UN General Assembly
1997

﻿I congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-second session. We have no doubt that your diplomatic tact will steer the deliberations of this important session to a fruitful conclusion. My delegation will lend you its full cooperation as you embark on the difficult task ahead of you. Let me now pay tribute to His Excellency Mr. Razali Ismail, your predecessor, who conducted our work during the fifty-first session in a highly remarkable manner. Our tribute goes also to the former Secretary- General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his distinguished leadership during his tenure. We are most grateful to him for his tireless efforts in upholding the objectives of the Organization. The present Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, hails from a country that paved the road towards freedom and national independence in our part of the world. The first leader of his country, Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, was a main catalyst in Africa’s fight against colonial domination. We have no doubt that all these attributes, together with his long-standing experience in the affairs