| Statement
by The Minister for External Relations of the Republic of Angola,
Dr. Joao Bernardo de Miranda, at the 59 Plenary Session of the
General Assembly of the United Nations" (25 September 2004)
Mr. President,
I am overwhelmed with a great sentiment of joy by seeing you
preside over this 59th session of the General Assembly of the
United Nations.
My first words are thus to convey to you, on behalf of my Government
and on my own behalf, the most lively congratulations for you
election.
Our satisfaction is founded in the great esteem that the Angolan
people nurtures for your country, and in the strong ties of
friendship and commendable fraternity that unite us.
I also wish to congratulate your predecessor for the dynamic
manner in which he carried out his mandate.
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Your Excellencies,
At a time when the world confronts the horrors of violence,
poverty and hunger, the members of this Assembly have once again
before them the difficult responsibility of evaluating the implementation
of their decisions and of seeking out new solutions in order
to solve problems that affect millions of human beings and that
entail a mechanism of international cooperation.
The United Nations must remain as a privileged instrument with
which States face new international challenges that attempt
against peace and security such as terrorism, hunger, and poverty,
violations of human rights that continue to deprive millions
of human beings from their fundamental freedoms, the protection
of the environment, organized transnational crime, including
drug traffic, and HIV/AIDS.
The difficulties that the United Nations experienced while dealing
with situations that seriously affected international security
have lately exposed the limitations of its structure and its
operation. It is urgent that the United Nations system be reformed
and adapted to the demands and challenges of our conjuncture,
which is characterized by globalization.
The United Nations main organs lack a wider democratization
in order to be able to express the will of most of its members.
Based on geographical balance, the Security Council should be
enlarged in both categories so as to reflect the new international
conjuncture.
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Along the last 50 years, humanity has made important advancements
in the domain of science and technology, economic development,
medicine and other fields, which have resulted in an improvement
of living conditions, and in an increase in the life expectation
of vast segments of the world population, as well as in the
growth of the world's material and even spiritual wealth.
However, while some countries and continents shared these gains,
others continued marginalized, that is, engulfed in economic
setbacks, and forcing a significant part of their population
to live below the threshold of poverty.
The aspirations of these people to a world of social justice,
to the realization of their economic and social rights, including
the right to development, continues to be a dream. In reality,
the number of indigents has not stopped growing; since 1990,
the number of poor people has been augmenting in Sub-Saharan
Africa, in the south of Asia and in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In the recent summit on hunger and poverty, promoted by president
of Brazil Lula da Silva, the world leaders brought to light
the dramatic situation of billions of human beings living mainly
in developing countries who succumb to hunger, to malnutrition
or to diseases that are easily preventable.
This is a repulsive portrait, being thus essential that we put
the eradication of hunger and poverty in the record of priorities
of our national calendars and in the United Nations’ agenda.
This dramatic situation can rapidly be reversed with a broader
commitment on the part of the governments of Developing Countries,
and a stronger political will on the part of the richest Countries.
In addition, the restrictions to international free trade have
been contributing to the deterioration of the living conditions
of the populations in the countries submitted to restrictive
economic measures, as is the case of Cuba. Such measures constitute
an assault against moral and humanitarian principles.
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
In spite of the efforts made by developing nations towards the
improvement of economic indexes and the creation of social wellbeing
for their populations, the practical results continue beneath
the needs of the development process. This is partly caused
by the imposition to developing countries of policies that do
not apply to their reality.
Some institutions and rich countries pressure poor countries
to follow in the same steps given by current industrialized
countries during their economic ascension, alleging that in
this way, developing countries will reach development faster
owing to the benefit that will be granted by the implementation
of experiences which have in the past yielded positive results.
These guidelines are far away from satisfying the demands for
development in poor countries. They fail to place an emphasis
on training institutions at the local and national level, and
those institutions should indeed serve as levers for development.
Wealthy nations have a moral responsibility to foster a spirit
of partnership, and not of inequality and dependence, thus contributing
to the development of less affluent countries, and to their
establishment of institutions capable of sustaining their insertion
in the world economy.
The existing economic disparity among the wealthy countries
of the north and the developing countries of the south is not
a result of a choice exercised by the latter. The enrichment
of the industrialized world was made at the expense of the impoverishment
of the third world, through the wild exploration of their natural
resources, of their workforce and of the imposition of a system
of occupation and dominance.
Today, our countries and people still suffer the serious sequels
of this politics of exploration and subjugation, which in some
cases is worsened by internal conflicts that emerged after the
end of foreign dominance.
It appears to us at times that international financial institutions
and rich countries deliberately lessen these facts. In our point
of view, the extensive hesitations concerning financial aid
to developing countries are unjustified. Furthermore, some of
the imposed preconditions seem to answer more to interests of
political nature rather than requirements for sustainable economic
development.
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
We have until recently called on this tribune and on the international
community for support in the restoration of peace in Angola.
The long-sought peace has finally arrived and it demonstrated
to be an irreversible fact.
The success of the peace process opened a new phase; one of
creation of political premises for the construction of the society
of the future, based on the rule of law, tolerance, on a market
economy, and in the existence of a vibrant civil society.
In addition to this political process, my government is engaged
in economic reforms, which are a contributing factor to economic
and social stability.
Had it not been for the gigantic challenges that have to be
faced simultaneously, this process could be faster.
So far the Angolan government has been bearing alone the task
of national reconstruction.
Effectively, the rehabilitation of social and productive infrastructures,
destroyed almost in their totality by the armed conflict; the
social reintegration of nearly 100 thousand former-combatants
and their respective families; the resettlement of more than
four million internally displaced persons, and of more than
400 thousand refugees, together with an incommensurable effort
for the reduction of poverty affecting most of the population;
This is a very difficult task which can only be successful with
the full participation of the international community.
The reservation expressed by certain international donors in
supplying assistance to Angola and their abstraction from the
fact that the internal conflict was quite long, destructive,
that it absorbed a great part of the country’s financial, human
and materials resources, and that it disrupted the country can
solely find justification in the lack of political will.
The reconstruction of Angola needs urgently the partnership
and substantial support measuring up to the assistance given
to other country in the situation of post conflict.
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
As a country that rejoices in the peace and freedom for which
it fought for 40 years, Angola is concerned with the situation
of prevalent instability in the DRC, a country that shares an
extensive land border with Angola, and with whom we sustain
a fraternal relationship. We were particularly shocked by the
massacres of civilians in Gatumba. The perpetrators of this
heinous act, who provoke a new escalation of violence in order
to render the peace process unfeasible, must be made judicially
accountable. This action confirms, among other factors, that
regardless of the significant efforts made towards the peace
process in the DRC, the situation is still quite fragile.
The international community, particularly the Security Council
and the African Union must pay special and permanent attention
to this issue in order to avoid a collapse of the process.
In this context, sub-regional organizations, the countries in
the region, and other organs involved in the pursuit of long-lasting
peace in that country, must work in cooperation and with an
aim to encourage the Congolese parts to honor their commitments
to the transitional process.
It is extremely crucial and important that all the countries
neighboring the DRC reiterate their commitment to continue to
respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country,
and to not interfere in its internal affairs.
The transitional Government in the DRC needs the support of
the international community. My government is willing to, within
the measure of its possibilities, supply the necessary assistance
to the consolidation of peace and stability in the DRC.
The crisis in Darfur is a thorn carved in the international
juridical conscience. Angola supports the decision of the United
Nations Secretary General to authorize the beginning of an investigation.
We hope the authorities of Sudan will loyally cooperate with
the African Union and the Security Council in their efforts
to help bring peace to the population in that region.
As far as the situation in Western Sahara is concerned, the
Government of Angola continues to consider the Baker Plan as
a good basis to peacefully resolve the conflict in that territory.
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Having in the past been a victim of terrorism, Angola cannot
be indifferent to acts of terrorism wherever they happen.
The acts of terrorism we have witnessed in recent times, and
the vile and cruel form in which they were practiced should
not discourage the efforts that the international community
has been formulating to combat their perpetrators, but should
increase the determination to isolate terrorist groups and to
frustrate their purposes.
However, we do not deem it improper or inconvenient to reflect
a little further on the forms of prevention and combat to terrorism.
Are the methods utilized hitherto effective per se to eradicate
terrorism? Is the current collective security system capable
of facing the terrorists' aggressiveness? To what extent will
answers to terrorism based on the United Nations’ multilateral
efforts be less incisive?
Thank you very much.
Press-center of Angola Embassy in Russia,
25.09.2004
Embassy of Republic of Angola, 2004
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