UN General Assembly
1996

the goal of regional integration through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Association of Caribbean States. It is our objective to achieve the creation of a Caribbean zone of peace and cooperation. We are united by a common determination to remove the barriers that divide us and to protect the precious natural heritage that we share. For this we have to engage the active participation of all countries in the region. We wish to commend the efforts of African Governments and the Organization of African Unity to overcome the grave difficulties that Africa has been experiencing. We particularly welcome the initiative for a conference on peace, security and stability in the African Great Lakes region. We can only hope that, through a comprehensive approach, lasting solutions can be found to the situations in Burundi and Rwanda. We reiterate our strong support for the efforts of the international community to implement the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s and the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa.