UN General Assembly
2000

We are concerned by the conflicts in Africa. We are hopeful as to the significant mediating role played by regional entities such as the Organization for African Unity, especially in the Ethiopia-Eritrea dispute, and the Southern African Development Community. We hope that these efforts, along with those of the United Nations, can bring about peace, allowing the continent to fully develop its enormous potential. We are pleased to note that the Security Council has directly addressed the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa, designating it as an international security issue requiring urgent action. We hope that initiatives will be adopted to effectively combat this problem, which casts an even greater shadow over the future of the continent than the current armed conflicts. We view with concern the difficulties surrounding the upcoming referendum in the Western Sahara. Chile would like to see the elections take place as soon as possible, on the basis of a free and secret ballot and adequate voter information. We are concerned about the obstacles that are hindering this undertaking. Although post-cold-war hopes for a world free of