The success of peace in Sierra Leone could be jeopardized by regional instability, President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah told the United Nations General Assembly today as it moved into the last day of its annual high-level debate among world leaders.

In his address, President Kabbah said that he stood before the General Assembly filled with joy because the rebel war in Sierra Leone was finally over. Throughout the conflict, the Government's objective had been to defend the lives of the country's people. Now, its objective was to win the peace. "The victory that the people of Sierra Leone have so far achieved in the peace process is theirs, but not theirs alone," he said. "It is also a victory for the United Nations and the entire international community. Indeed, it is a victory for humanity, for all those who cherish the dignity and worth of the human person."

The President stressed that while the international community celebrated that success, "we should at the same time be aware of the challenges that we face, not only in Sierra Leone but also in the Mano River Union and West African sub-regions." Just as further investment in material and human resources was necessary to prevent Sierra Leone from slipping back into armed conflict, the conflict in Liberia needed to be addressed, as it presented the most serious threat to stability. Additionally, the phased and measured plan for downsizing the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone would avoid provoking a new sense of insecurity in an already-traumatized people.

Ecuador's President, Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, said there was an urgent need for the international community to move towards action, coupled with more financial resources, for development. Nations, together, must try to find solutions to common problems.

Developing countries were asked to be financially stringent, respect free trade and market rules, and cooperate in the fight against the scourges that affected humanity. However, when they tried to gain access to major markets, the door was shut in their faces, President Bejarano said. Subsidies were placed in their way. While they were asked to participate in the struggle against drug trafficking, they were not given the resources to implement relevant programmes. The developed countries still did not understand that the people of developing countries were deeply perceptive. Those in the developing world could not understand a globalization process that never knocked at their door.

President Askar Akaev said the most critical issues for Kyrgyzstan were problems linked to the development of democracy and the maintenance of human rights and freedoms. The remnants of the Soviet authoritarian heritage still existed in the consciousness of the people, especially the elderly. To counteract that, he had declared the new national idea of "Kyrgyzstan - country of human rights."

Eradicating poverty was another problem to be addressed, he added. Under present conditions, poverty had worsened. President Akaev acknowledged, with gratitude, the efforts of the UN system and donor countries to help poor countries, but said those efforts were not enough. The world community should not flag in its effort to eradicate poverty. As a country that has been subjected to invasion by international terrorist groups in recent years, the problem of terrorism was also a matter of concern. Last December, an international conference, under the auspices of the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had been held in Bishkek to fight international terrorism and provided a strong basis for actions at the global level.

Barnabas S. Dlamini, the Prime Minister of Swaziland, said that overshadowing all of the country's development challenges was the threat posed by multiple health risks, including malaria and tuberculosis, but especially HIV/AIDS. That epidemic continued to claim the lives of huge numbers of Swazis. No sector of development was immune from the consequences of the very high and increasing HIV infection rates among the country's people, with enormous strain placed on its financial and human resources.

Swaziland was encouraged by the expressions of commitment at last year's AIDS special session and by the creation of the Global Fund to fight major diseases, the Prime Minister said. With hopes high for support from the Fund, it came as a grave disappointment to his people to learn that the country's application to the Fund earlier in the year was rejected, and that the criteria for selection of projects had become unclear. He hoped that Swaziland's second application might meet with approval and that international support from that resource, and from those of all who gave their commitments, might at last be forthcoming to help his country in that national disaster.

Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland of Estonia stressed that cooperation to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was of particular importance, as sooner or later terrorists would gain access to them. It was essential that the UN react effectively and decisively when confronted with real and formidable dangers. As such, Iraq's full and unconditional compliance with Security Council resolutions was necessary. The return of weapons inspectors was a positive signal, but further acts of compliance by Iraq would have to follow. She recalled that the League of Nations had demonstrated that inaction was often much more disastrous than action.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Rashid Abdullah Al-Naomi, said that security in the Gulf region could not be separated from international peace and security. He noted Iraq's decision for the return of UN nuclear inspectors, a decision that would spare Iraq and the region from devastation. In view of that development, the international community should insist on resolving that problem through peaceful means.

Foreign Minister Baboucarr-Blaise Ismaila Jagne of the Gambia said that the international community had recommitted itself to spreading and deepening democracy, protecting human rights and the rule of law, fighting hunger, poverty and disease, protecting the weak and vulnerable and protecting the environment within the last year. Yet, halfway through the UN decade for the eradication of poverty, the gap between the rich and poor was widening. The international community needed to renew its commitment to supporting the development of the least developed countries (LDCs).

Ahmed Tahir Baduri, Chairman of the delegation from Eritrea, highlighted the progress made regarding the border conflict with Ethiopia, including the decision in April of the Boundary Commission in which it had drawn the new border and was now in the process of physically demarcating the lines on the ground. Now that the conflict was legally put to rest, the people of Eritrea wanted to leave that awful experience behind and move on with life, he said.

Also addressing the Assembly were Ion Botnaru, Chairman of the delegation from the Republic of Moldova, and Patrick Albert Lewis, Chairman of the delegation from Antigua and Barbuda.