UN General Assembly
2005

I should like at the outset to sincerely congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at the present session. That election is a sign of confidence in your qualities as a statesman and a recognition of your country, Sweden, which reminds us of its illustrious son Dag Hammarskjld, the second Secretary-General of the Organization, who sacrificed his life for the cause of humanity. I should also like to express to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping, Minister of State, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Gabonese Republic, our heartfelt congratulations on the skill and wisdom with which he guided the work of the fifty-ninth session and successfully led the difficult negotiations that produced the document recently adopted at the World Summit (resolution 60/1). Finally, we commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his courageous and tireless initiatives to renew and revitalize the United Nations system. The sixtieth session of the General Assembly is taking place in an international situation characterized not only by recurrent wars but also by the resurgence