Representatives of war-torn countries urge stepped-up UN peacekeeping
Addressing the General Assembly's high-level debate this afternoon, leaders from countries ravaged by conflict - both ongoing and resolved - urged broad support for enhanced United Nations peacekeeping, particularly in the troubled Great Lakes region of Africa.
President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said his country was in a period of political transition leading up to the holding of democratic elections which would allow the Congolese people to freely choose their Government. Much had been achieved already, but the authorities still had to extend their control over the entire territory and create conditions conducive to elections.
He advocated expanding both the quality and quantity of troops serving with the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC). The Congolese people were also awaiting the UN report on the recent massacre of Congolese refugees at Gatumba camp in Burundi. For its part, the DRC was committed to establishing peace and democracy for its people, who had for too long been denied this legitimate right. 
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Domitien Ndayizeze, President of Burundi, said his country had made considerable progress in translating the pledges made in the 2000 Arusha peace accords into action. Calm had been restored to most of the country and inclusive institutions were being established. But as Burundi walked the road to democracy, he said, the rebel PALIPEHUTU-FNL was refusing to negotiate, and had been designated as a terrorist organization at a regional summit meeting after claiming responsibility for the massacre of refugees in Gatumba. He called on the UN to deal with the group accordingly.
Looking to the wider regional picture, he stressed that stability in Burundi is tied to the situations in the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania. Given this reality, a conference on security in the Great Lakes region would be held in November in Dar-es-Salaam. "There is no doubt this conference will have a positive impact on all countries concerned," he said.
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The Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Congo, Rodolphe Adada, called attention to the problems in the region, including violence in the DRC's Ituri and Bukavu areas and the massacre at the Gatumba camp in Burundi. He called on the international community to support the DRC peace process and to strengthen MONUC.
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Charles Gyude Bryant, Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia, pointed to positive developments in his country's peace process. "At the beginning of the UN Mission (UNMIL) in October 2003, we estimated that some 38,000 combatants would have submitted themselves to the disarmament and demobilization program. Today, 73,600 fighters have been disarmed. Over 22,000 pieces of serviceable weapons of all kinds have been surrendered and decommissioned; and more then 5 million rounds of ammunitions collected and destroyed by UNMIL."
While describing the success of efforts to demobilize the country's former combatants, he warned that the country must be able to absorb them in a civilian economy. "Our recent history teaches us, that when ex-combatants are not meaningfully rehabilitated and reintegrated; when many in our society are not stakeholders and are excluded, we run the risk that they will return to violent crime and conflict," he said. "We are extremely worried about this prospect." He appealed for international financial support and the lifting of diamond and timber bans now in place against Liberia.
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The interim President of Haiti, Boniface Alexandre, said his country, which this year had marked two centuries of independence, had come to the UN for help following the turmoil which erupted in February. Seven months later, he said, he could testify that the Haitian people held high hopes for the restoration of democracy. Just days ago, on 18 September, an agreement was struck between the authorities and the formerly armed factions which could spare the country from a "bloodbath and a useless fratricidal fight."
Mr. Alexandre voiced appreciation for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and invited it to work more closely with the country's authorities to achieve disarmament. He also appealed to the leaders attending the Assembly session to extend their support to Haiti in order for it to be able to achieve lasting peace and development. As Haitians embark on a new beginning, he said, "it is only natural that we turn to the UN." Haiti sought the understanding of its partners as it endeavoured to break out of the cycle of violence and isolation that it had languished in for too long.
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Prime Minister Ivo Sanader of Croatia said his country gained extensive experience in post-conflict management after the war "that was imposed upon us in the nineties," especially in the field of refugee return, confidence building, adjudicating war crimes, economic reconstruction and the reintegration of war-torn areas with the rest of the country. "We stand ready to contribute our knowledge and share it with those in need," he said.
He stressed the need for effective regional action as well as the importance of global multilateralism. "In today's world, regional organizations have an increasingly important role to play, in accord with the major multilateral institutions, primarily the United Nations," he said, noting that Croatian peacekeepers are now participating in seven UN peacekeeping missions. "We are determined to further intensify our participation in UN peacekeeping missions," he pledged.
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The President of Guatemala, Oscar Berger Perdomo, described how his country was working to cut back on its armed forces and to professionalize them. "This programme is consistent with the function the armed forces are to perform in times of peace," he said. "It has included, at the international level, greater participation by the Guatemalan army in United Nations peace operations."
He also stressed the importance of fighting crime, juvenile gangs and organized crime, as well as drug trafficking, terrorism, smuggling, money laundering, human trafficking and the illegal gun trade, "all of which are a huge challenge that cannot be met without the support of the international community." In addition, he paid tribute to the UN Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), which, after 10 years of "fruitful" work, is coming to the end of its mandate. "MINUGUA has left behind a significant legacy in our country," he said.
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Romania's President, Ion Iliescu, stressed the importance of the "Global Compact" launched by the Secretary-General in an effort to promote better business practices. "This initiative proves to be a valuable try at synchronizing the actions of the private sector, in general, and of the influential transnational companies, in particular, as well as a commitment of these companies to the process of achieving important goals of the world organization, such as the standards of work, human rights, fight against corruption, protection of the environment," he said.
Mr. Iliescu also called for enhanced interaction between the UN system and international financial institutions like the World Bank as part of the effort to make globalization fairer and reduce the gap between rich and poor countries. He also called for bridging the digital divide separating them. "Another priority of our actions towards a 'harnessed' globalization must be represented by the efforts of enhancing the coordination of strategies set up by the agencies and the specialized institutions of the UN system in the process of diffusion of the information technology, for a better price," he said.
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The President of Nicaragua, Enrique Bolaños Geyer, hailed the proposal by the United States concerning the establishment of a Fund for Democracy and voiced hope that it would attract contributions. He also pointed out that corruption is the enemy of democracy and outline ways that Nicaragua, both nationally and internationally, is seeking to halt the practice.
On the issue of terrorism, he joined others in voicing sympathy for all those who had suffered the effects of recent atrocities. "The best way to deter terrorism is to remain faithful to our values of freedom, dignity and justice," he declared.
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President Elías Antonio Saca González of El Salvador said internal and international conflicts, terrorism and organized transnational crime, the persistence of extreme poverty, environmental deterioration, and the unresolved problems of development were global issues that required a harmonizing centre. That centre would guide the international community in finding common solutions through consensus and in establishing an international order that responded to the needs and aspirations of humanity. The central integrator for all that must be the United Nations.
He stressed his country's support for the global fight to reduce poverty and hunger. The eradication of poverty, however, required the assistance of the international community and the United Nations system. He also noted that in a globalized and increasingly interdependent world, economic phenomena affected all. The present situation, nevertheless, had some negative effects on poor countries. The United Nations should be used as the forum to explore ways to help those poorer countries. Since institutions must evolve according to the changes of the day, reform of the Organization was necessary at the highest levels - particularly the Security Council, he stressed.
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Bolivia's President, Carlos D. Mesa Gisbert, said the fight against terrorism must be waged in tandem with other struggles, including the battle against drug trafficking. For its part, Bolivia was working to eradicate the harvest of coca and curb its consumption. Efforts were also underway to encourage coca farmers to switch to alternative crops.
While Bolivia had experienced a social upheaval which threatened its democratic system, the country had resolved its problems peacefully through a political transition. Other measures were being taken - following the will of the people as expressed in a recent referendum - to better use the country's vast natural resources, including its reserves of natural gas. He voiced appreciation for the role played by the UN in helping the country to weather the crisis and deal with its fiscal debt.
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Kessai Note, President of the Marshall Islands, drew attention to the special problems of small, island developing States (SIDS), from climate change and sea-level rise to renewable energy problems and lack of trade access. He noted that next January, the international community is slated to convene a meeting in Mauritius to conduct the 10-year review of the adoption of the Barbados Program of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS. "It is our fervent hope that the meeting will produce practical outcomes that will assist SIDS in implementing the Program of Action to benefit people at the local level," he said.
Mr. Note also addressed another issue of particular concern to the Marshall Islands: nuclear testing. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted a series of nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, including the detonation of 23 atomic and hydrogen bombs. Fifty years ago this March, the US conducted the Bravo test at Bikini Atoll - a blast that was 1,000 times more powerful than Hiroshima whose fallout spread radioactive debris across the neighbouring islands. "Today, many of our people continue to suffer from long-term health effects, while others remain displaced from their homes because of ongoing contamination," he said, urging Washington to address the issue of compensation. He also called for a renewed focus on global nuclear disarmament.
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Arnold Rüütel, President of Estonia, focused much of his remarks on the problem of the digital divide. "Though many of us cannot imagine life without Internet, four fifths of world population has never had any contact with Internet," he pointed out, noting that more than a half of Internet users live in Europe or in North America, which together make up only 17 per cent of world population, while in Africa only 1.4 per cent of the population uses Internet. "The digital divide is a reflection of technological and social-economic backwardness," he charged.
Estonia has achieved a remarkable level of progress in this area in a relatively short period of time, he said. "Several information society services are now accessible also for those citizens of Estonia who have limited financial resources," he said. Drawing lessons for others, he said, "I believe that as a former transition country Estonia has experience, which could be very useful for developing countries in developing information and communication technology."
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Martín Torrijos, President of Panama, said that in Latin America, the risk of coups had diminished considerably. And it wasn't armies that posed the danger, but rather poverty. In order to deal with this problem, measures must be taken to improve living conditions. Immediate problems, he said, require similarly immediate solutions.
Latin America, he said, requires a new economic agenda focused on tackling problems comprehensively. The agenda must require transparency in government and strict public accountability. Tackling poverty would require a great deal of resources from within poor countries, and the effort would benefit from help from developed countries and international financial institutions, he said.
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President Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania underscored the critical link between economic prosperity and stability. "Without peace there is no development. Without development there is no peace," he said. "This recognized linkage of security and development should be better reflected on our global agenda. Only by confronting these issues in a coherent and coordinated manner shall we be able to build our common future."
He joined others in calling for UN reform, specifically advocating an expansion of the Security Council to make it more representative. "It is my hope and wish that by the end of this session we shall arrive at marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations with a conviction and satisfaction that we have done everything in our power to build a better organization, capable of responding to both, old and new, hard and soft threats and challenges in an effective and comprehensive way."
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Pedro Miguel de Santana Lopes, Prime Minister of Portugal, said the usefulness of the United Nations would ultimately be judged by its capacity for conflict prevention and management. "The proliferation of crisis situations has led to the deployment of 60,000 'blue helmets' in peacekeeping operations, and this number tends to increase!" he said.
He also advocated strengthening the UN's work in the field of conflict prevention. Portugal had proposed the creation of a commission to promote peace and development, under the mandate of, and in collaboration with, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). "Its objectives would be to monitor closely countries in crisis, or at risk, and ensuring the cooperation of regional and international institutions," he said, urging those present to support the initiative.
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Marc Forné Molné, Prime Minister of Andorra, said terrorism must not be allowed to undermine the rule of law, "since this would mean undoing the fabric of civilized behaviour that serves as a safety net within modem culture." He stressed the need for a unified approach to the scourge, recognizing "that our common vulnerability goes hand in hand with a humanity which we also share.
"How much stronger could we become in fighting terrorism by truly acting together, all the countries represented at the United Nations?" he asked. "A Security Council strengthened by a common will to root out terrorism could do much more than single actions supported by few governments."
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Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, said it was necessary to reconstruct the international authority that had been taken from the United Nations. His nation was participating in this Assembly with concern because of the danger and threats that had been posed by nations intervening in less powerful nations. The United Nations, he said, had not guaranteed its principal mission, which was to bring international peace and security, and he called for the international community to reform the Organization.
He said a globalized world was a fallacy, and it was not possible to accept globalization when colonization still existed. Globalization did not mean exclusion; it did not mean the power relations such as those that some would like to impose. His situation affected other Central African nations and that had led to destructive effects. It was important to move to a universe where the weakest were not ignored and marginalized, and build a world that was more respectful to human beings, he said.
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Rashid Abdullah Al-Noaimi, the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, condemned the emergence of new terrorist threats in the Gulf region, and warned that acts of violence in Iraq, if not contained, "will lead to escalation of tension and instability in the entire region as well as the world." On the Middle East, he said "the continuation of Israeli aggression will inevitably lead to more violence and deterioration of the security situation" and called on the UN to work to settle the Palestinian question by compelling Israel to comply with its obligations.