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ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT, MARY ROBINSON, AT THE STATE DINNER IN HONOUR OF PRESIDENT F.J.T. CHILUBA

ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT, MARY ROBINSON, AT THE STATE DINNER IN HONOUR OF PRESIDENT F.J.T. CHILUBA, DUBLIN CASTLE

President Chiluba, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have a traditional greeting in Ireland - Céad Míle Fáilte - a hundred thousand welcomes. I am delighted to wish you and your delegation Céad Míle Fáilte.

Mr. President, it is a little over a year since I visited your beautiful country. The memories are still vivid. All our delegation experienced your personal welcome and that of the Zambian people in a way which we will never forget. We met people from many differing backgrounds and experienced the rich culture and texture of Zambian life.

I recall with great fondness the warmth of the people of Kamanga township in Lusaka and the artistic endeavours of the women of Southern Province whose exhibition of traditional basket-making at the Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre demonstrated the importance of conserving traditional skills and crafts. The Lusaka street children's art exhibition, the women and staff of Mutendere Maternity Clinic, the children and staff of the Cheshire Home, the beautiful Jacaranda trees - all these and more made lasting impressions.

I was delighted to visit the Copperbelt, Zambia's industrial heartland, and, afterwards, Northern Province. In each place I was impressed by the spirit of energy and enthusiasm, especially in the local communities who were working on a self-help basis to improve their situations. This sense of self-help and empowerment is flourishing in Zambia and it is one of my abiding memories of your beautiful country.

During the course of the visit I met many Irish people from such diverse backgrounds as development, religious, business and agriculture, who have made Zambia their home either on a temporary or permanent basis. They spoke with great warmth of the Zambian people and the excellent relations which they enjoy with their host country.

Mr. President, we in Ireland are very much aware of the economic difficulties which face Zambia at this time. The legacy of the collapse of world copper prices, combined with oil price increases in the 1970s, is still with you today. As a Front-line State Zambia suffered in human and economic terms for its principled stand. Periodic drought has constrained agricultural output and economic growth. I would like to pay tribute to the tremendous economic and social strides which Zambia has made since Independence.

Mr. President, you have embarked on a great endeavour - to revitalise and energise the Zambian economy. We recognise that the implementation of the structural adjustment programme has not been easy. There are a number of positive indicators, such as falling inflation and interest rates, yet I am aware that there is a cost in human and social terms.

Mr. President, Zambia is one of Ireland's priority countries for development co-operation and Ireland's programme of development assistance with Zambia has increased threefold since 1992. This rapid increase in funding has not in any way diluted the quality of Irish development co-operation with Zambia, which is based on close links with your administration as well as with local communities and authorities. During my visit to Zambia, I was particularly impressed by the number and calibre of Zambian personnel working on the programme and at their enthusiasm and energy.

One of the major themes of Irish development co-operation with Zambia is community participation, self-help and empowerment. The Irish programme has a high concentration on basic needs and is heavily involved in the social sectors, where community participation can be most meaningful and effective. Irish development efforts will continue to facilitate the flowering of empowerment at grass roots level.

Mr. President, you have spoken and written eloquently on the importance of freedom, democracy and human rights. During my visit to Zambia we spoke about the positive changes in the region. The delicate plant of democracy has taken root not just in Zambia, but Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique and eventually, we hope, in Angola. In relation to Angola, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to you and your Government for your unstinting efforts to bring the parties to the conflict together.

Mr. President, Zambia and Ireland are small actors on the world stage. But this fact need not be a constraint to us making significant and meaningful contributions to the cause of international peace, justice, human rights and democracy. We in Ireland have a record of taking principled and independent stands on issues of international importance. Like Zambia, we have played our part in numerous United Nations peacekeeping operations throughout the world. I recently visited Rwanda for the second time. My visit brought home to me once again how vulnerable we are as human beings to the consequences of injustice and intolerance and how urgent is our task of finding different, non-destructive, ways of resolving disputes.

Mr. President, the special commemorative meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, which we both attended, provided the opportunity to pay tribute to the first universal organisation of states in human history. In your address to the meeting you stated that the UN today faces a crisis of confidence and expectation and that its efficiency should be augmented and fortified. You also called for broader representation on the Security Council in the spirit of democracy, good governance, the equality of nations and the search for genuine peace and security.

Ireland shares your concerns.

We live in a world of sovereign states, where the danger of conflict is ever present, where the destructive power of weapons grows endlessly. It is a world in which the problems of climate, ecology and resources are global. It is a world of rapid population growth, where poverty, hunger and injustice oppress hundreds of millions.

It is imperative that those who exercise leadership can recognise the danger, yet also visualise the potential beyond. We need to work together in co-operation to resolve the most serious problems through effective international institutions to which we give full support. We have such an institution in the form of the United Nations. It is essential that the UN be infused with new vigour and energy in order that its authority and capacity can effectively address the important tasks which lie ahead.

Mr. President, you are visiting Ireland at a time of great hope on this island. The violence of the last twenty-five years, which has claimed the lives of over 3,000 people, has come to an end. This has opened a window of opportunity which we all fervently hope will bring about a permanent peace based on mutual respect, trust and co-operation. The Irish and British Governments are committed to the achievement of a settlement, based on consent, which will cover relations within Northern Ireland, on the island of Ireland and between the two islands.

Mr. President, in Ireland we have a reputation for making people feel welcome. Visitors to Ireland discover a unique unspoilt natural beauty together with a vibrant literary and musical heritage. You and your delegation are very special and honoured visitors. I cannot guarantee sunshine every day - as I had during my visit to Zambia - but I can guarantee a genuine welcome from the people of Ireland.