UN General Assembly
2011

I would like to congratulate the President on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. We are confident that his extensive diplomatic experience will inform his leadership at this session. I assure him of my delegation’s full support. During the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, we benefited from the skilled leadership of His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss. I wish to recognize his sterling contribution to the work of that session. We join others in welcoming the newest Member of the United Nations family — the Republic of South Sudan. The emergence of South Sudan as a sovereign State underscores the fundamental value and relevance of the theme of this year’s General Assembly session, namely, “The role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful means”. We salute the tenacity of the people of South Sudan in their struggle to gain statehood after five decades of conflict. We urge all sides and factions not to allow rivalries and revenge to impede growth and development. The international