Chad

It was by unanimous vote that our Assembly elected our President to be in charge of our work. Whereas we are already aware of his professional skills and his human qualities, may I take the liberty of congratulating him and assuring him of the support and the cooperation of the delegation of Chad to assist him in performing this difficult but very inspiring task. His predecessor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of fraternal Namibia, very tactfully and effectively guided the work which was entrusted to him during the fifty-fourth session. He is now deserving of our congratulations. Our words of congratulations and our encouragement are likewise addressed to our brother, Mr. Kofi Annan, whose devotion to the cause of peace and development in the world undoubtedly represents a guarantee for the success of our Organization. Last year during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme in New York, the President of the Republic of Chad, His Excellency Mr. Idriss Deby, declared: “A new world is being built before our very eyes. New standards are being set which are giving lasting shape to the behaviours of individuals and relations among States. New technologies are pressing us forward to even greater progress in those societies which possess them. Those which are closed to change are being marginalized, since they are incapable of making their ambitions come to life in the context of the new world. This frightening prospect, since it is synonymous with being left behind, is very real for many developing countries. But, I reject this prospect for my country.” The President of the Republic is here referring specifically to a world which is in constant change because of rampant globalization, which has become a fact of life that is sometimes highly praised for its benefits and sometimes shunned because of the harm it does. Meanwhile in Chad, men and women are doing everything they can to derive benefit from globalization and to avoid the downside in order not to miss the train of political, economic, social and technological progress. In other words, faced with the threat that globalization represents to stability, security and development of the weaker, Chad is waging an out and out struggle to occupy its proper place in the concert of nations. Yes, the men and women of Chad are struggling courageously and with resolve to emerge from obscurantism, from poverty and from domination. The results of their daily struggle speak for themselves when you look at what has been achieved in the various 36 areas of national life. Politically, the democratic experiment which began on 1 December 1990 is being further developed and consolidated. Thus, political pluralism is functioning while respecting diversity on the basis of consensual and participatory democracy. The various fundamental freedoms which underlie and which breathe life into any democratic political system are being fully exercised. The freedom of expression of the private press, which gives no quarter in its criticism of the action of the Government, as well as the burgeoning of associations of civil society, particularly those dealing with human rights, young people and women, bears witness to the political determination of the Government of Chad to promote a culture of democracy. In this connection, particular attention should be paid to strengthening the role of women in public life, as well as the rights of and the protection of children. Likewise, through the establishment of a supreme court, a constitutional council and a superior council of judges, the final touches have been put on the judicial institutions that underpin our democratic system. Furthermore, I am pleased to recall that the first multi- party elections took place in Chad in 1996 in a climate of calm and transparency, as the international observers noted. The next elections will take place in six months. In general, the political authorities in Chad are doing all they can to ensure their success. I would therefore like to emphasize from this rostrum that Chad's attachment to pluralistic democracy cannot be unseated, because the people of Chad as a whole are profoundly convinced that this is the only way — indeed their unique opportunity — to improve their living conditions. The most recent meetings in Syrte, Libya, and the various declarations made by Chadian political actors are all encouraging signs that, as we would like, this attachment is firm. In all events, the Government of Chad welcomes these new arrangements, which are to be seen as part and parcel of the policy of outreach that has been advocated by His Excellency Mr. Idriss Deby, the President of the Republic of Chad. After gaining this hard-won peace and this firm attachment to democracy, the Government of Chad quite naturally then proceeded — with the support of international institutions and Chad's bilateral partners — to tackle the question of economic and social development. A genuine plan to fight poverty has been created. This plan includes the elaboration of a national strategy for the reduction of poverty. This strategy has been further strengthened by the fact that the objectives of poverty reduction and economic growth during the 2000-2002 period have been made part of the major, high-priority social and sectoral programmes that were adopted at the Geneva IV round table on the development of Chad. Part of this struggle against poverty is the struggle that the people of Chad have waged to complete the project for the extraction and export of its oil. This success was achieved thanks to the determination of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Idriss Deby — but also thanks to unflagging support of the Bretton Woods institutions and of friends and other partners of Chad. Here we would like these supporters to know that the Government and people of the Republic of Chad recognize and are grateful for their assistance. Chad nevertheless does not see its development — and even less its security and stability — in an isolated fashion. Therefore Chad is doing everything possible to make its contribution to creating a climate of peace and prosperity in Africa — particularly in Central Africa. The subregion of Central Africa — despite its immense potential, and perhaps because of this immense potential, I might add — now appears to be the region of upheaval par excellence, a region characterized by armed conflicts and crises of all sorts. Undoubtedly some hotbeds of tension have been slaked. This is true of the Central African Republic and of the Republic of the Congo, which are gradually regaining their stability. But this stability remains fragile. The international community therefore must help these countries to consolidate this peace by actions in support of reconstruction and assistance. Two other conflicts, unfortunately, persist and also dangerously threaten the subregion. One of these is the conflict occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the belligerents' failure to respect the Lusaka Agreement has unfortunately resulted in exacerbating the rivalries among the foreign forces in the Congolese territory, further complicating the situation and holding up the effective implementation of that Agreement. As far as the Angolan conflict is concerned, it has certainly become even more complex because of its duration, the resources that nurture it and all the 37 international complicity that Mr. Jonas Savimbi has taken advantage of. But we must support the efforts of the legitimate and legal Government of Angola, as well as the efforts of the international community, so that this long-suffering people can recover the peace and tranquillity that they have not known since they acceded to independence. In the framework of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, the States of this subregion have not remained inactive. They are devoting themselves to exploring ways and means of establishing peace and tranquillity through measures designed first and foremost to create trust among themselves. The first of these steps is the possibility offered by the periodic meetings of the Committee. These provide an opportunity for political dialogue in the interest of preventive diplomacy. For having created this Committee, the Security Council is deserving of our gratitude. Furthermore, structures and mechanisms to promote peace and stability are gradually being established. Among others, we might note the establishment of an early-warning mechanism in Libreville and of the subregional centre for human rights and democracy in Yaoundé. The creation of the Council for Peace and Security in Central Africa is under way with the signing, by the heads of State or Government, on 24 February at Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, of the protocol regarding this Council and the mutual assistance pact. In the area of security there is a plan to organize a joint military exercise for the peacekeeping operations of the armed forces of the States of the subregion. As for the other contributor to instability — the proliferation of small arms and light weapons — the member States held a subregional conference on this topic in N'Djamena in October 1999. A number of measures were advocated; among them, we might mention the project of “arms for development”, which was initiated by Canada and certain donor countries — a project that is intended to set up micro-projects to help those who turn in their arms. For the time being this project involves the areas along the borders of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad. In this connection, a mission of evaluation visited the countries concerned in July 2000. The initiative is only at the conceptual stage, but it is to be hoped that it will take concrete form as soon as possible. I would therefore like to make an appeal to the other partners to join with Canada in order to broaden the scope of these projects to include the entire subregion. Instability and insecurity in Central Africa are also among the major causes of refugee flows, a phenomenon that has spared no State. Aware as we are of the negative effects of this phenomenon, member States took this matter up during a conference that was held last August in Bujumbura. The relevant conclusions of this conference deserve to be supported. The political situations in other subregions of the African continent also concern us. Certainly there has been a definite improvement with the consolidation of democratic institutions, good governance and respect for the fundamental rights of the African people. Nevertheless, several crises are persisting and must be a subject of concern for the entire international community. Thus in West Africa, Sierra Leone has not yet achieved peace, despite the commitments entered into by the parties to the conflict. Chad, for its part, gives its total support to the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations to seek peace in this embattled country. Likewise, we have every confidence in ECOWAS to smooth out the difficulties between Liberia and Guinea. With regard to the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, His Excellency President Idriss Deby has personally dealt with this matter as current President of the Community of the Sahel and Saharan States by setting up a good offices mission to the leaders of the two fraternal countries, in support of the mediation by the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The Government of Chad is very pleased to see that the two parties have finally reached a peace agreement. We encourage them to respect their individual commitments in order to bring lasting peace to this part of the African continent. Regarding the Somali crisis, Chad welcomes the fact that the people of Somalia have awakened to their destiny through the recent conference of national reconciliation which was held in Alta, Djibouti, thus demonstrating courage and imagination in their determination to endow their countries with republican institutions. The international community must help them and encourage them to build further on this initiative in order to reach total and just peace. 38 The presence here of a delegation bearing the name of the Republic of Somalia, whose seat has been vacant for almost 10 years now, is a matter of pride and satisfaction for the friends and the partners of this fraternal people. It is an example that should edify our brothers of the Comoros and Burundi. We should also congratulate the Government of Djibouti for their contribution and devotion to the cause of peace in the subregion. We believe it is time to lift completely the embargo against the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, because it is no longer justified and arbitrarily penalizes the fraternal Libyan people and, indeed, beyond them the entire subregion. Chad has not lost sight of the crisis situations prevailing in other parts of the world. In the Middle East, it is following with interest the negotiations underway between the Palestinian and Israeli authorities and believes that the time for the peace of the worthy has now come. The parties to the conflict should seize this historic opportunity and, as President Clinton said: the world should help them to take the risk of embarking on peace. In Iraq, Chad believes it is urgent to put an end to the embargo whose consequences have been so disastrous for the civilian population, which is suffering the atrocious evils resulting from this unjust decision. Quite clearly any solution should also cover the very pertinent matter of the prisoners from Kuwait and other countries. The Korean peninsula is showing encouraging signs of the two fraternal countries drawing closer to each other. The historic inter-Korean Summit, which took place between the leaders of these countries last June, has laid the foundation for trusting relationships that are so central for any dialogue. The international community should encourage both of these countries to press on in order to eventually sign a peace agreement which would pave the way to peaceful coexistence. The inter-Korean dialogue might also arouse some interest on the part of the Taiwan Strait where tension unfortunately continues to be abnormally high. Whereas economic and trade relations between the two countries are being developed on a regular basis, political relations are non-existent, despite the fact that on both sides of the Strait semi-official structures have been set up which serve as channels of communication between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, Taiwan. Both parties should show political determination and imagination in exploring ways and means of reducing tension and opening a genuine dialogue. In all events, the international community is duty bound to reconsider the whole question of admitting the Republic of China, Taiwan to membership of our Organization, particularly in light of the weight and the importance of the economic role it plays internationally and the fact that it is so closely involved in actions for development and the reduction of poverty. For its part, the Government of Chad supports the request by the Republic of China, Taiwan, to seek membership in the United Nations and its specialized agencies. I could not conclude my remarks without referring to other ills which undermine and sap all the development efforts of countries like mine. These ills include indebtedness, protectionist measures in the markets of the northern countries, deterioration in the terms of trade and various kinds of trafficking. Those countries which hold the key to the solutions to all these ills, particularly the northern countries, must go beyond simple declarations of intention and take concrete steps to relieve countries from the burden of indebtedness, to throw open their markets and to pay a fair price for our exports. As if this were not enough, another evil which is even more insidious and devastating, has made our task even more difficult. The prospects for solution are remote indeed and it is to be feared that this will reduce to nothing our hopes to relieve our peoples of poverty. I refer to the HIV/AIDS pandemic which brings death and bereavement to families on a daily basis. Not only is it a burden for our meagre financial resources, but also on our human resources, particularly young people who are the spearhead of our nation. We have the collective responsibility to effectively mobilize ways and means to conquer this scourge which defies the entire international community as a time when there is so much technological and scientific progress being made. 39 In the light of all these challenges, Chad believes that its development should also benefit from the political and economic integration of Africa, which is an important and determinant dimension of this global village. Therefore we would welcome and salute the major political acts which have been taken by the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 12 July in Lomé: I refer to the adoption of the Constituent Act of the African Union. This major historic event, which is the result of a collective commitment on the part of the African peoples, is a responsible reply on the part of today's Africa to meet the number of challenges of the twenty- first century by means of political, economic and social integration. The African Union will create the necessary conditions for genuine partnership in irreversible globalization, but a globalization that would not be synonymous with exclusion and the dictatorship of the marketplace. This globalization, we believe, should be synonymous with sharing and openness. It should have a human face or it will not exist at all. But none of this can be achieved without further democratization of the United Nations starting with an enlargement of the Security Council so that it can be more effective and, particularly, more legitimate. In other words, it is in our interest — in the interest of us all — that the Security Council be more representative of the international community in whose name it claims to act. What we are referring to here is the credibility of its decisions which, unfortunately, have long been used against the weaker with its policy of double standards.