Let me hail the fact that we seem to be making some progress.

I want to pay tribute to the heroic work of those men and women.

I would like to publicly recognize this exemplary case of African leadership.

Let me briefly hail the clarity of the Secretary General's proposals.

Allow me first to pay tribute to the memory of all the victims and acknowledge the suffering of the bereaved families.

And, of course, I want to pay tribute to all delegates for reaching agreement in the consultations.

In that regard, I particularly commend the delegation of Togo for its most faithful participation in the discussions.

I would also like to commend the Secretariat for its efforts in producing the report.

Once again, I pay tribute to his tireless efforts and his resolute commitment to work to build a fairer world.

I also want to pay tribute to all members the final document is very much their achievement.

I particularly commend the Panel for rooting its work in the realities of the lives of the poor.

I would like to commend UNAMSIL for the efficient security provided to the site of the Special Court.

I would also like to pay tribute to the dedicated efforts of my Special Representative, and to the men and women of UNAMA and its partner organizations for their outstanding efforts, under difficult and often dangerous conditions.

I pay tribute to the courage and determination of the AU Mission in performing its vital mandate in Darfur.

Let me also commend the new Danish chairmanship of the Counter Terrorism Committee for the great deal of fine work it has done.

I commend the very helpful non paper distributed by the Danish Permanent Mission on that important issue.

On behalf of my delegation, I would like to commend the Secretary General for his dedication in producing his report (A 59 2005).

It is perhaps one of the greatest creations of the twentieth century, and I pause to pay tribute to all those who have served its cause with dedication.

I would also like to commend the mission in Côte d'Ivoire for its work to address the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse.

I should like to compliment the President on his initiative to create four clusters of issues and to appoint facilitators for the work in that regard.

Mr. Mérorès (Haiti) (spoke in French) Allow me to commend Mr. Jan Eliasson on the way in which he is conducting our work.

I would specifically like to underscore the valuable contribution of Secretary General Kofi Annan, to whom I pay a well deserved tribute.

In addition, I commend the Secretary General for his leadership, especially in advancing the United Nations reform and revitalization agenda.

I would also like to pay tribute to the Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his able stewardship of our Organization and the reform proposals he has put forward for our consideration.

I would also like to pay tribute to the Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has pursued those noble objectives with tenacity and farsightedness.

I would also like, through them, to pay tribute to the work being carried out by those two courts in fulfilment of the missions entrusted to them by the international community.

This is why, on behalf of all of you, I would like solemnly to pay homage tonight to President Thabo Mbeki, who listened to everyone in order to understand and help us to understand.

I would like to commend all these efforts, and particularly those of the first two Presidents of this year's session the Ambassadors of the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In conclusion, let me highly commend the many women who toil daily in the fields of the United Nations system in the area of peace and security.

I would also like to pay tribute to Oman for its determination, over a number of years, in bringing attention to a serious threat to personal security in the world.

Mr. Mérorès (Haiti) (spoke in French) I should like at the outset to pay tribute to the Secretary General for his tireless and constant efforts to adapt the United Nations to the realities of today's world.

In the past three years, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has voted in favour of draft resolutions on the promotion of multilateralism in the area of disarmament and non proliferation submitted within a United Nations framework. South Africa, on behalf of the Movement of Non Aligned Countries, introduced the text of the draft resolution in question, whose basic elements are in line with the views of Venezuela.

I should also like to congratulate all of the new Council members and to pay tribute to the very positive and fruitful work of the Algerian presidency during the month of December.

I would also like to pay tribute to Jean Ping, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Gabon, whose moderation, sense of compromise and restraint won him universal respect and esteem during the previous session.

I would like to commend the International Maritime Organization on a job well done, and I encourage all parties to sign and ratify the protocol as soon as possible.

I would like to commend Mexico, which just ratified the Rome Statue a few days ago, making it the hundredth country to become a party to the statute.

I would like to pay tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, who during his mandate substantially contributed greatly to reviving discussion of United Nations reform and activities for development and international cooperation.

I therefore commend the ongoing efforts to bring all components of the Mission, together with other partners, under a common framework for the protection of the civilian population.

Mr. Biaou (Benin) (spoke in French) Allow me first of all to pay tribute to Mr. Jean Ping, who guided the work of the fifty ninth session of the General Assembly with great energy.

At the outset, I commend you for convening today's debate on such an important issue, and I thank you for the stimulating document (S 2005 316, annex) that you have circulated as a basis for discussion.

In conclusion, I would like to commend my Special Representative and all civilian and military staff of UNMIL for their contributions to the peace process in difficult and challenging circumstances.

In that connection, I would like to pay high tribute to you, Mr. President, for your constant efforts to ensure that our meeting in September will be a new starting point for our Organization.

I would like at this point to praise the Secretariat, under the inspirational leadership of the Secretary General and a number of other top officials, for its committed and professional work in many areas.

Allow me to commend Ambassador Løj and the other members of the Counter Terrorism Committee and the Committee's Executive Directorate for making remarkable progress in the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001).

Mr. Idohou (Benin) (spoke in French) I would like at the outset to pay tribute to the humanitarian aid workers for their inestimable efforts to halt the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and elsewhere in Africa.