UN General Assembly
1997

dialogue and social peace, President Lissouba, immediately following his inauguration, launched an appeal to the opposition to participate in the government of the Republic. That offer, whose purpose was to correct or at least minimize certain constitutional restrictions, was rejected by the opposition. From that point on, for the opposition each lost election became grounds for contention and conflict. This has further distanced it from political power and endangered the future of its own leaders. The war that has brought bloodshed to Brazzaville, our capital, is the culmination of the rejection by one party of our political class to accept the rules of democracy. The seeds of this war can be found in the economic problems and difficulties of the country. Faced with this war, we understand — though of course we do not share — the indifference of the international community to the fate of several thousand Africans, lost in one corner of the globe. The concern of the great economic Powers lies in preserving the richness of the