We fought till we were ripped to ribbons. We lost a 130 dead, 15 of them women.

The head of the Committee secretariat is Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the Convention secretariat.

In his statement at the ceremony for the signing of the Convention, Ambassador Arba Diallo stated

Well deserved congratulations also go to the members of the Board of the Committee and its Executive Secretary, Mr. Hama Arba Diallo.

The Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, also made a statement.

The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, welcomed participants in the COP and made a statement.

It has a little cough and a hiccup, and out comes sprays of little frogs.

Let me also express our gratitude to Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, that worthy son of Africa, who has been assuming competently and devotedly the functions of Executive Secretary of the Committee, assisted by a dynamic team whose reputation is well established.

Legend has it that Marinus left Rab, then the Roman colony of Arba, in 257 when the future emperor, Diocletian, issued a decree calling for the reconstruction of the city walls of Rimini, which had been destroyed by Liburnian pirates.

We owe our gratitude also to Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the Negotiating Committee, and his staff for their excellent work, which was instrumental in the timely adoption, on 18 June 1994, of the Convention.

This undertaking could not have succeeded without the well known foresight and dynamism of Ambassador Bo Kjellén, who chaired the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, and Ambassador Arba Diallo, the Executive Secretary, both of whom gave a decisive impetus to the negotiations.

10.30 a.m. H.E. Mr. Cherif Rahmani, Minister for the Management of Territory and for the Environment of Algeria Mr. Corrado Clini, Director General, Ministry for the Environment and Territory of Italy and Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (on the International Year of Deserts and Desertification)

In this respect, my delegation would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, Ambassador Bo Kjellén, the Executive Secretary, Ambassador Arba Diallo, and the other members of the Committee, all of whom ensured that the Convention was prepared by the deadline.

I naturally express fraternal feelings to Ambassador Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the Committee, whose conviction, tenacity and personal commitment, with the support of a team of men and women of great skill and dedication, made it possible to provide optimal conditions for the Committee apos s work.

We would like to record our very sincere appreciation for the hard work, commitment and dedication of the entire Committee, which was very ably chaired by Ambassador Bo Kjellén. Our congratulations also go to Ambassador Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the Committee, for their pioneering work, as well as to all members of the delegations that participated in the process.