She also paid tribute to the other two candidates.

I should also like to greet the Heads of State and representatives of Member States who are gathered here in this historic Hall.

The cooperation of the Frente POLISARIO, which had led to progress in seeking a solution to the conflict, should also be commended.

President Lagos Escobar (spoke in Spanish) Sir, after conveying my greetings to you, I should like briefly to make four preliminary comments.

It also saluted the courage and determination of the Afghans, who had travelled en masse on 9 October to exercise their right to vote.

We also pay special homage to all UNTAC personnel and volunteers who sacrificed their lives in the performance of their mission to bring peace to Cambodia.

Our tribute also goes to our Secretary General, Mr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, for his sterling leadership of our Organization during the past year, a year in which it has continued to face ever increasing challenges.

He commended UNCTAD for advancing the discussion on the issue, and in particular for its proposal on linking prices of raw materials to debt servicing, and thanked WIPO for its contribution.

I should like to thank Mr. Rupérez once again for his resolute work to that end and to pay tribute to the States Members of the United Nations that have given the Executive Directorate the resources necessary to carry out its mission.

My delegation cannot fail to pay tribute to the Secretary General and his staff, the Department of Peace keeping Operations and the leadership and personnel of UNPROFOR. We are proud to participate in UNPROFOR with fully equipped military personnel, military observers and police officers.

I should also like to offer greetings and special words of gratitude to the Secretary General, Mr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, for the attention and careful consideration he has accorded to my country apos s problems and for his selfless devotion to the cause of securing a safer and saner world for future generations.

Mr. Allagany (Saudi Arabia) (interpretation from Arabic) Allow me to begin by paying tribute to the people and Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina for their heroic stand against the genocidal aggression by the Serbs against them and against the culture and heritage of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the context of the global struggle against racial discrimination, the speaker paid tribute to the bicentenary of the independence of Haiti, which had been achieved following a lengthy struggle by its people to overthrow slavery and oppression and inaugurate an era of freedom.

To that end, one of the Council's coordination segments could be devoted to sustainable development issues. She also commended the measures taken by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in that connection, as well as those adopted by the Commission on Sustainable Development in order to improve its programme and methods of work.

In the same vein, on behalf of the Government of the Union of the Comoros, I pay a well deserved tribute to the Republic of South Africa for its ongoing support for the Comoros and for having successfully coordinated the efforts of the African Union and of regional countries to achieve national reconciliation in my country.

In celebrating this historic day, I wish to pay tribute to President Nelson Mandela and the other courageous and dedicated leaders of South Africa, as well as to the millions of their compatriots who have sacrificed so much over these past decades for the dawn of a new day of freedom, justice and democracy in South Africa.