General Assembly Session 61 meeting 14

The President

I wish to remind members that, in accordance with resolution 55/282 of 7 September 2001, today the Assembly is observing the International Day of Peace.

The President

The Assembly will now hear an address by the President of the Republic of Malawi.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

President Mutharika (Malawi)

I take this opportunity, Madam President, to warmly congratulate you on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. My delegation welcomes your leadership and assures you of our unwavering support as you carry out your duties. We are confident that under your able leadership the reform programmes of the United Nations will be advanced.

I also take this opportunity to thank your predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for the leadership he provided in steering the affairs of the sixtieth session. My delegation noted with satisfaction the service he rendered, and also noted that under his presidency positive advances were made towards the reform of the United Nations.

Malawi welcomes the admission of the Republic of Montenegro as the 192nd Member of the United Nations. Malawi wishes President Filip Vujanovi and the people of the Republic of Montenegro continued peace and prosperity as they chart the way forward and take their place in the United Nations.

At the end of this year we bid farewell to Mr. Kofi Annan, who has served as Secretary-General for two consecutive terms. I am happy to join previous speakers in paying tribute to Mr. Annan for the dynamic leadership he has provided to the United Nations during his tenure of office.

Mr. Annan had many achievements, but perhaps one of the greatest was his ability to remain calm and well focused under great pressure. During his tenure of office the United Nations faced daunting challenges, including the fight against famine, hunger and natural disasters in many parts of the world; civil wars in Africa and conflicts in the Middle East and the Gulf region; international terrorism; and the fight against HIV/AIDS. It is therefore with great pleasure that, on behalf of the people of Malawi, and on my own behalf, I honour and pay tribute to Mr. Kofi Annan for his sterling service to the United Nations. I trust that he will continue to be of service to humanity in other capacities.

The theme of this year's session, "Implementing a global partnership for development," is very pertinent, because during the 2005 session we renewed the mandate of the United Nations to meet the challenges of the millennium, such as eradicating global poverty and injustice, and the promotion of democracy, human rights, peace, security and stability in Member nations. We asserted that these are essential ingredients for sustainable economic and social development and that they are interlinked and mutually reinforcing in the quest for the betterment and well-being of humanity as a whole.

I believe that in the search for global partnership for development the greatest challenge that the United Nations faces is to eradicate the poverty that engulfs the majority of humanity.

I believe that global peace, security and stability cannot be assured if the greater section of humanity lives in abject poverty. It is our hope that those who have will learn to share with those who do not have.

In order to present to the Assembly the need for a global partnership framework as a way to achieve a faster and sustainable rate of economic growth, let me use my own country as an example. In Malawi we have determined priorities to fast track socio-economic growth for the people. We are cognizant that in a poor nation like ours everything becomes a priority, but we have agreed on a set of "priorities within priorities" that we want to implement in the next five years. These are agriculture and food security, irrigation and water development, transport and communications infrastructure, energy, integrated rural development and the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS. We believe that, when fully implemented, these sectors will, together, pull our people out of poverty.

We have given the highest priority to agriculture and food security because this sector is a mainstay of our economy and we intend to make Malawi a hunger-free nation. We are assisting smallholder and peasant farmers to increase their productivity in food and cash crops by providing cheap fertilizers and high-quality farm inputs. This will provide food security as well as expand agro-processing industries, and it will mean adding value to our products. We seek international support in this area.

Secondly, we need international partnership in irrigation and water development. This would reduce our country's dependence on rain-fed agriculture. We aim at having small-, medium- and large-scale irrigation schemes and the construction of multi-purpose dams throughout the country. This will enable Malawi to produce enough food even when rains fail.

Thirdly, we consider transport and communications infrastructure to be essential for growth and development and, indeed, a good candidate for international partnership. We are convinced that through well developed road networks we will not only improve movement of goods and services from rural areas to the urban centres, but also enhance domestic and international trade.

More importantly, Malawi seeks global partnership in opening up access to the Indian Ocean through the existing Shire-Zambezi waterway, which is navigable all the way from an inland port in Malawi to the port of Chinde, in Mozambique, on the Indian Ocean, only 238 kilometres away. This waterway would benefit Malawi and other southern African countries, especially Mozambique, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi and Zimbabwe.

Fourthly, Malawi has selected energy as another area of international partnership. We believe that it is imperative for our country to develop adequate and reliable energy for agriculture, irrigation, transport, industry and all other areas of economic transformation.

Fifthly, Malawi would welcome international partnership in promoting integrated rural development aimed at eradicating poverty among the rural communities. We have recognized that the economic stratification of our country is such that the greater percentage of the people live in rural areas in squalid conditions. We seek donor support to boldly take development to rural areas through promoting rural growth centres.

Lastly, Malawi seeks international partnership in HIV/AIDS prevention and management. We recognize that our country on its own, without the full support of the international community, cannot successfully wage the battle against HIV/AIDS. I am happy to say that during the past two years Malawi has made tremendous progress in AIDS awareness campaigns, the supply of anti-retroviral drugs and voluntary testing.

This is Malawi's agenda for implementing a global partnership for development. I am submitting this agenda to the United Nations for support.

Before I end my statement, I need to mention two important issues.

First, through a global partnership, Malawi has reached the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. I and the people of Malawi are truly grateful that our multilateral debts have been cancelled by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. We thank the [G-8 countries for spearheading the Initiative and for their commitment to it. We believe that this is a true example of global partnership in development.

The second issue that is germane to global partnership is for me to reiterate my plea for the readmission of the Republic of China - Taiwan -- as a Member of the United Nations. Many of those present will agree that since the end of the cold war, and with the advent of globalization, Taiwan has quietly contributed to the work of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in various areas, including technology, medicine, research, industry and international trade. That contribution becomes increasingly important, especially within the principle of universality, equity and justice.

Let me conclude by drawing attention to the report entitled "In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all", by Mr. Kofi Annan, who stated:

"The right to choose how they are ruled, and who rules them, must be the birthright of all people, and its universal achievement must be a central objective of an Organization devoted to the cause of larger freedom." (A/59/2005, para. 148)

To me, such larger freedom means the freedom of every nation to belong to the United Nations, the freedom from oppression of one nation by another, and freedom for every nation to contribute to the global partnership for development. These are the freedoms of the United Nations that should be cherished and upheld.

I therefore appeal to the Security Council to reconsider the fact that Taiwan should be granted observer status in the United Nations and its specialized agencies, pending a full review of its membership. I am convinced that continued denial of Taiwan's participation in the community of nations poses a moral and legal challenge to the United Nations.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Republic of Malawi for the statement he has just made.

The President

The Assembly will now hear an address by the President of the Republic of Serbia.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Boris Tadi, President of the Republic of Serbia, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

President Tadi (Serbia)

First, I sincerely thank Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, for all the efforts he has made throughout his very successful mandate during a time of enormous challenges facing our civilization. I particularly single out his exceptional understanding of the problems that south-eastern Europe has faced and is still facing.

I also congratulate you, Madam President, on your election.

At the same time, I warmly welcome the accession of Montenegro to the United Nations as a new Member State.

I am addressing the General Assembly today as President of the Republic of Serbia, an independent and democratic State in south-eastern Europe, in the Balkans. I assure the Assembly that Serbia seeks to make a significant contribution to this part of the world -- in terms of fast democratization and respect for human rights, economic development, the security of the entire Balkans and the stability of south-eastern Europe. Instead of being a place where problems are created, Serbia and the Balkans must become a place where problems are resolved in a peaceful manner.

Serbia is simultaneously a new and an old State -- new, because its flag is flying for the first time in front of this building, and old, because already in 1835 its Constitution guaranteed freedom to any man setting foot on its soil; new, because it is being created against the backdrop of the specific challenges of the twenty-first century, and old, because it is created in accordance with the very principles it helped to establish and embody in the Charter of the United Nations in 1945.

Today Serbia is an active Member of the United Nations. We believe that the decisions made under the Organization's auspices have to form the basis of stability and prosperity for all States and peoples in south-eastern Europe.

Serbia believes in a shared and prosperous future for the Balkans. It is important to stress that none of the current problems in the Balkans can be viewed or resolved in isolation, without taking into account our common history and a vision of our shared future. Hence, in dealing with any problem in the Balkans, it is necessary to hear and give weight to the opinions of all countries in the region.

I trust that a better future for our part of the world will be based upon three major principles: democracy, as a guarantor of human freedom and the basis of economic progress; the security of each State, as a precondition for the security of the entire Balkans; and regional stability, as a vital factor of global peace and prosperity. All the challenges we face should be tackled in accordance with those principles.

In that spirit, Serbia is sincerely committed to the territorial integrity of all Balkan States and the preservation of their existing borders. In the same vein, the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the Dayton Accords, which may be changed by its citizens only with the consensus of all three constituent peoples, is an essential factor in the stability and further democratization of the region. By the same token, the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia is in the interest of democracy and the prosperity of all of south-eastern Europe.

Strengthening regional cooperation is Serbia's priority. That is why we believe that the prosperity of all neighbouring countries is in the interest of Serbia. We are aware that the Balkan countries can make progress and achieve their primary foreign policy objective -- European Union and Euro-Atlantic membership -- only through cooperation.

In this regional framework, we also wish to actively cooperate in the fight against organized crime, corruption and international terrorism. As a concrete contribution to this goal, at my initiative, a meeting of the Heads of State of south-eastern Europe will soon be held in Belgrade, aimed at promoting communication and strengthening cooperation in the fight against these threats to the life and prosperity of us all.

Serbia sees the Balkans as a common space, in which it is possible to achieve political and social stability. The achievement of that goal should be an important contribution to efforts conducive to full democratization and peace. It is based on the principle of shared responsibility of all Balkan States. That is why none of the Balkan States must feel a loser as we move closer to a joint European future.

Kosovo and Metohija is currently under United Nations interim administration. The settlement of Kosovo's future status is one of the most difficult problems facing Serbia, the other Balkan countries and the international community, as well as the Albanian and Serbian people in Kosovo. That is why we believe that this problem should be addressed in a strategic and substantive manner in order to arrive at a solution that will take into account the full complexity of relations in the Balkans. That poses certain requirements: to face the past, to find sustainable solutions for the present and to open up avenues of cooperation in the future.

But, of course, this does not imply that the Kosovo case is unique, different from all others. On the contrary, the Kosovo problem must be approached on the basis of recognized principles of international law and universal democratic values. If there is failure in that, we shall not be able to escape the vicious circle of old animosities and mutual recriminations.

What it seeks for itself, Serbia seeks for the province, too: promotion of democracy, respect for human rights, economic prosperity and security. In order to contribute to that goal, Serbia has decided to ensure power supply this winter from its own resources to Kosovo's population.

It is in the interest of Serbia that Kosovo be stable, prosperous, economically viable, multi-ethnic and democratic. Before its future status is determined, it is of crucial importance to establish the rule of law and put an end to seven years of discrimination against the Serbs as well as other non-Albanian communities, who suffer as the target of extremism and terrorism.

The autonomy offered by Serbia to Kosovo Albanians is broader than any currently enjoyed by any region or federal unit in Europe. In our view, that is a sustainable, stable and long-standing solution that would open a new chapter in the long and difficult history of Serbian-Albanian relations. Among other things, it would enable Kosovo to have direct access to international financial institutions, necessary for its economic recovery and development, which are in the interest of both Serbia and the region as a whole.

Serbia is genuinely committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, technological advancement and economic prosperity. Large-scale poverty, which unfortunately still prevails, deeply affects human dignity.

Today, 21 September, we observe the International Day of Peace. It is important that it be observed each year in an effort to put an end to wars and violence in the world. Many crises have not yet been resolved, and some continue to escalate dangerously, while new challenges threaten to generate new conflicts, destruction and humanitarian catastrophes.

An important aspect of preserving peace and security is efficient and timely deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces. Serbia supports the efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping, and my country is ready to make an active contribution to these operations. The mandate of peacekeeping operations is today more diverse than it used to be and includes conflict-prevention, peacekeeping, post-conflict reconstruction and assistance to long-term and sustainable development.

Following several years of conflict, the Balkans is slowly but surely turning into a zone of good-neighbourliness and cooperation. Serbia is prepared to deal with the burden of its recent past in the interest of its Balkan and European future. The people of Serbia started doing this successfully and democratically in 2000, when they removed the regime largely responsible for the hardships that befell Serbia and the Balkans in the last decade of the twentieth century.

Precisely for that reason, we are firmly committed to the successful completion of our cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. This is not merely our international obligation; it is also a question of moral values.

As a responsible State and a part of the international community, Serbia is truly devoted to honouring the Charter of the United Nations and building democracy in the world. Therefore, Serbia is firmly committed to making its full contribution to the strengthening of the role and mandate of the United Nations, as well as to multilateral dialogue leading to equal cooperation among States and peoples, to respect for human rights and freedoms, and to tolerance and mutual respect.

The President

On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Republic of Serbia for the statement he has just made.