Robert Mugabe Speech: 59th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, 22nd September 2004

Mr. President, I am delighted to congratulate you, a distinguished son o Africa, upon your election as President of the 59th Session of the General Assembly. Indeed, at a time when the community of nations has committed itself to paying due attention to issues that relate to development in Africa, through support for NEPAD and other mechanisms, your Presidency gives us the hope and confidence that our concerns and aspirations and those of others will remain high on the agenda of this august body. Mr President, at the 58th Session, I spoke about the need to reform the United Nations and its related bodies so as to make them more democratic. I stressed the perils inherent in the status quo, particularly, with regard to the dominance of global politics by one superpower and its closest allies. While we welcome the current debate on enhancing the authority and role of the United Nations, we wish to stress the need to address the core issue of democratization of international governance. Debate on the reform of the Security Council has been too long-drawn because of attempts calculated to protect those whose interests are best served by the status quo. Ironically, it is some of the same forces that, since last year, have been raining bombs and hell-fire on innocent Iraqis purportedly in the name of democracy. Iraq today has become a vast inferno created by blatant and completely illegal and defiant acts of aggression by United States, Britain and their allies, in the full trail of which the world has witnessed mass destruction of both human lives and property, and with them our human rights, values, morality and the norms of international law as enshrined in our Charter. We are now being coerced to accept and believe that a new political cum religious doctrine has risen, namely that "There is but one political god, George W. Bush, and Tony Blair is his prophet". Mr. President, the UN Charter remains the only most sacred document and proponent of relations of our Nations. Anything else is political heresy! Mr. President, Zimbabwe welcomes the continuing efforts by this community of nations to find solutions to the scourge of HIV and AIDS that has ravaged our peoples and economies. At the national level, we have taken measures, within our limited means, to combat the pandemic. We are also coordinating our efforts at the Southern African Development Community [SADC] level. Regrettably, we continue to see the unfortunate and futile tendency to use assistance in this area as a reward for political compliance and malleability, making it available to countries whose governments are deemed "inconvenient". Let it be realized that the pandemic does not respect boundaries, and these self-serving, selective approaches will have little or no meaningful results. Zimbabwe has also had to withstand unprovoked, declared and undeclared sanctions, imposed by Britain and its allies who are bent on bringing down our legitimately elected Government. Mr. Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister has arrogantly and unashamedly announced in his Parliament that his government was working with Zimbabwe's Opposition Party to bring about regime change. Once again, the lawless nature of this man who along his Washington master, believes he is God-ordained to rule our world, has shown itself. Regime Change is an inalienable right of our Zimbabwean people who, through their sovereign vote, can make and unmake our governments. In any case, we reject completely the pretended assertions of democracy by our former colonial masters, whose undemocratic regimes we taught the lesson of one man or one woman one vote through our liberation struggles. Here in the United States we remain aware of the plight of the Black American of both yesterday and today and of the semi slave and half citizen status that has been his burden. Have the Black in the USA got equal politics, social and economic rights and status as their white counterparts. I wish to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of my Government and that of the people of Zimbabwe for the humanitarian assistance we received from the international community during our period of need. Without such support, we would not have been able to avert a major catastrophe. I am pleased to inform you Mr. President that we have, inspite of the sanctions and evil wishes of Britain and its allies, now emerged from that difficult phase. We had a relatively good agricultural season this year and our Land Reform Programme has began to make a significant contribution towards the turn around of our economy. Despite the partial drought at the beginning of the season, we have managed this year to realize a good harvest, certainly, one good enough to ensure that we meet our food requirements until the next season. We plead with the IMF to stop its strange political mouthing, lies and fabrications about our situation. Our own regional organizations know the truth about Zimbabwe. Mr. President, in March next year, Zimbabwe will be holding its sixth democratic parliamentary elections since Independence in 1980. These elections, like others before them, will be conducted in accordance with our national laws, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections recently adopted by our sub region. Zimbabwe will indeed welcome to these elections those observers whose sole and undivided purpose will be to observe the process and not to meddle in the politics of the country. Mr. President, the fight against international terrorism has exposed the duplicity and insincerity of erstwhile leading democracies and human rights monitors with regard to the question of the observance of human rights. We have seen established international conventions being thrown to the dogs; resolutions of the General Assembly and other UN bodies on this issue come to naught. We are seriously concerned that the United Nations, the pre-eminent instrument for the maintenance of international peace and security, watched helplessly while Iraq was plundered by the USA and UK led so called coalition of the willing. Such belligerent gun-slinging diplomacy and illegitimate territorial occupation of the state of Iraq are blemishes on the fair play image of the UN. While the sadistic scenes from Abu Ghraib remain vivid in our minds, other places in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay have provided useful samples of the Western concept of respect for human rights. Let me say once again that the West should spare us their lessons on human rights. They do not have moral authority to speak about, let alone, parade themselves, as torchbearers of human rights. Mr. President, Zimbabwe remains deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East. We continue to be revulsed by a situation where the collective decisions and authority of the UN are disregarded with impunity on account of big brother support. We demand an immediate lifting of all restrictions illegally imposed on the Palestinian people, which have seen President Yasser Arafat remain a virtual prisoner of foreign occupation. We welcome the recent opinion given by the International Court of Justice that found the construction of the Israel wall to be in contravention of international law, and the subsequent General Assembly Resolution that demand the immediate halt to that monstrosity. Let me conclude, Mr. President, by assuring you of my country's support during the period you will preside over the work of this Session of the General Assembly. I also wish to reiterate my country's commitment to positively contribute to the fulfillment of the aims and purpose of the United Nations. I thank you.