UNITED NATIONS (PANA)�Presidents Sam Nujoma of Namibia and
Thabo Mbeki of South Africa have called on world leaders to work
for the establishment of an equitable and peaceful global system
that has been the goal of the UN charter.
Addressing the 54th session of the UN General Assembly in New
York, President Mbeki emphasized that world leaders have to
marshal moral and political courage to reconstruct human society
in line with the UN charter.
Quoting from the charter, he said it had underscored the faith
of the world in fundamental human rights, the dignity and worth of
the human person and in equal rights for men and women.
President Mbeki further pointed out that political leaders have
no excuse if they fail to bring about the desired change because
conditions now exist to do so.
Among the conditions, he listed the end of the Cold War with
its ideological rivalry and the prevalence of democracy in most of
the world.
According to him, the combination of these factors makes it
unnecessary for any country to seek to establish spheres of
influence as a necessary condition to advance national interests.
In his address, President Nujoma pointed out that the world has
to end the evils of economic disparity, the debt crisis, social
injustice, unemployment and environmental degradation because it
has the resources to do so.
So far, Mr. Nujoma observed, globalization and liberalization
of the world economy, said to be the solution to underdevelopment,
have not helped the situation. For these forces to bring desired
result, he argued, they must be made collective undertakings for
the benefit of all.
Turning to the specific problems of Africa, President Nujoma
pointed out that despite giant strides made to improve the lot of
much of humanity in this century, Africa is still struggling to
gain meaningful access to knowledge and information.
Equally important was the need to reform the UN system,
especially the Security Council, to ensure that developing
countries are adequately represented in it, said the Zambian
leader.
President Nujoma suggested that the new Security Council should
have 26 members, with none having the veto, because vetoes are
undemocratic.
