UN General Assembly
1997

Last week the Security Council devoted a meeting to addressing the problems of disputes and wars in some African countries. It considered ways of containing and solving such problems. The State of Qatar, which has fraternal relations with the African countries, is pained to witness the current state of affairs in States such as the Sudan, Somalia, the Comoros, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and the Congo. We believe that the African States are capable of overcoming their plight if they receive the necessary international support, particularly for the purpose of improving their economies and the transfer of technology in an international partnership in which all would participate. My country was one of the first to welcome the Dayton Peace Agreement because we believe in the importance of peace and cooperation in the Balkans. We have therefore supported the reconstruction of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have also made contacts with our neighbour countries to urge them to cooperate with each other to help rehabilitate the region, develop its resources, link it to the international economy