EU Presidency Statement - Cooperation between the UN and the OAU

Mr. President,

I am pleased to take the floor on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the EU (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia et Slovenia), the associated countries (Cyprus, Malta and Turkey), align themselves with this declaration.

First of all the European Union would like to express its appreciation to the Secretary -General for his report submitted to the General Assembly under this item on the agenda. Though much remains to be done, the report shows the extent to which the two organisations have been able to develop close ties in order to work together in various fields. The European Union especially welcomes the ongoing cooperation between the UN and the OAU aimed at enhancing their mutual capacity for preventing and resolving conflicts in Africa. While it feels that it is vital to continue holding regular meetings between the two Secretaries -General and their senior advisers, the European Union nevertheless considers that the Presidency -in -office and the General Secretariat of the OUA could appear more often before the Security Council to give information on their action in the management of various African crises.

Today's debate on UN -OAU cooperation takes place at what is still a critical time for the African continent. On the one hand, we are able to observe some signs of political and socio -economic progress. On the other hand, more than a third of African countries are at present or have recently been involved in armed conflicts. The European Union is deeply concerned by the increase in the number of armed conflicts, the constant influx of arms and military equipment and the growing role of uncontrolled rebel groups in armed conflicts.

While recalling that, under the terms of the Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the European Union welcomes the commitment expressed by African countries and regional organisations to playing a leading role in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa. The European Union commends the efforts by African leaders and States, regional and subregional organisations, in particular the Organisation of African Unity, to resolve conflicts by peaceful means.

As already mentioned last year, the European Union has a consultative mechanism with the OAU which we wish to develop further. We are willing, in particular, to strengthen the dialogue with the OAU and subregional organisations on concrete possibilities for backing their efforts, inter alia, in the fields of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping, heightening awareness of the importance of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, promoting the rule of law and a pluralist society. The European Union has adopted a Common Position on Human Rights, Democratic Principles, the Rule of Law and Good Governance in Africa. It gives high priority to a positive and constructive approach with a view to supporting efforts of the OAU, subregional groups and African countries to promote the respect for human rights and good governance.

In this context, the European Union welcomes the success of the Africa -Europe conference held in Cairo this year under the aegis of the European Union and the OAU. In many respects the Cairo Declaration and the Cairo Plan of Action serve as reference documents and instruments for cooperation on security as well as on social welfare and health, in particular in respect of the fight against HIV/AIDS. We feel that the commitments entered into by the African countries themselves concerning the social sector, the environment, good governance and human rights must be actively supported by the international community.

Before going into detail about various subregional situations, I would first like to pinpoint three areas in which we consider all bodies concerned, in particular those of the UN and the OAU, should cooperate more closely:

- Firstly, the fight against trafficking in small arms. We consider that the initiative taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to impose a moratorium on the importation and manufacture of small arms should be actively supported and most certainly extended to other regions of Africa.

- Secondly, the establishment of an integrated and coordinated mechanism to counter traffic in raw materials and arms. In this respect the European Union welcomes the Security Council's efforts to improve its understanding of the economic origins and commercial aspects of certain African conflicts. It notes with satisfaction the establishment for Angola of a mechanism for monitoring sanctions against UNITA, the setting up of a panel to investigate illegal exploitation of resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the creation of a panel to investigate the illegal trade in diamonds and arms in Sierra Leone. The setting up of a single expert body under the aegis of the UN Secretary -General could also be envisaged to centralise all information and draw vital comparisons between the various situations. By definition, trafficking knows no frontiers and criminal interests are often the same from one crisis to another. UN -OAU cooperation in this field will be decisive.

Thirdly and lastly, a much more systematic awareness campaign against the use of child soldiers in all countries in conflict. The Special Representative of the Secretary -General for Children and Armed Conflict, Mr Olara Otunnu, and UNICEF are carrying out excellent groundwork which should be more actively supported by all political bodies concerned.

The European Union attaches great importance to the regular dialogue it conducts on crisis management with the UN Secretary -General and the regional and subregional African organisations.

With regard to Sierra Leone and the situation in the three countries of the Mano River Union, the European Union is in close contact with ECOWAS. A preliminary ministerial meeting between the European Union and the West African Regional Organisation was held in Abuja on 15 October 2000. The European Union also supports the efforts of the United Nations and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to restore peace there, and calls on the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to engage in the process of demobilisation, disarmament and rehabilitation provided for under the Lomé agreements. The European Union also calls on all the States in the region to be scrupulous in respecting the embargo on arms to non -governmental forces and the embargo on non -certified diamonds established by Security Council Resolutions 1132 and 1306.

With regard to the Horn of Africa, the European Union reiterates its full support for the diplomatic efforts of the UN and the OAU to resolve the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It welcomes the recent resumption of talks in Algiers with Ethiopia and Eritrea and considers that the creation of the United Nations Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) should constitute a crucial factor in stabilising the situation. The Union calls on both sides to implement Security Council Resolution 1320. The European Union would also like to commend here the extremely positive results of the process conducted by President Guelleh of Djibouti with regard to Somalia. The success of the Arta conference and the creation of new Somalian institutions have won the unequivocal and firm support of the international community. The European Union calls on all sides which have not yet done so to participate in this process.

The European Union reaffirms its backing for UN and OAU efforts to restore peace to the Democratic Republic of Congo and region. It urges the parties to implement the Lusaka ceasefire agreement and the relevant Security Council Resolutions.

Together with regional players and organisations, in particular the SADC, the OAU played an important part in bringing the parties to the conflict in the DRC to the negotiating table in 1999 and to signing the Lusaka ceasefire agreement. Furthermore, the OAU has made a tangible contribution to implementation of the ceasefire agreement by sending observers, creating the Joint Military Commission and appointing the Facilitator of the Inter -Congolese National Dialogue. The European Union supports the OAU's efforts and provides assistance for the funding of the Joint Military Commission and facilitation of the national dialogue.

The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains very worrying. The European Union is concerned at the risk of a general resumption of hostilities which might jeopardise the United Nations peacekeeping operation, MONUC. It is vital that the OAU pursue its endeavours to achieve a settlement. In this respect, we note that at the recent Maputo summit, the States involved in the conflict in the DRC asked the OAU to assist in the appointment of the new chairman of the Joint Military Commission. We also consider that the OAU can play an important part in breaking the deadlock that stands in the way of inter -Congolese dialogue.

For the European Union, Africa's sustainable development is a priority. The commitment of the European Union to Africa is based on shared interests, values and objectives. We wish to help Africa to achieve peace and stability in order to improve the quality of life of its people. A political climate conducive to respect for human rights, good governance and an active civil society are essential for sustainable development. In this respect, development cooperation has to play an important role.

The European Union remains determined to fight poverty and meet the target of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015. The European Union is the major source of development aid for Africa, providing more than two -thirds of total official development aid flowing to sub -Saharan Africa. Development assistance plays a key role in underpinning the policies pursued by the African countries. This is particularly the case in the least -developed countries, three -quarters of which are in Africa. Donors and African countries share responsibility for ensuring that development assistance is used effectively.

With particular regard to the question of debt, I would stress that the European Union sees the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative as an essential ingredient in the fight against poverty and for achieving sustainable development objectives. The European Union has so far contributed 68% of the payments made to the trust fund for financing the HIPC initiative. It calls on eligible countries to honour their international political commitments and to take the necessary political and economic measures in order to begin this process, and to ensure that upon implementation of the initiative, the resources mobilised are allocated to social sectors such as education and health and promote the rule of law, good governance, the participation of civil society and human development.

In conclusion, let me highlight the willingness of the European Union to work with our African friends in drawing up a draft resolution, in much more focused terms than previous years, which could truly place the emphasis on those issues which are a priority for renewed cooperation between the UN and the OAU.

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