'Do not send us your weapons' the General Assembly debates peace and security.

As Member States gathered in the fifty-seventh General Assembly, world leaders informed their peers of peace achieved and the suffering caused by ongoing conflict.

Speaking at the opening of the general debate on 12 September, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, who had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt the week before, recounted his country's efforts to establish lasting peace and order. He spoke of the "Loya Jirga", or grand council, where "hundreds of delegates exercised their rights to express freely their opinions and desires for security, peace, national unity, reconstruction, democracy and good governance", adding that "the people of Afghanistan told me univocally of their disdain of war and violence".

He shared his vision of a modern state built on Islamic values, "promoting justice, rule of law, human rights and freedom of commerce, and forming a bridge between cultures and civilizations; a model of tolerance and prosperity based on the rich heritage of the Islamic civilization". President Karzai outlined concrete efforts to reconstruct Afghan society, including a back-to-school campaign under which 3 million children had returned to classes, the eradication of poppy fields and destruction of drugs with an estimated value of $8 billion, and the establishment of a human rights commission protecting women's rights and civil liberties. He thanked the donor community for their support, but characterized the levels of direct financial support as "insufficient" and called on the international community to fulfil their pledges.

African leaders expressed their hopes for recently established peace. In Angola, the army and UNITA military leaders signed a nationwide ceasefire, ending the 27-year-old civil war that cost an estimated 500,000 lives and displaced millions. Angolan Minister for External Relations Joao Bernardo de Miranda told of his Government's primary challenge of "reintegration into society of thousands of combat veterans, 4 million displaced persons, refugees and thousands upon thousands of handicapped, war orphans and widows". In April 2002, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission made its final ruling on the demarcation of the border between the two countries. Ambassador Ahmed Tahir Baduri of Eritrea reconfirmed his faith in the legal solution to the brutal two-and-a-half-year war with Ethiopia: "My Government believed from the very beginning that this conflict could not be settled by might but by peaceful means only."

Two other countries from the Horn of Africa--Somalia and Sudan--informed the Assembly of progress on reaching agreements to end their civil wars. Somalian Foreign Minister Yusuf Hassan Ibrahim pleaded for international support, saying that there would be "an urgent need for international peacekeepers" after Somali parties agreed on a peace framework.

The delegate of Sudan, Mustafa Osman Ismael, reported that his Government had "organized national conferences and meetings of dialogue, and has responded positively to the various regional and international efforts aiming at ending the conflict".

The President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Tejankabbah, expressed his "overwhelming feeling of joy" at the ending of the rebel war in his country and the beginning of the reintegration of over 55,000 ex-combatants. He said that the elections in May 2002 proved that the people of Sierra Leone would never forgo their constitutional right to choose their leaders through the ballot box. He urged the international community to aid the young democracy in Sierra Leone, saying that it would be "a terrible mistake if, by sheer complacency, we allow the country to slip back into armed conflict".

Tajik delegate Takbak Nazarov spoke of the fundamental components of the peace process in his country that ended a five-year fratricidal war: "Respect for Tajik history and traditions, for human rights, an atmosphere of tolerance toward diverse opinions and views, and focus on major concerns of the nation."

Referring to the tragedy of 11 September which took nearly 3,000 lives, Colombian President Manuel Uribe pointed out that violence in his country caused as many deaths every month. He pleaded not for military support but for aid in stemming the flow of illegal drugs: "Do not send us your weapons! Destroy your markets for drugs and chemical precursors! Help us with aerial interdiction and drug seizures in the Pacific and the Caribbean!"

Delegates from States comprising the former Yugoslavia expressed the desire to build upon the peace established in the region. The Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzogovina, Zlatko Lagumdzija, said: "Many roads, many villages, many roofs ... many mosques and churches have also been built and repaired."

Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said that a temporary solution regarding the land-and-sea border around the Prevlaka Peninsula was being negotiated with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and that the UN Mission in Prevlaka "has successfully accomplished its mandate and, consequently, should not be extended after the current one expires". Speaking of the lessons learned from the Croatian experience regarding UN peacekeeping efforts, he said: "We fully support the Secretary-General in his efforts to move the United Nations from a culture of reaction to one of prevention. We consider that the timely dispatch of well structured peacekeeping operations, with a clear and effective mandate, can prevent the recurrence of conflicts and create a platform for rebuilding peace and shattered societies."