UN General Assembly
1995

active participation of the States most directly involved and interested in its success, and it must lead to the establishment of a stability pact for the African Great Lakes region. There are three elements that I believe to be essential in this respect: first, the adoption of principles for the return of the refugees and for national reconciliation, along with a commitment by States not to tolerate any activity hostile to their neighbours on their territory; secondly, the conclusion of bilateral or multilateral agreements among the States concerned to enshrine these principles and commitments and to give them substance; and, finally, the organization of a follow- up mechanism under the aegis of the Security Council. France holds the conviction that development assistance is the second, or perhaps the first, raison d’être of the United Nations. Here, too, the balance sheet invites reflection. How can we not have questions about the 16 feebleness of results, the persistence of extreme poverty, or at times even famine, these crises that erase all prospects of development and bring indescribable suffering to