Chad
H. E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Minister for Foreign Relations
29 September 2008
- Video: English | French [RealPlayer - 13 min]
- Statement: French [PDF - 1.2 Mb]
- Back to the list of speakers
Statement Summary
© UN Photo
Click for caption and to enlarge
MOUSSA FAKI MAHAMAT, Minister of Foreign Relations of Chad, said the world was facing many challenges. Armed conflicts that touched all the continents were compounded by the food, energy and financing crises, which had severely impacted the most vulnerable. Those recurring crises were a handicap to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Chad was facing a shortfall in the necessary funding to meet the Goals. While the oil production that began in 2003 had given the country additional resources, they were below its needs.
Outside assistance was necessary to meet the country’s needs and challenges, and to help reduce its external debt. Solidarity was needed to reduce the inequalities that produced sources of tension. Chad was working to improve the living conditions of its people within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals.
The Government was also working to reduce the hotspots that hurt development in the region. The crisis in Darfur had economic, social and environmental repercussions for Chad. The presence in eastern Chad of 290,000 Sudanese refugees and 180,000 internally displaced persons was a subject of major concern for Chad and the international community. Chad welcomed the international community’s help to restore the balance to eastern Chad. He appealed for a lasting solution to the crisis. He welcomed the mandate of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), and encouraged the international community to make available all necessary resources, so it could achieve a lasting comprehensive solution. He also linked stability in Chad with a settlement of the crisis in Darfur, welcoming the Sudan’s moves to restore diplomatic relations with his country.
Turning to international challenges, he said the setback to the world trade talks in Geneva hurt the most vulnerable countries. Despite the international community’s efforts to reduce conflict in many parts of the world, fighting still existed on all continents. Those conflicts displaced many people, and could lead to international terrorism. He supported the United Nations efforts to fight terrorism. On nuclear matters, he respected the rights of States to use nuclear power for civilian purposes. He welcomed the normalization of the political and military situation in several African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and the Comoros. He made an urgent appeal to the Assembly and Security Council for just and equitable reform that incorporate the aspirations of the African continent.
[Source: GA/10758]
