace and stability in our subregion very seriously and in Africa as a whole. In this regard, we have been enormously encouraged by the developments with respect to the peace initiative on Somalia under the auspices of President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti. It is Ethiopia's hope that what has already been achieved in Djibouti will be built upon and that the momentum for peace and national reconciliation will be maintained. We are convinced that if the remaining problems are handled with realism, wisdom and mutual accommodation, there is little doubt that the people of Somalia will very soon be able to put behind them the 10-year nightmare they have faced. I would like, therefore, to take this opportunity to call on all concerned to make this newly created opportunity for peace in Somalia, and for the restoration of the Somali State, irreversible. The process should not be allowed to be held hostage by those who may not be prepared for national reconciliation. Nor should it be endangered by a failure to be sufficiently accommodating and 5 sufficiently patient. This is what the international community should encourage. The opportunity now created in Somalia should not be allowed to slip away. This could easily happen if all attention is focused on seeking international legitimacy rather than internal national reconciliation. It would indeed be a tragedy and a recipe for further bloodshed in Somalia if efforts are not made to build on the peace and stability that have already been achieved by some regions and parts of Somalia. The issue of Somaliland, for instance, requires great sensitivity and a sense of enormous responsibility. Whatever has been achieved in Djibouti is going to be tested by how well the peace and stability that some parts of Somalia have achieved is preserved. For Ethiopia, and for Somalia's neighbours, these are critical issues. The formal stand we will be taking with respect to the evolving situation in Somalia will depend on how these issues are addressed by those who now have the chance to affect the destiny of the people of Somalia. While we wish them well and promise them our full cooperation, we also ask them to use this historic opportunity with a full sense of responsibility and wisdom. Let me take this opportunity to also state that Ethiopia, along with its Inter-Government Authority on Development (IGAD) partners, will continue to do the maximum possible for peace and national reconciliation in the Sudan. It has always been our firm conviction that the Declaration of Principles provides a just and realistic basis for reaching a settlement on the crisis in southern Sudan. It is also our view that a broader national reconciliation in the Sudan can easily be achieved on the basis of democratic principles and mutual accommodation. Ethiopia will continue to be committed to peace in the Sudan on this basis and to cooperate with all those who have the goodwill to contribute to peace in our subregion. Let me reiterate: Ethiopia will do the maximum possible for peace and durable stability in Africa as a whole, with the full knowledge that without peace we in Africa will have little chance to ensure a better future for our peoples. Before concluding, I would like to say a few words on how vital it is that the reform of the Security Council be completed as speedily as possible. The reform of the Council is critical for the credibility of the United Nations and for its increased legitimacy. As matters stand now, it is only too obvious that not many believe that the work of the Security Council is conducted with sufficient transparency. In fact, there is a growing conviction that the Council is being less and less representative and more and more distant from the sentiments of the majority. This situation, we believe, needs to be rectified. This can be done in two ways. First, by ensuring that there is equitable representation of all regions of the world on the Council. Secondly, it is also important that the work of the Council be made more open and its decision-making more transparent. The interests of peace and security will be better served if the Council is more transparent and more open to the views of others, most particularly to the views of those directly affected by its decisions. It is our earnest hope that the United Nations will be more relevant to all in the twenty-first century, and in equal measure, than it has been in the past 55 years. This is not an unrealistic objective, but it requires the commitment of all, big and small.