UN General Assembly
2004

commencement of negotiations on a legally binding international instrument to enable States to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons globally. Of particular interest to Africa is the enormous potential that such a legally binding instrument can have on peace and security in our region. We should therefore not relent in our efforts. Let me take this opportunity to soundly condemn the totally unacceptable role of mercenaries and their sponsors in Africa. The recent attempted invasion of Equatorial Guinea and other such attempts go against every imaginable rational effort at promoting stability and democracy on the continent. We call on the United Nations to join the African Union in sending the right signals of condemnation to those mercenaries and their sponsors. Our quest for global peace and security will prove unsuccessful unless we intensify international cooperation for development and the reduction of poverty. Just four years ago, we adopted the Millennium Development Goals, which pointedly fixed the target of reducing by half the number of those living in poverty by 2015. Yet by now, the alarm is