General Assembly Session 59 meeting 116

The President

This morning, before we take up the items on our agenda, it is our sad duty to pay tribute to the memory of the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, who passed away on Monday, 1 August 2005.

King Fahd was a man of great vision and leadership who inspired the people of Saudi Arabia for almost a quarter of a century. He led Saudi Arabia through a period of unparalleled progress and development, making enduring contributions in the field of international and regional diplomacy. He will be remembered for the devotion and wisdom with which he served his country and his people.

On behalf of the General Assembly, I request the representative of Saudi Arabia to convey our condolences to the Government and the people of Saudi Arabia and to the bereaved family of King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

I invite representatives to stand and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I would also like to pay tribute to the memory of the late Vice-President of the Republic of the Sudan, His Excellency Mr. John Garang, who died tragically on Saturday, 30 July 2005. I request the representative of the Sudan to convey our condolences to the Government and the people of the Sudan and to the bereaved family of His Excellency Mr. John Garang.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I would also like to pay tribute to the memory of the late Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, His Excellency The Honourable Lakshman Kadirgamar, who died tragically on Friday, 12 August 2005. I request the representative of Sri Lanka to convey our condolences to the Government and the people of Sri Lanka and to the bereaved family of His Excellency The Honourable Lakshman Kadirgamar.

I now give the floor to the representative of Morocco, who will speak on behalf of the Group of African States.

Mr. Arifi (Morocco)

I should like, on behalf of the Group of African States, to extend our condolences to the people and the Government of Saudi Arabia for their tragic loss -- the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz. He was a friend to all African peoples and to all developing countries. He served his people and honoured his commitments, including to African development and international peace. The loss of King Fahd is a great loss. On this occasion, the African Group wishes to express its sadness, and its hope that the Saudi people will continue to prosper.

Mr. Arifi (Morocco)

Permit me also to express, on behalf of the African Group, our most sincere condolences to the people and the Government of Sri Lanka following the tragic event that plunged that friendly country into mourning: the assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka. The African Group would like to express its solidarity with the Government and the people of Sri Lanka and also to condemn that barbaric terrorist attack aimed at destabilizing the country, which is beginning to find its path to peace.

In addition, I should like to express, on behalf of the African Group, our condolences to the people and the Government of the Sudan following the sad death of First Vice-President John Garang de Mabior in a tragic accident on 30 July 2005. We express our solidarity with that brotherly country, which has endured a long period of upheaval. We earnestly hope that that event will not interfere with the still fragile implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to which the African family has greatly contributed and to which we attach the utmost importance.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Fiji, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Asian States.

Mr. Rokolaqa (Fiji)

On behalf of the Asian Group, I wish to express our deepest sorrow at the passing earlier this month of King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

King Fahd was a man of vision and mission who inspired his people as king. He devoted his entire life and all his time to the promotion of peace and stability in the region as well as internationally. That quest and his devotion to the principle of and the call for peace were evident in his contribution leading to the peaceful settlement of the Lebanese civil war, which resulted in an agreement signed in the kingdom. He was always pursuing political and diplomatic initiatives to find peace through justice and, through humanitarian action, to relieve suffering at the personal level nationally, regionally and internationally. He will be remembered for his contribution to humanity. We extend our condolences to his family and to the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

I also wish to extend our condolences to the bereaved family and the people and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the sad and tragic passing of The Honourable Lakshman Kadirgamar, Minister for Foreign Affairs. Mr. Kadirgamar was a true and loyal servant who served his country with dedication, dignity and perseverance. He was a national leader who combined intellectual vigour, political courage and personal integrity and who was committed to the course of maintaining the peace and stability of the nation. He strived to achieve and maintain a political settlement that upholds pluralism and democracy within a united Sri Lanka. The nation has undoubtedly achieved incomparable success in its international relations because of his efforts and his beneficial diplomacy. We strongly condemn the act of terrorism that killed the Foreign Minister, and we hope that its perpetrators, organizers and sponsors will be brought to justice.

We also extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and to the Government of the Sudan on the untimely death of First Vice-President John Garang. Mr. Garang was not only a scholar, but a fighter who fought for what he believed would bring and preserve national unity in the Sudan. He spearheaded the negotiations to forge a north-south peace agreement that would achieve national stability. The nation and the international community will certainly miss him. We wish the new Vice-President well as he carries out his duties.

We salute those three great leaders of our time, whom we consider to be great peacemakers and peacekeepers. I would like to sum up their lives in a quotation: "The eagle's wings soar and show no sign of tiring or faltering. The men who made it possible are now at final rest."

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Lithuania, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Eastern European States.

Mr. Serksnys (Lithuania)

On behalf of the Eastern European Group, I extend our profound condolences to the Government and the people of Saudi Arabia on the passing of King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. I would also like to convey our sincere sympathy to all members of the royal family. King Fahd represented his country for almost a quarter of a century. Major economic, social and political developments in Saudi Arabia were associated with King Fahd's name. Under his leadership, the country witnessed remarkable progress in all areas of life. At the same time, King Fahd was firmly guided by the principles and the tradition of Islam. We highly valued King Fahd's enduring contributions in the field of regional and international diplomacy, based on the principles of justice and an earnest search for peaceful solutions. His death is a huge loss not only for Saudi Arabia, but also for the Arab and Islamic communities and the world community at large.

I would also like to express the condolences of the Eastern European Group following the death of the First Vice-President of the Sudan, Mr. John Garang. He was instrumental in securing the January peace accord, which ended the longest-running conflict in Africa and led to the establishment of a Government of national unity. This is a great loss for the country and for the whole continent.

In addition, I wish to express the condolences of the Eastern European Group to the family of the late Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Lakshman Kadirgamar, and to the Government and the people of Sri Lanka on his tragic loss, which shocked us all. Today we have an opportunity to give a last salute to a great diplomat, the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, whose dedicated contributions to durable peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka will always be highly regarded and remembered. There can be no better tribute to pay to the memory of Lakshman Kadirgamar than to strive to uphold the values and standards that always guided his highly respected political career.

May the eminent personalities whose memory we honour today rest in peace.

The President

I call now on the representative of Antigua and Barbuda, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Mr. Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States and to convey the Group's condolences and sympathy to the family of the late King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. As the guardian of his nation's Islamic faith, King Fahd helped design and implement many programmes that have shaped his country's progress, both at home and in the international arena. As a man of great vision and leadership, he was held in high esteem across the Arab and Muslim worlds because of his role as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the major shrines of Islam in Medina and Mecca.

With his passing, the international community will truly miss an active and effective player on the global diplomatic scene who never hesitated to use his diplomatic and mediation skills in times of crisis.

The Group wishes also to pay tribute to the memory of the late First Vice-President of the Sudan, His Excellency Mr. John Garang. We join the Government and the people of the Sudan and the bereaved family of Vice-President Garang in mourning his loss.

Finally, I wish to convey the Group's shock and dismay at the assassination of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, The Honourable Lakshman Kadirgamar. The Group concurs fully with the condemnation by the Security Council of that senseless act of terrorism. Foreign Minister Kadirgamar was an ardent advocate and courageous champion of a secular and united Sri Lanka. As a man of great integrity who dedicated his life to the search for peace and for a better life for Sri Lankans, he will be missed.

The President

I call now on the representative of Andorra, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Western European and other States.