UN General Assembly
2004

international terrorism in all its forms with its long line of victims, distress and desolation. This appears to me to be the appropriate time to announce that my country’s commitment to the ratification of all international legal instruments on terrorism is moving into its final phase of adoption. Our aim is to combat that scourge which — I repeat — spares no one. Apart from terrorism, the international community is confronted with the resurgence of other disasters which are just as murderous and devastating and which require us to strengthen our collective efforts. In particular I am thinking of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other endemic diseases. That list of forgotten diseases should not obscure the immense poverty and the natural disasters that we see throughout the world. Moreover, we must not forget the areas of tension, civil wars and other armed conflicts which increase the misery and hopelessness of humanity and which thus sorely test international peace and security. During the intersessional period, the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been