Thus the responsibility for dealing with these problems lies with the international community as well as the African countries involved. We must do what we can to develop more effective instruments to contain these threats to peace and security. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to implement effective and targeted sanctions that directly affect the decision-makers that are profiting from the conflicts. Ladies and gentlemen, Today s conflicts be they in the Middle East or Sierra Leone, in Kosovo, Haiti or East Timor are often very complex. Political, economic, ethnic and social differences reinforce each other and fuel mistrust and hatred, discrimination and violence.
Complex conflicts are of course difficult to resolve.
Most of all they require a coherent approach and cooperation between many different players. A comprehensive security concept is therefore especially relevant to the work of the Security Council. Comprehensive security means that we cannot maintain security by military force alone. Long-term stability and development means giving everyone a chance, playing by democratic rules and ensuring an equitable distribution of both goods and burdens. This applies at both the national and the international level.