Mr. President,
Allow me at the
outset to express our appreciation for your efforts and endevours in preparation for this
historic event. Allow me also to express on behalf of the people of the Sudan, and on my
own behalf, our appreciation to Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary General, for his initiative
to convene this Millennium Summit to explore a new role for the United Nations in the 21't
century. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report in
which he outlined this role.
Mr. President,
It is our strong
belief that the United Nations continues to represent the ideal mechanism for the
enhancement of international cooperation and global partnership. As such, the UN remains
indispensable and irreplaceable by any other arrangements. To achieve these goals, we
should recommit ourselves to the principles which constitute the foundation of the UN as
enshrined in the Charter, foremost among which is respect of Sovereignty of States and
noninterference in their internal affairs and settlement of disputes by peaceful means.
Mr. President,
We view with satisfaction the final
document of this assembly, which includes important elements such as solidarity,
tolerance, freedom and pluralism. We should all endeavour to make this organization more democratic and
representative through reviving the central role of the General Assembly
and enhancing its efficiency. Equally important is the reform of the Security Council to
make it more democratic and representative, and the improvement of its methods of work
including the issue of the right to veto.
Mr.
President,
We do appreciate the
agreement among all member states to give special attention to Africa in the declaration
by calling for effective measures to enable African countries to overcome their economic
difficulties and achieve stability and meet challenges of globalization.
The four development
decades have elapsed without the fulfillment of the desired goals for the developing
countries and Africa in particular. This failure has been particularly reflected in the
widening development gap between developed and developing countries, the increased levels
of poverty in sub-saharan African countries, the decline of ODA, the deterioration of
terms of trade and the increase in the levels of external debt.
Mr. President,
The convening of
the Millennium Summit revives our hopes to overcome the challenges facing international
cooperation and development for the realization of which we call upon the international
community to :
1- cancel the
external debts of the highly indebted poor countries as proposed by the Secretary General
in Paragraph 181 of his report.
2- to facilitate
market access of developing countries exports to industrialized counties.
3- implement the
commitment of 0.7% of ODA by industrialized countries.
Mr. President,
The great
scientific and technological achievements of the last millennium constitute a common
heritage of mankind. We hereby call on the international community to work out necessary
guarantees so that these achievements should not be turned into monopoly of knowledge,
cultural and intellectual hegemony and not be used as means of political and economic
pressure or for widening the scientific and technological gap between north and south.
While we welcome
protection of these scientific and technological achievements as part of intellectual
property, we call upon our development partners to avail this great wealth to all humanity
and to enable developing countries to make use of these innovations in overcoming the
problems of food production, health, education and environment.
Mr. President,
The
improvement of social and human development parameters, specially in connection with
poverty reduction and provision essential needs of people in medical care, clean water,
basic education and sustainable environment constitute the core of our development
strategy in the coming two
decades. We will continue to keep our doors widely and readily
open for constructive cooperation with. our development partners both locally and
internationally in this important humanitarian field.
Mr. President,
Sudan fully
understands the concerns of the international community for the ongoing armed conflict in
southern Sudan. We would like here to reiterate the commitment of the Government of the
Sudan to work for a political resolution to this conflict based on the following:
Firstly:
Immediate and comprehensive cease-fire in order to facilitate delivery of humanitarian
assistance to the needy and as a necessary prerequisite for confidence building and peace
efforts.
Secondly: to
start negotiation on the basis of current peace initiatives.
Thirdly:
to reach a just settlement that baves the way for fair distribution of power and wealth
and establishes rights and duties based on citizenship and guarantees adherence to
international standards of human rights.
We seize this
opportunity to appeal to the international community to support our efforts in order to
resolve this conflict.
Mr. President,
We urge this august gathering to
use this millennium
summit as an opportunity to reinforce the values of peacefull coexistence
and respect of cultural, ethical and religious pluralism. We assure you that we in Sudan
shall spare no effort to achieve these noble goals and to cooperate with all member states
on the basis of the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other
states. In fact this is what is dictated by our faiths and traditions. Allah, glory to Him
says in Sublime Quran "Mankind ! We created you from a single pair of a male and a
female and made you into nations and tribes that Ye may know each other (not that Ye may
despise each other) The most honoured of you in the sight of God is he who is the most
righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things."
Thank you Mr.
President.
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