Allow me first to
offer the congratulations of the delegation of Saint
Lucia to the President of the General Assembly on his
election. We wish to assure him of our full support for
the successful outcome of these deliberations.
As we meet with the global fraternity of nations
during this fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly,
Saint Lucia once more joins its voice with those who
have deplored and condemned the despicable acts of
terror of 11 September 2001, that so brutalized our
great host city, New York, and our host country, as they
cruelly and callously extinguished thousands of
innocent and vibrant lives. We are however heartened
by the universal resolve of all peace-loving nations to
rid the earth of the scourge of terrorism. We have
noted, too, how quickly and steadfastly some of these
nations have come together as a coalition in pursuit of
that endeavour and have embarked on a war against
terrorism.
We should, however, recognize that the defeat of
this type of terrorism, as laudable and desirable an act
as it may be, will not by itself create a greater
humanity or a better world. For there are billions in the
world today who have not been at war, but who have
not known peace; they suffer from other terrors. There
are millions, so many of whom are children, who
succumb daily to the horrors of malnutrition and
starvation. There are still millions of others who are
wasting away from disease. Thousands of people see
their human rights violated on a daily basis. We
therefore need to remind ourselves that there are many
other issues that have been engendering their own
brand of fear and conflict in the world today, and that
more often than not the underlying cause of such
conflict is the lack of economic and human
development.
If we are to attain greater humanity, and if we are
to create a better world, we must commit ourselves to a
greater collective responsibility towards all those other
issues. We must adopt the same rapid global militaristic
response to solving them as that in the new war on
terrorism. Some of these issues have been with us for
too long and by now should have disappeared from the
world agenda. Our fragile humanity cannot endure
another century of widening disparity between and
within nations. We can no longer withstand the silent
battle between the haves and the have nots. Humanity
cannot tolerate ever increasing disease, deprivation,
hunger, illiteracy, poverty, economic strife and war.
For the ideal of a greater humanity not to
continue to elude us, we must now found it on this new
attitude, this new vision, in which people everywhere,
nations everywhere, are galvanized into higher levels
of cooperation in pursuit of these common concerns, in
39

particular concerns such as the guarantee of economic
and social security, sustainable development and
governance of the multilateral trading system. In this
new philosophy of cooperation, the United Nations
must play the central role.
It is from this perspective that Saint Lucia
reiterates its call for the adoption of a holistic approach
towards poverty eradication. Saint Lucia is firm in its
view that the United Nations is the only Organization
capable of pooling the requisite knowledge and
financial resources for global action against poverty.
International cooperation on poverty eradication must
give due consideration to, among other things, debt
forgiveness through concerted support for an improved
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt
Initiative. It must ensure special and differential
treatment on a contractual basis for developing
countries and sustained financial support for the
Organization’s development programmes.
The HIV/AIDS plague, which continues to ravage
the world, also demands this new collective response.
Saint Lucia acknowledges that the United Nations has
already begun spearheading the global fight against
HIV/AIDS. The United Nations special session on
HIV/AIDS has done a great deal to raise global
awareness about the magnitude of the pandemic. Saint
Lucia also welcomes the establishment of the Global
AIDS and Health Fund, which is intended to increase
the ability of the global community to combat this
scourge. However, if humanity is to win the fight
against this twentieth century plague, the international
community must make available new and additional
financial resources towards research and the
development of affordable drugs. We stress that these
drugs must be cheap and widely obtainable. It is time
that corporations cease putting the acquisition of more
and more profit ahead of the health and lives of the
unfortunate who have been afflicted by diseases such
as AIDS. Are we not being inhumane when our
overriding objective is to make as huge a profit as
possible on the sickness of so many, rather than
ensuring that the essential drugs that they need to end
their suffering are easily available?
As we survey the multilateral trading system,
Saint Lucia continues to be concerned that the thrust
towards allowing market forces to totally determine the
scope, structure and outcomes of economic activity is
not being counterbalanced by mechanisms to fairly
distribute welfare gains and to protect the more
vulnerable, small States like Saint Lucia from the
consequences of market failure.
The perilous state of the banana industry in Saint
Lucia and the other Windward Islands of the Eastern
Caribbean is the painful outcome of that thrust, an ill-
advised policy of globalization and trade liberalization
at all costs. The charge of World Trade Organization
(WTO) incompatibility that was made against the
preferential trade regime, justly accorded to Saint
Lucia and other Agricultural Commodities Committee
banana-producing countries under the Lomé
Agreement, has brought about the near collapse of this
vital industry. Saint Lucia welcomes the recent
initiative by the United States for a new licensing
agreement for the trading of bananas on the European
market, an initiative that brought an end to the
debilitating banana war with Europe.
Saint Lucia once more wishes to place on record
its deep appreciation for the perseverance and fortitude
of the European Union, which stood by its international
obligations throughout these years of dispute. We
applaud the news just in from Doha that, after 18
months, a WTO waiver has finally been granted to the
Cotonou Agreement, thus paving the way for the
implementation of the new banana-marketing
arrangements. We hope that these recent developments
are not too late to save our industry. But the case of the
great banana dispute will always remain as a striking
testimony to the inequities of the liberalized trading
system.
Saint Lucia is also concerned about the actions of
several organizations, such as the World Economic
Council and the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), which seem to
be attempting to usurp the traditional roles and
functions of the United Nations and of national
Governments. In the face of the near demise of the
vital banana industry, Saint Lucia and the other islands
of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS) sought to diversify their economies by
building on their competitive advantage in offshore
financial services. But OECD countries denounced our
efforts as being harmful to them, and resorted to
branding Caribbean offshore financial services as
havens for criminal activity. For us, this is a violation
of our territorial integrity, our sovereignty and our
economic rights. Saint Lucia accepts that it has an
obligation to ensure that its financial services are not
used by unscrupulous individuals and interests.
40

However, Saint Lucia cannot, in all good conscience,
surrender its sovereignty to a governance system
imposed by a few.
In the face of these selfish actions by developed
countries and the myopia of globalization, the role of
the United Nations in bringing order into the system
has become even more pressing. Saint Lucia therefore
renews its call for a rebirth of the United Nations
system, not only as an organization concerned with
peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions,
but also as an institution that is capable of effectively
governing the global economic system in a way that
ensures an equitable redistribution of the benefits of
economic growth. We need a United Nations that will
safeguard against global economic crises and promote
the adoption of sustainable developmental policies.
In that context, and with the emerging spectre of
a global economic recession, the upcoming United
Nations Conference on Financing for Development
becomes even more relevant, even more urgent. That
Conference is of enormous importance to the small
island developing States of the Caribbean, faced as we
are by low aggregate gross domestic product, low
domestic savings and investment capacity and
undeveloped financial markets. The development
agenda of the Caribbean region cannot proceed without
the requisite financing, nor can it be sustained without
an enabling international environment. We must all
therefore commit ourselves to ensuring the success of
the Conference.
Our renewed call for the rebirth of the United
nations is further prompted by the observation that it is
systematically being displaced as a source of guidance
and as a fount of collective wisdom on global issues.
We fear that if the United Nations continues to be
marginalized in determining global development
policies and strategies, then the concerns of developing
countries will be excluded from the global agenda. A
recent example of this is the decision not to include
issues relating to the implementation of the Programme
of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States in the preparatory meetings
for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. We
see this as undermining the spirit of the United Nations
resolution that convened the United Nations Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States, held in Barbados in 1994.
Indeed, it was recognized then that the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development had not
paid sufficient attention to the special circumstances of
small island developing States.
There are two other examples of United Nations
inaction that leave us very concerned. Saint Lucia
laments the adoption by the United Nations of a
watered down instrument on small arms. In small
island developing States like Saint Lucia, growing
economic instability has given rise to increased levels
of drug-related crime. In the Caribbean region, small
arms are used in most of the violent crimes that are
committed against our law-abiding citizens. The global
trade in small arms must therefore be stemmed in the
interest of peace and stability. A weak small arms
document was therefore not what we required.
We remain deeply concerned that the Plan of
Action for the first International Decade for the
Eradication of Colonialism did not result in the
decolonization of the remaining 17, mostly small
island, Non-Self-Governing Territories. Accordingly,
we request, as a matter of priority, that the necessary
resources and expertise be provided to implement the
long-standing resolutions on decolonization and the
critical analyses called for in the Plan of Action of the
present International Decade.
I close by extending on behalf of the Government
and the people of Saint Lucia, our warmest
congratulations to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
the hard-working staff of the United Nations on the
recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize. We regard this
award as an eloquent testimony to the sterling efforts
of the Organization to build a peaceful world. At the
same time, we see the award as a challenge to the
United Nations to remain resolute in its commitment to
the multilateral framework and not to allow itself to
become incapacitated by inaction, especially where the
defence of human security is concerned.
We all recognize that the events of 11 September
have brought about a new era in world affairs and new
challenges for all of us, in particular for the United
Nations. In the times that lie ahead the United Nations
system must do more that it has done before. It must
resist the use of force in situations where wisdom is
needed. It must work harder at becoming a source of
hope to the hopeless and a reservoir of power to the
powerless. It must redouble its efforts to restore the
preservation of humanity as the highest of all ideals.
The horror of 11 September has shocked some of
us into establishing a coalition against terrorism. It is
41

time for the tragedy of underdevelopment to shock all
of us into forging new coalitions for development. At
this juncture, let us use this United Nations, energized
by its Nobel award, to create these coalitions. Let us
build a coalition in defence of the wretched of the
earth — to end their hunger, to terminate their poverty,
to eradicate their diseases and to forever banish their
wretchedness.


At the outset, my
delegation extends profound sympathy to the families
of the victims who lost their lives on the flight to the
Dominican Republic.
The rescheduled general debate now convened,
well into the work of the fifty-sixth session of the
General Assembly, only serves to reconfirm our
awareness of Mr. Han’s great diplomatic and
communicative skills. For this, my delegation thanks
and congratulates him once again. Under his competent
leadership we hope this will be a fruitful and decisive
session of the Assembly.
This being my first opportunity, may I take the
stand, on behalf of the Government and people of
Grenada, to heartily congratulate the Secretary-
General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, and the
United Nations on the designation as recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize.
Just as the fifty-fifth session was the Millennium
Assembly of joy, hope and optimism, this fifty-sixth
session, by contrast, can be called the unpredictable
Assembly of challenge and adversity, from which the
international community can nevertheless derive
strength and unity in the pursuit of a common enemy
who will eventually be found and brought to justice.
The challenge and uncertainty have come about
because terrorism now threatens the entire civilized
world. The catastrophic and traumatic events of 11
September have changed not only the lives of
individuals, for whom we grieve so painfully, but it has
also changed the modus vivendi and the modus
operandi of our present-day civilization in many
respects. If this cloud of hatred and revenge is allowed
to prevail, history will long remember that evil
triumphed due to inaction.
Thus, the broad international coalition brought
together by the United States of America and supported
by Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and
General Assembly resolution 56/1 stands as a bulwark
ready to break the immoral and physical backbone of
terrorism. Grenada fully supports and endorses
resolution 1373 (2001), which sets out important
measures that countries — large and small, rich and
poor — must all take together to prevent and combat
terrorists in our jurisdictions or wherever they may be
found.
The newly formed Security Council Counter-
Terrorism Committee, under the chairmanship of the
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, is a
welcome and laudable effort in the struggle that
deserves the backing and support of all Member States
morally, strategically and financially. In addition, it is
soliciting assistance from persons with particular skills
in the performance of special functions.
The Government of Grenada has already begun to
take steps within its jurisdiction to implement measures
within our capacity that prevent and suppress the
financing of terrorists acts. Our priority to prevent
those who finance, plan, facilitate or commit terrorist
acts from using Grenada for those purposes against
other States or their citizens, as well as to find ways to
intensify and accelerate the exchange and sharing of
information. Grenada is examining its administrative
and other processes with a view to improving
efficiency in this regard.
We are active in the global fight against
terrorism. Grenada is cooperating with the United
States authorities to ensure that there are no terrorist
funds in any of our offshore institutions. Further,
Grenada has thoroughly examined its economic
citizenship programme to ensure that no known
terrorists had inadvertently been granted citizenship.
We are now confident that no such person is an
16

economic citizen of Grenada. In light of the changed
global environment and our commitment to assist in the
fight against terrorism in any way we can, the
Government of Grenada has taken the decision to
suspend indefinitely the economic citizenship
programme.
Moreover, Grenada continues to intensify its
participation in regional and international cooperation
efforts as we seek to ensure that there are no gaps in
the global framework for the fight against this heinous
crime. Grenada will reinforce and extend its
international cooperation arrangements in the field of
justice, policing and law enforcement.
The Government of Grenada fully supports the
development of a comprehensive and effective legal
framework to combat terrorism. My country has begun
a review of international conventions already in place,
with a view to signing, ratifying and fully
implementing them. Those not yet in effect will be
implemented. Some of these conventions are within the
United Nations system, while others are of a regional
or hemispheric nature. Priority is being given to the
existing 12 United Nations international conventions
against terrorism — in particular, the International
Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of
Terrorism.
It is necessary for the international community to
send a clear and unambiguous signal to terrorists that
their philosophy is fundamentally wrong and totally
unacceptable. We must stand united in our efforts to
combat and eliminate activities aimed at killing
innocent people and destroying communities. The
Government of Grenada joins the Caribbean
Community in pledging our full support of efforts to
confront terrorism and restore the rights and freedom
of people the world over. My delegation would like to
focus for a few moments on the impact that this
dastardly act has had nationally, regionally and
internationally.
In my country, as elsewhere in the Caribbean, the
effect of the global economic turbulence has hit the
tourism and aviation sectors hardest. Tourism, the hotel
industry and aviation play a synergistic role that is
crucial to the economies of most small States in terms
of foreign exchange and employment.
The subregion had already begun to feel the
effects of the international economic downturn, which
caused the deterioration of our fortunes. But it is clear
that since the terrorist attacks on the United States of
America, Grenada and the other members of the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are
suffering from further reduction in economic activities.
We are now severely challenged.
We are experiencing shortfalls in revenue
collection. Our tourism sector is experiencing a drastic
reduction in visitor arrivals. Indeed, the International
Monetary Fund predicts that arrivals in the Caribbean
region could fall short by as much as 50 per cent. Our
air and marine transport are also experiencing severe
reductions. Regional air carriers have registered as
much as a 45 per cent fall in passenger load since 11
September.
The picture looks bleak, but we are determined
that our response must prevent the devastation
envisioned by the perpetrators of terror. Soon after 11
September, the Prime Minister of Grenada and
Chairman of the OECS, The Honourable Dr. Keith
Mitchell, convened a meeting of OECS to discuss the
impact on tourism and related activities — hotels,
banks, agriculture, manufacturing and transportation.
The subregional meeting of OECS took a number of
decisions that will respond to our economic challenges.
One such measure is the formation of the Grenada
National Economic Council. This will give effect to the
revival of sustainable tourism. It will address fiscal and
economic performance, and it will give impetus to
productivity. In addition, only recently in the Bahamas,
the Caribbean Community heads of Government met
and approved an $18 million joint public/private sector
emergency tourism promotion programme,
demonstrating self-help at its best in the region.
The events of 11 September, with the ensuing
economic and geopolitical instability, have propelled us
to reorder our priorities. We need to focus on restoring
confidence in international economic and multilateral
cooperation. As we all know, the member States of the
World Trade Organization do not participate on a level
playing field. The developing world is still struggling
to bridge the economic and social divide in our global
community. Some were not in favour of the second
round of negotiations. Yet some States were willing to
put their differences aside and endeavour to march
towards the next stage of economic and multilateral
cooperation. This is clearly what we aspire to in this
august body.
17

While concerns about terrorism have dominated
the general debate, and rightly so, mention must be
made of the unfinished agenda of the last decade of the
twentieth century with respect to social and economic
development, central to which is the human person.
The following United Nations summit-level
conferences, which have been held in the past 10 years,
have all stressed sustainable development and the
centrality of the human person in the process: the
United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992; the World
Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993; the
International Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo in 1994; the World Summit for
Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995; the
Second United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul in 1996; the World
Food Summit in Rome in 1996; the Millennium
Summit in 2000; and the special session of the General
Assembly on HIV/AIDS in 2001.
The question is: How much of the outcome of
these conferences has been implemented with respect
to poverty alleviation, the empowerment of women,
health, education, children and the elderly, trade
liberalization, economic cooperation, and the sharing
and transfer of technology? Could it be that these
conferences and special sessions promised more than
they could deliver? Promising too much is as bad as
doing too little.
The fight against poverty underpins all of those
things. To feed the hungry is both a divine and a social
imperative. Thus, the international community is
particularly concerned that the International
Conference on Financing for Development to be held
next year in Mexico and the World Summit for
Sustainable Development to be held in South Africa,
both so important for small States, should yield
positive results. The Barbados Programme of Action
for the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States is still a major and unfulfilled
component of the process of the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development, and it
should be high on the implementation agenda this time
around.
For more than 40 years an embargo has existed
against a small country in the Caribbean. What this has
done is to ostracize the Cuban people and cause them
undue hardship. What it has achieved is to make the
Cuban people more innovative. The old wounds have
healed, the pain has dulled and the cause has
diminished. I wish to register Grenada’s support for the
removal of the United States of America’s economic
embargo on Cuba. Members will recall that last year
167 Member States voted in favour of the removal of
that embargo. Only three voted against and four
abstained. That shows the overwhelming position of
the international community against those sanctions.
Trade, as we know, is important for the development of
any people, and with the embargo there is no freedom
of trade between Cuba and the United States.
In the wake of the devastation caused in Cuba by
hurricane Michelle, it is now critical that steps be taken
to remove the embargo and to give the Cuban people a
chance to recover from that unstoppable force of
nature. The easing of the economic embargo against
Cuba could assist in the overall development of that
country, a small nation seeking against all odds to
maintain a modern, dynamic society in the Caribbean
and in Latin America. The lifting of the embargo would
augur well for friendly cooperative relations among all
the countries of this hemisphere.
Now, I turn to the issue of the Republic of China
on Taiwan. Grenada believes that a country that
exhibits fortitude and that has moved its economy from
poor and underdeveloped to affluent and prosperous
deserves recognition. A country that consistently shows
international responsibility surely deserves to be
admitted to this community of nations. The time has
come to reconsider the exclusion of the Republic of
China on Taiwan from membership of the United
Nations. The Republic of China is home to 23 million
people. It is a free and democratic country, and a
peace-loving member of the international community.
In economic terms, the Republic of China on Taiwan is
the seventeenth largest economy in the world, the
eighth largest investor in and fourth largest exporter of
information technology products, and the third largest
holder of foreign reserves. It is preposterous to
continue to keep such a country outside the world
body.
The Government of Grenada appeals for that
wrong to be corrected. We are therefore requesting that
the United Nations recognize the natural right of the
people of Taiwan to become active participants in this
Organization. We believe that the Government and the
people of Taiwan are seeking to participate in the
United Nations and to contribute constructively to the
18

international community. Grenada urges that they be
given that opportunity and that right.
Grenada, however, notes with satisfaction the
admission of the Republic of China on Taiwan into the
World Trade Organisation. It is the hope of my
delegation that the past, present and future performance
of Taiwan as a major democratic and international
economic player, although Taiwan is not now a
member of the United Nations, will in the not-too-
distant future enable it to regain its rightful place in the
family of nations.
The United Nations membership must make
Article 3 of the Charter a major priority in the next few
years. Our founding fathers called for the Organization
“To achieve international cooperation in
solving international problems of an economic,
social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in
promoting and encouraging respect for human
rights and for fundamental freedoms for all
without distinction as to race, sex, language, or
religion.”
We must do all in our power to provide added
economic opportunities for the developing world. We
believe that trade is one avenue to achieve this. I
therefore call on the Economic and Social Council
actively to pursue undertakings that could create an
encouraging atmosphere in which Member States could
have the opportunity to raise the standard of living of
their peoples. In the current global environment, we
must be conscious that inclusion in the processes of the
global economy is vital.
Finally, I must recall Article 1 of the United
Nations Charter, which calls for the Organization
“To maintain international peace and
security, and to that end: to take effective
collective measures for the prevention and
removal of threats to the peace.”
We must be relentless in our pursuit of the
purposes of the Organization. Our challenge is to work
towards the elimination of terrorist activities. Our quest
must be for economic opportunities for all States. And
our goal should be the peaceful coexistence of all
peoples of the international community.


I should like at the outset to express the
profound sympathy and condolences of Cameroon to
the Government and the people of the United States of
America and of the Dominican Republic for the
accident involving the American Airlines Airbus on 12
November in New York.
It was also with great dismay and sadness that we
learned of the natural disaster that struck the brotherly
people of Algeria with such severity. On behalf of the
people and the Government of Cameroon, I would like
to extend to that country our most profound
condolences and solidarity.
Rarely has a session of the General Assembly
been such a focus of international public attention or
aroused the interest of the worldwide media to the
extent that the current session has. The annual session
of the General Assembly is a powerful symbol of the
coming together of nations, the promotion of cultures
and respect for differences and freedoms. This year,
however, a shadow has been cast over our session by
the recent, terrible attacks of 11 September, which took
place not far from here. Cameroon addressed that
subject at length during the debate on international
terrorism that took place on 5 October. I should
therefore simply like to reaffirm, on behalf of His
Excellency Mr. Paul Biya, President of the Republic of
Cameroon, our sincere condolences to the families that
have suffered as a result of the tragedy, as well as our
solidarity with the city of New York and the
Government of the United States.
We must, of course, emerge from this period of
mourning. We must unite our forces to eliminate the
centres of destruction that are responsible for this
tragedy. Each of the States Members of the United
Nations, acting together, must nip international
terrorism in the bud before it spreads any further.
Lowering our guard when confronted with this great
peril, or appearing to be helpless in the face of the
criminal fanatics who are sowing terror, would expose
each State and each individual on earth, turning them
into potential victims of this lethal danger.
The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Han,
comes from Korea, whose patient, wise and resolute
peoples have long been engaged in a courageous
political struggle to heal the wounds of the past. We are
convinced that he will be able to guide the Assembly at
its fifty-sixth session through this period of great
turbulence. He can rest assured of my delegation’s full
support.
The delegation of Cameroon would also like to
express its gratitude to his predecessor, His Excellency
Mr. Harri Holkeri, who presided with great skill over
the work of the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth
session. He perfectly reflected the modest, generous
and supportive character of Finland.
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the United
Nations and its Secretary-General is cause for hope and
optimism for the development of the Organization.
Cameroon welcomes that dual tribute. As the head of
State of Cameroon said in his message of
congratulations to the Secretary-General, Africa is
proud that the Oslo jury chose to honour Kofi Annan.
That award strengthens and reaffirms the unanimity
and confidence of the General Assembly, which
presided over the re-election — an election that seemed
quite natural — of that great servant of the peoples of
the United Nations for a second mandate as Secretary-
General of our Organization.
Indeed, all States Members of the United Nations
must be proud that the Nobel Peace Prize was also
awarded to the Organization. It is the first time in the
history of the United Nations that the Organization
itself has been honoured with such a distinction. That
gesture confirms — if such a confirmation was
needed — that the Organization, in which we are all
players, is truly a major instrument of world peace that
embodies all of our hopes for a better world.
As an instrument of world peace, the United
Nations took up, the day after the attacks of 11
September, both the struggle against international
terrorism and the crisis in Afghanistan. The
international community as a whole, through Security
Council and General Assembly resolutions, was able to
support the military intervention carried out against the
presumed masterminds of those attacks, their networks
and their Taliban protectors.
In the same way that we honour the memory of
the victims of New York, Washington, D.C., and
Pennsylvania, we must also honour the memory of the
32

civilian victims in Afghanistan, including the three
French and German journalists.
Cameroon, I repeat, believes that the alleged
criminals must be held responsible for their actions.
Moreover, we urge the international community to
strive to prevent Afghanistan from re-engaging with
the old demons of conflict between the armed clans
that have defeated the Taliban today. Cameroon
therefore calls for an immediate manifestation of the
United Nations presence in Kabul.
Under the powers granted to it by the
international community, in particular under Chapter
VII of the Charter, the Security Council, with the
essential support of all Members of our Organization,
must swiftly undertake all necessary actions to restore
and maintain peace in Afghanistan and to provide
humanitarian assistance to people who have been left
destitute and traumatized by an apparently endless civil
war.
We must urgently prevent the flames of war from
spreading inexorably throughout Afghanistan. We must
also recall from this rostrum, however, that it is high
time to douse the fires that have been burning for
decades in Palestine, a land of peace. We must
extinguish the fires that, conflict after conflict, are
devastating the Democratic Republic of the Congo and
the Great Lakes region, as well as those that have
consumed Angola for over 25 years. It is high time
that, like those who fought the fires in New York on 11
September, we act as firefighters to put an end to the
fratricidal wars of the African continent, Central
America and other disadvantaged regions of the planet.
We must remain vigilant in preserving the particularly
fragile peace in the Balkans.
We are convinced that the best firefighter to
contain the ravages of war and the threats that loom
over peace and security throughout the world is the
United Nations. Without the determination of States,
however, and the respect of those States for
unanimously adopted rules, it is vain to hope to achieve
the result targeted for the Organization by the Charter.
The activity of the United Nations will have no effect if
the resolutions it adopts to contribute to settling a
conflict are not respected by the parties concerned and
involved.
Why, after more than half a century, have we not
been able to end the conflict in the Middle East, in
which Palestinians and Israelis are in ever more brutal
and violent opposition? Why can we not find the
resources necessary to the United Nations to nip in the
bud the fratricidal wars that have bled and disrupted
entire regions of the African continent since the dawn
of independence? These are the persistent questions
that haunt international public opinion. Just as all men
must naturally be equal before the law, States must be
treated on the same footing of equality out of respect
for international law and the principles defined by the
United Nations.
The implementation of resolutions and
recommendations adopted at the Millennium Summit
would enable great progress to be made towards the
world of harmony that globalization is supposed to
establish. Man and the safeguarding of his life and
dignity, wherever he may live, must be restored as our
priority. Man and the safeguarding of his life and
dignity must once again be the central focus of our
actions, thoughts and concerns.
The attacks of 11 September in the United States
and the spotlighting of international terrorism must
prompt us to take action, of course, but it must also and
especially lead us to reflection. We have seen how the
promoters of those who thus endanger the new world
order also invoke a policy of double standards to
justify their fanatical acts. We have also read in many
of their communiqués their claim to be leading a
crusade on behalf of a religious community that,
according to them, has been treated unfairly by others.
We understand, finally, that they have also cited the
living conditions of many hundreds of millions of
people, the poorest of the poor, as an argument for
fighting that part of the world that plunders and
dominates them in a spirit of complete indifference. We
must do all we can to avoid giving such excuses and
pretexts to individuals and groups who in fact have
nothing but criminal motives.
Cameroon has maintained and continues to
maintain that the United Nations must, more than ever
before, continue to affirm the necessary links of
solidarity within the international community and the
need for balance in international relations. Support and
development assistance for the poorest regions of the
world are essentials recalled not only in the resolutions
of the Millennium Summit, but also at the most recent
Third United Nations Conference on the Least
Developed Countries, held this year in Brussels. The
recovery efforts of the countries of the South — inter
alia, the New African Initiative on economic matters —
33

must be accompanied and supported by the most
prosperous States. During the annual session of the
Economic and Social Council last summer in Geneva,
over which Cameroon had the honour of presiding,
these principles and requirements were broadly
recalled and, thank goodness, endorsed.
In spite of the commitments undertaken at one
world summit after the other, the gap between the
regions of the North and the South is growing wider by
the day. Destitution, poverty, epidemics, the AIDS
pandemic and the technology divide are not matters of
fate. Over and above solidarity, a more just and
balanced practice of commercial exchange, notably
through the opening of markets to the most
disadvantaged countries, could also help to bridge that
gap. The forthcoming International Conference on
Financing for Development, to be held next year in
Mexico under United Nations auspices, should provide
an opportunity for a deeper reflection on these
priorities.
On 1 January 2002, Cameroon will take its place
at the Security Council table on behalf of Africa as a
non-permanent member. I would like to express on
behalf of His Excellency Paul Biya, President of the
Republic of Cameroon, all of our gratitude to all of the
Member States of our Organization for the confidence
placed in my country. In the current international
circumstances, we realize the full value of this
confidence.
Cameroon is committed to fully assuming its
official duties in making its modest contribution, in the
Council, to the maintenance of international peace and
security.


Allow me at the outset to
congratulate the President of the General Assembly at
its fifty-sixth session, Mr. Han Seung-soo, on his
election to that important and responsible post. On
behalf of the Ukrainian delegation, I would like to
assure him of our full support and to wish him every
success in his work. I take this opportunity also to
express our appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Harri
Holkeri, whose political wisdom and diplomatic skill
enabled the Assembly to achieve important results at
its fifty-fifth session.
A year ago, at the Millennium Summit, we, the
representatives of the nations of the world, were seen
as heralds of a new age. At that memorable gathering,
the United Nations heard words that gave humanity
hope for a new and just model of international relations
in the new century: freedom, equality, solidarity,
tolerance and mutual responsibility. Those fundamental
values enshrined in the Millennium Declaration
outlined the path that the peoples of the world will
follow in the new era.
However, while striving to breathe the fresh air of
the future, we instead swallowed a mouthful of ashes
and dust. On 11 September the modern world was
brutally wounded. The death of innocent people
shocked all those who cherish the universal values of
life and freedom.
The terrorist acts that took place in the United
States demonstrated that the philosophy of hatred,
which has no religious, ethnic or linguistic affiliation,
has become one of the key challenges of the
contemporary world. This threat requires an urgent and
clear international reaction.
Ukraine shares the pain of the American people
and fully supports the resolve of the United States
effectively to stand against the perpetrators, patrons
and instigators of those terrorist acts.
We joined the global anti-terrorist coalition
without any hesitation because we recognize the need
to unite the efforts of the international community to
counter new threats.
The military campaign in Afghanistan, which
targets the core of international terrorism, is the first
stage, and a necessary element, of these efforts. It is
also evident, however, that the Afghan people, who
live in a state of permanent humanitarian crisis, have
become hostages to terrorism. As a result, this crisis
cannot be brought to an end without consistent political
and diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a solution.
Ukraine welcomes the activities of the Secretary-
General and his Special Representative, Lakhdar
Brahimi, and supports their constructive contribution to
the stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan.
We are convinced that efforts to further
strengthen and improve international legal mechanisms
for combating terrorism should also be given a
powerful political impetus. In this context, the speedy
conclusion of work on the draft comprehensive
convention on terrorism takes on special importance.
I am also pleased to mention that the proposal of
my country to convene a ministerial meeting of the
Security Council to discuss further steps in the global
response to international terrorism was unanimously
supported by the members of the Council. There is no
doubt that, in the course of such a meeting, vital steps
42

will be taken to identify key means and methods of
combating terrorism.
We also maintain that there is a need for proper
institutional arrangements to coordinate and
complement the individual efforts of Member States in
combating international terrorism and to ensure that the
legal instruments we have elaborated are implemented
in the most efficient manner possible. Any entity of
this sort should not become just another bureaucratic
body, but, rather, should be an effective mechanism for
contributing to the consolidation of international
efforts in this area.
To honour the memory of the thousands who have
perished in terrorist attacks and to further unite our
efforts in fighting the scourge of terrorism, I would like
to propose, on behalf of the Government of Ukraine, to
declare 11 September a United Nations day to combat
international terrorism. I hope that this proposal will be
supported by the General Assembly, which would then
establish this day as a symbol of our remembrance,
unity and resolve.
Ukraine welcomes the decision taken this year by
the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Peace
Prize to the United Nations and to its Secretary-
General, Kofi Annan. He is exactly the kind of leader
the United Nations needs today as it faces new global
challenges.
Are we ready to stand up to these new
challenges? Have we fully realized that the
deterioration of the situation in the world is due to the
existing, deep-rooted international inequality? And,
finally, how will the fifty-sixth session of the General
Assembly be remembered — as a session that put an
end to the age of illusions, or as a forum that
consolidated the United Nations family?
The United Nations is entering a new period of its
history. Ukraine is deeply convinced that, from a
strategic perspective, the strengthening of the status of
the United Nations as the core of the modern system of
international relations should become the primary task
of this Organization.
The terrorist acts in the United States have united
and consolidated the international community. Why has
it taken the tragic loss of thousands of innocent lives
for it to realize that there is a vital need for unity of
action on its part?
We believe that the essence of United Nations
leadership lies in ensuring an effective response to the
new challenges to security at both the global and
regional levels. This role, however, cannot be played
effectively if we do not improve the existing model of
decision-making and implementation at the
international level.
That is why my country actively supports the
reform of the Security Council. We see this reform not
as a weakening of the foundations of the Council's
work, but, on the contrary, as a move that will
strengthen them, by ensuring that they better reflect the
realities of the modern world.
This year, Ukraine is completing its term as a
member of the Security Council. I believe that the
experience we have gained will contribute to advancing
the process of change. We will consistently advocate
the need to improve the Security Council's methods of
work and to enlarge its membership. As a Central
European nation, Ukraine will actively lobby for an
additional seat on the Council for this region.
In our view, special attention should also be paid
to the philosophy of United Nations peacekeeping
activities and to the problem of sanctions. For many
years, Ukraine — which today is among the 10 largest
troop contributors to United Nations peacekeeping
missions — has consistently supported the
development of effective United Nations preventive
mechanisms.
At the Millennium and Security Council summits
last year, the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma,
emphasized the need for the elaboration of a United
Nations strategy for comprehensive conflict prevention
based on the wide use of preventive diplomacy.
I am pleased to note that the recommendations on
conflict prevention put forward by Secretary-General
Kofi Annan in his June report echo the proposal made
by the President of Ukraine. We believe that the United
Nations possesses the necessary experience and
resources for the enhancement of its role in this field,
in particular through the establishment of regional
centres to monitor potential areas of conflict, as well as
through the more active use of preventive deployment
operations.
Concerning the issue of sanctions, we are in
favour of the elaboration of a well-balanced
methodology for their imposition, implementation and
43

lifting. This critical lever of influence should not be
turned into a political boomerang.
We are also convinced of the overriding need to
further consolidate international efforts towards arms
control, disarmament and the non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. On the basis of a realistic
assessment of the potential of the Conference on
Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), we hope that it will
result in an increase in the number of parties to this
Treaty, which was ratified by Ukraine last year.
I would also like to mention that next month
Ukraine will complete the implementation of the third,
and last, phase of strategic weapons destruction under
the START Treaty. On 30 October, Ukraine destroyed
its last intercontinental ballistic missile silo. In that
way we turned one of the important pages in the
history of nuclear disarmament. We are ready to
continue to make our contribution to secure the
effectiveness of the system of strategic stability in the
world.
Ukraine supports further development by the
United Nations of a universal approach to the issues of
ensuring sustainable development and eradicating
poverty in the world. We hope that the outcome of the
International Conference on Financing for
Development will be a practical step in mobilizing
national and international resources to solve these
problems.
We also intend to take practical steps to resolve a
set of environmental protection issues. As a country
that still suffers the pain of the Chernobyl tragedy,
Ukraine counts on the further active involvement of the
United Nations Development Programme and other
operational bodies of the Organization in the process of
eliminating the long-term consequences of this disaster.
Ukraine considers that cultural and spiritual
disasters are no less destructive than natural ones. The
cultural mosaic of the world is the most precious and
delicate treasure granted to humanity. Ukraine has the
honour to be one of the sponsors of the General
Assembly draft resolution on the proclamation of the
year 2002 as the United Nations year for the protection
of the world’s cultural heritage, and calls on the
international community to support this initiative.
Vigorous work to protect humanity’s historical and
cultural heritage is not only a vital necessity, it is also
our moral responsibility to past and future generations.
The year 2001 is an anniversary year for our
country. On 24 August Ukraine celebrated the first
decade of its independence. These have been 10 years
of complex processes. The main result has been
Ukraine’s consolidation as a peaceful and independent
European State. We have achieved sustainable
economic growth as a result of consistent reforms, and
my country is an active participant in European
regional processes.
Ukraine is contributing to the settlement of the
so-called frozen conflicts, specifically in Abkhazia,
Georgia, and Transdniestria, Moldova. As a member of
Group of Friends of the Secretary-General for Georgia,
Ukraine is concerned over the slow pace of the
Georgia-Abkhaz peace process.
Ukraine takes an active stand concerning the
settlement of the situation in the Republic of
Macedonia. The resolution of the centuries-old Balkan
problem is an ambitious and urgent task for Europe in
the new century.
We also note with concern the escalation of
tensions in the Middle East during the past year. The
entire history of the conflict in the Middle East proves
that its vicious circle can be broken only through
renouncing violence and reviving mutual trust and
tolerance between the sides to the conflict.
The United Nations is beginning a new and
complicated period of its activities. It is up to us to
determine how the Untied Nations comes out of its
encounter with the new challenges, united or divided. I
believe that the wisdom of this forum, which has been
nurtured through decades of hard and responsible work,
should serve to guarantee an optimistic scenario.


I am
grateful for the opportunity to address the General
Assembly at its fifty-sixth session. I would like to
extend my warmest congratulations to you, Sir, on your
well-deserved election.
I would like to join those who spoke before me in
expressing my deep condolences to the people of the
United States. The date of 11 September will be forever
inscribed in our minds and hearts as the symbol of the
most blatant affront to civilization and commonly
accepted values. Regardless of the brutality of the
terrorist attacks directed against innocent civilians,
however, they failed in the attempt to polarize the
world and to undermine the very foundations of our
societies. Those attacks were attacks against all of us,
too. We therefore fully support the approach outlined
yesterday morning by President Bush.
Yes, the fight against all kinds of terrorism must
be determined and precise. It has to target terrorists,
who must be apprehended and brought to justice. At
the same time, we have to do much more when we are
talking about quick and massive help to the innocent
civilians of Afghanistan.
I would like to use this opportunity to recall that
my country promptly and resolutely joined the
worldwide coalition against terrorism. And I am
convinced that, by adopting such a clear position, my
country is a part of the solution, rather than a part of
the problem, in this particular field. I spoke about this
more extensively in this same Hall two days ago on the
occasion of the meeting devoted to the dialogue among
civilizations.
Coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which
was treated by various kinds of fundamentalists and
radicals as a problematic and questionable Balkan
country because of its multi-ethnic and multicultural
nature, I am especially sensitive to the type of
terrorism that misuses religious feelings and, in so
doing, jeopardizes local societies and global society.
The war against terrorists is justified, but all of us
will be losers if we fail to do everything we can to help
the innocent people who are suffering today. Our
experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina teaches us that
military intervention, even when complemented by
humanitarian assistance, is not enough for a
sustainable, long-lasting solution.
At the same time, we — and when I say “we”, I
mean the international community speaking with one
voice, together with local democratic forces, regardless
of their current strength — have to have a clear vision
of a political solution, accompanied by a programme
for social and economic development, once the military
intervention is over. Only such a comprehensive
approach — military, humanitarian, political and socio-
economic — will leave no room for the terrorists to
interpret the intervention in Afghanistan as a war
against Islam or as a symbol of the clash of
civilizations.
The terrorists will lose. Without a comprehensive
approach, we might be losers, too, by the measure of
ethical and universal human values. That is why we
have to tackle these areas of future action together,
starting today.
At a time when humanity has reached for the
highest objectives but also carried out the worst deeds,
there should be no doubt that the United Nations can
fulfil its new tasks, confronting old and new
challenges, leading in the building of a prosperous
world founded no longer on force but on the rule of
law, not on a balance of power but on a balance of
cooperation.
The contribution of the international community
in achieving progress in my country, Bosnia and
17

Herzegovina, was particularly visible in the role of the
United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the Stabilization Force, the United Nations High
Representative, the Peace Implementation Council, the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
and other members of the family of the international
community present in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We particularly recognize and value the role of
the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
in police reform and the substantial upgrading of the
judicial system. The United Nations family of
organizations was certainly one of the key players in
the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a
multiethnic, tolerant and democratic State.
Knowing that the mandate of the United Nations
Mission in the present form will terminate by the end
of 2002, we expect the United Nations mission
activities to continue in a different form. However, we
would like to see a smooth transition without any
interruption in these extremely important activities.
The noble goals and accomplishments of our
Organization were honoured recently, and I would like
to extend sincere and heartiest congratulations to the
Secretary-General and the whole of the United Nations
for the recognition by the Nobel Peace Prize
Committee.
I would like to inform the Assembly that we have
decided to present candidature of Bosnia and
Herzegovina for a non-permanent seat in the Security
Council for the year 2010. We are convinced that by
doing so, we confirm our commitment to contributing
fully to the work of the United Nations. It would also
be a clear sign of advanced stability and normalization
of life in our country, and particularly of our
commitment to economic and democratic development.
Therefore, we hope that as early as in 10 years from
now, Bosnia and Herzegovina will succeed in
becoming a member of the most important political
body of the United Nations.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are working daily
to live up to the vision of a safer and more peaceful,
stable and self-sustaining country. Our efforts are
directed toward three main sets of priorities.
First is the rule of law, through the speedy
implementation of the latest Constitutional Court
decisions and through proper judiciary and police
actions fighting terrorism and organized crime,
combating corruption, arresting indicted war criminals
and creating a stable environment for the return of
refugees.
Second are the further building and strengthening
of the State’s institutions.
Third are economic reforms directed to the
strengthening of economic activities; establishment of
a single economic space; and setting up the conditions
for upgraded education, thus offering a choice for our
young generations to stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and become an inseparable factor in its development
and future.
Of course, implementation of the Dayton/Paris
Peace Agreement and the continuous adjustment and
upgrading of our legal framework according to
European standards are the foundation of activities of
the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina at all levels.
Once again, I would like to express the gratitude
of my Government to the international community for
its devoted support of the enduring stability and
development of my country. We are determined to
move from the position of a patient or passive recipient
of aid from international organizations and institutions
to one of a partner in and contributor to international
efforts. We have to go through the process of being
first a recipient and then a partner in order to finally
become the owner of the changes in our country.
We are aware that responsibility for healing the
consequences of the war and post-war stagnation, and
for the removal of impediments to faster stabilization
and progress, rest primarily with the political
leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The future of
Bosnia and Herzegovina is in its integration into
European and North Atlantic organizations. The
establishment of contractual relations with the
European Union through the stabilization and
association process is one of the priority strategic goals
of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Further improvement of
good relations with neighbouring countries and
increased regional cooperation remain key elements for
the stability and development of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the region.
Relations with the Republic of Croatia since the
democratic changes in January last year are improving
every day, in every sense.
As a result of the democratic changes last year in
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and
18

Herzegovina has established full diplomatic relations
with that country, which opened the official channels of
the two countries to deal with a number of important
matters.
However, a number of issues that burdened
relations between the neighbouring countries are still
on the agenda. Some of them have already been solved
in bilateral meetings, but we are looking forward to
tackling them more actively.
Today is exactly one year since the people of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the first time in 10 years
of being driven by nationalism, gave less than 50
percent of their votes to three major ethnic parties. It
took us almost four months to establish the new,
democratic, multi-ethnic, Europe-oriented Government
that is now in place. We believe that we are on the way
to striking a proper balance between the necessary
assistance of the international community and further
decision-making by ourselves.
Finally, I can assure you today that our country
has a leadership with a clear vision and is ready to act
accordingly. For years, Bosnia and Herzegovina was
one of the world’s international and regional problems.
Today, my country is becoming one of the solutions.
With this conviction, we are looking at the important
challenges and tremendous tasks that are still ahead of
us. We must confront them without delay. I am
standing here to say we will do it.


On behalf of the State of Kuwait, it
gives me pleasure to congratulate Mr. Han Seung-soo,
and his friendly country, the Republic of Korea, on his
election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the
General Assembly. The office he holds undoubtedly
carries enormous responsibility. My delegation offers
him all the support and cooperation he needs to fulfil
his mandate. I wish here to pay tribute to his
predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri, for his efficient
stewardship of the last session of the Assembly.
Let me take this opportunity to warmly
congratulate Secretary-General Kofi Annan, jointly
with the United Nations, on the well-deserved award of
the Nobel Peace Prize, and on his unprecedented early
re-election to a second term. The renewal of Mr.
Annan’s mandate by the international community
reflects deep confidence in his character and
capabilities, in addition to recognition of his past
record. We look forward to continuing to see him bring
into play his creative perspective in addressing a whole
array of complete and interrelated issues facing our
world.
Many of the questions and challenges facing our
countries nowadays involve implications and risks that
cut across national borders of sovereign countries. It is
little wonder that our world has become a smaller
planet where geographical boundaries, cultural
diversity, economic status and ethnic multiplicity have
become lesser factors in shielding communities against
global influences and, by the same token, have
provided larger platforms for interaction with others.
The fact that the world community is now seized with
fighting terrorism is perhaps yet further compelling and
clear evidence of the deep interaction among and
complexity of States’ interests and concerns. The
strong condemnation of the heinous terrorist acts
committed against the United States of America on 11
September 2001 reflects the international community’s
recognition that the real target of that assault is the
political, economic and social stability of the world
order. Indeed, those attacks affected, without
discrimination, virtually all nation States, all
continents, all civilizations, all religions and all races.
Kuwait, for its part, has had a long-standing and
firm position of total and unequivocal condemnation of
terrorism, irrespective of its form or manifestation.
Thus, only hours after the commission of those
criminal acts, which contravene and violate every
religious concept and every cultural and humanitarian
value system, the Government and people of Kuwait
condemned them. I wish to reiterate here our deep
sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families
and to the friendly people of the United States of
America. Let me reaffirm our full backing and support
for all the efforts and measures adopted by the
international coalition to destroy the dens and bases of
terrorism with a view to stamping out its roots, to
apprehend the perpetrators of these criminal acts and to
bring them to justice. In this regard, we call for the
completion of work on the development of a rigorous
international legal system with which all countries of
the world would comply in good faith to eradicate this
evil.
In compliance with Security Council resolution
1373 (2001), Kuwait has enacted specific measures to
plug any loopholes that might be abused in charitable
fund-raising activities and to ensure that any charity
asset is used solely and exclusively for its original
5

legitimate purposes. Our competent authorities are now
in the process of taking further enforcement measures
to ensure universal and strict compliance.
At a time when we condemn all acts of terrorism,
we have been truly surprised to hear some voices that
have started to mount intense and relentless campaigns
linking terrorism with Islam. Those allegations
represent an obvious mistreatment of and injustice to a
divine faith revealed by God Almighty to humankind to
ensure mercy and compassion on this planet. Islam is a
faith that advocates peace, calls for tolerance, promotes
amity and renounces bigotry and extremism. Suffice it
to cite one verse from The Holy Koran:
“Invite (all) to the Way
Of thy Lord with wisdom
And beautiful preaching” (The Holy Koran,
XVI:125)
Therefore, we really cannot accept these tendencies in
the domestic or international mass media, regardless of
any excuse or pretext. Indeed, it is our common
responsibility to challenge such pernicious campaigns
in the interest of global social harmony.
An effective fight against terrorism requires
maximum international cooperation and coordination.
It also demands a soul-searching review of our
political, economic and social policies and practices in
dealing with current global challenges. The aim is to
deny evil-doers any reason to carry out their terror
schemes to advance their own agendas.
While we stress the importance and relevance of
all United Nations resolutions and instruments relating
to the suppression of terrorism, Kuwait endorses the
call to convene an international conference on
terrorism. A key purpose of that proposed meeting
would be to set out a clear definition of terrorism that
draws a line between terrorism as a phenomenon that
strikes at international peace and security and the right
of peoples to struggle against occupation with a view
to achieving self-determination, in line with the Charter
of the United Nations and the norms of international
law.
Kuwait is in full sympathy with the friendly
people of Afghanistan, who have endured a great and
steady decline in their living conditions for over 20
years. The relentless conflicts and wars that have
afflicted Afghanistan for too long have destroyed the
infrastructure and resources of that country. In response
to the appeal of the Secretary-General seeking
resources to meet the severe humanitarian crisis of the
Afghan people, the Government of Kuwait has
announced a donation of $3 million in support of
international humanitarian relief efforts. Three
shipments of relief aid have also been sent to the
Afghan refugees. These supplies are distributed in
coordination with the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees. Furthermore, back
in Kuwait, we are organizing a public fund-raising
campaign to solicit donations from individuals and
private companies to alleviate the suffering of the
Afghan people. The total yield of that effort now stands
at over $8 million.
With regard to the overall situation in
Afghanistan, Kuwait maintains that international
efforts should be maximized to bring about the long-
awaited peace and security. National reconciliation and
a national coalition Government, elected by the people
of Afghanistan, that represent all factions and ethnic
groups are perhaps the most viable means to ensure the
sustainability of the country and eventually its recovery
of normal status within the region and the world. Only
then will the nation of Afghanistan be able to channel
its energy and resources towards reconstruction and
development.
In the meantime, while we express our deep
regret for the civilian casualties among the Afghan
population, we sincerely hope that the ongoing military
operations against the bastions of terrorism and the
terrorists will cause no injuries to innocent, unarmed
people who are totally powerless and helpless.
Kuwait views the environment as a key common
heritage and destiny that must be preserved for future
generations. The bitter recent experience of the Gulf
region, where two devastating wars took place, has left
wide-scale environmental damage. Against this
background, Kuwait sponsored a draft resolution
submitted to the General Assembly to designate
6 November of each year as the International Day for
Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War
and Armed Conflict. Kuwait is grateful that the
resolution was adopted by consensus. It is our hope
that this initiative will help to further promote a deeper
universal awareness of the need to safeguard our
environment, which is the source of human life now
and in the future.
6

The eyes of the world have been fixed for over
one year now on the valiant uprising of the Palestinian
people, which arose as a natural and legitimate
response to the continued Israeli occupation of the
Palestinian territories and to the backtracking of the
Israeli Government from the accords it signed with the
Palestinian side.
The obvious policy of the Government of Israel is
to reject any Palestinian, regional or international
initiative. Instead, it counts as a matter of policy on the
use of force; state terrorism and the creation of faits
accomplis on the ground. It slams every door that is
opened, designs new oppressive measures and triggers
one crisis after another. Its overriding goal is to abort
the peace promise born in Madrid in 1991. Israel’s
barbaric practices, its blatant challenge to all United
Nations resolutions and its excessive and unwarranted
use of lethal force in response to stone-throwing
Palestinians have all combined to create an
overwhelming sense of despair, frustration and gloom
in the Palestinian ranks.
Here one must ponder the hard lessons we have
all learned from similar situations of unalloyed gloom
and doom. It is precisely against this backdrop that the
United Nations, the international community and the
United States in particular, as a co-sponsor of the
Middle East peace process, must assume a special
international responsibility to mount an effective and
meaningful drive to force Israel to fulfil its
undertakings and commitments set forth in its bilateral
agreements with the Palestinian Authority, as well as to
implement Security Council and General Assembly
resolutions, including those relating to the city of
Jerusalem, with a view to preserving its Arab and
Islamic character and its holy religious identity. Kuwait
therefore welcomes the indications of support by the
United States for the establishment of an independent
Palestinian State. We hope that this declared position
will now be translated into concrete steps that will
move the whole peace process forward towards its
long-awaited outcome.
In this context, let me stress that Kuwait will
continue to support our Palestinian brothers and to
provide all possible political and material assistance to
them until they attain all their legitimate political
rights, including the establishment of an independent
Palestinian State on their own territory, with Jerusalem
as its capital. In the same vein, Israel must
unconditionally withdraw from the Syrian Arab Golan
and the Lebanese Shab’a farms.
The main objective of Kuwait’s foreign policy is
to consolidate security and stability throughout the
Arabian Gulf region. This goal will remain unmet
unless and until Iraq implements all relevant Security
Council resolutions. It is, indeed, regrettable that the
Government of Iraq persists in its allegations that it has
carried out all its obligations under those resolutions.
In addition, that Government continues to pursue its
long-standing hostile practices and policies towards
Kuwait in order to heighten regional tension and to
destabilize security and peace. Kuwait has repeatedly
drawn the attention of the Security Council and the
Secretary-General to the non-peaceful intentions of
Iraq, as exemplified by the recurrent threats made to
Kuwait’s security and sovereignty by many high-level
Iraqi Government officials. Kuwait has also called on
the Security Council to bring pressure to bear on the
Iraqi Government so that it will honour all its
obligations and thereby make it possible to lift the
sanctions affecting the brotherly people of Iraq and to
permit that country to reclaim its normal status as an
active member regionally and internationally.
When we discuss here the suffering of children,
women and the elderly, Kuwait cannot but recall its
own excruciating experience, endured over the past
decade, relating to the question of Kuwaiti and third-
country prisoners and hostages. In fact, this is a key
obligation that Iraq has so far failed to fulfil. This issue
remains a top national priority for the Government and
people of Kuwait.
The humanitarian nature of this long-running
issue — the anguish that it is causing to the immediate
families of the prisoners and to our entire
population — means that resolution of the problem
cannot be delayed any longer. The Government of Iraq
alone bears responsibility for the lack of any
meaningful progress in implementing the relevant
Security Council resolutions. Those resolutions
demand, inter alia, that Iraq cooperate with the
International Committee of the Red Cross and the high-
level Coordinator, Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, who
was appointed by the Secretary-General to facilitate the
return of those prisoners and hostages. It is clear that
the Government of Iraq is insensitive to the
humanitarian dimension of this matter. This
insensitivity is borne out by its insistence on
boycotting the meetings of the ad hoc Tripartite
7

Commission and its Technical Subcommittee since it
walked away from those meetings for unjustifiable
political reasons in January 1999. Let me also reiterate
our call to Iraq to return our stolen property, in
particular the State of Kuwait archives and other
official documents.
Over the past few years, the world economic
scene has undergone remarkable changes. We have
seen the emergence of several new economic
phenomena created by the revolution in information
technology and the immense scientific progress in
communications and trade. These changes and
phenomena have made it imperative for many
countries, especially the developing nations, to
introduce drastic changes to their economic plans and
structures in an attempt to benefit from the globalized
economy with a view to ensuring development and
progress for their societies. Despite the promise of
substantial benefits as a result of policies to liberalize
world trade and eliminate customs barriers, we still
have to make a concerted effort in order to make the
globalization process a positive force that benefits all
the peoples of the world. This will require the drawing
up of regional and international guidelines and
standards that protect the nascent economies of the
developing nations from economic turbulence and
crises that might otherwise have an adverse impact on
the living conditions of their peoples.
In the meantime, the developed countries and the
international financial institutions should double their
financial aid to the developing countries in order to
enable them to strengthen the underpinnings of their
economic structures. In the long term, this will help to
establish more balanced economic relations built on
mutual benefit and common interest. With that in mind,
Kuwait is pursuing a steadfast policy of support for
developmental projects in many developing countries.
Most recently, Kuwait has contributed $1 million to the
fund established by the Secretary-General to combat
the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
On a parallel track, Kuwait is contributing to the
funding of many developmental programmes and
projects in the developing countries through
international and regional financial institutions, as well
as through many public Kuwaiti charitable
organizations. This philanthropy is motivated by a
sense of common social responsibility and social
interdependence — values that are embedded in the
traditions of our Islamic faith.
Let me close by saying that we look forward to
participating actively in the forthcoming celebrations
of the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.
Hopefully, this will turn out to be another event that
underscores our determination to promote and
consolidate the concepts of civilized tolerance and
understanding among our nations and peoples, who all
yearn to live free of self-inflicted conflicts and to enjoy
a prosperous life in which good and virtuous human
tendencies prevail as a basis for international relations.


The fifty-sixth session
of the General Assembly is no ordinary one. We are
meeting in the aftermath of the despicable terrorist
attacks on New York, the seat of the United Nations,
Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Once again, we
express our deep condolences to the Government and
the people of the United States. Our thoughts go out to
the families of those who lost their loved ones in those
tragic and horrific events of 11 September. Namibia
reiterates its unreserved condemnation of these and all
other terrorist attacks, wherever they occur.
In the same vein, we express our condolences to
the families of those who perished in the American
Airlines accident on 12 November. We also convey our
condolences to the Government and the people of the
Dominican Republic.
Namibia also expresses its heartfelt sympathy to
the Government and the people of Algeria as they
mourn the deaths of those killed by the violent storm
and mudslides there. Our thoughts go out to their
families.
I would like to congratulate Mr. Han Seung-soo
on his unanimous election as President of the General
Assembly at its fifty-sixth session and to assure him of
Namibia’s cooperation during his tenure. I would also
like to congratulate his predecessor, His Excellency
Mr. Harri Holkeri, for the skills he brought to the work
of the General Assembly while presiding over the fifty-
fifth session. Under his able leadership, we have made
a firm beginning to the implementation of the
Declaration of the Millennium Summit.
Our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the
United Nations have earned a place among the Nobel
Peace Prize laureates. For this, as well as for his
unanimous, early re-election, Namibia extends warm
congratulations to the Secretary-General. This, indeed,
is eloquent testimony to the universal respect and
admiration he has earned from all Member States. We
wish him well and assure him of our full support
during his new term of office.
29

Today we face multiple challenges, some of
which threaten the future existence of communities and
nations. With the adoption of the historic Millennium
Declaration, world leaders pledged their determination
to address old as well as new obstacles hampering
peace and security. A solemn commitment has thus
been made to enhance social and economic prosperity
for all people, thereby ensuring a better world.
Through the United Nations, and with strong
political will, no challenge is insurmountable. The
United Nations is the only international body capable
of serving the interests of all nations. It is an effective
consultative and organizational forum for world affairs,
and it can create trust and confidence among nations. It
can bring peace to war-torn areas and bring relief and
development to people who need it most. When
sufficiently funded, its programmes and mandates can
help developing countries to meet the challenges of
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases threatening our
populations.
It is therefore important that we, the Member
States, reaffirm our commitment to continue to
strengthen our Organization in order to effectively
address the challenges of the new millennium. In this
context, we reiterate our call for the reform and
democratization of the Security Council. The Security
Council must be transparent and equitably
representative. Above all, it must be responsive and
accountable to all States Members, on whose behalf it
maintains international peace and security.
The outcome of the historic first Conference on
Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All
Its Aspects, held in July 2001, marked an important
first step and set achievable goals to address the
problems associated with this scourge, at all levels. It
will now require the combined efforts of the United
Nations, Member States and relevant international and
regional organizations to ensure that rapid progress is
made to stop the proliferation of small arms and light
weapons, which has wreaked havoc, especially on the
African continent.
Terrorism has assumed an increasingly alarming
globalized character. For some time now, the
Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries has been
calling for an international conference against
terrorism. The time is now right for Member States to
reach a consensus on such a conference. In this respect,
I wish to point out that Namibia signed, on 10
November 2001, the International Convention for the
Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, and we call
on others to do likewise.
At the 1990 World Summit for Children we made
a collective commitment to put children first, take care
of and educate them and protect them from harm,
exploitation, war and abuse. Yet too many children in
too many parts of the world are still deprived of a
peaceful childhood. Let us seize the occasion of the
twenty-seventh special session of the General
Assembly, on children, to take effective measures to
make the world fit for all our children.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reached
catastrophic proportions. The Secretary-General
reminded us that nearly 22 million people have died of
HIV/AIDS and that out of more than 36 million people
infected worldwide by HIV/AIDS, 25.3 million live in
sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, if indeed we are to succeed
in reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015, as world
leaders committed themselves to doing in so many
forums, then Governments, civil society and the private
sector must, in strong partnership, tackle HIV/AIDS. In
this connection, the establishment of the Global AIDS
and Health Fund to combat the AIDS epidemic and
other communicable diseases is a welcome initiative
which calls for generous contributions.
The World Conference against Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance,
held in Durban, South Africa, was the beginning of a
process undertaken by the international community to
address the inhuman and brutal treatment of the victims
of the dehumanizing practice of slavery and
colonialism, especially the African people. The trans-
Atlantic slave trade and the colonization of the African
peoples remain the darkest and most humiliating
episode in the history of the African continent. The
healing process will be enhanced only if and when
those who committed and benefited from slavery and
colonialism accept their full responsibility.
Namibia applauds the establishment of the
International Criminal Court (ICC), designed to bring
to justice those individuals accused of the most serious
crimes of concern to the international community.
Recently, the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) adopted the Windhoek Plan of
Action on ICC Ratification and Implementation,
designed to promote early ratification of the ICC treaty.
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Namibia is currently reviewing its national legislation
to prepare for the ratification of the treaty.
The knowledge-based global economy has
revolutionized the nature of trade, finance,
employment, migration, the environment and social
systems, as well as the concept and application of
governance.
Namibia, like other countries of the South,
expects tangible results from the International
Conference on Financing for Development, to be held
next year in Mexico. It is in the interest of North-South
and South-South cooperation that additional options be
explored to mobilize financing for development.
Similarly, the fourth Ministerial Meeting of the World
Trade Organization, in Doha, Qatar, could pave the
way to an equitable international trading system that is
mutually beneficial to all countries, provided that
political will prevails.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development,
to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, next year
should galvanize momentum for the full
implementation of Agenda 21, in particular the
principle of common but differentiated responsibility.
Desertification, land erosion and land degradation
should be given due and appropriate consideration.
Africa has recently taken an important step
towards greater unity and cohesion with the
transformation of the Organization of African Unity
into the African Union. This momentous step would
bring about closer integration of the continent and
would make Africa more competitive in an
increasingly global market. Furthermore, the heads of
State and Government adopted the New African
Initiative, now the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development, whose primary objective is the
eradication of poverty through sustained economic
growth and sustainable development. We call on the
international community to support and assist African
countries in the implementation of this New
Partnership.
Let me stress that the initiatives undertaken by
Japan, the People’s Republic of China, the United
States, under the third Tokyo International Conference
on African Development, the China-Africa Forum and
the African Growth and Opportunity Act respectively
can complement the efforts of African countries for
sustained economic growth.
We congratulate the people of East Timor on their
struggle for independence and on conducting
successful elections for their first Constituent
Assembly. We commend the United Nations for its
important role in East Timor. We wish the people of
East Timor every success in the reconstruction and
rehabilitation of their country. We call on the
international community to be generous in its support
of the East Timorese people in this most challenging
phase of their nationhood.
The eleventh of November this year marks 26
years of the independence of the Republic of Angola.
But for more than a quarter of a century, the people of
Angola have endured a brutal and devastating war.
They have suffered horrendous terrorist attacks against
civilian targets, including most recently attacks on a
passenger train, on school buses, the kidnapping of
schoolchildren, attacks on hospitals and the wanton
destruction of infrastructure; all at the hands of
UNITA. Tens of thousands of innocent men, women
and children have been killed. Their agricultural fields
are infested with landmines. Angola has acquired the
dubious distinction of having the largest number of
amputees and the greatest number of landmines. This is
not right; it cannot be right. These heinous atrocities
committed by UNITA, as well as that group’s
consistent record of duplicity and always negotiating in
bad faith, compelled SADC, in 1998, to declare
Savimbi, UNITA’s leader, a war criminal.
For its part, having determined convincingly that
UNITA is responsible for the violations of the Lusaka
Protocol and the resumption of the war, the United
Nations Security Council imposed sanctions against
UNITA. While sanctions have been effective in many
important respects, more concrete measures need to be
taken by Member States to strengthen them and make
them even more effective. African countries have a
bigger and special obligation in this regard. Sanctions
must be tightened in those areas identified by the
Monitoring Mechanism on Sanctions against UNITA,
such as the freezing of UNITA assets and bank
accounts and the closing down of UNITA
representations abroad, which now operate under
misleading and innocuous sounding appellations but
which in fact continue to promote UNITA activities
and advocate its wicked cause. The international
community should respond more decisively to repeated
defiance of Security Council resolutions by UNITA. By
acting more resolutely against UNITA, the
31

international community will help end the prolonged
suffering, tears and agony of the people of Angola.
Regarding the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Namibia is encouraged by the progress made in
the implementation of the Lusaka Ceasefire
Agreement. The ceasefire has been holding so far
despite some violations and infringements, particularly
in the eastern part of the country. The continued
occupation by forces of aggression has created
deplorable human suffering and large-scale human
rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Namibia, once again wishes to remind the
Members of the United Nations that a cardinal
principle of the Charter of this Organization has been
violated with impunity, when some of its Members
committed an act of naked aggression against the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is even more
deplorable when the aggressor countries are engaged in
the ruthless exploitation and plundering of the natural
resources of the Congo. We reiterate here that
aggression should be rejected and condemned
whenever and wherever it occurs. There should be no
double standards when it comes to the violation of the
principles of the Charter with regard to aggression. The
international community should also assist the people
of the Congo in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of
their country.
Now it is time for the Security Council to
implement its decisions without further delay and
approve the personnel for phase III of the deployment
of the United Nations Organization Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), taking
fully into account the demands and requirements of
that peacekeeping operation — the size of the country
and the non-existence of the infrastructure. The United
Nations and the international community cannot fail
the people of the Congo this time around.
We are gratified by the increased efforts of the
Security Council and the serious attention paid by the
international community to Sierra Leone, which have
now started to pay off. The international community
should remain actively engaged and continue to assist
with the peace-building and reconstruction of the
peace-loving people of Sierra Leone.
History teaches us that no administrative Power
has relinquished authority as a gesture of good will,
that no peace process has been problem-free and that
parties to a conflict, naturally, will have differences.
This notwithstanding, however, no amount of
difficulties can justify abandonment of the United
Nations Settlement Plan for Western Sahara. Any
attempt to legitimize, in whatever form or shape, the
present situation in Western Sahara is unjustifiable and
is a departure from the United Nations Declaration on
decolonization and relevant General Assembly and
Security Council resolutions. Ignoring the legitimate
aspirations of the brave Sahrawi people will only delay
durable peace in the region. A departure from the
United Nations Settlement Plan will deny the Sahrawi
people their inalienable right to self-determination and
independence. Namibia will reject and will dissociate
itself from any plan, informal or otherwise, to deny the
Sahrawi people their legitimate right to express
themselves through a free, fair and impartial
referendum for self-determination.
No people can maintain peace and security or
build its prosperity on the helplessness and abject
misery of others, particularly their neighbours. The
people of Palestine and, indeed, the international
community are crying out for the establishment of the
Palestinian State. They are crying out for peace
between Palestine and the State of Israel. It is now time
to heed this call. The legitimate right of the people of
Palestine to self-determination and the establishment of
an independent State of their own cannot be denied and
cannot be compromised. A Palestinian State will be in
the best interests of Israel, of security and peace, of the
entire Middle East and of the whole world. The basis
for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East remains
Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338
(1973).
Let us make sustained and determined collective
efforts to promote peace and development in all corners
of the world, so that our children and grandchildren can
live in a peaceful world.