The Chronicle interview.

JEAN PING, President of the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly, is Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Gabonese Republic. His distinguished 32-year career in government has been marked by diplomatic success, notably through his contribution to the efforts of the President of Gabon, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, to restore peace and stability in Central Africa, in particular in the Republic of the Congo, Chad, the Central African Republic and Sao Tome and Principe.

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A Member of Parliament since 1996, Mr. Ping has headed his country's delegation at numerous sessions of the General Assembly, as well as at international conferences and summits, including those of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, the former Organization of African Unity (succeeded by the African Union), the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which he was President in 1993.

Mr. Ping holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne). He began his diplomatic career at UNESCO, where he was his country's Permanent Delegate from 1978 to 1984. He then served as Director of the Cabinet of the President of Gabon until 1990, when he was appointed Minister of Information. Mr. Ping held a succession of posts at the ministerial level until his appointment in 1999 as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and la Francophonie.

Leslie Palti and Horst Rutsch of the UN Chronicle spoke with Mr. Ping on 16 August 2004. The interview was originally conducted in French.

On the main challenges facing the fifty-ninth General Assembly President

I think it is important to continue the work of my predecessors, each of whom has contributed to building a better world. We are facing a number of global challenges--terrorism, poverty, HIV/AIDS, fratricidal wars, the environment and international crime. Global problems require global solutions. These issues can only be addressed with the participation of all nations. And no organization is better suited than the United Nations to address and resolve these problems; as a result, the United Nations will be increasingly addressing these fundamental challenges which threaten humanity.

This is why UN reform is so important. When it was founded in 1945, the United Nations had only 50 Member States. Today, the Organization comprises 191 countries. Moreover, since then, the world has undergone radical changes, the most important of which are the end of the cold war and the end of antagonism between blocks, and the rise of globalization. I think it is crucial to take into consideration the changes that have happened in the world when reforming and especially adapting the UN system.

Of course, the Security Council first comes to mind. In 1945, there were 11 members, currently there are only 15. Increasing the membership of the Council has been discussed at length, and some States would like to see an increase in the number of permanent members. The whole world is talking about it. Security Council reform is a necessity. But let us not close our eyes and forget that differences still exist about the scope and the nature of these reforms, the number of permanent and nonpermanent members in a future Council and the uses of veto power. There will be more debates about these matters. So the General Assembly President still has a lot of work to do.

The revitalization of the General Assembly is another issue. It is an important UN body since it is the one forum where all countries can express their views and where they can participate in elaborating norms which govern international relations and help steer the world. We talked about global challenges and recognized that they can only be solved with everyone's participation, from the smallest to the biggest country. I said that a global problem requires a global solution. Obviously, only the General Assembly can address these issues in a democratic, effective and efficient way. It therefore must be revitalized. These tasks are particularly important.

On the Millennium Development Goals 

Hope is not enough. Action is necessary. We must be optimistic, and I am an optimist by nature. We should refrain from always criticizing the UN system because it does not seem to evolve. I don't think that is true. Can we imagine a world without the United Nations? Only with the United Nations can a number of global problems be resolutely tackled and ultimately resolved. No country, no matter how large or powerful it might be, can do without the others. I don't think that is possible anymore. Every day, we see the necessity, even for the great powers, to work with the United Nations and the rest of humanity, to find solutions to the numerous problems that we face each and every day. Therefore, I think the United Nations plays an important role; this role could be even larger, especially concerning the development assistance to the developing countries. The United Nations could be more efficient if Member States really wanted this and made greater efforts to do their share in implementing their commitments--as expressed, for example, in the Millennium Declaration.

On the 60th anniversary of the United Nations

The fifty-ninth General Assembly session will be a preparation for the sixtieth, which is also the United Nations sixtieth anniversary. We are full of expectations. The whole world hopes that this sixtieth session will constitute the deadline for a number of UN proposals, in particular those concerning reform of the United Nations. Therefore, the fifty-ninth session will play a key role, and has a particularly full agenda, including, for example, the review of initiatives at the halfway stage--such as those resulting from the Millennium Declaration, the different summits addressing problems such as development financing and the environment, as well as on women and social and population issues. Member States have focused their attention on all these essential questions and set a number of goals to be attained. It is crucial to see if these decisions have effectively been implemented, what has been done and, of course, what still needs to be done.

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On Gabon in the United Nations

Gabon has been part of the United Nations for nearly half a century. For a young nation like ours, the world Organization is particularly important, and we have taken an active part in the work of the UN. We believe in it. If we truly want a more fair, balanced and harmonious international order, a more--and why not?--fraternal international order; if we want a world of peace, a civilized world, then we must reinforce the role of the United Nations. Gabon wants to continue to play an active role within the UN system--primarily regarding peacekeeping in the world and more specifically on the African continent, which has experienced a great deal of difficulties in that respect for the past 15 years. We have seen how, in Africa, armed conflicts have proliferated, a genocide has been perpetrated, the economic situation has deteriorated, a large number of humanitarian crises have developed, and how poverty has increased. African States are making significant efforts to take an active part in the globalization process and to set up democratic regimes. But they will continue to need the sustained support of the international community to reduce poverty and misery and to reinforce the rule of law.

On the Gabonese experience in Africa

I discuss the Gabonese experience in my book, Globalization, Peace, Democracy and Development in Africa: the Gabonese Experience, not only because we have never had war, but also because our President, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, devotes a significant amount of his time trying to restore peace in areas where there are armed conflicts, particularly in Africa. He likes to say that when a fire starts in the neighbour's house, and you don't contribute to put down the fire, the flames could spread to your own home. Guided by this vision, President Bongo Ondimba regularly offers his good offices in resolving conflicts in the subregion, and these peace-making efforts, I must admit, have been successful. Such was the case in the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe, and numerous other countries. In fact, he often intervenes unnoticed, in what could be called preventive diplomacy. If a conflict is brewing, he discreetly meets with the protagonists, in an effort to resolve the conflict before it breaks out, or if a conflict does break out, to ensure that it does not expand.

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On democratization in Africa

Democracy is a gradual process, not something that can be created by decree. It cannot be set up immediately in a definitive and perfect form--it is often long, with advances and setbacks. But it is a process that we must continue to pursue because all human creations are imperfect. It is a goal that everyone wishes to attain. I believe that all the peoples of Africa want democracy, freedom and development, as stated recently in Lusaka, Zambia, in the "food and freedom" declaration of June 2004. But without peace we can't have freedom, bread, democracy or development. Moreover, war leads to the demise of the rule of law. We have seen this happen in many countries on the African continent. In fact, these wars lead to a general decline, the violation of human rights and the debasement of the rule of law. As long as there is war, neither development nor freedom is possible. That is why Gabon--including the President and the Government--strongly believes that peace is a condition sine qua non to real development and to democratic progress. Needless to say, peace, development and democratization are often linked and interdependent upon each other.

On multilateralism

We definitely need to review the issue of international cooperation because we must achieve more harmonization and collaboration within the multilateral system as a whole. In order for this system to work, besides greater harmonization, the decisions that have been taken need to be carried out, and we need to avoid wasting time and duplicating efforts. This is not easy, and in fact, is very complicated, but I believe that this is what we should work towards anyway. It is obvious that greater coordination and interaction are needed between UN agencies--and this includes the Bretton Woods institutions--and States, in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations.

On the role of African regional organizations

African regional organizations play an important role. I think that most African conflicts, if not all, have been to a large extent resolved by the African countries themselves. Naturally, the African States too often lack the means and are thus frequently unable to implement the necessary solutions, in particular in peace-keeping and peace-building missions and post-conflict reconstruction. In order to help their neighbours in crisis, African countries have frequently shown their good will and readiness to assist. But they lack the material means and logistics. In fact, whenever they received adequate aid and support, the African countries have been able to resolve the conficts themselves. The African Union can and must play an important leadership role on the continent, but only if it receives adequate support from interested partners who have the necessary means.

On mediation between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 

Gabon has never experienced war in its history--no war of independence, no civil war and no war with another country. We have never experienced war in our history. However, this is indeed quite exceptional. With our neighbour, Equatorial Guinea, we don't have a conflict, only a dispute about our shared land and maritime boundaries, as well as the sovereignty of some islands, in particular Mbanie Island. This is a dispute, which many States might occasionally have with their neighbours, and we have always tried to resolve it through dialogue. The situation seemed to have reached an impasse until recently, when the UN Secretary-General appointed a special representative to mediate direct talks between the two heads of State. On 6 July 2004, these talks culminated in a framework agreement that has helped to reduce tensions. This is a good solution.

On the use of the French language

French is my mother tongue and also a working language of the United Nations; it is the one I master the best. Thus, it goes without saying that it is in French that I will express myself and conduct my work. Of course, I speak and understand English. I will listen to those who don't speak French and talk with them, but I will speak French as much as possible.