A/35/PV.70 General Assembly

It is with dismay that my delegation has once again to participate in yet another discussion of the so-called situation in Afghanistan. 2. It was at the beginning ofthis year that my delega- tion first repudiated the idea of bringing this issue before the General Assembly. For the People's Re- public of Mozambique, this issue still remains a question of principle governed by a simple logic dictated by the Charter of the United Nations. At a time like this, when the threat of imperialist and military interference in the Persian Gulf area is growing, when the number of bases in Afric~ is increasing, when a foreign military fleet in the Indian Ocean is being reinforced, when South Africa is developing nuclear technology and when colonialism still flourishes in Africa and Asia, to debate in the General Assembly such a fictitious item as the so- called situation in Afghanistan is not only to interfere in the internal affairs of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan but also to deceive ourselves and to divert the attention of the international community from the consideration of the large number of real and more serious problems affecting humanity today. 3. The so-called situation in Afghanistan is exclu- sively a problem concerning the people ofAfghanistan, who are free to determine their destiny, free to con- ceive their own domestic and foreign policies according to the Charter and international criteria. 4. In almost all cases of military aggression and invasion that we know ofand which have been brought before this forum for discussion, we cannot recall a single case where a complaint was not made by the representative ofthe Government orpeople concerned. In the case of Afghanistan the Assembly is trying to convince that country's Government and people that they have been invaded by the Soviet Union. Is not Mr. Shah Mohammad Dost the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan? Are we NEW YORK suggestingthat the statement he made on 17November in this very Assembly [65th meeting] contained a hint of complaint against the Soviet Union? Did he make any mention of an invasion when he spoke on that day? If not, what is the real intention of this shedding of so many crocodile tears in some quarters? Does the Assembly realize how many ••Afghan situa- tions" our imagination could come up with if the criteriafor determining the existence ofsuch a situation were to remain as deceptive and fallacious as those applied in the case of Afghanistan? We hate to think of the number ofcases which could develop from such a misconception. 5. For us in the People's Republic of Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is a sovereign and independent State and a Member of the Organiza- tion. Therefore w~ consider that the Government of Afghanistan has every right to ask of any country whatever help it deems necessary to defend its sovereignty and independence. That is the right of all Member States, which is consecrated in the Charter. 6. What we see in the case of Afghanistan is an imperialistic conspiracy against the developing coun- tries in general and against Afghanistan in particular. The concerted and intensely malicious propaganda developed in certain Western quarters is a maneeu- vre to cover up the support and military backing they are giving to a number of mercenaries and subversive elements dedicated to the destabilization of Afghanistan. 7. It is my delegation's belief that when the people and Government of Afghanistan sensed that the inde- pendence and sovereignty of their State were threatened, they were left with no choice but to exercise their sovereign right and to seek assistance from a friendly country within the context of the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Co- operation, signed in Moscow by the Governments of the Soviet Union and Afghanistan on 5 December 1978. 8. We believe that Afghanistan, like any other State Member ofthe United Nations, has the right to request military assistance from a friendly country whenever it feels its independence is threatened. 9. Since the first day of our independence, the People's Republic of Mozambique has been a victim of imperialism because ~t falls into that category of countries which, because of the revolutionary way in which they have chosen their destiny, have become a threat to imperialism's economic and strategic interests in the region. This is the case in Afghanistan and that is why we understand the plight ofthe Afghan Govern- ment and people very well. We express our unreserved support for and solidarity with the brave people of Afghanistan. 11. Finally, we should like to make some comments on the draft resolution before the Assembly in docu- ment A/3S/L.12 and Add.]. My delegation considers that that text is unrealisuc because it does not take into consideration the actual situation existing in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. In that con- nexion, my delegation will not support that draft resolution for the.following reasons: first, because we consider that the discussion of this item goes against the Charter and the principle ofnon-interference in the intemal affairs of a sovereign State; and secondly, because that draft resolution does not reflect the real state of affairs in Afghanistan. A luta continua. 12. Mr. BLUM (Israel): Israel is constrained to raise its voice in protest once again and to join all those nations from every comer of the globe which have condemned unambiguously the Soviet invasion of Atpanistan. We cannot accept the pretexts offered by the Soviet Union for its actions-pretexts which, as already observed at the sixth emergency special ses- sion of the General Assembly last January, violate common sense, the fundamental norms ofinternational law, and the Charter of the United nations. 13. Israel shares the continuing apprehensions of the ~~ority of the States Members of the United Nations at' the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan. In the liPt of the war between Iraq and Iran, this overt act of agression by the Soviet Union has taken on further far-reaching implications which threaten the fundamental balance of the entire international system. 14. But Israel's concerns are even more immediate and concrete. We are part of a region which has been exposed for decades to the expansionist designs of the Soviet Union. Experience shows that when it suits the Soviet Union, it does not hesitate to violate the most elementary norms of conduct among nations or to place twisted and arbitary constructions on the Charter and on its purposes and principles. When the Soviet Union's imperialistic and hegemonistic ambi- tions are concerned, it is prepared to ride roughshod over any State which it finds in its path. IS. Many States here would be content if they had a small fraction of the security el\ioyed by the Soviet Union. But the Soviet Union, despite its vast military might and potential, is still not satisfied with its power and is aflparently still bent on buttressing itself with a ring of satellites. It seems to matter little to the Soviet 19. Until recent years Afghanistan was an inde- pendent non-aligned nation. It first fell victim to Soviet subversion and was then overrun by tens of thousands of Soviet forces equipped with guns and tanks and backed up by airborne support units. Over the last year more and more troops and military equip- ment have poured into Afghanistan to bolster the Soviet occupation forces. Those forces have not hesitated to turn their military might against defence- less civilians throughout Afghanistan, as I had occa- sion to point out in my statement to the Security Council on 25 February 1980. 20. This flagrant manifestation of Soviet aggression and expansionism necessarily raises the question of what country is next on the Soviet Union's list. 21. In the 1930s the world stood idly by when the aggressors of another age swallowed up one small State after another. The entire world paid a heavy 27. The Soviet Union is a world leader and has the ability to int1uence world events. Its actions anywhere in the world will therefore come under microscopic examination, in particular where it takes upon itselfthe role of a policeman. Such a self-imposed role creates a situation that threatens the independence, sover- eignty and integrity of free States. It is this threat to which small States like Papua New Guinea must take exception. 28. The Soviet Union has supported various measures aimed at preventing the use of force or the Afghanistanfrom its friends and allies. There was a real threat that Afghanistan would be turned into a pro- imperialist staging ground for armed aggression along the southern border of the USSR as well as against the independent countries .of the East; that a threat that would improve on the Chilean variety would, be made in Afghamstan-that the freedom of its people would be drowned in blood. 35. In these difficult conditions, the hard-working people of Afghanistan demonstrated their political IIlaturity and revolutionary vigilance. The cause of the revolution was saved. The homeland and the well- belna of the people were saved. That was the achieve- ment of the patriots .andpeople of Afghanistan, and it is their internal affair, and everyone must recognize this. 36. On the basis of Lenin's behest regarding the unshakability of the independence ofAfghanistan, the Soviet-Afghan Treaty of 1978 and the Charter, the Soviet Union responded to the repeated requests for assistance, once again discharging its contractual and international duty,and gave assistance, sending at the request of the Government of friendly Afghanistan a limited contingent of troops to halt the military inter- vention from outside against the Afghan revolution and all forms of imperialist interference in Afghan affairs. pla~~d by the reactionaries. The whole world is aware ort~ achievements made as a result of the revolution in ~fghanistan in the political, economic and cultural fiel<Js,. the plans for the future, the policy pursued by the Government of Afghanistan for peaceful coexis- tence and active and positive non-alignment, and its readiness to have a political settlement and to over- come dissent by peaceful means, that is, through negotiations. In this respect, allow me to refer repre- sentatives to the "White Book" and the "Green Book" ofthe Democratic Republic ofAfghanistan, which con- tain documents and material regarding the interference in the internal affairs of that country and the initiatives of the Government regarding a peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan. Those Books have been circulated to all delegations, which have had an opportunity to read them. How, in such circumstances, can one admit of the adoption of a position which is hostile to the people of Afghanistan? 38. Some speakers have asserted that the situation in Afghanistan has some sort of implications for international peace and security and that,they say, is the result of the presence of the limited contingent of Soviet troops. They even go so far as to make mythical assertions about the Soviet Union's south- ward drive, to foreign seas, as if the Soviet army is aiming-to strike at the Middle East oil wells, to paralyze the economy of the capitalist countries. That is a malicious lie, and even people who say so know that well. 39. The real threat to the uninterrupted supply to the world economy of Middle East oil comes not from the Soviet Union: it comes from that Power which is known to all, which has been strengthening its military strike force in the Persian Gulf area and the Arabian Sea, in order to blackmail both the producers and the consumers of Middle East oil. The threat comes from those who, to the tune of this nauseous wailing about the "Soviet threat", are trying by every means to establish their monopolistic control over the energy resources of the region of the Middle East. 40. From the example of the Middle East we can see the strategy of American imperialism quite clearly. Its intention is to interfere, including by the use of arms, wherever peoples have taken their fut....p 'nto their own hands, wherever foreign oppress and diktat has been eliminated. The right to Intervc.nion, to export'counter-revolution is being openly justified by the vital, interests of Am:erica-in simple terms, by the colonialist wish to take what belongs to other people. But when people rebutT this encroachment, the imperialists start threatening global confrontation and begin sabre rattling. 41. The revolutionary transformations in Afghanistan are the internal affair of the people, and no one has the right to interfere in them. They have not weakened, they have strengthened peace in the Middle Eastern 43. It is surprising that some representatives of the Eastern countries now sometimes prefer to play 2 See A/C. 1/3519. ••... no plans affecting the sovereignty of the people of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan or disregarding its legitimate Government would be a success. As far as the limited Soviet military contingent, which is staying in the territory of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at the request of the Afghan Government in conformity with the Afghan-Soviet Treaty of 1978 and the United Nations Charter, is concerned, the question of the date of its withdrawal can be examined in the context of a political settlement and not before an end is ulti- mately put to the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, and guarantees are given of non-resumption of subversive activities from abroad against the Afghan people and its Government." 49. As for those who, with various motives, are calling for a halt to Soviet military assistance to Afghanistan, we say to them that, first of all, they must see to it that the reasons which made that assistance necessary are eliminated. 5e. I should now like to say a few words about the "refugees". As members know, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan has called upon all Afghans who for various reasons are living in the territory of Pakistan and other neighbouring countries to return to their homeland. It has been repeatedly reaffirmed here that "They willbe respected and full freedom and immunity .will be guaranteed for them and they can choose freely their domicile and employment, and necessary facilities could be provided for them" [ibid., annex]. There is no problem about Afghans returning to their country: they can return there at any time. But there are those who need this so-called refugee problem for purposes which run counter to United Nations decisions on the matter. I should like to refer to an article from Islamabad by a correspondent of the British newspaper Guardian, Peter Niesewand, which was published recently in that paper. The article informs us about the deliberate inflation of the number of refugees-in one camp it was found that there were only about five people, not 60as had been thought-by includingin the number of so-called refugees impoverished Pakistanis. He wrote about the illegal sale of refugee status by those in charge of the camps, who co-operate with bandits and sell refugee cards to Pakistani citizens for about $30. The article says that, in the words of one United Nations official, there is no doubt that a huge sum of money is going directly to pay for weapons and military supplies. A humanitarian organization cannot pretend to justify this kind of thing at the expense of women and children. On the basis of the aforemen- tioned, we support the position of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and those representatives who have defended the unchallenged right of the Afghan people to decide their internal affairs as they ••... with the victory of the national democratic revolution in Afghanistan, especially in its second stage, the traditional friendly relations between our countries have become relations of brotherliness, revolutionary solidarity and all-around co-operation. In the struggleto build a new society and in the cause of defending the achievements of its revolution, Afghanistan can in future also count on support from the Soviet people." 52. The PRESIDENT: The Assembly willnow take a decision on draft resolution A/35/L.12 and Add.1. I shall-call first on representatives who wish to explain their vote before the vote. I remind members of the Assembly that, in accordance with decision 34/401, explanations of vote should not exceed 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seat. 53. Mr. de PINIES (Spain) (interpretation from Spanish): The Spanish delegation wishes to explain its vote on the draft resolution, submitted by some 40 countries, on the situation in Af~hanistan and its implications for international peace and security. 54. The events that·occurred on 21 December 1979, when Soviet troops crossed the border of Afghanistan, moved the international community. The political independence of that country was violated. When the Security Council met it was unable to take measures because of the veto ofone of the permanent members. However, the General Assembly, which met in its sixth emergency special session last January, adopted resolution ES-6/2, which was given overwhelming support and in which the Assembly, inter alia: "Appeals to all States to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and non- aligned character of Afghanistan and to refrain from any interference in the internal affairs of that country; " "Urges all parties concerned to assist in bringing about, speedily and in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter, conditions necessary 56. I should like at this time to recall what the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain stated on that question during the general debate on 22 September: "Beyond that area, Spain wishes to increase co- operation with the other countries of Asia and to make clear, in speaking of this vast geographical region, that it is concerned at the serious situation in the heart of that continent. Indeed, the situation in Afghanistan is a source of deep preoccupation for the Spanish Government because the funda- mental rights of that Islamic and non-aligned country have been seriously violated, It has been said many times from this rostrum that detente is global and indivisible and, hence, I believe it necessary once again to recall our unequivocal position on this matter. Just as detente is indivisible, so respect for the basic rules of international law is the minimum pre- requisite for any peace strategy." [4th meeting, paras. /23 and /24.] 57. My delegation also wishes to point out to the Assembly that the Committee on Foreign Affairs ofthe Congress of Representatives of Spain adopted, on 9 October, a resolution affirming the following: "The Congress of Representatives firmly repu- diates the invasion by and the stationing of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, affirming its solidarity with the Afghan people. "The Congress of Representatives invites the Spanish Government to support all peaceful initia- tives taken within the framework of the United Nations or any other international organization to make possible the withdrawal offoreign troops from Afghanistan and to guarantee the free exercise of self-determination by the Afghan people. "The Congress of Representatives feels that the withdrawal of those troops is a fundamental element in the restoration of peace and detente in the world." 58. The draft resolution submitted to us for considera- tion reflects, in the view of my delegation, the same spirit as inspired the representatives of the Spanish people when they adopted that resolution. Thus, while expressing condemnation, as did my Government, of the violent act of the Soviet army, which con- travenes the purposes and principles of the Charter, it reiterates once more the demand for the withdrawal of foreign military forces, creating the conditions that will make it possible for the Afghan people to decide on its political future through democratic procedures. 59. My delegation will therefore vote in favour of draft resolution A/35/L.12 and Add. 1. 89. We therefore face a problem of revolution and counter-revolution, a contradiction that is a constant phenomenon and always present wherever a social transformation is taking place that is characterized by the new supremacy of one class over another; that is to say, a phenomenon that results in a new situation with respect to the balance ofpower among the classes in a class society. All revolutions have and will have that problem, with its own characteristics and dimensions. 90. But the difference and the special characteristics concerning Afghanistan are that in that fraternal country the counter-revolutionary phenomenon has been magnified and taken to extreme lengths. That special magnification can be expl~ined, inter alia, by the following: first, the overthrow of the regime of the Shah of Iran, which for imperialism meant the loss of an important support base in the area; secondly, the strategic importance attached to Af~hanistan by imperialism in its struggle to undermine and counteract the revolutionary changes and social achievements of the peoples of the area, and this is clear when we look at the painful history of the political and military pressure put on Afghanistan in the past 60 years by the imperialists with the aim of channelling its foreign policy along a line consistent with their military interests; and thirdly, the desperation of those in imperialist circles in the face of the clear advance of the revolutionary movement in various parts of the world in the last two years. 91. Because of the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, international reactionaries speak with 93". Overt statements began to be heard from spokes- men of the American State Department and of other countries concerning their determination to give massive support to the counter-revolution. There has been a shameless revelation of plans for military assistance and intelligence with all the stages set out. There has been uncontrolled proliferation of tours by counter-revolutionaries in imperialist countries seeking promised assistance. Overt and desperate efforts, accompanied by propaganda, have been madeto unite the counter-revolutionary groups. There has been massive training of mercenaries and counter-revolu- tionaries in camps whose locations are public knowledge, which no one has bothered to deny, in order to infiltrate them into Mghanistan. There has been a proliferation of radio stations ofall sizes broad- casting all sorts ofcounter-revolutionary propaganda. 94. Many countries represented in the Assembly have lived through similar situations, without of course, the distance and the special characteristics of the Afghan case. We hear the echo of similar manoeuvres and problems that our peoples faced when we analyse the situation in Mghanistan; the difference is, as we have already stated, that in Afghanistan the counter- revolution is today in full swing. 9S. Obscure reactionary forces at the regional and international levels are maneeuvring in order to take advantage of nationalist feelings generated by circum- stances, but they are merely concealing their desire to go back to a system of exploitation which social pro- gress and the people of Mghanistan destroyed many months ago. 96. In connexion with draft resolution A/3S/L.12 and Add.I, our delegation feels that it ignores in the most startling way the reality which we have just affirmed, a reality which is'vastly significant, especially for peoples that are struggling to free themselves or to consolidate their liberation. Therefore, our delega- tion cannot support a draft resolution which takes no historical perspective and has so many shortcomings and distortions. 97. Lastly, we reiterate the appeal that we made in January of this year at the sixth emergency special session on Afghanistan and on 8 October last for an unconditional dialogue between the countries involved in the conflict, in order to preserve peace and stability in the region.

In a statement made before the Assembly yesterday morning my delegation submitted its view- points and the position of its Government with regard to the situation in Afghanistan following the Soviet ~ • ~ t 109.. It was quite typical that the statements of the repre.sentatives of the United "States of America, China and Pakistan and of those representatives from certain other countries who spoke in unison with them were unsubstantiated and, in essence, consisted of unfounded allegations. In contradistinction to that, the statements made by the delegations of the Demo- cratic Republic of Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, other socialist countries and a number of other countries contained a great deal of factual material which revealed the essence of the events surrounding Afghanistan and the scale of the armed interference in that country from outside. That contrast is not fortuitous; at shows who is indulging in insinuations and on whose side truth lies. 110. Yesterday, in this very hall, the representative of the United States of America spoke. It could have been thought that we were listening to a record made in the years of the cold war. Those who were not present during that statement should read it so that they can see clearly where the United States of America is pushing the General Assembly. That is the country which quite recently perpetrated horrible crimes in Viet Nam and is guilty of the death, mutilation and suffering of millions of people; that is the country which organized the overthrow of the legitimate Government of Chile and which backs dictatorial regimes from South Korea to Paraguay; that is the country which supports the Israeli aggressors and the South African racists. The statement ofthe representa- tive of the United States showed who is in favour ofthe artificial whipping-upofthe campaign concerning the so-called question ofAfghanistan, who is interested in increasing tension in and around Afghanistan and in carrying out armed incursions into that country. Ill. People who believe the false thesis put forward in imperialist propaganda that the events in Afghani- stan and the assistance given by the Soviet Union to that country are the reasons for the exacerbated international situation are much mistaken. It is a propagandistic fraud, which aims to confuse world public opinion. 112. It is not the events in Afghanistan but the policy adopted by the United States of America, openly and long before those events, in order to wreck detente, escalate the arms race and create a threat of war against the cotlbtries of South-West Asia and the Persian Gulf that has complicated and is now poisoning the international atmosphere. 113. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union have consistently advocated the achievement of a poli~ -. settlement of the situation surrounding Afghanis':\ it. direct and realiable path to such a solution lies in a guaranteed cessation of intervention from outside and the conclusion of appropriate agreements between the Governments of Afghanistan and its neighbours, first and foremost 119. Accordingly, there is no legal or moral basis that anyone can use to try to justify the maintenance . of these troops in that country, because, according to the universal principle oflaw based on the Latin maxim nemo auditur propriam turpitudinem allegans , no one can invoke his own misdemeanour for his own benefit. 120. Therefore, the argument that would justify the maintenance of foreign troops in Afghanistan by the fact that their withdrawal would expose that country to foreign interference is untenable. 121. The main violator of those principles of the Charter and those who have supported it cannot, for the same reasons, argue that the invasion of Afghani- stan is an internal mszter, affirming that the General Assembly is not authorized under Article 2, para- graph 7, of the Charter to take up its consideration. 122. This argument likewise is null and void because of the principle of law according to wh~ch no one can invoke his own misdemeanour to his own benefit as long as that great Power has not withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan and the Afghanpeople has not freely chosen its form of Government and its political, economic and social system. refugees is rather limited, and those refugees constitute no problem; they can freely return home any time they wish. 140. We must point out that no resolutions, con- ferences, committees or special representatives will help to settle the situation around Afghanistan; only direct negotiations, on an equal basis, between the Governments concerned, those of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, can help to normalize the situation around Afghanistan. No exercises like those under- taken in the Assembly will help. They will only be a waste of time, will result in delaying a political settle- ment, raise false hopes and prolong the bloodshed. 141. One can see from the draft resolution that its sponsors are not interested in a political settlement. The fact that they wish to include the so-called Afghan question on the agenda ofthe thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly shows that they are not in the least interested in a political solution, but in a demagogic and propagandistic exercise. It is evident that impe- rialist forces are trying to use every possible occasion to whip up hostile hysteria about the situation around Afghanistan, even at the second review session of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, held at Madrid. One might ask, what does the meeting at Madrid have to do with the situation in Afghanistan or around it? Is Afghanistan a European country? Who has authorized the participants at the meeting at Madrid to discuss Afghan affairs behind the back of the Afghan people? The discussion of Afghan affairs in Madrid is just as illegal as it is in the General Assembly-or even more so-and we firmly reject it. 142. In conclusion, we must emphasize once again that the Afghan people have already chosen their way. Nothing will deter them from following it. Despite 143. The only way to expedite a political settlement of the situation around Afghanistan is to stop all kinds of interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistanand the resulting bloodshed and crimes committed by the mercenaries and terrorists against the Afghan people. Those who instigate discussions like the present one will bear full responsibility for the continued tension around Afghanistan. 144. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan sincerely hopes that the Governments concerned will respond positively to its proposals of 14 May 1980 and will come to the negotiating table.

I shall now put draft resolu- tion A/35/L.12 and Add.1 to the vote. The report of the Fifth Committee on the administrative and financial implications of that draft resolution is con- tained in document A/35/645. A recorded vote has been requested.

Romania's position on the question of Afghanistan is well known. As is known, the attitude of the Romanian Government on this problem was stated at the meeting of 14 January. On various occasions, Romania has very clearly expressed its views on the ways and means ofresolving that problem. 148. Along with other States we are deeply concerned by the continuation and worsening of tension and conflict and by the appearance of hotbeds of war and armed confrontation in various parts of the world, which endanger international peace and security. We believe that all States must direct and intensify their efforts towards the speediest settlement of these situa- tions, of disputes among States, and do all in their power to achieve such settlement only by political means, by negotiations, completely avoiding armed confrontation and the use of force. 149. The facts show beyond question that however serious and complex the problems between States may be, it has always been possible, when the path of negotiation has been chosen, to find adequate solu- tions to the thorniest of problems, or at least it has been possible to reduce tension. 150. Concerning the problem of Afghanistan, the Romanian Government has always expressed its sup- port for a political settlement on the basis of negotia- tions which would lead to the cessation of all foreign support for the anti-government forces and, at the same time, to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from that country, thus guaranteeing respect for the inde- pendence of the Afghan people and its right freely to decide on its own development. 151. In our view, in order to arrive at such a political settlement, it is very important that direct talks begin between Afghanistan and neighbouring States, especially between Afghanistan and Pakistan. 152. Romania considers, too, that a component part of such a solution should be the granting of interna- tional guarantees which would ensure the right of the Ai'i'lan people to organize its life independently, in keeping with its wishes, its interests and its national aspirations. 153. In accordance with that consistent policy of supporting the search for viable solutions leading to a genuine process for the settlement of disputes, the Romanian delegation held discussions to that end with the sponsors of draft resolution A/35/L.12 and Add.l and with other interested delegations and submitted specific proposals so that the text might reflect the ways and means which, in the view of the 'Romanian Government, are likely to lead to a political settlement of the problem of Afghanistan. In doing this, the Romanian delegation took into account the need to arrive at a resolution which would command general support and which would clear the way for the nor- malization of the situation in that area and for the 155. We believe that in the present circumstances, where we have witnessed an accumulation of par- ticularly serious and complex problems in international life, problems which increasingly endanger the policy of detente and co-operation and peace, it is essential that all States act for the settlement of disputes by peaceful means alone, through negotiations. In order to continue the process of detente and to stem the deterioration of the international climate, we must resort to lucid and constructive solutions and avoid a spirit ofconfrontation, sterile polemics, which cannot help to resolve states of tension and disputes. 156. The Romanian delegation is prepared to con- tribute, in the future also, together with other delega- tions to the maintenance ofa climate ofunderstanding, respect and mutual trust, and to efforts aimed at extinguishing situations of conflict in that region and in other parts of the world through negotiations and through political means. We are prepared to further respect for the principles of independence and national sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs ofStates, and the complete elimination ofthe use of force and the threat of the use of force in interna- tional relations, for the realization of the inalienable rights of peoples to decide on their own course of development and for the pursuit of the general policy of peace, detente, and international co-operation.

I now call on those repre- sentatives who have asked to be allowed to speak in exercise of their right of reply.

The representative of Albania in his statement made yesterday on agenda item 116 mentioned the conflict between Iraq and Iran in a way that leads us to believe that he is not abreast of the real situation. "his conflict was discussed and is still being discussed in the Security Council, in the Organization of the Islamic Conference and in the Co-ordinating Bureau of Non-aligned Countries. The conflict was not started by Iraq. Iraq's position is that it is defending its rights, its territory and its territorial waters, and that position has been supported by documents submitted to the Security Council and by the notes verbales exchanged between the Foreign Ministers of those countries. 159. We regret the fact that the representative of Albania should have placed himself in such a delicate position. We could have wished him to have been eloquent in condemning the Shah: s odios regime at the time when the Shah was playing the role of po- liceman of American imperialism in the region, threatening the States in the region and occupying certain Iraqi territories.

The Egyptian delegation yesterday listened to the statement-made by the representative of Afghanistan, which unfortunately contained some slanders concerning Egypt. I would have preferred not to respond to his allegations because we are aware missiles and commiting all kinds of atrocmes against 176. The continued occupation by Iranian forces of the civilian population is not aggression, then what is the three Arab islands in the Gulf, their act of war in aggression? If using elem~nts ~ostile to mr Gove~- the Shatt ai-Arab, which has for more than 500 years ment, to the regime established m Iran, putting at their been an internal river of Iraq-all that has been passed disposal every kind ofpolitical, military and propagan- over and forgotten by the Iranian representative. And distic facilities, in order to foment subversion and he has spoken of an international organization which