UN General Assembly
2004

Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election to preside over the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. I assure you of my delegation’s full cooperation in the discharge of your important duties. Allow me to also pay tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Julian R. Hunte, Minister for External Affairs of Saint Lucia, for his outstanding leadership in the Assembly’s last session. Our full appreciation goes to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his invaluable and wise stewardship of the United Nations. I also wish to express, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government and the people of Nepal, our sincere condolences to the Governments, countries and peoples that have suffered the consequences of hurricanes and terrorist attacks in recent weeks and months. We live in one of the most turbulent periods since the Second World War. The end of the cold war unleashed forces of democracy and economic openness, and the revolution in science, and technology has converted the world into a global village by shrinking distances and increasing connectivity. In tandem with this came many negative