SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES ROLE OF OIC IN ENSURING THAT `HATREDS OF THE PAST' DO NOT DARKEN `HEARTS OF THE FUTURE', IN ADDRESS TO COORDINATION MEETING

1 October 1998

Press Release
SG/SM/6729

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES ROLE OF OIC IN ENSURING THAT `HATREDS OF THE PAST' DO NOT DARKEN `HEARTS OF THE FUTURE', IN ADDRESS TO COORDINATION MEETING

19981001 International Community's Response to Today's Grave Challenges Must Be One of Unity, of Will and of Purpose, Kofi Annan States

Following is the statement by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the annual Coordination Meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Foreign Ministers, which was delivered by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahima Fall in New York today:

Allow me to convey to you the Secretary-General's regrets for not being able to join you today, and his best wishes for a fruitful meeting.

I will now deliver his statement:

I wish to begin by paying special tribute to the wise and visionary leadership of Seyed Mohammad Khatami, President of Iran and Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. As host of the Tehran Assembly of the Heads of Government of your Organization, President Khatami presided over an extraordinarily successful summit whose spirit of cooperation and atmosphere of global engagement honoured not only Iran but every member of the OIC.

Since then, President Khatami has put his leadership at the service of the noble objectives of your Organization. Only last week, I had a very productive meeting with President Khatami at which we discussed issues of common concern to the OIC and the United Nations.

Through the OIC, the world understands the desires and demands of over one fifth of the world's population, from all continents. That is why the partnership between the OIC and the United Nations is so important. I am pleased to say that this partnership has grown in strength and scope since the Tehran summit. From Tajikistan to Algeria to Libya, from the Arab-Israeli conflict to Afghanistan, from Iraq to Kosovo and Bosnia, to name a few, our concerns are common concerns.

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Ezzedine Laraki, your dedicated Secretary-General, and I have been working closely to enhance the impact of our joint efforts. Indeed, tragically, in too many areas that are of particular concern to us, the need for these efforts has become a matter of urgency.

Action on our part has become an obligation and not just an option. I say "obligation" because the nature of modern conflict is threatening the very fabric of human coexistence. When horrific atrocities and indiscriminate attacks on civilians can take place from the Balkans to Afghanistan, war can no longer be seen as a continuation of politics by other means. Peace is no longer a political option, but a human necessity.

We can all agree, I believe, that the situation in Afghanistan presents us with just such a challenge. The situation there has gone from bad to worse in recent weeks, as the Taliban movement intensified its offensives in the northern part of the country.

Of particular concern are the disturbing reports of mass killings that seem to have occurred after the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, and perhaps in Bamiyan too. Among the victims were the Iranian diplomats and journalist in Mazar.

As the war in Afghanistan itself has escalated, so have risks of its becoming a full-scale regional conflict. A particular danger is posed by the increase in tension in the border areas between Iran and Afghanistan. This threat, if allowed to continue unattended, poses a very real danger to the peace and stability of the region.

I hope that the "Six-plus-Two" meeting that I convened last week at the United Nations, combined with the conclusions of this meeting, will send out a message to those in the region that we are united in the conviction that the situation in Afghanistan and the region should not be allowed to deteriorate any further.

There can be no military solution to the Afghan conflict. Even if one party could overwhelm the others by force, it would not end the conflict but merely lift it to another stage of endless struggle. What is sorely needed in Afghanistan is a representative and inclusive government which truly reflects the interests of all ethnic and religious groups in the country. The Taliban need to be told what the international community expects of them by way of minimum standards of behaviour, and you are well placed to lead that process. In addition to seeking a peaceful, political solution to the conflict, this includes respecting international humanitarian law and human rights, including the rights of women, to cease providing haven to international terrorists residing on its soil, and to prevent the production and trafficking of narcotics. The more we can speak with one voice, the more effective we are likely to be.

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My Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, will return to the region in the near future to explore ways in which the United Nations might help to reduce the tensions in the region.

I trust that he will go with the full support of the OIC and ask you to do everything in your power to assist him in this most urgent of missions.

As you know well, we have other common concerns, not least the suffering of the people of Algeria who continue to fall victim to senseless attacks of terrorism. That is why I appointed a high-level panel to visit Algeria, and it is my hope that their report will help bring closer the day when all Algerians can live free from fear and enjoy all human rights.

We also hope that the welcome, recent progress in the Middle East peace process lead to a truly lasting solution, and that the people of Kosovo be spared further suffering and displacement and be able to return to their homes and have their rights as human beings fully and finally restored.

To succeed in all these endeavours, each one of which tests our will and calls for our compassion, we must continue, we must strive, we must never stop. We live, no doubt, in a time of grave challenges. Our response, more than ever, must be one of unity, of will and of purpose, to ensure that today's threat does not become tomorrow's tragedy and that the hatreds of the past do not darken the hearts of the future. The OIC, no less than the United Nations, has a vital part to play in this endeavour.

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