At the outset I would like to congratulate you upon your unanimous election as President of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly. I am confident that with your experience and diplomatic skills you will guide our deliberations to a successful outcome. I would also like to convey our great appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping, President of the fifty-ninth session of the Assembly, for the efficient manner in which he presided over our work as well as for the fine accomplishments recorded during the session. Sixty years after its creation, the United Nations, our only multilateral Organization, is at a crossroads. When the Organization was established, the promotion of peace and security, as well as that of economic and social development, were its main objectives. It was then conceived to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and insecurity, to reduce and eradicate poverty and to move towards economic prosperity for all. Today, the world is still filled with conflicts, violence, insecurity, hunger, poverty and despair. We have therefore every reason to act collectively to reform and strengthen this multilateral institution to enable it to effectively address the many complex challenges the world is now facing. In this reform process, revitalizing the General Assembly has now become one of the crucial issues for consideration by Member States. In our opinion, the Assembly, which comprises all the Members of the United Nations, should continue to play a central role as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ. It should serve as a forum for high-level policy statements, as well as for the consideration, of, inter alia, agenda items of special political importance or urgency. In order to strengthen the role and authority of the General Assembly, Member States should stress the need to fully respect and restore the balance between the principal organs of the United Nations, within their respective purviews and mandates, in accordance with the Charter. At the Millennium Summit in 2000, the leaders of the States Members of the United Nations resolved to strive for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons. In this regard, we regret that the seventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), held in New York from 2 to 27 May 2005, was unable to reach consensus on the substantive questions relating to the three pillars of the Treaty. The Lao People's Democratic Republic is of the view that all States parties should remain committed to the NPT and believes that it should continue to have cornerstone status in the context of global disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The world economy continues to be characterized by slow and uneven growth and instability. Globalization may offer a great many opportunities to a number of countries. However, it also presents numerous challenges and risks for the developing world, particularly the most vulnerable groups, namely, the least developed countries and the landlocked developing countries. In reality, the process of globalization among and within countries has not produced equal benefits. The gap between the developed and developing world is widening, and we are all greatly concerned about increased poverty in many developing countries. In order for developing countries to reap the benefits of globalization, an enabling external economic environment for development is required. To that end, we should all strive to achieve greater coherence among the international trading, monetary and financial systems. Among the most vulnerable groups, the landlocked developing countries deserve special attention. The Almaty Programme of Action, which was adopted in 2003, was a landmark document that set out five priority areas. The Sao Paulo Consensus, which was adopted in 2004 by the eleventh United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, recognized, among other things, that the landlocked developing countries were small and vulnerable economies. Those documents, together with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, constitute a significant achievement on which the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries is building in order to move forward in promoting its legitimate cause. In my capacity as Chairman of that Group, I appeal to the international community for sympathy and support for our endeavours. In order to strengthen unity and solidarity among the countries of the South, and as a follow-up to the 6 implementation of the Havana Programme of Action, adopted by the first South Summit in 2000, the second South Summit of the Group of 77 and China was held in Doha, Qatar, from 12 to 16 June 2005. The Doha Declaration and Plan of Action, which were adopted at the second South Summit, called for a more energetic effort to deepen and revitalize South-South cooperation, with a view to enhancing sustained economic growth and the sustainable development of the countries of the South. Last April in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Asian-African Summit was held with the objective of reinvigorating the spirit of the 1955 Bandung Conference and of charting future cooperation between the two continents towards a new Asian-African strategic partnership. That partnership, which was inaugurated at the Summit, constitutes an important building block for the further strengthening of South-South cooperation. I would like commend Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, for his tireless efforts to ensure the success of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly. The Lao People's Democratic Republic highly values the outcome document adopted by our heads of State or Government, in which they reaffirmed the Millennium Declaration and their commitment to implementing effectively and fully the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries and the Almaty Programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit Transport Cooperation for Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries. Given the aspirations of the overwhelming majority of Member States, the second South Summit, held in Doha, called upon the Government of the United States to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba, which, in addition to being unilateral and contrary to the Charter, international law and the principle of good neighbourliness, is the cause of enormous material loss and economic damage to the people of Cuba. On the Korean Peninsula, we welcome the recent resumption of the six-party talks, which have yielded important progress. The Lao People's Democratic Republic expresses the hope that the concerned parties will further deploy joint efforts and undertake concrete actions based on the principles and commitments contained in the Joint Declaration of 19 September 2005 on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula, thus contributing to the promotion of peace, security, stability and development cooperation in the wider Asia-Pacific region. In the Middle East, although the situation remains difficult and complex, a degree of progress has been made that ought to be further promoted. In order to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region, the question of Palestine in all its aspects should be resolved in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. In this regard, the Lao People's Democratic Republic reaffirms its unwavering support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people, under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, to exercise their right to self-determination, including their right to establish an independent State of Palestine living side by side with Israel. The situation in Iraq continues to be a matter of concern to the international community. It is our sincere hope that durable peace, security and stability can soon be secured in that country, paving the way for the Iraqi people to be truly the masters of their own future and destiny. The year 2005 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a historic event of great significance in the political life of the nation. In general, the national economy is continuing to grow at a sustained pace. The rate of growth reached 7.2 per cent in the period 2004- 2005. Foreign investment is on the increase, political stability, social tranquillity and security are assured and the living conditions of the people are continuing to improve. The multi-ethnic Lao people, while enjoying fundamental rights, including the right to believe or not to believe in any religion, stand firmly united in nation-building. Furthermore, the Lao People's Democratic Republic remains committed to implementing a policy aimed at establishing a State based on the rule of law so as to ensure freedom, democracy and the legitimate interests of its citizens, as well as of foreign residents and other foreigners living and working in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Externally, the Lao People's Democratic Republic has vigorously participated in multifaceted regional and international activities aimed at fostering peace, stability, friendship and the promotion of development cooperation. One of the greatest events for the Lao 7 People's Democratic Republic was the historic hosting of the tenth Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in November 2004, which was followed by the successful holding, from 24 to 29 July 2005, of the thirty-eighth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the post-ministerial conferences and the twelfth ASEAN Regional Forum. Those events reflect the great sense of responsibility of the multi-ethnic Lao people as a whole in the discharge of the country's chairmanship of ASEAN during the past 12 months. Furthermore, those accomplishments have significantly contributed to narrowing the development gaps within ASEAN member countries and fostering the realization of an ASEAN community. That community has three pillars: the ASEAN Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, all of which are closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing for the purpose of ensuring durable peace, stability and shared prosperity in the region. ASEAN hopes that friendly countries and the United Nations will become more involved in the implementation of the Vientiane Action Programme and the ASEAN Development Fund for regional economic integration, particularly in the areas of human resource development, infrastructure, information technology and energy development. Peace cannot be achieved without development, and development in turn cannot be realized without cooperation among nations, with the United Nations playing an important catalytic role. The United Nations - the sole multilateral, universal Organization - cannot be strengthened, however, if it does not embrace, in equal measure, the concerns of all, including the small, vulnerable, and weak States, which make up the majority of its Members. In that respect, we should all remind ourselves that not only will our words and the principles we espouse be judged by future generations, but so, too, will the actions that we undertake to bring about development for the whole of humanity.