STATEMENT OF AMBASSADOR LOUIS TULL OF
Mr. President,
distinguished ministers, heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen.
May I too thank the
government and people in Mexico particularly those in this beautiful and
historic Mayan city of Merida for the warmth of their welcome, the generosity
of the hospitality, and the excellence of the arrangements thy have provided
for this high level political conference for the signing of the United Nations
Convention against corruption.
In that exercise they
were aided by the vision and optimism of the secretary general of the United
Nations. Mr. Kofi Annan, and the organizing skills of the Office of Drugs and
Crime in
In this regard my
delegation pays respect to the memory of the late Ambassador Hector Charry
Samper of Colombia, whose knowledge; acumen and tact were important assets as
he guided the negotiations towards a successful conclusion.
This convention is
another step towards bringing order to an increasingly disorderly world.
Transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorism,
inter alia, all combine to unsettle societies, create chaos, disrupt economies,
and wreak havoc on the rule of law.
Corruption is of this
genre. It is insidious in nature and global in scope. It places heavy and
inordinate financial burdens on states, particularly small developing states
which must divert already scarce resources from critical development areas like
education, health, and housing to meet the new administrative, policing, and
security costs these evils bring.
And all this at a
time when new global trends in trade arrangements threaten to marginalize
developing economies and those in transition.
We in
We will therefore be
robust in our prevention measures. We will spare no effort in the war against
corruption. We will fully deploy weapons made available by this convention. We
will enlist the aid of civil society, NGO's and community based organizations
in our efforts. We must not fail.
To ensure effective implementation
of the convention, it would be useful if the UN office of Drugs and Crime
organize a team of experts who would provide skills and advice to countries
which need and seek assistance, particularly whit legislative programs, and the
setting up of administrative, investigative, and prosecutorial structures to
deal with the offences detailed in the convention. The use of national and
regional seminars and training sessions would be helpful.
International
assistance to developing countries is critical to the successful implementation
of this convention. Mr. President I have already signed the convention on
behalf of the government of