They beat me to it.

I would like to say that all the speakers that have spoken before me were amazing.

Previous speakers have duly stressed the need to react jointly to the challenges.

The leaders who have preceded me in this historic Hall have articulated issues surrounding the greatest challenges of our time.

Like many others before me, I join in congratulating Mexico on becoming the one hundredth State party to the Rome Statute.

Through you, I should like to express, as did my colleagues who spoke earlier, great satisfaction at seeing Ambassador Hohenfellner continue to preside over our work.

I will not elaborate on the human rights situation in East Timor because the speakers who preceded me have already denounced the situation.

My delegations has views on how this process has worked this year, and they are more positive than those of earlier speakers.

Yet, like many who have spoken before me, we are disappointed that it could not go further.

Like other speakers before me, however, I am reassured that we have made some progress and have charted a clear course for making additional progress.

I join previous speakers in thanking the High Representative, Lord Ashdown, for his useful update on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mr. Sánchez (Cuba) (interpretation from Spanish) Allow me to join those who have taken the floor before me to congratulate you on your election to the chairmanship of this Committee.

I believe that the participation of those speakers who preceded me, and their statements, are commensurate with the importance that my country attaches to this item and with that which your country, Denmark, also attaches to it.

Like the many speakers who preceded me, I wish to record my country apos s assessment of the process of the International Conference and of the Conference itself as one of major significance and achievement.

I very much agree with those speakers before me who emphasized that development already is, and must remain, a key item on our economic and political agendas.

Mr. Muthaura (Kenya) Let me join the representatives who have spoken before me in congratulating you on your election as Chairman of the First Committee.

In commenting on the report, I should like to support previous speakers who rightly pointed out that time for evaluation of the latest report was limited.

Allow me first to associate myself with the condolences expressed here today concerning the death of Bangladeshi members of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Let me also join previous speakers in welcoming, from this rostrum, the new Members that have been admitted to the United Nations this year.

This report, as those who have spoken before me have also indicated, can be of use only to historians, librarians, archivists and academic researchers, and certainly not to this General Assembly.

First, however, may I join the speakers who have preceded me in extending to you, Mr. President, our sincere congratulations on your well deserved election as President of the General Assembly at its forty eighth session.

Mr. Mushota (Zambia) Let me join the representatives who have spoken before me in congratulating you, Sir, on your unanimous election as President of the General Assembly at its forty ninth session.

Mr. Al Nasser (Qatar) (spoke in Arabic) At the outset, Sir, allow me to add my voice to those of colleagues who preceded me in congratulating you wholeheartedly on your election to the chairmanship of the First Committee. I wish you success and Godspeed in your endeavours.

I join preceding speakers who had words of appreciation for the leadership and commitment that the Executive Director, Mr. Giacomelli, has brought to the United Nations International Drug Control Programme.

Mr. Velázquez (Peru) (interpretation from Spanish) Allow me first of all, Mr. Chairman, to join those who have spoken before me in expressing congratulations to you, and I extend those congratulations to the other members of the Bureau.

Such a need had developed since the World Population Conference at Bucharest in 1974 and the International Conference on Population in Mexico City in 1984, to which many of the preceding speakers have alluded.

Mr. Kafando (Burkina Faso) (spoke in French) I should like at the outset, on behalf of my delegation, to join previous speakers in expressing to you, Sir, heartfelt congratulations on your election to the chairmanship of the Committee.

Mr. Aburawi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic) First of all, I should like to express my full support for the statement made by the representative of Jamaica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Mr. Kamilov (Uzbekistan) (interpretation from Russian) Allow me to join preceding speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President of the current session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Because that is something that has emerged since our 2000 resolution namely, at the September summit I have noted some misunderstandings about it in certain statements by previous speakers.

Like other colleagues who have preceded me, I am confident that he will guide us through this session effectively. Allow me also to place on record our appreciation for his predecessor, Ambassador Insanally, who presided over a very hectic and productive session.

I should also like to join previous speakers in extending very sincere congratulations to the President and other officers of the Conference on their well deserved election and to assure them of our full cooperation in successfully completing our work.

Mr. Kunda (Zambia) At the outset, allow me join other speakers who have already congratulated you, Sir, on your unanimous election as Chairman of the First Committee at the forty ninth session of the General Assembly.

As one of my predecessors as Chairman of the US President s Council of Economic Advisers famously put it, that which is not sustainable will not be sustained.

With regard to the present process of consultations and having heard the diversity of opinions expressed by preceding speakers, I request that the President schedule additional days for thematic consultations, as the number of days currently scheduled is insufficient.

Mr. Hannesson (Iceland) Mr. President, like so many colleagues before me, I should like to start by gratefully expressing our appreciation for the thoughtful report of the Secretary General entitled In larger freedom .

Mr. MEYER (Canada) Mr. President, let me join others who have already voiced their appreciation for your efforts as President to try to move the work of this Conference ahead.

Mr. LOPEZ (Philippines) At the outset, I would like to join previous speakers in extending to Ambassador Insanally our cordial felicitations on his election as President of the forty eighth session of the General Assembly.

A satisfactory conclusion to the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations would be of immense benefit to us all and has been mentioned, I believe, by just about every speaker on this rostrum during this debate.

In doing so, I should like to join the President and earlier speakers in conveying the condolences and sympathy of the members of the Alliance of Small Island States to the Government and people of Egypt on the loss of life and the destruction caused by the recent floods.

Mr. Sumaida'ie (Iraq) (spoke in Arabic) At the outset, I join preceding speakers in condemning the 9 November terrorist attacks in Amman, which killed and injured dozens of innocent civilians.

Mr. Edwards (Marshall Islands) On behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, I would like to join with the previous statements expressing sympathy and condolences to the Government and the people of Egypt on the natural disaster that they are experiencing.

Mr. Dauth (Australia) Mr. President, let me also immediately associate ourselves with the expressions of condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh and to the families of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed while serving with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mr. Razali (Malaysia) I should like to join those representatives who have already expressed appreciation to the Secretary General for the document entitled quot Report of the Secretary General on the Work of the Organization quot (A 49 1).

Mr. Pursoo (Grenada) I should first like to join previous speakers in conveying condolences to the Government and the people of Egypt on the loss of life and property caused by the recent flood in that country.