Sudan

I should like to begin my statement with a quotation from the Koran: "Invite all to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best" (The Holy Koran, XVI:125). Last year, I declared from this rostrum that peace - the continuing strategic objective of the Government of Sudan - was at hand. Today, from the same rostrum, I would like to note that peace has become a reality with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the adoption of the new Constitution. We have started to implement the Agreement in accordance with a fixed timetable. Unfortunately, as soon as we started to implement the Agreement with our partners in the Sudan Peopleís Liberation Movement (SPLM), we were faced with a great tragedy: the death of John Garang, the first Vice President of the Republic. With his passing, the country has lost an invaluable partner and participant in the peace process. It was not just a loss for the Sudan, but a great loss for Africa and all peace-loving people. Such tragedies are the true tests of our will, and our brethren in the SPLM have responsibly come through that crisis and difficult test, putting aside their bitter shock and continuing to build a durable peace. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement was not limited solely to issues between the north and the south. It set up a comprehensive framework for resolving justly all the problems of our country. It has established rules for a political regime that considers citizenship to involve rights, duties and obligations - a regime that is based on democracy, the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights and the equitable division of wealth and power based on fair standards that will ensure comprehensive peace. We are fully committed to the letter and the spirit of the Peace Agreement, and we accept and understand the magnitude of our responsibility to fulfil it. We are fully confident that bringing peace to the Sudan will have a positive impact on regional stability and allow the Sudan to continue to play its proper role within the international community. As we have begun to implement the Peace Agreement, we call upon the international community immediately to lift all commercial and economic sanctions and restrictions, to cancel all of the Sudanís external debt and to fulfil the pledges it made at the Oslo conference. Such actions will provide support for the Agreement and promote reconstruction and development in the Sudan. In that context, we express appreciation and gratitude to the United Nations for the important role it has played in the implementation of the Agreement, particularly the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jan Pronk. The people of Darfur are still not able to live in conditions of peace. We will make every effort to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Declaration of Principles adopted at Abuja, with a view to bringing about that objective. We will continue to cooperate with the international community in improving the humanitarian and security situation, which has already improved greatly. But that is not enough. We hope to ensure complete stability in Darfur. The Governmentís commitment to agreements and arrangements entered into relating to the achievement of a ceasefire and the improvement of the security situation should be matched by a similar commitment from the armed movements, which should end their violations and agree to an immediate ceasefire. The international community should continue to put pressure on them to negotiate seriously in order to achieve a peaceful solution to the problem. My Government underlines the importance of achieving definitive peace in Darfur as quickly as possible. We have a three-track plan aimed at returning Darfur to its proper situation. The first is the political track, which is designed to resolve the root causes of the dispute and to reach an agreement. The second relates to the implementation of the voluntary repatriation programmes. The third relates to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. In the framework of those commitments, the Government has encouraged reconciliation among tribe and community leaders, which would help to provide a solution to the root causes of the conflict. In order to improve the security situation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the Government is making every effort, with the participation of the international community, to deal with the urgent humanitarian problem and the problem of internally displaced persons and refugees. We have undertaken a number of development plans to deal with 22 the dispute about resources, which represents one of the main problems. In that context, the Government is looking forward to entering into an effective international partnership with a view to bringing about those ambitious plans and establishing a special fund for development and rehabilitation in Darfur similar to that agreed to at the Oslo conference for the south. In expressing its appreciation for the efforts of the international community, the Sudan would like to pay tribute to the active role of the African Union. We call on the international community to continue to assist and support that role. The Sudan adopted a transitional Constitution in July 2005, and the President and Vice-President will exercise their mandate in conformity with its provisions. We have established a Government of National Unity, which will continue the transitional process. We have begun this phase by conducting a responsible dialogue with all members of the political opposition, who continue to operate freely. The transitional Constitution includes human rights provisions ensuring respect for the rights, obligations and fundamental freedoms of all Sudanese citizens. We will continue to work with international organizations in order to develop and promote human rights in the country. This is the last occasion on which I will speak to the Assembly as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Sudan, because yesterday a new Minister for Foreign Affairs, my brother Mr. Lam Akol, was appointed by the Popular Movement. I extend to the General Assembly my gratitude and appreciation for its cooperation during my work as Foreign Minister of the Sudan in the past several years. Tragically, the Palestinian people are still under Israeli occupation. The international community is called upon to force Israel to halt its illegal practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, to dismantle the separation wall, to withdraw from all the Arab territories that it occupied in 1967 and to allow the Palestinian people to realize their legitimate rights, including their right to an independent State, with Al-Quds as its capital. The international community should take action to bring about a comprehensive, peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, the road map, the principle of land for peace and the Madrid terms of reference. The Sudan has participated in agreements aimed at putting an end to nuclear proliferation. The conflict- ridden Middle East should be a zone free from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. International justice and laws should apply in that region, with no exceptions for any State, with a view to ensuring stability and peace, emphasizing the rights of peoples to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, particularly in scientific research. The Sudan supports the right of all countries, including Iran, to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. The situation in Iraq is very unstable. The Iraqi people, who are suffering greatly, need the international community to help them to overcome the crisis there. In this respect, we would like to underscore once again our principled position that we must preserve the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and ensure non-interference in its internal affairs, with a view to bringing about stability and peace and restoring normal living conditions there. We call upon the international community to contribute, as soon as possible, to the rebuilding of Iraq and to support the transitional Government so as to allow the Iraqi people to live in dignity on their land. The African Union has set up policies and mechanisms aimed at dealing effectively with the dispute resolution and the establishment of stability on that continent, which is rich in resources, including human resources. Africa is continuing to use those resources for development purposes, within the framework of the New Partnership for Africaís Development. The first meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region restored hope that peace, stability and development can return to the region. We hope that the second such summit will be held within the next few months, and that it will result in a united stance that will lead to peace, security and development in the region. We were encouraged by the meeting that was held on the sidelines of the High- level Plenary Meeting with a view to preparing for a second International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. In this context, I would like to refer to Somalia - a very important African country, which is trying to move beyond the bitterness of war and conflict and to re-establish itself as a State. Somalia 23 should receive the cooperation and support that it needs from the international community, and from the United Nations in particular. Since the Millennium Summit in 2000, some achievements have been made with a view to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But the Goals have not been adequately achieved in Africa, which still has to deal with poverty, disease, underdevelopment and debt. As we meet here five years after the first summit, we must pause and consider what we have achieved and what we aspire to achieve. We live in a world in which people have varied standards of living and wealth. The rich have become richer, and the poor have become poorer. The gap between them is great, and there are enormous paradoxes. There are very rich countries whose citizens spend millions of dollars on weight loss, and there are other poor countries that seek just a small fraction of that amount to keep barely alive. We take this opportunity to reaffirm, as agreed in the framework of the Millennium Declaration, that we must achieve the Millennium Development Goals in order to create a better life for all humanity. Here, we must point out that the Sudan has worked hard to attain the goals and has made significant progress in reducing poverty and increasing basic education levels, despite the unjust siege and the long conflict in the southern part of the country. All those efforts are reflected in Sudanís 2004 MDG report. In that context, we should stress the importance of the total cancellation of debt. Debt is a great hindrance to achieving the Development Goals in Africa and in the least developed countries. Attaching conditions to debt cancellation will only impede development. Here, we must remind developed countries of their commitments to financing for development, in accordance with the Monterrey Consensus. An international partnership to achieve the MDGs as envisaged in Goal 8, is essential. Unfortunately, the main difficulty in achieving the Goals is the establishment of such a partnership, which will not be possible without allowing developing, and least developed countries in particular, to integrate fully into the international economy. Imposing unilateral economic sanctions against developing countries hinders free trade and investment. Financing and the transfer of technology are among the other issues encountered in efforts to achieve sustainable development. We live in a world of many challenges and threats. The international community has recognized that development, peace and security are closely interconnected. The main challenges faced by the international community today are maintaining international peace and security and achieving economic growth and development. Meeting those challenges will be possible only in a collective world led by an effective and capable United Nations. The Sudan has actively participated in the consultations on creating a framework for collective action and on United Nations reform. We support reform that is in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter and the relevant provisions of international law. We have emphasized the establishment of a new human rights mechanism to address the shortcomings - including politicization, selectivity and double standards - that have prevented the Commission on Human Rights from carrying out its responsibilities. The Sudan believes that we should consider establishing a new mechanism that deals with the negative policies of the past and is committed to the principles of equality among States and respect for equitable geographical representation, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter. On the basis of what the United Nations has successfully achieved in the security, economic and social areas, we should aspire to achieve the objectives of the High- level Plenary Meeting and thus to create a peaceful and safe world in which all of us will shoulder our responsibilities. Clearly, we all reject terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we stand together with others to eliminate it; indeed, a counter-terrorism conference is now being held in Khartoum to combat terrorism in East Africa. What we reject are attempts to confuse terrorism with the struggle of peoples for liberation and independence and attempts to link terrorism to a specific religion or culture. Terrorism is an international scourge that is not limited to a specific religion or culture, and we believe that any attempt to confuse the issue could cause problems and weaken our collective resolve to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat it. The Sudan will continue to be a messenger to States, calling for a dialogue among cultures and 24 civilizations aimed at attaining humanityís objectives. The international fight against terrorism must be based on the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant provisions of international law. In that context, the Sudan calls for the holding of an international conference to arrive at an agreed definition of terrorism and stresses that the rejection of terrorism does not mean that we should ignore the reasons behind it. We must deal with the root causes of the problem if we are to be successful in eradicating it. In conclusion, the Sudan reaffirms its belief in the purposes and principles of the Charter. We stress our resolve to continue to work with the international community to strengthen the Organization so that it can efficiently carry out its role and mandate.