UN General Assembly
2002

﻿Allow me, at the outset, to express my warm congratulations and wishes to His Excellency Mr. Jan Kavan for every success on his election to the presidency of the fifty- seventh session of the General Assembly. I should also like to express my delegation's gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Han Seung-soo for the competent and able manner in which he conducted the work of the fifty-sixth session. I wish to convey to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, the sincere appreciation of His Excellency General Lansana Conté, President of the Republic of Guinea, for his tireless and dedicated efforts on behalf of the community of nations. In addition, I wish to welcome the admission of the Swiss Confederation, a country of great traditions of peace and democracy, to the Organization. My delegation looks forward with great interest to the forthcoming entry of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the family of nations. I remain convinced that the accession of those two countries will make a high-quality contribution to the endeavours of the international community and will strengthen the