SG/SM/6051

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS US CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS CONTINUES TRADITION AS CHAMPIONS OF DEVELOPING WORLD

Following is the text of the keynote address delivered by Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the Congressional Black Caucus Forum on "Conflict Resolution in Africa: Diplomacy and Action" in Washington, D.C., on 13 September:

I am honoured to stand before Representatives of the American people. The United Nations -- so much the dream and creation of the United States -- finds its home, here, in America. I am particularly honoured to have been invited to participate in this forum by Congressman Donald Payne, the distinguished Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and recognized foreign policy leader in Congress. I thank Chairman Payne for holding this meeting on the peace-keeping mission of the United Nations to give us the opportunity to make more Americans aware of this vital work. I pay tribute to Chairman Payne and to Congresspersons Cynthia McKinney, Alcee Hastings, Albert Wynn and Victor Frazer, who serve with him on the House International Relations Committee. I know that all of these members have valiantly continued the tradition of the Congressional Black Caucus as champions of United States engagement with the developing world, and particularly with the nations of Africa and the Caribbean.

The history of African-Americans is one of struggle, of pride and of brilliant achievement. African-Americans are an inspiration to all who seek to live in liberty, in dignity and in justice. I want to acknowledge the rich contribution which African-Americans have made to the United Nations and to international diplomacy. Earlier this year, I participated in the dedication of the new Ralph Bunche Center for International Affairs at Howard University. This wonderful center honours the memory and contribution of the man whose leadership launched the United Nations.

I recognize as well the continuation of the legacy of the African- American diplomats whose United Nations service followed that of Ralph Bunche, and want to pay particular tribute to the service of Ambassador Andrew Young as the United States representative to the United Nations. I had the privilege of working with Ambassador Young and his able successor, Ambassador

Don McHenry, in the late 1970s, as they made the United States an active participant in the movement for self-determination and majority rule in southern Africa. And, of course, I could not be here at this meeting without paying tribute to the leadership of the African-American community -- especially Randall Robinson of TransAfrica -- and the Congressional Black Caucus in securing legislation to impose sanctions upon the apartheid regime in South Africa in the mid-1980s.

Allow me, now, some personal reminiscences. In 1977, I was asked to become Minister of State of Egypt. As Minister, I chose -- without hesitation -- to focus on African affairs. In support of President Sadat's foreign policy I travelled throughout Africa and engaged with the problems of the continent. Today, I can look back and say that I have visited virtually every African country. And I can look forward and predict that Africa will emerge as a great and vibrant force on the world scene.

My friends, I am African. And as an African, I am grateful to you for inviting me to share with you some of my thoughts on conflict in Africa. My public comparison of the amount of international attention and response devoted to conflicts in Europe as compared to those in Africa has made me unpopular with some. But I stand by the recognition of this reality. I further recognize the need for greater advocacy for Africa. African conflicts are not getting the attention they need from the international community.

You, as leaders of the African American community, must continue to be vocal on behalf of Africa. You must call upon the international community to engage actively in the resolution of African conflicts before they escalate and exact a terrible toll on human life. The security of African States, and of Africa as whole, needs to be understood as significant for world peace and security. Policy makers in government, those in the private sector, and in the international news media, need to be challenged to address conflicts in Africa, and seek their solution.

How can we obtain the international attention needed to resolve African conflicts? Let me mention four ways: diplomacy, disarmament, regional cooperation and peace-building. The United Nations is at work in all these areas. But much more can be done, with your help.

First, we can act through diplomacy. Diplomacy cannot work miracles -- particularly when one party believes it will gain from using force. But in Africa, military action too often is taken before diplomatic options have been exhausted. When diplomacy is an option, more and more African countries turn to the United Nations. As an impartial body, with a global mandate, and without the need to publicize its role, the United Nations can achieve a great deal. It can work behind the scenes, where compromise may more easily be reached. The successful United Nations involvements in South Africa and

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Sierra Leone are solid examples of effective diplomacy. So is the resolution of territorial disputes involving Libya and Chad, and most recently, Nigeria and Cameroon.

Remember, however, as we have been reminded in Angola and in Somalia, that no diplomacy -- no matter how skilled -- can be successful without one essential ingredient: the will of the parties to achieve peace. The same is true in peace-keeping, which is based upon consent of the parties. Peace- keeping is therefore not appropriate for war situations. I have long argued that in war situations, the international community should either send combat troops or no troops at all.

Experience has shown that the best way to do that is with a multinational force, or regional force, authorized by the United Nations Security Council. The enforcement action could then, if necessary, be followed by peace-keeping. This was the course of the international involvement in Haiti -- so far successful, and in which the leadership of the Black Caucus has been crucial. I call upon you, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to continue your efforts to mediate the conflicts in Liberia, Rwanda and Burundi. We must persevere in our efforts to resolve those conflicts. For history has shown that hard work and perseverance can produce positive results in even the most difficult situations.

Second, we can reduce conflict in Africa by disarmament. Disarmament is an essential confidence-building measure, both among States and within them. The signing in April of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was a major step forward in the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.

Action is now needed to stem the uncontrolled flow of small conventional arms -- which have, for too long, sustained and stimulated African conflict. What I have called micro-disarmament will be indispensable. Africa has been flooded with small arms. The very existence of light weapons in such vast numbers makes conflict in Africa inevitable. The United Nations has begun to track the transfer and stockpiling of light arms, and to set forth steps for achieving micro-disarmament.

A comprehensive international ban on land-mines is also urgently needed. Even years after conflict has subsided, land-mines continue to pose a severe obstacle to agriculture, transportation and infrastructure. Land-mines in Africa are part of a destructive legacy of conflict that has impeded development. And this, in turn, has fuelled still more conflict. The United Nations has taken the lead in building international support for a ban on the production and transfer of all land-mines and land-mine components. This United Nations campaign deserves the widest support.

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Third, we can help prevent -- and resolve -- the problems of conflict in Africa by reinforcing regional cooperation. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) has been strengthened. The current situation in Burundi emphasizes the positive role which regional organizations can play in promoting regional stability and the peaceful resolution of local conflict. The OAU must play an ever more active role in the resolution of African conflicts. It has recognized the need for leadership in this area through the creation of a Mechanism for the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflicts. I thank the Congressional Black Caucus for your support of the OAU over the years. And I thank you for your recent support for United States assistance to the building up of OAU's conflict resolution capacity.

In April, I welcomed the decision of the governments of central Africa to designate armed units for possible United Nations or Organization of African Unity peace assignments. This measure has far-reaching implications for conflict management prospects in central Africa. Had such a measure been enacted two years ago, a massive human tragedy in Rwanda might have been averted.

I have been intensively involved in the United Nations work with the Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regarding the terrible conflict in Liberia. As you know, I took the initiative to recommend to the Security Council the involvement of United Nations peace-keepers in Liberia, as a major assistance to the ECOWAS operation. I know that all of us have been frustrated by the lack of political will to reach a peaceful agreement on the part of the faction leaders. However, there now appears to be reasonable grounds for optimism. We are now awaiting word from the Liberian Council of State as to what role the United Nations should play in the elections scheduled for the end of May 1997. We understand there is a consensus for the United Nations to conduct the elections. For my part, I will use my best efforts to give the Liberian people the opportunity to choose their own leaders in free and fair elections.

The fourth area for international action is peace-building, which combines many dimensions in a comprehensive effort. The purpose is to remove the causes of conflict and to solidify the achievement of peace. Democracy and respect for the rule of law help guard against division, conflict and war. In Africa, democracy is an essential component in the conflict resolution process. It is a strong support for efforts to achieve national reconciliation. In Mozambique and in Angola, for example, democratization and improved civil governance have underpinned a new commitment to peace and an end to violent conflict.

Sierra Leone has just concluded a successful electoral process. But this process was not an easy undertaking. I personally intervened with former

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Chairman Strasser, and later on with his successor Brigadier Bio, to impress upon them the necessity of abiding by their pledge to hold elections. At a critical stage in this controversy, I personally went to Freetown to make the case for free and fair elections.

Development is crucial. Without it, the competition for scarce resources will condemn Africa to continual conflict. The unbearable burden of debt must be lifted from African shoulders. And development assistance levels must rise so that Africans can be enabled to participate in the new global economy.

The Congressional Black Caucus leadership has created a new United States trade and investment policy towards Africa, following the legacy of the late Secretary Ron Brown. Ron Brown opened the eyes of the United States business community to opportunities for profitable investment in Africa. I salute the memory of Secretary Ron Brown. He gave his life on a peace- building mission. He was a true peace-builder.

The new United Nations Special Initiative for Africa -- which I initiated in April -- offers a comprehensive, peace-building approach. It draws together all the elements of the UN system -- including the Bretton Woods institutions -- to mobilize support for Africa's priority development goals, in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. I ask you of the Black Caucus to help Americans learn about -- and support -- the United Nations Special Initiative for Africa.

Just yesterday, the High Level Panel of Personalities on African Development -- a group of internationally recognized experts on African development -- met in New York to provide me with counsel on the implementation of the Special Initiative for Africa. I am pleased to have on this Panel the participation of the Honourable Andrew Young.

If the international community gives Africa the support she deserves, it can help to tip the balance, towards a brighter future for all of Africa, and for all the world.

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