It is a
great pleasure to extend to you, Madam President, the
warmest congratulations of my delegation on your
election to the presidency of the sixty-first session. In
giving you their trust as the third woman to preside
over the General Assembly, the Member States wished
to recognize your talents as a skilled diplomat and to
pay tribute to the important contribution of your
country to achieving our noble ideals of freedom,
peace and prosperity in the world. My country, which
shares common values with yours, wishes you every

06-53609 4

success in fulfilling your mandate. I should also like to
commend the remarkable work done by your
predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, who steered the work of
the sixtieth session with great wisdom and
effectiveness.
 Another very pleasant duty is to convey to a
valuable son of Africa, Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
the highest appreciation of His Excellency General
Lansana Conté, President of the Republic, for his
eminent contribution to promoting the fundamental
values of the United Nations. At this time, when he is
getting ready to pass on the torch, I should like to
express to him our deepest gratitude.
 Guinea also welcomes the admission of
Montenegro to the great family of the United Nations.
 In September 2005 the General Assembly
adopted, as the outcome of a high-level meeting,
important decisions which are a road map for
implementing the Millennium Development Goals and
for reforming the Organization to adapt it to a changing
world. My delegation is pleased with the reforms
begun and the progress achieved. We welcome the
establishment of the Human Rights Council, an
appropriate tool to promote basic rights as well as good
national and international governance. Likewise, we
hope that the new Peacebuilding Commission will
make an important contribution to mobilizing the
necessary resources to help countries emerging from
conflict.
 However, six decades after the creation of the
United Nations, consistent action by the Organization
in terms of development, humanitarian aid and the
environment is still an unfinished work. The reform of
the Secretariat’s management, which implies individual
and collective sacrifices, aims not only at reducing the
costs of the United Nations, but also at better
investment in order to enhance its effectiveness. To
move forward, the international community must
consolidate the reforms and extend them to the
principal organs of the Organization. Guinea firmly
supports this dynamic, which is the only thing that can
ensure the transparency, representativeness and
effectiveness of its bodies. This process depends, of
course, on the political will of all its Member States,
without exception.
 In the maintenance of international peace and
security we see reasons for both satisfaction and
concern.
 In Africa, and in particular the western part, my
delegation is happy that peace has been restored to
Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia. However, the
balance in these States is still precarious. We therefore
urge the international community to strengthen its
cooperation with their democratically elected
Governments in order to strengthen peace and to
ensure the rapid recovery of their economies.
 In Côte d’Ivoire the peace process is entering a
decisive phase, with the settlement of sensitive issues
related to the holding of upcoming free and fair
elections. Guinea encourages the parties to fully
cooperate in continued dialogue with a view to a
successful outcome to the crisis.
 The significant progress made in the Great Lakes
region in recent months is encouraging.
 The general elections held on 30 July in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo are a crucial stage
in the peace process. But keeping troops of the United
Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUC) there, in support of Government
efforts, is still crucial to restoring State authority over
the entire national territory and, in particular, to
bringing peace to the eastern part of the country.
 In Sudan, we greatly appreciate the efforts of the
international community, particularly the African
Union and regional leaders, to promote peace and
security in Darfur. The Abuja Peace Accord of May
2006 is a stepping stone towards the inclusive,
comprehensive agreement that is crucial to that
country’s stability.
 In Somalia, my delegation encourages all the
parties concerned to favour the path of negotiation with
a view to restoring peace.
 With regard to the Western Sahara, the Republic
of Guinea encourages the parties in conflict to
strengthen their cooperation with the Secretary-
General’s Personal Envoy in order to find a political
solution that is fair, lasting and mutually acceptable.
 In the Middle East, Guinea regrets the fact that
Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza was not followed by
additional measures to put an end to the occupation of
Palestinian territory. It calls upon the parties to uphold
the relevant United Nations resolutions as well as the
Quartet road map for the creation of two States,
Palestinian and Israeli, with secure, internationally
recognized borders, living side by side in peace.

5 06-53609

 With respect to the Israeli-Lebanese crisis,
Guinea greatly regrets the tragedy of the Lebanese
people. We support effective implementation of
Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), which
imposes a ceasefire and the deployment of a stronger
international force in southern Lebanon.
 We stress the need to end the escalating violence
in Iraq, in order to guarantee the country’s stability and
successfully carry out national reconstruction.
 In Asia, the Government of Guinea reaffirms its
attachment to the one-China principle. We also attach
great importance to the peaceful reunification of
Korea, and the continuation of efforts to preserve
peace, security and stability in the Korean peninsula.
 The recommendations of the Working Group on
peacekeeping operations are a reference point for
taking up the challenges of peace. We welcome the
greater cooperation between the Secretariat and the
troop-contributing countries, which has made it
possible to better understand what is at stake, thus
favouring an increased contribution from Member
States. The Republic of Guinea regularly takes part in
peacekeeping operations, and we reaffirm our readiness
to enhance our contribution within the framework of
the new agreements and arrangements that will stem
from the reform process.
 Guinea strongly condemns all forms and
manifestations of terrorism, the scourge threatening
international peace and security. We value the crucial
role played by the United Nations in fighting it, and
therefore support the Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy adopted at the sixtieth session of the General
Assembly.
 In the area of disarmament, Guinea condemns the
stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament. Nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation are two inseparable
parts of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and bind all
parties, without exception.
 The failure last July of the United Nations
Conference to Review Progress Made in the
Implementation of the Programme of Action to
Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in
Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects
should not in the least undermine our commitment to
combat the proliferation of such weapons and the illicit
trade in them. My country is in favour of establishing
an international, legally binding instrument dealing
with all the related issues. In this respect, the
transformation of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) Moratorium into a
Convention on small arms reflects the determination of
our States to eradicate this other scourge. Its success
will depend upon the level of cooperation of member
States and also the commitment of its partners.
 The 2005 Summit was a decisive step in
promoting the Millennium Development Goals. Guinea
has made an effort to put in place more ambitious
national development strategies. In this context, the
Government has drafted a national poverty reduction
strategy based on speeding up economic growth and
access to basic social services, as well as improving
governance. In order to implement this policy, the
Government and its development partners have begun
programmes and projects dealing with priority sectors,
such as education, health, integrated rural
development, infrastructure, the provision of water,
and strengthening human and institutional capacities.
 In the same spirit, the drafting in February 2005
of the second follow-up report on the Millennium
Development Goal made it possible to assess the
progress made, note the shortcomings and outline the
prospects of achieving the Goals by 2015. We regard
this as an opportunity to urge our development partners
to swiftly implement the entire set of internationally
recognized development initiatives, including the goals
and objectives of the Programme of Action for the
Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010.
 We reaffirm the urgent need to strengthen official
development assistance and to assure the long-term
viability of debt by cancelling all public and bilateral
debt of the most heavily indebted poor countries.
While condemning the impasse in negotiations of the
World Trade Organization’s Doha Round, my
delegation calls upon Member States to make a
collective effort to prevent a return to protectionism, a
factor in the deregulation of international economic
relations.
 Guinea took part with great interest in the High-
Level Dialogue that the General Assembly has just
devoted to the question of international migration and
development. We reiterate our conviction that
continuation of this Dialogue within the framework of
the global consultative forum will help to identify ways
and means to better exploit the benefits of migration
for development, while mitigating its harmful effects.

06-53609 6

 Although Guinea is not a country in conflict or
emerging from conflict, the midterm review of the
humanitarian appeal, “Guinea 2006”, points out,
“Today its social indicators have become similar to
those of countries emerging from a prolonged war.”
That confirms the very serious consequences of the
subregional instability that we have seen for more than
15 years in my country. In this respect, our
Government, through me, wishes to reiterate its appeal
for greater assistance in order to help the affected
regions to recover. We welcome the transformation of
the Central Emergency Revolving Fund into the
Central Emergency Response Fund. We hope that
within the common country programming process and
the United Nations Development Assistance
Framework, covering the period 2007-2011, the
funding gaps apparent in the course of various
humanitarian appeals will be filled and better
provisions for Guinea will be considered.
 Furthermore, deeply concerned by child
trafficking, Guinea has signed with Mali and Côte
d’Ivoire a memorandum of understanding to prevent
this phenomenon and to improve border control.
 In our common quest for a new international
order, this sixty-first session of the General Assembly
will be seen as one of important change for the United
Nations. The reforms that we have achieved will be the
beacons illuminating the path to a lasting peace and
development with greater solidarity. But we must also
maintain the impetus of reform and continue in our
common will to make the United Nations the
irreplaceable instrument to take up the enormous
challenges of peace, security, development and human
rights in the twenty-first century.


I have the honour to
deliver this statement on behalf of His Excellency Paul
Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, at this
sixty-first session of the General Assembly.
 Each year the General Assembly provides an
excellent opportunity for us to review our collective
commitments as reflected in the Charter, as well as
more recent ones such as those set out in the
Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World Summit
Outcome. We therefore view the beginning of the
sixty-first session of the General Assembly as an
opportunity to breathe new energy into our collective
responsibilities articulated at previous conferences and
summits. It is my earnest hope that we shall seize this
opportunity to take stock of our successes and
shortcomings and devise practical solutions to realize
these commitments, particularly the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
 In its preamble, the United Nations Charter
expresses our collective determination to promote
social progress and better standards of life in larger
freedom. This statement formed a basis for the
Millennium Declaration in 2000 and our renewal of
those commitments at last year’s World Summit. All of
the outcomes of previous conferences and summits
reflect the recognition of our collective interests and
responsibilities in addressing the common problems
affecting humankind.
 Today, there is no greater danger threatening
humanity than extreme poverty. Forty per cent of the
world’s population, or 2.5 billion people, live in
absolute poverty on less than $2 a day, while more than
800 million people suffer from hunger and
malnutrition. For sub-Saharan Africa, the statistics are
even more staggering; in most cases, 60 to 70 per cent
of national populations live on less than a dollar a day,
while life expectancy at birth is less than 50 years.
 This is clearly unacceptable at a time when the
rest of the world enjoys unprecedented levels of
affluence and technological and scientific
advancement. As for the poor, their daily lives are a
trial that nobody would wish to experience. We must
not permit another five years to pass only to find out
that no progress has been made and only to simply
renew the same commitments. We must, therefore,
devise means to do things radically differently and in
an accelerated manner.
 There are a number of areas that require our
urgent attention if we are to make progress in attaining
the MDGs by 2015 and in eventually eradicating
poverty. I will highlight a few of these areas, which, in
our view, are the most salient. Regardless of one’s
definition of good or effective governance, what has
been proved is its importance in the sustained socio-
economic development of a nation. We believe that the
key features of good or effective governance include a
political culture that fosters inclusive and competitive
participation; robust national institutions that pursue
effective and coherent national development strategies;
effective management and oversight institutions; and,
of course, the consolidation of the rule of law. It is our
view that, by embracing good-governance principles,
we are setting the stage for the attainment of our global
and national targets.
 Rwanda is strongly committed to these principles
and has submitted itself to the scrutiny of our African
peers under the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD) African Peer Review
Mechanism (APRM). The APRM is an African

49 06-53323

initiative aimed at promoting good governance through
constructive self-assessment and peer review. We
welcome the acknowledgements of the progress we
have made in many areas and commit ourselves to
continuing to make improvements in the areas
identified in the peer review report.
 In the spirit of mutual accountability, it is our
belief that the principles of good governance that
prevail at the national level should also guide our
relations with our development partners. Both sides of
the ongoing governance debate should be given
adequate and equal attention, particularly since aid
effectiveness is also critical to the attainment of the
MDGs.
 We believe that improving the quality and
increasing the quantity of official development
assistance (ODA) is another important set of measures
that would improve development prospects. The
quality of ODA should be improved by adopting needs-
based approaches, providing more budget support,
supporting national poverty reduction programmes,
reducing waste and overhead, and channelling aid to
sectors that enhance productive capacities rather than
perpetuate dependence.
 It is critical that there be harmonization of the
objectives of trade and development policies on the
part of our development partners. Trade policies should
complement, rather than undermine, the attainment of
the development goals. We must recommit ourselves,
both in principle and practice, to an open, rules-based,
non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading
system. Any progress that developing countries like
Rwanda might achieve in attaining the MDGs will not
be sustainable unless measures are taken to provide
greater opportunity for those countries to access the
markets of the developed world, thereby increasing
household and national incomes.
 The attainment of the MDGs will require
additional resources. We thus consider it essential to
increase the quantity of aid. We welcome the decision
by some developed States to dramatically increase the
volume of ODA over the next few years, and we are
grateful to them. We also congratulate those States that
have reached or exceeded the internationally agreed
0.7 per cent of gross national income for the ODA
target, and we welcome the decision by those States
that have set timetables to achieve or exceed that target
by 2015. The challenge is, therefore, to translate these
commitments into tangible disbursements and the
implementation of real poverty reduction programmes
on the ground.
 The most serious challenge to our development
and the attainment of the MDGs is the unprecedented
price level of fossil-fuel energy on the one hand, and
the reduction in hydroelectric generation capacity on
the other.
 There is a danger that the successes registered so
far towards the attainment of the MDGs could easily be
reversed if the current energy sector cost trends
continue unabated. It is critical, therefore, that we
invest heavily in sustainable alternative energy sources
for the long term. In the short- and medium-term,
however, we shall need to find ways to mitigate the
effects of energy price shocks if we are to sustain and
accelerate the attainment of the MDGs.
 The scourge of war continues to cause the
massive loss of human life and blight entire
communities. The ongoing conflicts in some parts of
Africa and the Middle East pose a serious threat to
international peace and security and require our
collective efforts to reach political settlements to these
conflicts.
 Our painful experience in Rwanda has taught us
that peace comes at a price. There can be no peace
without reconciliation and recognition of the rights and
interests of all people, including the rights of States to
exist and the right of self-determination. We have
learned that no community’s rights can or should
supersede another’s. We have learned the value of
sharing and the value of communities’ living side by
side in peace and mutual respect.
 Rwanda is happy to contribute to the promotion
of international peace and security through its military
and police contributions to the United Nations and
African Union peacekeeping missions in the Sudan,
Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and the Comoros. We are
committed to continuing these contributions for as long
as they are required and as long as our resources
permit. The Security Council and the Secretariat should
continue to work towards better-conceived and more-
effective peacekeeping operations, towards greater
participation by regional organizations in conflict
resolution and towards the institutionalization of
lessons learned from the past. There is also an urgent
need to institutionalize relations between the United
Nations and regional organizations, particularly the

06-53323 50

African Union, in the areas of conflict resolution and
peacekeeping.
 We warmly welcome the reforms adopted during
the previous session of the General Assembly. We take
this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Jan Eliasson,
President of the sixtieth session, and all Member States
on the reforms, including the setting up of the
Peacebuilding Commission, the establishment of the
Human Rights Council and the renewed commitments
to combat HIV/AIDS adopted at the special session of
the General Assembly in June. There has also been
commendable progress on management reform,
including the establishment of an ethics office,
strengthening whistle-blower protection and reforming
procurement procedures to prevent corruption. We look
forward to working together with other delegations
during this session to improve coherence, efficiency
and effectiveness within the Secretariat and to continue
to review the Organization’s mandates, so that the
United Nations may be strengthened to respond better
to the expectations of Member States.
 It is our hope that this session of the General
Assembly might achieve greater progress with respect
to Security Council reform. Rwanda supports the
common African position on this issue and believes
that reform of the working methods to promote
transparency and accountability is most urgent. The
reform process should enable States that are not
members of the Council to participate more actively in
its deliberative and decision-making processes,
especially on issues that affect them. A reformed
Council should be seen by all States, especially the
smaller States, to be more accessible, transparent,
credible and legitimate.
 In the next few months, the General Assembly
will elect a new Secretary-General upon
recommendation of the Security Council. Rwanda
supports the common African position that the next
Secretary-General should be from Asia. As far as the
election process is concerned, we appeal for greater
transparency in that process in accordance with the
Charter and the basic principles of democracy.
 In conclusion, in today’s globalized world, our
interdependence has never been more self-evident. As a
result, the imperative for our collective action is
greater than ever. Once again, the onus is on all of us
to translate our many challenges and opportunities into
a shared destiny of peace, security and prosperity for
all.


It is
generally considered that the struggle of ideologies has
passed into history together with the collapse of the
bipolar world order. Yet in reality the world continues a
painful quest for a system of ideas that could ensure its
security, justice and prosperity. The 2005 World
Summit and the current General Assembly debate are
good evidence of this quest. Nowhere else but on this
rostrum does one have such an acute sense that ideas
and the struggle for them are no abstract matter. They
permeate the flesh and blood of millions and billions of
people.

06-53609 16

 I hope that many of those present will agree that
free self-determination is the main ideology of the
modern world. Is it not absolutely clear that as long as
there is no independent Palestinian State, peacefully
coexisting  with all its neighbours, and that as long as
Iraq is not free from occupation, then terrorism and
extremism will remain inevitable and invincible?
Attempts to solve the problems of self-determination
by violent measures, whether military or of any other
kind, from the outside will result only in increasing the
ranks of the ruthless disciples of terrorism and
extremism.
 In the modern world free self-determination is not
only an issue of State independence and sovereignty. It
is also an issue of recognizing — not in word, but in
deed — a diversity of ways for countries and peoples
to progress. We must provide the Palestinians, Iraqis,
Lebanese and other peoples with the possibility of
building their own homes in the way they want. Any
help should come only then and in such manner as they
wish, not as deemed appropriate by the ideologues of
crusades in some capitals. There are no clever and
foolish, no superior and inferior, no righteous and
vicious peoples and religions; there are just people of
the planet who are equally eager for happiness,
uncomplicated and dignified.
 The five years that have passed since
11 September 2001 have proved with painful clarity
that ideology and the practice of crusades do not bring
peace and democracy. They lead to the devastation of
States, the destruction of the fabric of life of entire
nations, and the death of children, women and innocent
civilians. They also result in an upsurge of terrorism,
swelling the ranks of its followers and supporters. In
the same way, religious intolerance and the rejection of
the beliefs and conventions of other people do not
bring spiritual harmony and unity. They cause an
outbreak of radicalism, fanaticism and extremism.
Encouragement of religious tolerance within societies
should become a responsibility of political and state
leaders.
 International security and global stability are
inseparable from the solution of the world’s
development problems. Security and development are
inseparable. This is not some artificial linkage created
in the halls of the United Nations. Its real nature has
been clearly shown by the events in the suburbs of
Paris. Are we, here in the General Assembly, and our
colleagues in the capitals of the richest countries,
waiting for an even more alarming signal? Are we
waiting for the spiralling extremism caused by the lack
of prospects for the future?
 The situation is as clear as it can get. And it is
clear that inadequate reflection of the priorities of
development and development assistance in the 2005
World Summit Outcome document (resolution 60/1)
was a serious mistake by the international community.
 How can we correct this mistake? We can do so
only by earnest and not hypocritical practical efforts to
implement the Millennium Development Goals. Before
too long we will see new proposals based on the results
of the large-scale study on raising system-wide
coherence and coordination of actions of the agencies
of the United Nations system in the field of
development assistance. Our task is to implement these
important initiatives in deed.
 The Millennium Development Goals are clear.
None is easily achievable. These problems are too old
and too deep-rooted to be solved by incremental and
shallow methods. Nobody treats a dangerous infection
with aspirin. A serious task requires serious tools. That
is why the time has come for deep transformation of
the Bretton Woods institutions. They were established
in a different era and for different purposes. They
should be changed and made to serve the cause of
global development. A special role in making
development a success and not a problem will belong
to the Economic and Social Council, as the major
United Nations coordinating body on development.
Special responsibility will rest on the shoulders of the
members of the Council.
 Belarus is a candidate for membership of the
Economic and Social Council for the period 2007-
2009. I appeal to Member States to support Belarus in
the elections to be held during the current session. The
Assembly may rest assured that the Republic of
Belarus will not fall short of its expectations. As a
Member of the United Nations since 1945, Belarus has
never wavered in its devotion to the purposes and
principles of the Charter. As a member of the Non-
Aligned Movement since 1998, Belarus stands actively
and resolutely for the implementation of the goals and
principles of the Movement and the practical
strengthening of its role in international affairs.
 Our responsibility and concern for the destiny of
the world are sincere. There is much evidence to prove
that. In its region the Republic of Belarus is a donor of

17 06-53609

international security. Belarus was the first country in
the world to voluntarily renounce the possession of the
nuclear weapons it had at its disposal.
 Despite all the difficulties of the transition
period, our country was among the first to respond to
the plight of people struck by the tsunami in the Indian
Ocean in 2004, and provided humanitarian assistance
to the disaster-stricken countries of south-east Asia.
Nor was our country an indifferent spectator of the
recent conflict in the Middle East. At the height of the
hostilities Belarus invited children from war-ravaged
States to come to Belarus for health rehabilitation.
 The adherence of Belarus to the cause of
development is also sincere and firm. Implementation
of the international development agenda will be the
indisputable priority of our work in the Economic and
Social Council. What is most important is that we have
the know-how to do it. Having been left 15 years ago,
after the collapse of the Soviet Union, without natural
resources and foreign markets, without a national
currency and international assistance, we have
achieved our economic and social objectives. They
may be considered modest when compared to those of
the most developed countries, but they are of critical
importance as a stage in our movement forward, as
evidence of what a medium-sized State can achieve in
the most difficult of circumstances.
 Among other hardships, we had to deal on our
own with the Chernobyl disaster, whose radioactive
contamination affected more than 20 per cent of our
population and made it impossible to use more than 20
per cent of arable land and 30 per cent of forests.
Chernobyl’s direct damage in Belarus alone is
equivalent to 35 annual national budgets. It is more
than appropriate to recall today, in the year of its
twentieth anniversary, the largest man-made disaster in
the history of mankind.
 Having overcome a 50 per cent decline in the
economy, and having rejected formulas that the
International Monetary Fund tried to impose upon us,
Belarus was the first country of the Commonwealth of
Independent States to restore gross domestic product to
its peak Soviet value and then raise the level to 120 per
cent of that value. We have created a market economy
with a strong social emphasis. We have preserved free
education, including higher education, and health care,
as well as the high quality and availability of social
services for all people without exception. We have
reduced unemployment to 1.5 per cent, and we are
successfully curbing inflation.
 I am confident that the experience, approach and
knowledge of Belarus will be a useful contribution to
the work of the Economic and Social Council on the
Millennium Development Goals. If the majority of
nations give us the credit of trust, we will most actively
and persistently work for a stronger role for the
Council in addressing the development challenges.
Together with those who share these approaches, we
will work to reform the social and economic sphere of
the United Nations. Reform measures are not working
yet. Without them the activity of different United
Nations funds and programmes at country level can
never be effective. To continue a “business as usual”
approach in these matters would mean leaving the
Millennium Development Goals on paper.
 There is also a large debit balance in United
Nations activities outside the Economic and Social
Council. There has been no substantial movement
towards the enhancement of the role of the General
Assembly as a principal organ of the United Nations.
So far there has been no progress in reorganizing the
Security Council, a key element in United Nations
reform. The sluggishness of the Security Council in
addressing the situation in Lebanon has not only
caused sorrow and frustration, but once again
convinces us of the disparity between the Security
Council and the image of the world as we know it
today.
 Having made right and important steps in the
human rights area after the 2005 World Summit, the
international community should take new actions at
this session. They should be aimed at a true promotion
of human rights and protection of the real victims of
human rights violations, and not at getting even with
disagreeable nations by abusing an unjust instrument of
country-specific resolutions.
 As a major step towards the practical promotion
of human rights and the protection of victims of one of
the most acute and painful phenomena of the modern
world, Belarus has, together with a number of partners,
elaborated a draft resolution on improving international
coordination in fighting human trafficking, and will
present it to the Assembly at this session. The global
scale of that challenge requires from all of us not
shallow talk, but truly coordinated and purposeful
actions. We see the goal of these efforts as the

06-53609 18

elaboration of a United Nations strategy to fight human
trafficking. I ask the Assembly to support the
establishment of a systems-based approach to a global
partnership against slavery and trafficking in human
beings. Who else but the United Nations should care
about the dozens, hundreds and perhaps millions of
victims — above all, women and children — of
modern slavery? Who else but the United Nations
should encourage better international coordination in
eradicating this phenomenon, which is an utter
disgrace in our century?
 At the World Summit many leaders spoke about
the spirit of San Francisco. The spirit of San Francisco
in 1944 and 1945 came from the sense of responsibility
of nations in dealing with the problems of the world,
not responsibility for their own narrow interests — that
is obvious and simple — but for a common cause. That
spirit became possible as a result of the huge disaster
of the Second World War, with about 60 million deaths
and the inconceivable suffering of hundreds of
millions. Do we also need a huge disaster to restore
that spirit? I am sure we do not. I hope that we have all
learned the lessons of history.
 After an era of romantic ideals and their tragic
failure in the 1990s, mankind today is coming to a
more elaborate perception of what kind of world order
it needs. The Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in
Havana has demonstrated the clear aspiration of the
majority of the nations of the world to move from the
self-exhausted unipolar world to the multipolar world,
fair and stable, based on the interdependence of diverse
global and regional centres of power, to a world fit for
all. The Havana Summit has shown that humanity
should be humane. That should be the United Nations
motto for a challenging twenty-first century.


Just
one year ago, our heads of State or Government
gathered in this Assembly and reaffirmed that peace,
security, development and human rights are closely
interlinked. They also reaffirmed their faith in
multilateralism and an international order based upon
the rule of law. The mandate they entrusted to us is
being implemented progressively. We have established
the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights
Council and adopted the Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy. Our expectations are high and we hope that
the results will meet them.
 During the past year, we have witnessed a rebirth
of multilateralism, and I am happy about that. What
we, the Member States of the United Nations, do
together in a multilateral way will by definition enjoy
greater legitimacy. I have in mind in particular, the
recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon, a conflict
in which the Security Council fully assumed its
responsibilities — and of which the good offices of the
Secretary-General must eventually guarantee a lasting
political settlement.
 Likewise, it is worth noting that international
dialogue, rather than the use of force, is again in the
foreground of multilateral diplomacy. Here I have in
mind the case of Iran: we must make every effort to
resolve the difficult nuclear issue while fully
respecting the principles of the Charter and the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
 That being said, multilateralism, as I see it, is
neither a dogma nor a simple profession of faith.
Multilateralism is an instrument that should be judged
by its impact on world issues. In order to be effective,
it must deliver results. Only action can legitimize its
raison d’être.
 Yesterday morning the President of Finland
addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the
European Union (see ). I entirely endorse
her statement. I will now address a few issues which
are of particular importance to Belgium.
 The Middle East has just experienced one of the
worst crises in recent years. A military approach has
led to unacceptable sacrifices by civilians, both in
Lebanon and in Israel. In the face of such a crisis,
Belgium and its European partners have clearly
demonstrated their willingness to act and have
answered the successive appeals of the Secretary-
General. Belgium, for its part, has contributed to the
emergency fund to support the Lebanese Government’s
reconstruction projects. But above all, Belgium has
decided to participate in the reinforcement of the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
requested by Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
In the coming weeks, 400 Belgian Blue Helmets will
be deployed in southern Lebanon.
 But the international community’s efforts must
not stop there. All elements of the Security Council
resolution must be urgently implemented. I salute the
efforts of the Secretary-General and of the States
involved, which have brought an end to the blockade.
The two kidnapped Israeli soldiers must also be
immediately released. Likewise, we have to work on a
solution for the release of the Lebanese prisoners in
Israel. And above all, the arms embargo must
effectively be implemented. Finally, the Lebanese
Government must fully exercise its sovereignty and its
control throughout its territory. It has our full support
in that process.
 The implementation of Council resolution 1701
(2006) shows, moreover, that the European Union is
becoming more involved in the quest for a lasting
peace in the Middle East. That is a welcome
development.
 We all agree that lasting peace is predicated on a
settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Therefore
we must work on all measures which could rapidly
open a path towards the resumption of the dialogue, an
end to the hostilities, security guarantees for both
parties, the liberation of the abducted Israeli soldier,

47 06-52885

the release of the political leaders arrested during the
crisis, humanitarian access, the re-establishment of
basic services, a start to reconstruction and the transfer
of the tax and customs income due to the Palestinian
authorities.
 We support the efforts of the President of the
Palestinian Authority to form a government of national
unity. Nevertheless, we will be attentive to the content
of its platform and to its response to the three
conditions set by the Quartet.
 I share the assessment of the Secretary-General:
in the already tense environment of the Middle East,
the region can absolutely not afford a new major crisis.
Given the widespread and justified suspicion aroused
by the Iranian nuclear programme, I appeal to the sense
of responsibility of the Tehran authorities to respond
positively to the offers for negotiation made to them.
Iran is a great country, with an ancient and esteemed
civilization. That heritage, as well as its role in the
region, must encourage Iran to promote peace and
security and to rebuild confidence with its regional
partners, rather than isolating itself through useless
provocations. Iran must again take its place in the
community of nations and follow the rules that govern
international relations. Iran must comply with the
provisions of Security Council resolution 1696 (2006).
 A first round of presidential elections and
legislative elections were recently held in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, thanks to the
combined efforts of the Congolese authorities, civil
society and the international community. It was quite a
challenge. The Congolese people voted in an orderly
fashion and in great numbers, and thereby
demonstrated a sense of public responsibility and a
desire to exercise their democratic rights.
 I pay tribute to the United Nations Organization
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(MONUC) for the positive role it played, assisted by
the European Union-led peacekeeping force (EUFOR),
in controlling the skirmishes that occurred at the end of
the first round. The electoral process now has to be
completed; there is no other option. Calm must return,
and the protagonists must commit themselves, in good
faith, to applying the rules of democracy. The
international community must continue to support the
process.
 However, the elections are but a first step. Next,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo has to establish
solid and reliable institutions that are ready to shoulder
their responsibilities to the benefit of the people. The
potential resources of the Congo are enormous, and so
are the challenges ahead in the reconstruction of the
country. It is crucial that the new authorities
unambiguously demonstrate, their commitment to good
governance, both political and economic.
 The international community has been a loyal
partner for the Congo during this transition. Its support
and collaboration, particularly through MONUC, will
remain paramount throughout the establishment of the
new institutions. I hope that the international
community will be able to continue a constructive
dialogue with the new Congolese authorities to the
benefit of peace, stability and development of the
Congo and of the region.
 Following the democratic elections that ended the
transition period in Burundi took place, the people of
Burundi and the international community had high
hopes for the prospect of stability and development in
that country. That is why we welcomed the recent
ceasefire reached with the Forces Nationales de
Libération (FNL) movement. I fear, however, that
those hopes might be dashed. The Government’s
reactions towards the press and the opposition, as well
as its management of public affairs, have cast a shadow
over the evolution of the democratic process.
 The Secretary-General himself expressed his
concerns very clearly about the situation in Burundi.
The development partners and the regional partners
share those concerns. All possible means must be used
to consolidate the democratic process in Burundi as
well as its development potential. Democracy must be
fully exercised, and responsible media, and a
responsible civil society, are key elements in that
respect. The rule of law must be strengthened, in the
interest and with the participation of all. From that
perspective, a dialogue with national political partners
is indispensable. The new Government has a vital role
in this respect. The new Peacebuilding Commission
will provide us with opportunities to hold a frank and
open dialogue on all these issues.
 As all are aware, these days our Organization is
devoting greater attention to States emerging from
conflict that are in a period of transition. The danger of
new tensions in such still-fragile States is very real.
Free and democratic elections are important, but they
are only one part of the process of rebuilding the rule

06-52885 48

of law. We cannot lose sight of the way in which power
is really exercised. We must rebuild States so that they
are able to assume their responsibilities towards their
neighbours and their own peoples. They must be able
to defend their sovereignty and their borders without
threatening the stability of their partners; they must
have professional and loyal armies at their disposal;
and in such States, power must be exercised not to the
benefit of the few but to respond to the aspirations of
the people. Good governance should be at the centre of
the process.
 Since the beginning of this year Belgium has held
the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a regional organization
under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United
Nations. Its principles and values are the same as those
of the United Nations. Its fields of action are very
similar and complementary; they include promotion of
human rights, democratization, protection of
minorities, conflict prevention, crisis management and
protection of the environment, not to mention dialogue
among civilizations, the combat against the
proliferation of small arms, and electoral monitoring.
 The OSCE played a key role in maintaining the
relationship between the two parts of Europe divided
by the cold war. Since that time, the organization has
elaborated a number of norms, principles and
commitments that unite all its members, which
contributes to reinforcing their collective security.
 One of the objectives of our chairmanship was to
strengthen the balance between the three dimensions of
the OSCE: political and military, economic, and
humanitarian. We have tried, where possible, to
establish in those areas synergies with the United
Nations, on issues such as the problems of landlocked
countries, combating organized crime and combating
terrorism. During its chairmanship, Belgium has
worked actively to contribute to a solution to so-called
frozen conflicts. But such solutions will be possible
only if can count on the genuine will of all parties
concerned to move forward.
 Some of the criticisms levelled at the United
Nations are justified, and we must therefore pursue the
reform process, which must above all strengthen the
legitimacy, effectiveness and credibility of the United
Nations. Those criticisms should not minimize the
successes the United Nations has to its credit. Here I
am referring to the dramatic increase in the number of
peacekeeping operations.
 On the other hand, poverty is decreasing
worldwide, thanks in particular to the dramatic
progress made in Asia. While the trend of increasing
poverty has not yet been reversed in sub-Saharan
Africa, the 2006 report on the Millennium
Development Goals stresses that many African
countries are now showing long-term growth potential
that could improve the standard of living of their
peoples.
 I should like to take this opportunity to pay a very
sincere tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi
Annan. He has worked tirelessly, placing his political
and negotiating skills in the service of peace,
development and human rights. I wish to express my
deep gratitude for the dedication he has shown at the
helm of our Organization.


Let me congratulate
Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa on her election to the
presidency and wish her a year relatively free of
conflict crisis and catastrophe — in other words, a year
unlike the one we have just had, during which His
Excellency Jan Eliasson significantly contributed to the
successful navigation of troubled waters with his great
leadership. The “year of turmoil”, as he called it (see
A/60/PV.100), included conflicts and crises, as well as
man-made and natural disasters, all requiring our
collective response. We have responded with great
commitment to maintain peace and stability in the
world.
 Of the conflicts that we have faced in this past
year, the one that emerged to be the most tragic was
that of the war in Lebanon. I believe the international
community has lost some credibility and moral
authority in the eyes of the peoples of the world, who
watched the Security Council bicker over minute issues
while bombs were being dropped in Lebanon and
innocent people were being killed. It was a great shame
for the international community not to be able to
deliver and establish an immediate ceasefire. When an
international body loses moral authority, our ability to
effectively tackle problems and issues that require a
collective response is certainly undermined.
 In other areas, however, the collective efforts of
the international community have indeed succeeded. I
believe we played a role in the civilized process of
bringing Montenegro to this day and to this body.
Collectively, we created and empowered the
Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights
Council, two bodies that hold great promise for
delivering deeper and more profound commitment on
the part of the world community to building peace and
protecting human rights.
 The most threatening challenges in the world
remain those of poverty and hopelessness. When our
leaders gathered in this Hall six years ago, they
decided that the United Nations was the most effective
body in which to address the ills facing our societies.
They collectively recognized their responsibility to
deliver, worldwide, more equitably distributed social
and economic development, at an accelerated pace.
They said to the world that they were willing to
channel international processes and multilateral
resources in order to tackle the needs of the world’s
poor. They will be judged by their adherence to the
principle, promise and commitment of collective
action. Six years have now passed and the world still
earnestly looks on to see whether individual and
regional interests can be overcome and those problems
jointly addressed.
 We in Armenia also face similar problems. We are
encouraged and rewarded by the extensive political and
economic reforms that we have conducted over the past
10 years. The results are evident. We are now preparing
to engage in the second generation of political and
economic reforms in order to continue to build on the
past decade of progress. We are moving forward on
legislative and administrative matters; we are today a
more democratic society and a more open and more
liberal economy. We have been registering double-digit
growth over the past six years.
 While we are encouraged by this economic
progress and the positive macroeconomic indicators,
we are now turning our attention to the rural areas in
order to eradicate poverty in our society. We are
reminded of the remarkable promise, made in 2000, to
the victims of global poverty to “free our fellow men,
women and children from the abject and dehumanizing
conditions of extreme poverty” (resolution 55/2,
para. 11). To be able to do that in Armenia, we will
leverage the philanthropy of international organizations
and friendly countries with the traditional generosity of
our diaspora, so that we can build and repair
infrastructure and thus create new conditions for
economic development and social change. But we also
understand that infrastructure alone is not enough to
introduce that kind of change that reduces poverty. We
need to invest in people; we need to invest in women
and children; and we need to educate them and train
them for the future.
 We will begin that programme in Armenia’s
border villages. Unlike other countries, where border
villages are points of interaction and activity,
Armenia’s eastern and western borders are closed, thus
stifling economic interaction and regional cooperation.
With our neighbour, Turkey, it is not only economic
cooperation that suffers, but also the dialogue between
our two peoples. Turkey’s insistence on keeping the
border closed and not allowing interaction between the
two communities freezes the memories of yesterday,
instead of promoting dialogue and interaction to create
new experiences and new memories for tomorrow. We
still believe and hope that Turkey will eventually
understand that keeping the border closed until there is
harmony and mutual understanding between our two

06-53341 8

peoples is not a policy. On the contrary, it is avoidance
of a responsible policy to forge and promote regional
cooperation and economic development at a time and
in a region that are the object of growing global
attention.
 Let me address the issue of Kosovo, as many
have done from this podium. We closely follow the
process of self-determination in Kosovo because we
Armenians, ourselves, are extremely supportive of the
process of self-determination for the people of
Nagorno Karabakh. But we do not draw parallels
between the two conflicts or with any other conflict.
We believe and insist that conflicts are all different,
and each must be decided on its own merits. While we
ourselves do not consider the Kosovo outcome to be a
precedent for other conflicts, we are extremely anxious
about the possibility that it may raise artificial
obstacles for other self-determination movements,
simply because others cite it as a precedent. This is of
extreme concern to us because we believe that there are
movements in the world today that have earned the
right to self-determination. The Kosovo outcome
should not serve as an excuse or reason to put a damper
on those self-determination movements.
 Yet, such attempts are already apparent in this
Hall as the principle of self-determination is being
undermined compared to other principles. But this goes
contrary to the lessons of history. There is a reason that
the Helsinki Final Act enshrined the principle of self-
determination as equal among other principles in
international relations. In international interactions,
just as in human relations, there are no absolute values.
There are also responsibilities. A State should gain and
earn the right to govern. States have the responsibility
to protect their own citizens, and the people have the
right to choose the Government that they think should
govern them.
 The people of Nagorno Karabakh decided long
ago not to be represented by the Government of
Azerbaijan, because they suffered from State violence.
They tried to protect themselves, and they succeeded
against all odds, only to hear the State cry foul and
claim sovereignty and territorial integrity. But
Azerbaijan has lost every iota of the moral right to talk
about guaranteeing the security of the people of
Nagorno Karabakh, let alone to claim custody over that
people.
 Azerbaijan did not act responsibly or morally
towards the people of Nagorno Karabakh, people that it
considered to be its own citizens. It unleashed military
action; it sanctioned pogroms and massacres in urban
areas. It bombed and displaced more than 300,000
Armenians. When it lost the war and accepted a
ceasefire, it began to destroy all traces of Armenians by
eliminating Armenian monuments throughout the
territory. Over the past two years, the remaining 2,000
carved stone crosses, representing Armenian
cemeteries, were desecrated and eliminated. The
territory has now been turned into a shooting range for
the Azerbaijani army. This reflects the fact that
Azerbaijan still does not believe in the peaceful
resolution of this conflict.
 Armenians cannot be blamed for thinking that
Azerbaijan is not serious about a peaceful solution.
Having rejected the past two offers of the international
community, Azerbaijan is now concerned about being
accused of rejecting the current peace plan. That is why
it is manoeuvring and manipulating every possible
situation — from State violence to introducing
resolutions in other forums outside the peace process
so that the Armenians are forced to do the rejecting.
 But Armenia is clearly on record as stating that it
stands by every single principle included in the
document it submitted. However, in order to give a
chance to that document, one cannot think or even
pretend to think that there is a military option to this
conflict. There is no military option. That option has
been tried and has failed. The only option today is
realism and compromise. The path that the people of
Nagorno Karabakh have chosen over the past two
decades is a path that has become irreversible.
Solidifying and formalizing the process will greatly
contribute to peace and stability in our region.
 Karabakh is not a cause. It is an ancient place, a
beautiful garden with people who have earned the right
to live in peace and prosperity. That is what we seek,
and we cannot accept anything less.


Forty-four years ago,
Samoa became independent, and when we joined the
United Nations it was a reaffirmation of our support for
the principle of multilateral cooperation which the
United Nations embodied. It was also our statement
that all States matter, that none was too small and weak
to be represented in the United Nations on equal terms
with the large and strong nations of the world. Those
sentiments underpinned Samoa’s belief in the United
Nations as an expanding global family and its Member
States as the custodians entrusted with the future of our
world and the generations to come.
 In essence, lasting peace and the sustained
prosperity of the world depended on harmonious
cooperation and effective global partnership amongst
all nations. Those were the ideals that motivated us to
be part of the united family of nations, and they remain
relevant and valid for our country today.
 A year ago, we met here in an act of solidarity, to
chart a new course for our Organization that is aligned
to meet the emerging challenges confronting our world
today. Our Summit Outcome document was not just a
road map to guide the work of our Organization. While
it mirrored the intergovernmental nature and diverse
membership of our Organization, the document,
ultimately, was a reminder of the cooperative and
shared interests we all have regarding issues vital to
the United Nations and its Member States. It also
brought to bear the importance of global partnerships
in these times of interdependence, for the achievement

15 06-53005

of sustainable development and peace and security for
our peoples.
 In less than twelve months, we have transformed
rhetoric into reality. Solid progress has been made in
the implementation of the Summit document. The
Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding
Commission are now operational; credible reforms in
the Secretariat and management have been
implemented; a Central Emergency Response Fund has
been set up; and a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
had been unanimously adopted. But, as we well know,
that is just the start; the real work lies ahead. In our
view, it is imperative that even in the early stages of
their work, those bodies must immediately adhere to
the guiding principles of respect, integrity, credibility
and professionalism to ensure that the objectives of
relevance, efficiency and transparency envisioned for
the Organization are delivered.
 Development, security and human rights are the
three pillars of the United Nations. All are mutually
reinforcing. The United Nations commitment to the
achievement of these goals, particularly for the least
developed countries (LDCs) and the developing
countries, is set out in a number of internationally
agreed initiatives such as the Brussels Programme of
Action for the Least Developed Countries, the
Johannesburg Plan of Action, the Millennium
Development Goals, and the Mauritius Strategy for
Small Island Developing States.
 Those development frameworks provide for
global partnerships for the achievement, in small and
vulnerable economies, of economic growth, sustainable
development and the resilience to endure external
shocks. Samoa looks forward to the implementation of
the partnerships indicated in the development
frameworks approved by the United Nations.
 In Samoa’s case, the implementing framework for
the partnerships of the Government with the donor
community, civil society and the private sector are
designed to address the development priorities of our
country as set out in the Strategy for the Development
of Samoa. It is through such partnerships that we look
too, for the effective delivery of programmes that
address major health challenges such as HIV/AIDS and
the potential threat of the avian bird flu. Similarly,
there is the collaborative work with our partners to
support the empowerment of our women.
 As to security and the specific context of stability
and harmony within communities, I cannot
overemphasize the importance of global actions to
control and limit the availability of small arms
weapons. These weapons in the hands of the wrong
people can easily destabilize communities and plunge
small nations into deadly conflict. We therefore renew
our call for the early implementation of the Programme
of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit
Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its
Aspects.
 During the review of the Brussels Programme of
Action this week, I shared with Member States the
challenges that continue to confront my country.
Samoa is both a least developed country and a very
small island developing State. The United Nations has
received a proposal for Samoa to be graduated from the
list of LDCs. However, the vulnerabilities and the
fragility that characterize our small island economy, as
reflected in Samoa’s poor ranking under various
economic vulnerability indices have, not gone away.
 Working closely with our traditional development
partners, we have tried our best to develop and manage
our economy, and we have made good strides in
improving the welfare of our people. But we know
very well from grim past experience that it takes just
one devastating disaster to wipe out our modest
achievements and set back the economy for years. Our
request, therefore, is for Samoa’s graduation from the
list of LDCs to be deferred and reconsidered when
Samoa has met the graduation threshold according to
the economic vulnerability index.
 Last week we broke new ground with the
discussion for the first time in the United Nations
context of the multidimensional aspects of
international migration and development. The
enthusiasm to consider migration and development as a
priority concern in the United Nations agenda was well
supported. The concrete outcomes that emerged from
that initiative will ultimately depend on the willingness
of the source countries and the destination countries to
work out imaginative and humane arrangements
beneficial to both.
 The significance of international migration,
whether permanent or temporary, as a development
option for our region has not escaped the attention of
Pacific leaders. It is also an option that raises difficult
issues that touch on the welfare and humanitarian

06-53005 16

treatment of migrants, as well as on sensitive
considerations on the part of receiving countries.
 In just six years into the millennium, it has
become more and more evident that many of the
challenges we face have significant global dimensions.
They are borderless, do not discriminate between
developed and developing countries and have no
respect for national sovereignty. Those global
concerns, imaginatively called problems without
passports, include climate change, epidemics,
humanitarian concerns, conflict containment, security
concerns and terrorism. By their very nature, the
successful resolution of those challenges requires a
collective and concerted effort of the whole United
Nations membership, because no one country or group
of countries is capable of tackling them alone.
 Terrorism, in its various forms and
manifestations, is responsible for the horror and fear
that has gripped the world’s attention in recent years.
No country is immune to the reaches of terrorism and
we are all affected in varying degrees. We must
continue to be resolute in our fight against terrorism.
Let us reiterate in the strongest terms possible that
terrorist acts, committed under whatever pretext or
purpose, can never be justified as morally acceptable.
Equally, countering terrorism does not confer
immunity from the rule of law, nor the abandonment of
the principles of a civilized society.
 The unanimous adoption of a United Nations
Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy two weeks ago was
both a condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and a
commitment by Member States to take concrete
preventative measures, collectively and individually.
The work ahead is to turn commitment into
implementation.
 The Middle East conflict continues to defy
attempts to usher in a new era of trust and hopeful
beginnings for the region. Sustainable peace remains
an elusive goal, permanently out of our Organization’s
reach as long as the root causes of the problem are not
addressed. Too much is at stake.
 Let us not forget the voiceless majority,
unwillingly caught in the crossfire of the conflict, who
yearn for a lasting peace. We should, therefore, not be
judgmental or partisan in our approach. Ultimately, the
Palestinian people need a permanent and an
independent State, living in peace, with a secure Israel.
The Security Council, by responding decisively to
recent developments in the Lebanon-Israel conflict,
gives us hope that perhaps an eventual resolution of
that long drawn-out conflict is finally within sight.
 The humanitarian and security situation in Darfur
is a cause for concern. The recent resolution adopted
by the Security Council will, we hope, be agreeable to
all the parties with a genuine desire to expeditiously
resolve the issue.
 We continue to hope that the elected
Governments of Iraq and Afghanistan will ultimately
succeed in achieving conditions that will allow their
peoples to live meaningful lives and consolidate the
democratization of their societies.
 Many other countries in different parts of the
world are also still mired in tragic conflict and look to
the United Nations and its stronger Members for
peacekeeping arrangements that can give time for those
communities in strife to re-establish and find lasting
solutions. Samoa, despite our small size, will continue
to support that important work. At present we
contribute police personnel for the United Nations
Missions in the Sudan, Liberia, Timor-Leste and in the
Solomon Islands.
 Climate change issues remain a priority for the
Pacific region. In our small islands, natural
catastrophes are capable of destruction that devastates
the entire country. They bring great pain and upheaval
to the lives of our people, as well as set back the
national economy for years. We know that from
repeated past experience. The need, therefore, for good
early-warning systems for natural disaster alerts in our
Pacific region is a priority. The willingness of our
partners to assist and share expertise in that area is
most welcomed.
 The Global Environment Facility Trust Fund —
recently replenished for the fourth time —
demonstrates very well the joint partnership between
the developed and the developing countries in
implementing programmes to address environmental
problems.
 Samoa continues to strongly support international
and regional efforts to combat global warming and
environmental degradation. In our view, the evidence
of global warming and its causes are well established.
Apportioning blame and point scoring should no longer
be allowed to deflect efforts at effective and collective
responses. We now know that concerted action should

17 06-53005

have been taken much earlier and further delays would
simply make the size of the problem greater and the
solutions more costly.
 Good progress has been achieved in the efforts to
reform our Organization. I would like to pay tribute to
the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his
inspirational work in balancing the interests of Member
States, which did not always coincide, and for his
influence that made it possible for agreement to be
reached on the reform agenda. I thank the Secretary-
General for his courage and leadership, so that even in
the face of great controversy, the United Nations
remained relevant to the crises and challenges that our
world and the Organization has faced during his watch.


Ghana, like many other
nations here, is delighted and feels proud that a
distinguished lady endowed with excellent diplomatic
skills has been elected to the presidency of this body.
We have no doubt that she will continue the skilful
stewardship of her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, the
Foreign Minister of Sweden, who presided over the
sixtieth session of the General Assembly.
 Ghana would also like to welcome the Republic
of Montenegro as the 192nd Member of the United
Nations, and looks forward to the day when the
Organization will attain full global and universal
membership.
 A year ago, we met at this historic venue to adopt
the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document
(resolution 60/1), in which we acknowledged that
peace and security and development and human rights

11 06-52737

were the pillars of the United Nations system and the
foundations of our collective well-being. We also
recognized that those pillars were interlinked and
mutually reinforcing and that, while each country had
the primary responsibility for its own development,
individual efforts should be complemented by
supportive global programmes, measures and policies
aimed at expanding development opportunities,
especially for developing countries.
 Ghana therefore attaches the utmost importance
to the Summit’s decision that developing countries
should adopt and begin to implement by 2006 such
requisite national strategies as would enable them to
achieve the goals and objectives that have been agreed
upon, including the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). Ghana has therefore been working
relentlessly towards that end, in the firm belief that our
development partners, both bilateral and multilateral,
will support us in our efforts to improve the living
conditions of our people. For effective implementation,
all concerned must show commitment and dispatch.
 Ghana recognizes good governance as crucial to
sustainable development. We have therefore worked
assiduously at establishing a robust culture of
democracy, sound economic management and
adherence to the rule of law. The free and fair elections
that have been held successfully in Ghana over the past
15 years bear eloquent testimony to the determination
of Ghanaians to create an equitable, free and stable
society in which each individual can develop his or her
full potential. The media, freed from intimidating
legislation, have blossomed into a vibrant watchdog for
the probity and accountability expected of the
governors and the responsibility expected of the
citizens.
 It is against that background that Ghana readily
submitted itself to the African Peer Review Mechanism
under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development to
have an objective assessment of its institutional
structures and their functioning for the improvement of
its governance.
 But our collective objective within this
Organization to alleviate the economic plight of the
majority of mankind may continue to elude us unless
the pursuit of international peace and security is
effectively and satisfactorily addressed. Ghana
therefore views with grave concern the continuing
spread and persistence of terrorist activities. The
international community must rally to contain and
effectively eradicate that menace to mankind.
 In that regard, the Secretary-General’s proposal
for a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is welcome.
Indeed, it is the view of Ghana that there must be a
quick conclusion of the deliberations on the proposed
comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
 Yet another scourge to the security of the world
are the snail-paced talks on the elimination of nuclear
weapons and the added threat of the proliferation of
those weapons. Ghana shares the concerns of the
majority of Member States that this body must
continue with and intensify its pressure for the total
elimination of those weapons, for as long as 27,000
nuclear weapons continue to exist, as they do now, our
world will remain vulnerable to the threat of mass
destruction.
 We make this appeal not unaware of the positive
uses of nuclear energy, but so long as those nations
which already possess these weapons and those on the
verge of breaking into the mastery of the technology do
not show transparency with their know-how, the world
will feel insecure. So Ghana appeals to such nations to
show candour and transparency in their cooperation
with the International Atomic Energy Agency by their
compliance with the terms of the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
 The spread of small arms and light weapons is yet
another scourge, especially for Africa. This
Organization’s collective efforts to rein in that menace
since 2001 have indeed yielded significant results.
However, we are still far from achieving the desired
target. That was borne out by the outcome of the recent
Review Conference of the United Nations Programme
of Action. Ghana therefore welcomes the current
momentum within the international community to
move closer to the ultimate goal of drastically
removing the menace.
 Without a doubt, the United Nations
responsibility for maintaining international peace and
security has been tremendously facilitated by
peacekeeping operations in many troubled spots around
the world. Ghana has been a dedicated and regular
contributor to those operations. It is thus committed
because of its conviction that the lack of peace and
stability in any country can have far-reaching negative
repercussions beyond its immediate borders. We
therefore commend moves to enhance the United

06-52737 12

Nations peacekeeping activities that bring hope to
victims of conflict.
 African nations are more and more demonstrating
their proactive commitment to the management and
resolution of conflicts on their continent. That is why
Ghana commends and supports the Secretary-General’s
determination to take the necessary measures to effect
the envisaged close partnership between the
Organization and the African Union in that sphere,
with particular reference to Darfur, in order to save the
many lives threatened by the looming crisis there.
Deepening Africa’s peacekeeping capacity to meet that
challenging mission through training, logistical and
financial support is crucial to the success of that goal.
The decision taken at the 2005 World Summit in that
regard must therefore be expeditiously implemented.
 A monumental product of the Summit was the
birth of the Peacebuilding Commission, of which
Ghana is a member. Our expectation is that the 30-
member Commission will discharge its functions
diligently. Another significant milestone achieved by
this Organization was the establishment of the Human
Rights Council. I must express appreciation to this
Assembly for electing Ghana with the highest number
of votes to the Council.
 The many resolutions and the launching of
various Commissions clearly indicate the
determination of our Organization to make the world a
better and safer place for mankind. The truth is,
however, that if this desire is to be actualized, the
United Nations must undergo more radical reforms and
be better equipped to effectively implement its
decisions. Such a streamlined Organization will create
the critical mass for tackling effectively the many
challenges that threaten international peace and
security. Thus, the debate to reform the Security
Council based on the principles of democracy, the
sovereign equality of States and equitable geographical
representation, among others, is very much in order
and must be supported.
 Permit me at this stage to try to discharge an
honourable duty that I feel uniquely placed to
undertake. That is to pay tribute to the Secretary-
General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who is my compatriot and
my friend, at the end of his exemplary tenure. He has
brought much honour and distinction to our nation,
Ghana, by his excellent stewardship of the United
Nations over the past 10 years. Indeed, his entire adult
career over the past 40 years has been at the exclusive
service of this Organization, through the ranks of
which he rose until he attained the pinnacle 10 years
ago. His dedicated and illustrious service during the
first 30 years led to his historic election as the first-
ever career officer to become Secretary-General.
 Destiny also marked him out as the Secretary-
General to see out the last century and also usher the
Organization into the twenty-first century. It cannot be
disputed that these 10 years of his tenure have
witnessed the phenomenal acceleration of the world in
the process towards globalization. He can also claim
some credit for having succeeded in shepherding our
Organization deftly through the complicated and
transformational challenges that the times confronted it
with. He has been able to provide this masterful
leadership not only through competent administration,
but also in ideas as well as lofty humanistic ideals. His
vision for a more proactive Organization, able to
respond to the challenges of the twenty-first century,
has been lucidly published in his report “In larger
freedom: towards development, security and human
rights for all”.
 He is a much decorated personality all over the
world, and his winning the Nobel Peace Prize
especially attests to the quality of the human being he
is. There is no doubt that he retires with an enviable
legacy of contributing immensely to shaping the
destiny of this Organization and the affairs of the
world. Ghana is proud of him and looks forward to
receiving him heroically at home. I say to him in our
language “Ayekoo”, meaning “well done!”


It is a
great honour and pleasure to speak here on behalf of
my delegation and to take part in this important
gathering, where all the Member States of our
Organization will consider today’s most pressing
issues.
 I wish to express to the President, on behalf of
my delegation and in my own name, our warmest
congratulations on her election. We also congratulate
Mr. Jan Eliasson on the effective way in which he led
the work of the previous session.
 We also take this opportunity to express once
again my country’s support for, and appreciation of, the
excellent work of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi
Annan, who has led our Organization with courage,
lucidity and determination during his term of office.
 Burundi is taking part in the sixty-first session of
the General Assembly a year after the setting up of
democratic institutions. It was a historic event in
Burundi for us to have democratically elected
institutions, which have just reached the end of their
first year in office, the first time this has happened
since we gained independence.
 This is a good time for us to report to the
Assembly on the political, social and economic
situation in our country and the efforts that have been
made to meet the many challenges that the people of
Burundi face. It is also an opportunity for us to address
some of the issues of current concern at the regional
and global levels.
 In the post-conflict situation that my country is
going through, the first concern was to re-establish
peace and security throughout the country. Carrying
out this task was made possible thanks to the
deployment in Burundi of a United Nations force and
the training of a new national defence force, in
accordance with the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation
Agreement for Burundi and the Comprehensive
Ceasefire Agreement of Pretoria. So far, this
integration has proceeded uneventfully, and we thank
God for this.
 The signing of a comprehensive ceasefire on
7 September 2006 by the Government and the last rebel
movement, the Palipehutu-FNL movement, encourages
us to accelerate the programme for disarming civilians
in order to establish peace and security throughout the
country. Over the last three months the people have
begun to voluntarily hand in to the authorities weapons
they acquired during Burundi’s crisis. So far about
5,000 weapons have been handed over. The agreement
represents a very important stage in the life of our
country, which is now going through its reconstruction
phase.
 The enjoyment of political liberties has become a
reality in Burundi, whether in terms of political parties,
civil society or the media. With regard to the media, a
law has just been passed to create more diverse and
more professional press institutions.
 We have also just passed an anti-corruption law.
Measures to implement it include an anti-corruption
court and a force to deal with corruption. We are
convinced that they will allow us to work with more
transparency in the management of public resources
and in our fight against corruption. State income is
increasing by nearly 20 per cent each month; we are
already enjoying the benefits of this policy.

06-52988 16

 With regard to promoting the rule of law and the
rights of the individual, we are making progress
through the reforms taking place in the justice sector
and with regard to human rights, national solidarity and
gender equality. The Burundi Government’s
programme has placed promoting the rights of women
and gender equality amongst its priorities. We urge the
United Nations to give particular attention to this issue
during its reform process. The Government also
appeals for, and supports, a specific structure to ensure
that women emerge from poverty and thus have
genuine equality.
 Still with regard to the rule of law, in addition to
the 5,000 or more political prisoners already freed, on
the occasion of the celebration of the forty-fourth
anniversary of national independence on 1 July this
year, we decided to release undocumented detainees
being held under irregular circumstances. Similarly, the
Government has started to improve conditions for
prisoners who have been properly sentenced. However,
we are aware that much more needs to be done in this
area, with the support of the international community.
 Establishing the rule of law and peacebuilding
also depend on the peaceful settlement of the issue of
land ownership. This was behind the Government’s
creation of the national commission dealing with land
and other assets, whose task it is to settle disputes over
the ownership or recovery of land and other assets that
have changed hands during the various social and
political conflicts in our history. Its work is an essential
complement to that of the truth and reconciliation
commission, with regard to which the Government of
Burundi hopes agreement will soon be reached with the
United Nations, because we are convinced that it will
contribute to combating the fallout from genocide, as
well as impunity in our country, and enhance the
national reconciliation process.
 With regard to national reconciliation, we firmly
believe that sport is a very important factor in
peacebuilding and reconstruction and in achieving the
Millennium Development Goals. In Burundi we have
taken measures in this area, and we hope that other
countries going through a post-conflict period will
follow our example.
 The Government of Burundi continues to have to
deal with a significant number of vulnerable people.
We have today nearly 400,000 refugees, 120,000
internally displaced persons and thousands of others
who need to be cared for, including persons with
disabilities, orphans, widows, widowers and old people
unsettled by the war. Our Government needs help to
deal with this situation. Since the recent ceasefire
agreement, refugees have started to return to Burundi
en masse.
 The Government of Burundi has also sought to
improve the country’s socio-economic situation. Aware
of the general impoverishment of our people due to a
decade of war, we prepared an emergency programme
for the current year, and submitted it to donors for
funding on 28 February. The programme covers in
particular free primary education for all children of
school age, counteracting hunger, access to health care,
job creation, rehabilitation of the communication
infrastructure, improving prison conditions and
improving the management of public finances.
 In order to ensure the proper management of
funds provided by donors within the framework of
cooperation with Burundi, the Government has
established a national committee to coordinate aid.
With the same desire for efficiency, we have created a
national committee to monitor and manage Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries funds, budgetary support and
debt.
 The Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty
include measures such as reducing the price of most
essential commodities, the abolition of some taxes, free
health care for children under the age of five and for
mothers who give birth in state clinics, and the fight
against AIDS. A new status for civil servants and a 15
per cent increase in their salary from 1 July this year
are intended to give them more motivation and halt the
decline in their standard of living.
 However, our country’s reconstruction, efforts to
counteract poverty and the relaunching of Burundi’s
economy require more than an emergency programme.
The preparation of a strategic framework for growth
and counteracting poverty, covering a period of three
years, meets this concern. We plan to organize next
November a donors’ round table on the basis of this
strategic framework. We rely on the active
participation of Burundi’s partners, both long-standing
partners and new ones, in order to help Burundi
respond positively to the many priority expectations of
our people, who are impatient to enjoy the dividends of
peace at last.

17 06-52988

 At the same time, we are pursuing or launching
other measures aimed at creating a favourable
economic environment that is conducive to prosperity.
They include liberalizing the coffee sector, simplifying
customs procedures, liberalizing the circulation of
currency through private financial institutions,
constructing new communication routes and improving
the road network. Furthermore, the investment code
has been revised in order to encourage investment in
Burundi.
 The Government’s adoption of the five-year plan
for 2006-2010 and the launching of a study for the
period to 2025 are part of this medium- and long-term
strategy for our socio-economic and political
development. We have thus sought to establish for our
society a plan based on a minimum number of common
objectives and a shared vision of the future of Burundi
and its people.
 We welcome the decision by the American
Administration to put Burundi on the list of countries
that benefit from the facilities offered in the framework
of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. We have
invited businessmen to organize themselves in order to
take advantage of this new opportunity for our
economy.
 Burundi attaches great importance to regional
integration initiatives. We take this opportunity to
welcome the electoral process taking place in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is now in its
final stages. We hope that it will be successful and that
it will result in the democratic establishment of
legitimate institutions. Similarly, we welcome the
signing of a ceasefire between the Government of
Uganda and the LRA, which we sincerely hope will
quickly lead to lasting peace.
 We continue to be concerned over the continuing
armed conflict in the Horn of Africa, Darfur and the
Middle East, as well as by the deadlock in the peace
process in Côte d’Ivoire. As Members of the United
Nations, we must work tirelessly to end these sad
situations.
 Terrorism is a further harsh reality that the world
still confronts. Far from being discouraged, we must
step up our vigilance and consider new initiatives to
counteract this scourge and evil, and to deal with its
underlying causes.
 Globalization is one of the major challenges of
the twenty-first century, but we also see it as an
opportunity for developing countries to benefit from
the considerable progress and advantages that it offers,
provided it is combined with openness and autonomy.
 For our part, we will spare no effort to make our
contribution to building peace and prosperity. The
election of Burundi to the Peacebuilding Commission
is a source of pride and additional motivation to work
to strengthen peace in our country and throughout the
world. Unfortunately, changes in anti-democratic
thinking and behaviour do not take place automatically
in countries emerging from crisis, such as Burundi.
However, we welcome the successes already achieved
and our increased capacity to control the situation.
 Our Organization is going through a critical
period. Although the United Nations was set up “to
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”,
certain conflict situations have been haunting it for
many years. It must therefore be made into an
instrument at the service of all, able to inspire hope,
dispel concerns and restore respect for order and
international law. This mission must be fulfilled in full
cooperation with regional organizations, whose
effectiveness in conflict prevention and rapid
intervention has already been proved, despite
insufficient resources.
 The General Assembly’s agenda must reflect the
main concerns of the day. These include, in particular,
nuclear disarmament, which continues to poison
international relations. Other concerns are combating
the illegal trade in small arms, poverty and epidemics
that kill on a large scale, such as AIDS and malaria. We
commend the international drug purchasing facility
(UNITAID) initiative, which gives hope to those
suffering from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It
proves that a partnership between the North and the
South can change the lives of millions of people
throughout the world.
 The new millennium was warmly welcomed.
World leaders place great hopes in this new time, as
shown by the Millennium Development Goals adopted
in 2000, which were reaffirmed in the declaration of
the summit of heads of State and Government in
September 2005. Those Goals represent a platform that
is particularly important for developing countries,
landlocked countries and small island developing
States in their efforts to combat hunger and poverty

06-52988 18

and to promote health and education, to mention just a
few subjects.
 Other commitments were made in Paris and at the
G-8 summit in Gleneagles, particularly for improved
aid coordination and further aid and debt relief.
 Before closing, I would like to express our deep
gratitude to Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General,
and to all the members of the Security Council, the
European Union and the African Union, as well as to
all the members of the Regional Initiative that have
supported our peacemaking and peacebuilding efforts,
which have resulted in the achievements already seen.
We think in particular of certain countries of the
region, such as Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa,
which were tireless godfathers in facilitating our peace
process. To all those partners, we again say a big
“Thank you” for the remarkable success that my
country has just witnessed with the signing of the
ceasefire with the Palipehutu-FNL.


Madam
President, at the outset, on behalf of the Vietnamese
delegation, may I extend our warmest congratulations
to you, the third woman in United Nations history to be
elected as President of the General Assembly. I am
confident that, under your wise leadership, this sixty-
first session will be crowned with success. I also wish
to convey our deep appreciation for the tremendous
efforts undertaken and active contributions made by
His Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson during his presidency
of the General Assembly at its sixtieth session.
 As His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan’s last term of
duty as Secretary-General of the United Nations comes
to a close, I wish, on behalf of the Vietnamese
Government, to express our deep appreciation for his
dedication and commitment to our Organization. His
visit to Viet Nam last May was another milestone in the
history of the ever-growing Viet Nam-United Nations
cooperative relationship.
 The 2005 World Summit lit up our hopes for the
achievement by the international community of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set out by our
leaders at the Millennium Summit in 2000. One year
has elapsed, and, regrettably, the picture of the world
we see today is made up of paradoxes. Although the
trend of peace, cooperation and development continues
to prevail, so do the unilateral use of force, escalation
of regional and ethnic conflicts and international
terrorism. We have also seen serious hardships faced
by developing countries under the pressure of
globalization, and inequality in international economic
relations. Poverty, epidemics, drugs and transnational
crime pose even greater threats to hundreds of millions
of people around the world.
 Against this backdrop, in the view of the
Vietnamese delegation, continued joint efforts to create
a favourable environment for the achievement of the
MDGs are even more imperative. We consider the
theme chosen for this sixty-first session of the General
Assembly, focusing on global partnership for
development, to be highly relevant.
 Peace and socio-political stability are
indispensable to development. In turn, positive
economic development and improved living standards
of people help to consolidate peace and stability in
every country and region and the world as a whole. It
is essential that nations work together to settle
differences and disputes through dialogue, abandon the
use of force in their relations and fully comply with the
United Nations Charter and international law in order
to build a peaceful and stable environment in the
interest of all.
 I wish to reaffirm Viet Nam’s strong support for
efforts to reach early peaceful settlements of
international and regional conflicts and differences,
including the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula
and in Iran, and the crisis in the Middle East, where the
recent hostilities in Lebanon, which caused heavy loss
of innocent life and destruction of the country’s
infrastructure, serve as a typical example of harm
brought about by unilateral actions.
 In this connection, I wish to state Viet Nam’s
consistent policy of supporting the just struggle of the
Palestinian people for their inalienable rights. I call on
all parties concerned to implement the United Nations

33 06-53341

Security Council resolutions on the Middle East,
including resolution 1701 (2006), and soon arrive at a
fair and lasting solution for peace and stability in the
region.
 Viet Nam is deeply concerned by the upsurge of
terrorism in the world. We will continue to support the
joint efforts of the international community to combat
terrorism on the basis of the fundamental principles of
the United Nations Charter and international law, as
well as respect for national sovereignty. The deep roots
of terrorism, including poverty, inequality and
injustice, must be eliminated. What should also be
mentioned here is the unfortunate reality that, in many
cases, the suppression of terrorist organizations,
including those targeting Viet Nam, is being
undertaken selectively, with double standards. It is our
view that such conduct may leave room for more
international terrorist acts.
 Achievements in science and technology,
especially information technology, and globalization
have brought about great opportunities for all
countries. They have also brought about the dark side
of international economic relations. A widened
development gap between the rich and the poor poses
potential threats to world peace and security. In the
Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit, our
leaders called for the establishment of a global
partnership for development to enhance cooperation in
all financial, trade and investment areas and called for
increased assistance to developing countries,
considering that such steps by the international
community would contribute to establishing a
favourable environment for the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
 Such global partnership is yet to be seen, and we
are concerned with increasing adverse impacts of
globalization. The failure of the Doha Round, the
strengthening of protectionism in a number of
developed countries and fluctuating oil and gold prices
are causing more and more difficulties for developing
nations in their efforts to achieve the MDGs. A typical
example of this situation is the anti-dumping tariff
imposed on Vietnamese catfish and shrimp in past
years and on footwear at present; this measure is
affecting the lives of millions of poor people. It runs
counter to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and
the spirit of trade liberalization pursued by Member
States. It should also be pointed out that the increased
integration of developing nations in the world economy
is indeed an important element in ensuring the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
 Developing countries should be supported and
assisted to join the World Trade Organization (WTO)
as early as possible. Non-tariff barriers under the guise
of hygiene and safety standards, among others, should
be removed to facilitate developing countries to access
the markets of the developed economies. We have on
many occasions expressed our view that, in our times,
embargo and sanctions are completely obsolete
policies. We once again call for an early lifting of the
unilateral economic and trade embargo against Cuba.
 Viet Nam welcomes the fact that a number of
countries have set up road maps to allocate 0.7 per cent
of their gross national product to official development
assistance without any conditions. Technology transfer,
capacity-building and human resource development
should be further promoted. We welcome initiatives to
settle the debts of poor countries, the solutions outlined
in the Monterrey Consensus and the recent efforts of
the international community towards this end. The
United Nations should work out, especially at the
national level, measures to further incorporate the
MDGs in the implementation of global commitments
undertaken during the past decade in the areas of
women, children, population, development, HIV/AIDS
prevention, housing, environment and social
development.
 Viet Nam supports efforts to strengthen
multilateral mechanisms in which the United Nations
plays a central role with a view to building and
ensuring a peaceful and stable environment in the
world. The United Nations should be reformed to
improve its effectiveness, democratization and modes
of operation on the basis of the fundamental principles
enshrined in its Charter.
 While welcoming initial successes in the United
Nations reform process, such as the establishment of
the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding
Commission, we realize that much remains to be done.
Measures are needed to consolidate the central role and
power of the General Assembly. The Security Council
should also be reformed in both its composition and
methods of work to ensure that it really represents the
concerns and interests of all United Nations Members
as stipulated in the Charter.

06-53341 34

 Viet Nam has made remarkable progress in
implementing the MDGs and we are in a good position
to meet the 2015 deadline. Based on our own
experience, we believe that each country should, first
and foremost, strive to create and maintain a peaceful
environment for development, mobilize broad
participation by people of all walks of life in poverty
reduction efforts and reserve preferential treatments for
the poor, vulnerable groups and people living in remote
and difficult areas, with a view to helping them catch
up with the majority. Furthermore, effective prevention
of natural disasters and mitigation of their
consequences are crucial factors.
 To create a peaceful environment for national
development, Viet Nam will continue with its foreign
policy of sovereign independence, peace, cooperation
and development. We continue to be a friend and
reliable partner of all countries in the international
community striving for peace and cooperation and we
will continue to actively participate in regional and
international cooperation.
 We are in the final stage leading to accession to
the World Trade Organization. Viet Nam is also
running for non-permanent membership of the United
Nations Security Council for the term 2008-2009. In
pursuing our policy of international integration and in
contributing to the common endeavours of the
international community, we look forward to continued
support from all Members of the United Nations.