Press conference by african ambassadors

 

Speaking with one voice at a Headquarters Press Conference this evening, 14 Ambassadors from the African Group and a representative of the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union pledged their support for Secretary-General Kofi Annan and urged “detractors” not to weaken him or his morale during his dedicated daily hard work at the helm of the United Nations.

Following the group’s visit with the Secretary-General, Ambassador Roble Olhaye (Djibouti) said that the group felt that whatever had happened and was still continuing to happen should not be tolerated.  Everyone should await the submission of the final report on the oil-for-food investigation, which should not be prejudged.  The report would be public, and everyone would have a chance to read it.  Until then, the Secretary-General should have the right to work and not be distracted.  Everyone in the United Nations was committed to its relevance, its strength, its delivery and its humanity.  The group was here to express its strongest support for the Secretary-General, who was a man of great strength, of the highest moral stature, and a decent person.  He hoped everyone would support him in his endeavour to see that the United Nations remained relevant in the twenty-first century. 

As was the case many of the expressions of support that followed, Nana Effah-Apenteng (Ghana) reminded correspondents that they had just received the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.  It was important that the Secretary-General have a free mind to focus on the panel’s recommendations and on preparations for the Millennium Summit review, to be held next September.  “We need the United Nations and we could not have an effective United Nations without an effective head”, he said.  It was of fundamental importance for those who wished the United Nations well to give the Secretary-General their maximum support.  They should stand by him and make sure he delivers and has a successful term of office.

Aminu Bashir Wali (Nigeria), also drawing attention to the importance of now focusing on the Panel’s report, said that its findings would determine the work of the Organization for generations to come.  So, now, the Secretary-General required “absolute support and cooperation” from all members of the international community to be able to bring about those changes in the United Nations system that would render it more effective, more relevant and more forward-looking, as the report had suggested.  He appealed to all those detractors to allow the Secretary-General to go about his duty the way he ought to.  Referring to the investigations at both the United Nations and in the United States Congress, he said “Let them conclude and then let us see”.  Judging a person before the final report was an “unfair and unjustified attack” and should cease.

The Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the United Nations, Ali Hachani, said that the fact that such a large delegation wanted to see the Secretary-General and then address reporters showed the support of all of Africa for the Secretary-General and its hope that he would be allowed to carry on his duties while the investigation was being conducted.  Everyone should support him in his work in the coming months.  There was a lot to do and he needed all the peace of mind he could get to do it.

Referring to the comment that there could not be an effective United Nations without an effective head, a correspondent asked what kind of damage had been done in light of the calls for the Secretary-General’s resignation.

One of the Ambassadors said it was too early to tell, adding, however, that when the head of an institution was being attacked, at a time when attention should be focused on a very important document dealing with confronting the problems of the world for the rest of century, then those attacks should stop.  Right now, it was too early to assess the damage, but it must end.

Asked for the Group’s view on reform of the Security Council, South Africa’s Ambassador Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo said Africa had always been on record saying that it wanted a United Nations that was strong and a Security Council that was representative, and a General Assembly and an Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that were strong.  It had always been said in Africa that, if the Security Council was expanded, it would like two seats to be occupied by Africa.  That was Africa’s position and he hoped that, as the debate moved forward and negotiations proceeded on the Panel’s report, Africans would find a way of dealing with that question. 

He added that the African Group was the only one in the United Nations which seldom had the problem of more people running for the same seat.  He wished to put on the record and “out front” that African was united and it knew what it wanted.

Replying to a question about whether the Group was looking at possible replacements for the Secretary-General, the response was “never”.  The Group did not envisage that; as this particular “witch-hunt” had no basis in fact.  The Secretary-General stood by his record.  It had not occurred to anyone here, or to anyone in the African Group, that there would be a replacement.  The man was there; he would finish his term.  

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