A/36/PV.3 General Assembly

Before we start our business for today, I have something to tell members of the Assembly. This meeting was called to order 22 minutes late. Th:at is due to two facts, and two facts only. The flISt is that we had to wait for a quorum, and the second is that the first speaker inscribed on the list was not, and still is not, ready to make his statement. 2. I hope very much that this will be the last period of wasted time during the thirty-sixth session. The President, whom the Assembly has entrusted with the conduct of its deliberations this year, intends to be in his chair at the appointed time. If for any reason he cannot do so, he will request one of the Vice-Presidents to be there. I think that all Member States and all delegations, as a minimum courtesy to themselves and to the man they have asked ~~ preside over the session, have an obligation at least to designate a junior member of their delegation to be here at the appointed time. 3. I think too that any delegation that had agreed to be the flISt speaker in any meeting should ~ doubly obli- gated to be he!."'..: on time. I hope and pray that the exam- ple of this morning will not be repeated. If it is, tlte Pres- ident will have to consider other measures to' deal with the situation.

The delegation of PJpua New Guinea has made its views known on previous occasions when the question of the <;:redentials of the rep- resentatives of Democratic Kampuchea has been raised in this Assembly, so I shall be brief in outlining the main points of 0'41' position. NEW YORK 6. First, if a change were to be made to the recommen- dations, the Assembly would, in fact, be taking a deci- sion that the Committee did 110t contemplate; the Commit- tee as a body would not have been seized of the amended version, and would have had no say in it. Thus, the amended version would in fact not be its own child, but the product of this body. As a member of the Credentials Committee, we shall support the rejection of the amend- ment. 7. Secondly, the Assembly, meeting in plenary, has en- trusted a Committee of nine of its own members the task of acting as examiners of the credentials of representatives to this Assembly session. For the Assembly to change the Credentials Committee's recommendations would be tan- tamount to doing the job it had already allocated to the Committee in accordance with rule 28 of the rules of pro- cedure of the General Assembly. Such an action would question the very existence of.the Credentials Committee.. 8. My delegation also opposes the amendment because the credentials of the representatives of Democratic Kam- puchea have been thoroughly examined by the Credentials Committee, which found them to be in order and in ac- cordance with rule 28 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. Even if this Assembly examines the credentials itself, it will find that those credentials are technk ally and legally correct. 9. Questions have been raised in the past about the Government that submitted those credentials. We all know that it is the Government of Democratic Kampuchea, a government that came into pow<:r through internal power struggles amongst the people of Kampuchea. When that process was com}'lleted, that Government was welcomed in this Assembly as the legitimate Government of Kam- puchea. That Government still exists, and its representa- tives are still recognized by this Assembly as the repre- sentatives of the legitimate Government of Kampuchea. 10. My Government continues to recognize the creden- tials of the representatives of·Democratic Kampuchea be- cause the Government they represent has not been re- placed by processes within the country. To say that it no longer exists would, in our view, amount to interference in the. internal affairs of another country. Our support for the credentials of the representatives of Democratic Kam- puchea does not mean that we endorse the policies that ~ H. Mr. HA VAN LAU (Viet Nam) (interpretation from French): Mr. President, I will have an opportunity in the general debate officially to extend the congratulations of the delegation of Viet Nam to you on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth ses- sion. For the time being, I should like to voice my con- viction that with your qualities as a diplomat and states- man, as well as your long and rich experience, you will guide the work of the session towards fruitful results. i\ 12. I shol'.1d like warmly to welcome the admission of the Republic of Vanuatu to membership in the United Nations. 13. The delegation of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam shares the position of the Credentials Committee ex- pressed in its report regarding the majority of credentials of delegations. However, in the case of Kampuchea it is extremely regrettable that report A/36/517 once again re- flects an erroneous position which ignores the real situa- tion of the country and violates the principles established in the Charter of our Organization and in international law. 14. Doubt might be cast on the impartiality of certain members of the Committee, given their total silence re- garding the credentials of the People's Republic of Kam- puchea, wh\ch have been duly established and sent to the President of the General Assembly and to the Secretary- General by the Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Karnpuchea [AI36151O]. 15. Regarding the credentials of the representatives of the so-called Democratic Kampuchea, my delegation con- siders that the conclusion of the Credentials Committee on their juridical validity is not consonant with the facts and is illegal and immoral. 16. It is superfluous to dwell on the crimes of genocide perpetrated by the Pol Pot clique, which are well known to public opinion and wh.ich are revealed to the world more clearly each day. These so-called representatives of so-called Democratic Kampuchea are in no way represen- tative. Their c~dentials derive from a fiction that is nei- ther more nor less than the sinister shadow of a regime that was once and for all rejected by the people of Kam- puchea on 7 January 1979 and has no legality at all. Their credentials are null and void because the so-called Government from which they emanate is itself illegal and because that so-called Democratic Kampuchea virtually does not exist; it now holds power over not even an inch of territory in Kampuchea and it is quite obvious that it is not in any position to fulfil the obligations incumbent on Members of the United Nations.. 17. It is no secret that if this fiction that is usurping the seat of Kampllchea ~n the United Nations has thus far not been expelled from this Organization it is thanks to thr. 18. Beneath this seemingly harmless political intrigue lies in fact an extremely dangerous plot \'oven by the Peking hegemonists and supported by Washington, the aim of which is to impose that genocidal regime Ohee again on the people of Kampuchea and to use it as an instrument in a war of attrition against Kampuchea, Viet Nam and Laos and to carry out subversive actions against the stability of other countries in South-East Asia, thus posing a grave threat to the peace and security of that region. 19. We should emphasize that recently the United States has openly further strengthened its collusion with China in order to exercise maximum pressure in all spheres- political, economic, diplomatic .and even military- against the countries of Indo-China, "to bleed Viet Nam", as high-ranking officials in Washington so cynically put it. To this end, the United States has urged China to increase its arms deliveries to Cambodian reac- tionaries because "direct deliveries by aJe United States to the Khmer guerrillas pose some problems", according to the statement of the United States Secretary of State. 20. The International Conference on Kampuchea held last July, which was convened notwithstanding the pro- tests of many. countries, aimed at mobilizing world public opinion and rallying States Members of the United Na- tions in favo..:- of this Sino-American adventurist policy. That conferencil clearly showed that China wants to main- tain the Pol Pot clique, to impose that genocidal regime again on the Kampuchean people so as to prevent the re- naissance of·that people and to use it as an instrument in its policy against the three Indochinese countries, and against peace, stability and co-operation in South-East Asia. That conference likewise showed that those in the kading circles of certain ASEAN countries, while de- nouncing in words the crimes of Pol Pot, in fact are in collusion with Peking in this criminal plot. 21. In the course of recent weeks pressure has been stepped up in many capitals, which claim to be bastions of democracy, for the speedy fonnation of a new so-called Kampuchean nationalist resistance group, supposed .to represent the people of Kampuchea in the United Nations as a coalition Government of the so-called Democratic Kampuchea. That would be another fiction to disguise the repulsive face of Pol Pot in order to maintain the latter's seat in this Assembly and to try to reverse the course of the renaissance of the Kampuchean people. 22. That representation of the so-called Democratic Kampuchea, under no matter what label, is entirely illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of the Charter of the United l'Iations and of the right to self- determination of the sovereign people of the People's .Re- public of Kampuchea. If the General Assembly lets itself be taken in by this manoeuvre, it will create a very dan- gerous precedent for other States, which may eventually fall victim to the same acts of destabilization and inter- ference in their internal affairs by imperialists and inter- national reactionaries. 24. The great achievements of the renascent Kampuchea have been widely publicized and mentioned on many oc- casions by heads of specialized agencies of the United Nations in their official reports. Other precise information has recently been brought to the attention of Member States in the message dated 12 September 1981 sent by M1: Hun Sen, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Presiden~ of the General Assembly [AI36150B]. 25. In the course of only three years, that people, which again took its fate into its own hands in January 1979, rebuilt its schools, pagodas, markets, currency, fields and factories. 1: is patiently striving to reweave the fabric, a thousand times tom, of family life and society. The hun- dreds of reports that have appeared in the media and tele- vision documentaries on five continents and of all politi- cal tendencies have te~.tified to the enormous efforts mad>;: by that people, exhausted and impoverished by its terrible suffering but still determined and confident. 26. Last May, the People's Republic of Kampuchea held elections over its entire territory. Over 97 per cent of electors took part in the elections, and the elections took place with all democratic guarantees and without the slightest incident, in the presence of numerous foreign correspondents representing both press and television, including the major Western agencies. Foliowing the elections, the People's Republic of Kampuchea had a con- stitution, a national assembly and elected state institu- tions, thus consolidating the power of the people at all levels and throughout the territory. 27. Those events are of great political significance, not only for the people of Kampuchea, but also for peace and stability in South-East Asia. For the holding of general elections only two years after the toppling of the genoci- dal regime, in a country which has been totally ravaged by the most brutal genocide that contemporary history has ever known, and in a context where reactionary forces inimical to the people of Kampuchea have been striving to oppose such elections, constitutes without a doubt a very significant victory. Those achievements could not have been brought about without the conscious and vig- orous support of .the whole people. 28. In foreign policy, the People's Republic of Kam- puchea has since its foundation put an end to the border wars formerly unleashed by the PoI Pot clique against neighbouring States and has been strongly advocating a policy of pear " co-operation and good-neighbourliness with all countries, particularly neighbouring countries. In the past few years, together with the fraternal countries of Viet Nam and Laos, the People's Republic of Kampuchea has been the author of many initiatives dw;jng the meet- ings of Foreign Ministers of the three counttjes and has ceaselessly striven for peace and stability in'~outh-East 30. Consequently, as was stated by Mr. Hun Sen, Vice- President of the Council of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Kampuchea in his official telegram of 9 September addressed to the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-Gen- eral of the United Nations: "the Council of State of the People's Republic of Kampuchea asserts that, in law and in fact, it is the sole autQentic and legal representative of the Kampuchean people". [See AI36/492. annex.] 31. The delegation of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam firmly supports the reque.st of the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea addressed to this Assem- bly that this international body take all n~essary steps on the one hand to terminate the illegal and intolerable pres- ence of the clique of criminals of Pol Pot, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan within the United Nations and, on the other, to restore the seat of Kampuchea to its sole authen- tic and legal representative, the Council of State of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. 32. Given the present situation in the South-East Asian region, where the process of dialogue has been started among the countries involved, acceptance of the creden- tials of the People's Republic of Kampuchea is on the one hand consonant with. the reality of the situation, the norms of international law, and on the other hand con- stitutes support for the efforts being made to normalize relations among the countries of the region and contrib- utes to peace, stability and co-operation in that part of the world. 33. On the contrary, acceptance of the credentials of so- called Democratic Kampuchea would be a dual tragedy. It would be a juridical tragedy because, in accordance with numerous .Articles of tlle Charter, only the people of Kampuchea itself has tlle right td choose who should rep- resent it in the United Nations; no provision of tlle Char- ter allows any United Nations body to interfere in the internal affairs of a Member State by accepting tlle false credentials of people who represent only themselves and by arbitrarily rejecting the valid credentials of the legal representative of its people. 34. It would also be a moral and humanitarian tragedy, for it would be an encuuragement to tllose who carried out the worst violations of human rights that have ever been committed and would, moreover, constitute a new imposition on tlle Kampuchean people of agenocidal re- gime whh::h has been'unanimously condemned by all hu- manity and would thus l~present a dangerous sanctioning 36. We appeal to the conscience and sense of responsi- bility concerning international peace and security of the representatives of all States present at this Assembly to put an end to that political absurdity which already has lasted too long. 37. In particular, we appeal to those who have just voted against th~ acceptance of the credentials of the rep- resentatives of South Africa at the eighth emergency spe- cial session on Namibia to act consistently in regard to the perpetrators of genocide against the people of Kam- puchea, who have been as much condemned by world opinion as has the apartheid regime of South Africa. 38. As long as the United Nations continues to maintain the PoI Pot genocidal clique in the seat.of Kampuchea it can, in the view of my delegation, have no positive role to play in the settlement of the problems of peace and security in the South-East Asian region. 39. In the present circumstances, in the opinion of my delegation, the least the United Nations can do to assist the reconstruction efforts of the Kampuchean people, to contribute to the restoration of peace and stability in South-East Asia, is no longer to recognize that fictitious regime called Democratic Kampuchea, whose continued presence at the United Nations can only harm the Organi-. zation's prestige. 40. On the basis of that consideration, the delegation of Viet Nam was a sponsor of the amendment contained in document Al36/L/2 and Add.I. We appeal to all delega- tions to support that amendment.

The responsibility of the Credentials Committee as outlined in rule 28 of the rules of procedure is to ex- amine the credeiltials of representatives of States applying to participate in the functions of the General Assembly. My delegatilJn believes that this examination should be undertaken strictly from a legal and technical standpoint. We therefore applaud the recommendations of this year's Credentials Committee, which are consistent with this principle of objectivity. 42. The amendment proposed by the delegation of Viet Nam, however, injects an unwelcome political element into a process which, as we have just indicated, should be strictly technical. We are, therefore, obliged to oppose the amendment before us. 43. Canada has been involved in efforts to achieve sta- bility, development and progress in South-East Asia for many years. TItose efforts have consistently been based 44. It is because those fundamelltal Charter principles have been totally disregarded and because we support the objective recommendations of the Credentials Committee that Canada has voted in favour of the continued seating of Democratic Kampuchea in the United Nations. 45. It should be made perfectly clear, however, that this in no way implies approval of the reprehensible policies followed by Pol Pot. In July of this year, at the Interna- tional Conference on Kampm:hea, the Canadian Govern- ment firmly supported proposals that called for, among other things, the holding of United Nations supervised elections so that the people of Kampuchea could deter- mine their own future free from outside interference. In the meantime, we welcome the continuing efforts to broaden the political base of the Government of Demo- cratic Kampuchea.

Mr. President, when I arrived here this morning I· noticed that the name of my delegation was inscribed first on the list of speakers. I regret very much that for reasons beyond my control I was unable to be here on time and that I wasted the valu- able time of the General Assembly. For the practical rea- sons which small delegations lik~ my own have, we were unable to speak first this morning. We can promise you, Mr. President, that we shall be punctual in the future. , ~ 47. Mr. President, the Foreign Minister of the Ll\o PeQ- pIe's Democratic Republic, wno will head our delegation at the present session of the Geneml Assembly, will have occa- sion in the course of the geneml debate to extend to you, Mr. President. the warm congratulations of our country on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth session. I should like. however. to take this opportunity to express to you my great personal plea- sure at seeing .you preside over our work and my deep conviction that under your talented leadership the General Assembly will achieve outstanding results this year. 48. The General Assembly is at present seized of the first report of the Credentials Committee and is.discussing the credentials of delegations to the thirty-sixth session. Having carefully read that report, my delegation. notes that, in connexion with the representation of Kampuchea, the Credentials Committee received two communications, one from the Council of Ministers of the People's Re- public of Kampuchea in Phnom Penh, the capital of the country, and the other from the gang of sinister indi- viduals who claim to represent Democratic Kampuchea, an outcast regime which was overthrown nearly three years ago by the heroic people of Kampuchea. We are dismayed that once again this year no serious considera- tion has been given to the credentials of the delegation of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, which were issued in accordance with the proper ru~es of pr<!Cedure. 49. In addition, th·:;: Credentials Committee is supposed to perform a purely technical task. By recommending that the General Assembly accept the credentials of the Pol Pot gang, it has lmdeniably exceeded its authority. This position by the Credentials Committee is more than tech- 51. I should like to refer now to the report of the Cre- dentials Committee. Finding itself faced with two com- munications from two parties claiming to represent Kam- puchea, the Committee, had it wished to confil'le itself to a purely technical role, should have given attentive con- sideration to both documents and confmed itself to a re- port to the General Assembly on the point in contention. But that is not what happened. Benefiting from the major- ity in support of the Pol Pot gang, which holds sway in the Committee, the Credentials Committee-as it did at the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth sessions-assumed the right to recommend to the General Assembly approval of the credentials of the representatives of the genocidal gang. That has caused problems in connexion with the representation of Kampuchea and, in the interests of the smooth functioning of the General Assembly and that of the United Nations, I should now like to deal briefly with this mattee 52. It is a well-known fact that the so-called notorious Democratic Kampuchea for all practical purposes ceased to exist on 7 January 1979 when the heroic people of Kampuchea, who for more than four years had been vic- tims of the genocidal policies pursued by the bloodthirsty gang of Pol Pot, rose en masse throughout the country and overthrew its tormentors. Having overthrown this monstrous gang of hegemonists and great-nation expan- sionists from Peking, the people of Kampuchea founded the People's Republic of Kampuchea and chose a domes- tic and foreign policy based upon peace, independence, democracy, social progress, peaceful coexistence, friend- ship, co-operation' and non-alignment. 53. For three years the people of Kampuchea has worked relentlessly to bind its wounds caused by long, devastating wars and especially by the POlicies and prac- tices of extermination and systematic destruction pursued by the Pol Pot clique. At the same time it endeavoured to build a new society. Thanks to its relentless work and selflessness, thanks to the assistance of fraternal and friendly countries, thanks to the assistance'ofinternational organizations, the people of Kampuchea, as1aclear from the two telegrams sent to the President of the.'t~ir.ty-sixth 54. At the political level, in particular, the people of Kampuchea this year held free, democratic general elec- tions throughout the entire country in the presence of rep- resentatives of many countries and international press correspondents from the four corners of the world. fol- lowing those elections, it also established State institu- tions and implemented the national constitution which was prepared with the active participation of representa- tives of all sections of society. 55. The power of the people, under the banner of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, is consolidating itself gradually and irreversibly at the present time. This situa- tion makes it undeniably clear that fue present leaders of the People's Republic of Kampuchea-unlike the PoI Pot band which reduced its people to serfdom, turned the country into a vast concentration camp with torture being practised, and pursued a policy of provocation and ag- gression against all the other neighbouring countries"':"-to- day are people who are aware of the interests of the peo- ple of Kampuchea, of its reputation as a country, and of the need for peace and stability in South-East Asia and in the entire world. 56. There is no need to say that a sound, stable and peaceful Kampuchea is an important factor in the estab- lishment of understanding and co-operation between all the countries of the area. First and foremost, it is impor- tant that all the countries of South-East Asia, in their own best interests, should make a concerted effort to put an end to the political and military tension created in con- nexion with the alleged situation in Kampuchea. The first step in this direction would be non-recognition at this ses- sion of the credentials of the representatives-who repre- sent only themselves-and who, judging from their acts and their conduct, are nothing but a reflection of the lead- ers in Peking and fueir hegemonistic and expansionistic aims in all of South-East Asia, who are pursuing guerrilla activities against all the legal Governments in the. area and are a more dangerous threat than the presence of Vietnamese troops in Kampuchea over the long term. 57. In connexion with this question which, after all, concerns only Kampuchea and Viet Nam, it will be re- called that the Governments ef both those countries, on a number of occasions, have declared this quite clearly; and particularly there was a declaration by Mr. Hun Sen, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, during his recent visit' to New Delhi, a statement which was reported by the Agence France Presse a week ago, to the effect that the Government of the People~s Republic of Kampuchea, in agreement with the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, would consider the with- drawal of the Vietnamese troops from Kampuchea ·if Thailand ceased to support and assist the PoI Pot regime and other reactionary mini-groups and their activities, un- dermining the People's Republic of Kampuchea, and if they stopped grantiilg sanctuary on their territory to those people. 58. The fact that the General Assembly, quite illogically and inconsistently with the position which it has always 59. It is time that the General Assembly, in order to put an end to the harm that has been done to the United Na- tions by this interference in the internal affairs of a Mem- ber State and as a result of this crying injustice against the people of Kampuchea who have vainly tried to take their seats here in the concert of nations, has an obliga- tion to recognize without any further delay the People's Republic of Kampuchea. 60. Furthermore, the people of Kampuchea, in their fight for self-determination, have, like all other oppressed peoples, the right to rise up and to demand assistance from fraternal peace-loving and justice-loving peoples to rid themselves of the tyranny of their despotic leaders. This is a perfect expression of the exercise of the right to self-determination of a people without any hypocrisy or speech-making of any kind. 61. So let us defend this right and let us not place our- selves directly or indirectly in the service of the expansionist and hegemonist designs of certain great Powers whose conduct in this regard is certainly not ex- emplary. Let us not set ourselves up as defenders of the principle of self-determination if we are taken in by the greedy hypocrisy of certain small countries which, armed to the teeth by imperialism, have not hesitated to inter- vene militllJily in the internal affairs of smaller States in order to defend their alleged vital interests while at the same time cynically posing as great defe.nders of princi- ples. 62. The three peoples of Indo-China, which have expe- rienced many trials in their struggle for self-determina- tion, fully appreciate the true meaning of the exercise of this right by themselves and other peoples. In our interna- tional activities we have never, on the pretext of defending principles, tried to impose a government on anyone, for we realize full well that that is clearly contrary to the ethics that underlie relations among States and peaceful coexistence. 63. The United Nations, whose noble bOalS include the defence of civilized order llnd the promotion of under- standing among all peoples, must not usurp the right of a sovereign people to choose a Governmen that suits it. This is the real substance of the problem before us, as we decide whether or not to approve or accept the credentials of representatives of so-called Democratic Kampuchea. 64. Furthermore, the United Nations is not a body in which genocidal groups or bands of traitors from different peoples should seek shelter; this is an international Or- ganization where, in accordance with the relevant provi- sions of the Charter, sovereign States are represented. To accept the credentials of the representatives of the Pol Pot clique would make a mockery of that well-established concept of a State according to which there must be three essential elements present in order for the State to exist: a territory, a population and a Government. 66. We would express the conviction that Member States that respect the noOlls of international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter will not accept such a situation but will oppose any attempts to trample underfoot the sovereign rights of peoples. 67. In this context, the delegation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, together with the delegations of Al- geria, Angola, Benin, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Yemen, Ethiopia, Grenada, Guyana, India, Nicaragua, Seychelles and Viet Nam, have the honour of submittIng to the Gen- eral Assembly for consideration an amendment [A/36/L.2 and Add.I] to the draft resolution recommended by the Credentials Committee in paragraph 22 of its report [A/36/5I7] which would result in adding to the text the words "except with regard to the credentials of Demo- cratic Kampuchea". 68. This amendment is intended to acheve three aims: first, to reflect the objective realities of the situation in regard to the problem of the representation of Kam- puchea, since it is on the basis of objective facts that the problem can be resolved equitably; second, to ensure that the United Nations stops recognizing so-called Demo- cratic Kampuchea, which does not exist, as the represen- tative of the people or as the State of Kampuchea, since such recognition constitutes a serious obstacle to the set- tlement of the problems of South-East Asia, including that of Kampuchea; and, third, to end an abnormal situa- tion which seriously jeopardizes the prestige and effec- tiveness of the United Nations. 69. In the interest of the self-determination of the people of Kampuchea and in the interest of the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations, I would express the hope that Member States that cherish peace and justice will appreciate fully the importance of the problem facing the General Assembly and will realize that the amend- ment I have just introduced on behalf of 14 countries, including my own, is a fair one and will not hesitate to vote in favour of it. They would thus be making a contri- bution to the safeguarding of the supreme rights of a peo- ple and of a Member State, also of the fundamental prin- ciples of the United Nations Charter, as well as contributing to the efforts to restore peace and stability in South-East Asia.

Mr. President,please allow me to extend to you my warm personal felicitations on your assumption of the presidency of the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly. 71. The first report of the Credentials Committee rec- ommends to the General Assembly that the credentials of the representatives of the Member States be accepted. My delegation fully supports the recommendation, which is in keeping with rule 27 of the rules of procedure of the Gen- eral Assembly. The proposed amendment to this recom- mendation singles out and repudiates the validity of the credentials of the delegation of Democratic Kampuchea.

It is an honour for me to speak on behalf of the delegations of Bulgaria, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Czechoslovakia and the Ger- man Democratic Republic. 74. In respect of the report of the Credentials Commit- tee, may I quote from the International Herpld Tribune. In an article published on 7-8 February this year the newspaper had this to say: '1\ vote in the United Nations for the Khmer Rouge"- that is, the Pol Pot clique- "is in effect a vote for genocide." The newspaper considers that: "International recognition should count for some- thing-to be withheld when in extreme cases a govern- ment fails its people, bestowed when it lahors on their behalf. In Cambodia, perversely, it has been the exact reverse. " 75. That is the opinion of the International Herald Tribune. 76. As regards the individuals of so-called Democratic Kampuchea who claim to represent Kampuchea in the United Nations, we all know that they represent no one, apart from themselves and the clique which has been guilty of genocide. The former Pol Pot regime has com- mitted unparalleled violations of the rights of the Kam- puchean people.· Aided and abetted by great-Power Peking circles, it has perpetrated acts of aggression against a neighbouring country and has thus subverted peace and stability in the whole South-East Asian region. 77. Even those who, through their vote, have made the presence of the representatives of the Pol Pot regime pos- sible in the international Organization cannot ignore that fact. 78. The' delegations on behalf of which'l am speaking decisively reject the illegal participationof~presentatives of the toppled Pol Pot regime in the work of\the General 79. Kampuchea's seat in the United Nations belongs to the ,30vernment of the People's Republic of Kampuchea alone. Only representatives appointed by that Government are entitled to represent the country in international af- fairs. The Government of the People's Republic of Kam- puchea represents the revolutionary forces which ousted the regime of genocide, thus preventing the annihilation of the people of Kampuchea. That Government was created as a result of democratic elections, and it firmly and irreversibly holds the reins of power in the country. Under its leadership the people of Kampuchea has suc- cessfully embarked on overcoming the heavy heritage of the past, and in this the people of Kampuchea enjoys sup- port throughout the world. The results of Kampuchea's renaissance speak for themselves. Laws and facts reaffirm that the Government of the People's Republic of Kam- puchea is the sole, authentic, competent representative of Kampuchea. No question whatsoever relating to Kam- puchea and peace, security and co-operation in South- East Asia can be adopted without it-still less, against it-in any international body. 80. It is essential immediately to halt the de facto pre- vention of Kampuchea's exercise of its rights as a State Member of the United Nations and to eliminate obstacles to the genuine representation of the people of Kampuchea in the United Nations, and to allow the delegation ap- pointed by the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea to participate in the General Assembly. 81. The delegations on behalf of which I am honoured to speak ther<:fore support the proposed amendment sub- mitted by the representative of Laos to the draft resolution recommended by the Credentials Committee.

First of all, in the. name of the Chinese delegation, I would like to extend warm congratulations to Mr. Kit- tani of Iraq on his assumption of t.lte presidency of the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly. 83. Owing to the unwarranted provocations on the part of the Vietnamese representative, the current session of the General Assembly is obliged, as at its two previous sessions, to debate at the outset the question of the cre- dentials of the representatives of Democratic Kampuchea. The Chinese delegation would like to make some obser- vations in this regard. 84. As is known to all, Democratic Kampuchea is an independent, neutral and non-aligned sovereign State and a Member of the United Nations. The Government of Democratic Kampuchea is the sole legal Government rep- resenting the Kampuchean people. The credentials of the delegation of Democratic Kampucheahave been submit- ted in accordance with the provisions of the United Na- tions Charter and the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. They are in good order and completely valid. They have been accepted by all previous sess!ons of the United Nations General Assembly and other international conferences. 86. What, then, has happened in Kampuchea? J 87. First, towards the end of 1978 the Vietnamese au- thorities, with the support and connivance of the Soviet Union and in their quest for hegemony in South-East Asia through the creation of an Indo-China federation, flagrantly moved mOle than 100,000 troops into Kam- puchea, occupying large tracts of territory, and installed a puppet regime in Phnom Penh. The Vietnamese au- thorities have since tried to force the international com- munity to accept as "irIeversible" a situation createc!. by armed aggressioil against a State Member of the United Nations. That would be tantamount to asking the Mem- bers of this Organization to act contrary to me basic prin- ciples of tile Charter by legitimizing, or even rewarding, Viet Nam's outrageous aggression against another Mem- ber State. That, of course, is unacceptable to the interna- tional community. 88. Secondly, in order to cover up thier criminal aggres- sion against Democratic Kampuchea and impose the Heng Samrin puppet regime on the United Nations, the Viet- namese authorities staged an "election" farce in Phnom Penh earlier this year. They imagined this might give a semblance of legality to the Heng Samrin puppet clique and win recognition from the international community. But it is clear to everyone that this puppet regime in- stalled by the Vietnamese occupation troops at bayonet point is essentially like the Quislings fostered by Hitler and the bantustans created by the racists of South Africa. The Heng Samrin puppet regime cannot survive a single . day without the 200,000 Vietnamese troops on Kam- puchean soil and the tens of thousands of Vietnamese ad- visers who are pulling the strings in the regime. Yet the Vietnamese authorities have the audacity to parade in the United Nations the same bogus regime which has long been lejected by the international community as the prod- uct of a totally illegal and null and void election farce. 89. Thirdly, the fact is that the Vietnamese aggressors have failed to destroy the patriotic forces of Kampuchea during the past three years but are encountering stronger and stronger lesistance from these forces. Under the lead- ership of the Government of.Democratic Kampuchea, the Kampuchean people are strengthening their struggle against· the aggressors. The Vietnamese aggressors are bogged down in a people's war and are finding them- selves in a worsening predicament. The recent joint state- ment of Kampuchea's patriotic factions has given ex- pression to their strong determination to close their ranks and carry through their just struggle against Vietnamese aggressors. All this shows that the so-called changes de- scribed by Viet Nam are by no means irreversible, as the aggressors have imagined. Nor can the international com- munity accept this pretext of aggression. At its previous sessions, the General Assembly maintained the rightful replesentation of Democratic Kampuchea and, by an over- whelming majority of votes, adopted resolutions censur- ing Viet Nam's aggression and calling for the immediate withdrawal of its troops from· Kampuchea. Thus, the Gen- eral Assembly has upheld justice and defeated Viet Nam'~. 91. The human rights record of the Vietnamese au- thorities resulting in the massive outflows of refugees is well known to all. Viet Nam's invasion of a sovereign State and its colonial rule there constitute a glaring vio- lation of human rights on an enormous scale. The invad- ers have carried out indiscriminate killings, looting and arson. This brutal attack on basic human rights has re- sulted in a massive outflow of refugees from Kampuchea. These human tragedies have shocked the whole world. The Charter of the United Nations and accepted codes of international conduct entitle no Government to invade an- other country on account of unhappiness with its policies. Acceptance of Viet Nam's rationale would mean that a stronger country may use any pretext to invade a weaker neighbour, subvert the legitimate Government, install a puppet regime there·and force the international commu- nity to accept all that as afair accompli. If this is permit- ted, what safeguards can there be for the independence, sove~ignty and security of the medium~sized and small nations which form the majority of the world community? . -. 92. The recent International Conference on Kam- puchea,' attended by,more thah 90 countries, adopted a solemn declaration calling for the speedy withdmwal of Vietnamese troops from Kampuchea and reaffirming the right of the Kampuchean people, free from any outside intervention, to determine their own future through free elections under United Nations supervision. This has given expression to the firm determination of the peoples of the world, including those of Kampuchea, to oppose Viet Nam's aggression. Consequently, Viet Nam's attempt to .deny Democratic Kampuchea its seat and to induce the United Nations to accept the result of its invasion of Kampuchea can only be firmly rejected by the interna- tional community 93. Fifthly, it should be pointed out that the amendment of Viet Nam and others to the first report of the Creden- tials Committee is in substance an outright attempt to de- prive Democratic Kampuchea of its rightful seat in the United Nations, and at the same time to force the interna- tional community to recognize Viet Nam's occupation of Kampuchea as a fair accompli. All this is entirely against the Charter of our Organization and, therefore, is abso- lutely unacceptable. We call on all just-minded countries to reject the amendment firmly. 94. The Credentials Committee of me present session has accepted the credentials of a number of countries, in- cluding Democratic Kampuchea, and reported to the Gen- eral Assembly accordingly. The Chinese delegation·fully supports this report and proposes that the General Assem- bly ignore the disruptive manoeuvre of the Vietnamese representative and approve the report immediately. 95. Mr.KRISHNAN (India): May I associate myself with previous ~peakers in felicitating you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the high office of President or ilie 96. We have before us the first report of the Credentials Committee and the amendment to the recommendation that it contains, sponsored by the delegation of India, among others, to that report. The Government of the Peo- ple's Rep!1blic of Kampuchea in Phnom Penh is the legal and legitimate Government representing the people of Kampuchea. It would therefore be fitting and proper for the delegation of the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea to assume the seat of Kampuchea in the United Nations. If, however, a number of delegations still hesitate to accept this reality and to act on the basis of it, the least that the Assembly should be prepared to do is to disapprove of the credentials of the delegation of the so- called Democratic Karnpuchea for the current session of the General Assembly. 97. It would be a great irony if, while references are made time and again to the need to safeguard the human rights of peoples and nations, the Assembly were to be indifferent to the basic right to life of an entire people. It would be llI:i even greater irony-and, indeed, a tragic travesty of the lofty ideals of the United Nations-if the General Assembly were today to decide once again to recognize a group of persons who are remnants of a des- potic regime which stands thoroughly discredited in the eyes of this very Assembly for the genocidal crimes it has perpetrated against its people.

First, Mr. President, I should like to extend to you our congratulations on your election to your important post. We are familiar with your vast experience in United Na- tionsactivities, and we are confident that you will con- duct our work successfully, in keeping with the lofty aims that gave rise to our Organization. We do not conceal our pleasure that the representative of a non-aligned country is presiding over the deliberations of 155 countries from five continents in the midst of an extremely complex interna- tional situation, which requires great collective wisdom if we are to avoid a catastrophe, ensure the continued exist- ence of mankind and protect our hope for a better life. 99. We should also like to extend our congratulations to the represehtatives of the Republic of Vanuatu on their eiltry into the United Nations as our 155th Member. When the people of Vanuatu were fighting for their inde- pendence, Cuba was at work in the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Impl~mentation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colollial Countries and Peoples, and subsequently we were hon- oured by an invitation for a representative of Cuba to take part in Vanuatu's independence celebrations. lOO. The decision adopted by a narrow majority in the Credentials Committee was to recommend to the General Assembly that it maintain the fiction that the Khmer na- tion and $e. Kampuchean .State be ~p~sented in the United Nations by a:ph~tom body that eXi~ only in the imagination· of a great Asian Power and its allies, which support a group of bloodthirsty expatriates wno slaugh- 101. There is an attempt to bring the Khmer nation back to the infamous period when a gang of maniacs destroyed their own people, and, because of their adventurist and criminal policies, posed a serious threat to peace and se- curity in the area. We must realize that by denying the legitimate representatives of Kampuchea their lawful rights, when they have repeatedly expressed their desire to live in peace with their neighbours and promote co-opera- tion among them, we are contributing to an unnecessary prolongation of tension among the countries of the area. 102. The interests of peace and security in that part of the world can be protected only by recognizing the Gov- ernment of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. No deci- sion that runs counter to the.true state of affairs of the Kampuchean people will change by one jot the will al- ready expressed by that people. 103. Like representatives of various international organi- zations, among them the United Nations itself, I have per- sonally been able to see today's Kampuchea. The deter- mination of the Khmer people to reject the ignominious past of the Pol Pot regime and to build a new life of dignity and happiness is unshakeable. 104. Let us make amends for this outrage and injustice, and restore to the Khmer people, as represented by the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, its rightful place in this Organization. 105. Furthel; my delegation requests the Secretary-Gen- eral to take the steps necessary to meet the request of the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea that they be permitted to send a.delegation to the Assembly led by Mr. Hor Nam Hor, former representative in Cuba of the Royal Government of National Union of Kam- puchea during the period of resistance, Yankee aggression and theLon Nol clique, a s'llrVivor of Pol·Pot's concentra- tion camps and the present Vice-Minister of Foreign Rela- tions of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. 10(;. In conclusion, we cal~ upon the Asselllbly to ex- press its support for the ~eilldment contained.in docu- ment N36/L.2 and Add.l. 108. As all my colleagues know, I was one of your rivals for the presidency of this session. I feel that I have lost to an abler and better man. In the 25 years }OU have spent-if) this house, as a representative of your country and as -an official of the Secretariat, you have won the admiration and respect of all of us for your high intel- ligence, for your ability and, most important of &11, for your sense of fairness and your integrity. 109. I should like to tell our colleagues about an epi- sode which I think demonstrates the last two qualities very well. I remember, Mr. President, that you were the Chairman of the Political Committee at the Sixth Con- ference of HeadS"of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, which was held in Cuba. The Political Com- mittee was an extremely difficult forum for'you to chair, and I remember that one of the most controversial items was a proposal by your own country and by other Arab delegations to suspend the membership of Egypt in our Movement. After an all-night meeting, and in spite of the position of your own Government and of other Arab dele- gations, you summed up by saying that t~ere was no con- sensus in favour of the suspension of Egypt's membership in the Movement. I felt that that episode illustrates very well your courage and your integrity. I am therefore confi- dent, Mr. President, that if you should find yourself con- fronted with a contenllous issue on which your own coun- try and others close to you have a partisan view, we can have absolute confidence in your fairness in upholding the Charter and the rules of procedure. 110. I should like now to turn to the business at hand. We have before us documents AJ36/517 and AJ36/L.2 and - Add. 1. In the first one, the Credentials Committee has proposed to the General Assembly that we accept the cre- dentials of the 40 delegations that submitted their creden- tials by 16 September. In the second, 14 delegations have sponsored an amendment the effect of which is that we would disapprove the credentials of the dekgation of Democratic Kampuchea. Ill. I have listened carefully to the statements of the five delegations which have spoken in support of ~e amendment. They have put forward four arguments in support of. their case. 112. First, they have said that we should reject the cre- dentials of the delegation of Democratic Kampuchea be- cause the Government of Democratic Kampuchea was overthrown in late December 1978 by a revolt by its own people. It is unnecessary for me to speak at length in rebuttal of that argument because this is a debate we have had twice· before. It is sufficient for me to recall that in late December 1978 the Government of Viet Nam sent approximately 100,000 troops into .the territory of Kam- puchea, forcing the Government of that country to flee its capital, Phnom Penh, and to continue to rellist the oc- cupying force from the countryside. Therefore, the argu- ment that the Government of Democflitic Kampuchea was overthrown by a popular revolt of its ,own people is histor- ically false. 114. The third argument which has been adduced in support of the amendment is the argument that the Gov- ernment of Democratic Kampuchea has committed gross and extensive violations of the human rights of its people. My delegation does not disagree with the proposition' that the Government of Democratic Kampuchea' has indeed committed gross and extensive violations· of the human rights of its people. We wish, however, to point out that respect for human rights is not one of the criteria laid down in the Charter or in our rules of procedure for the acceptance of a delegation's credentials. 115. My delegation is not against instituting such a new rule if this should be the wish of the Assembly, but if we are to institute such a new rule it must be applied pro- spectively and not retrospectively; it must be applied uni- formly and not selectively; and we can see no reason why it should be applied in the one case where the Govern- ment has been the victim of foreign armed intervention. 116. We must also question the sincerity of those who now denounce the human rights record of the Government of Democratic Kampuchea. We question their sincerity because, in the period 1975 to 1978, those who now de- nounce the Government of Democratic Kampuchea were the champions of that regime. It is a historical fact that when the Sub-Commission 011 Prevention of Discrimina- tion and Protection of Minorities met in Geneva in Sep- tember 1978 the United Kingdom delegation submitted a draft resolution asking for an inquiry into the alleged vio- lations of human rights in Kampuchea. This text was adopted, as resolution 11 (XXXI),2 by a vote of 15 in favour, 3 against, with 2 abstentions. It is strange, is it not, that the three delegations that opposed that draft reso- lution were those th~t now so loudly denounce the human rights record of the Government of Democratic Kam- puchea. It shows us and ollr colleagues that the attitude of those delegations to the question of human rights is a completely cynical one; that they will champion a friendly regime irrespective of the human rights record of that re- gime, but once that regime becomes a I-olitical adversary they will make a U-turn and denounce it. 117. The last argument that has been adduced in sup- port of the proposed amendment is that the Government of Democratic Kampuchea does not control the entire ter- ritory or population of Kanipuchea. I concede that in nor- mal circumstances .two of the criteria by which we decide whether or not to recognize a Government are control of territory and cpntrol of the habitual obedience of the pop- 118. 1 wish to conclude my statement by saying that we, the small nations of the world, find the world in ~,hich we live to be a dangerous place. There are many predators and bullies in this world which, under one pre- text or anothel; have expansionist, hegemonist and other ambitions vis-a-vis us, the small nations. It is in the inter- est of our collective security for us, the small nations of the world, to band together and defend the principles of the United Nations Chartel; bf~cause those principles-in particular the principle of non-use of force in international relations, the principle of the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and the princ!ple of re- spect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial in- tegrity of other countries-are in the interest of us, the small nations. 1 urge delegations to join me in casting a vote against the amendment, because a vote against it is a vote in defence of those principles and therefore in de- fence of the national security interest of us, the small na- tions.

A number of cOllntries have ex- pressed the wish to explain their votes before the vote. 1 should like to remind delegations that, in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote should be limited to 10 minutes and delivered from the ielegation's place.

As the United States has made clear in the Credentials Com- mittee and in other arenas, we support the acceptance on technical grounds of the credentials of the representative of Democratic Kampuchea. They are in clear compliance with the requirements of the rules of procedure, as recog- nized by the Secretary-General in his report to the Cre- dentials Committee, which has recommended the approval of the credentials. In the absence of a superior claim, the General Assembly should seat the representative of a Government whose credentials were accepted by the pre- vious session. TheJ;e is no superior claimant for the Kam" puchea seat. The Heng Sanmn regime was installed by Viet Nam through its military invasion of Kampuchea. It is maintained in power by a Vietnamese occupation force of some 200,000 troops. Such invasion and occupation are in direct violation of the United Nations Charter. Such invasion and occupation are in direct violation of General Assembly resolutions 34/22·and 35/6, which call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces andfOil the end of outside intervention in the internal affairs of Kampuchea. The conclusion· of the Heng Sanmn regime doesQot represent a superior claim. This is supported .Jy most of the Gov- ernments of the region that are directly con.::e~6Ii with 122. This position on the technical question of C"Ieden- tials doe-s not imply United States Government recognition of the Democratic Kampuchea regime. It does not imply approval of its heinous practices. On the contrary, we conclemn unequivocally the savage human rights violation that has taken place under the brutal Pol Pot regime. We nonetheless will vote in favour of accepting the creden- tiais of the representative of Democratic Kampuchea. The alternative is considerably worse. We urge all others who oppose gains through aggression t.o join us in so voting.

The New :zealand delegation has read the first report of fi,e Credentials Committee carefully, and it accepts· that report in its en- tirety. We believe that the Committee has done its: job well. It is the function of tht: Committee to t,ake a deci- sion on the technical question of whether the cred~r,tials so far submitted by delegations are in order, not to "Land in judgement on the policies of Governments. The Com- mittee has reported accordingly, and we see no reason to dissent from its recommendation. 124. Nevertheless, I wish to make it dear that New Zealand's acceptance of the report of the Credentials Committee in no way implies suppr:\: for the policies of the Pol Pot Government.. Our abhorrence of the Pol Pot Government's record of gross and consiGtent violation of human rights and our repugnance at the brutal and inhu- man way it treated its own people have certainly not changed. 125. That, however, is not what the credentials issue is about. Therefore, cmlsistent with its position on the re- port of the Credentials Committee, New Zealand will vote against the amendment. 126. Mr. PIZA ESCALANTE (Costa Rica). (interpreta- tion from Spanish): The delegationof Costa Rica, as on all occasions when there has· been a vote on this mattet; maintains its support ·for the report of the Credentials Committee, Which has this time been.adopted. by· consen- sus. Consequently, we.shall vote against the;unendment. 127. As regards oqr position of principle on the .creden- tials of the delegation of Democratic Kampuchea, WeCO!}- tinue to hold that they belong to. a State Member .Qf .the United Nations and we do not recognize situations created 129. We shall thus vote not in favour of Democratic Kampuchea, but against the imposition of a foreign will. We shall vote against aggression which continues shame- lessly today and against hypocrisy-the hypocrisy of those who would justify the impositior. of their will, this despite the atrocities committed by the Pol Pot regime, a regime which they used to defend in the face of the indig- nation produced by those atrocities when they were taking place and when nothing was done to attenuate them. But today, belatedly, they are attacking them, not because they are indignant but because it suits the hegemonistic inter- ests of the Soviet Union and their companions and allies. 130. We continue to support our position in respect to the Credentials Committee which has been supported by overwhelming majorities on past occasions. We continue to believe that only in that way can the small people de- fend and insure th<:ir own security a."'!d independence against all hegemonistic powers who would use them as pawns in their own international game. Our non-recogni- tion of regimes which have been imposed by foreign Powers and our repudiation of all forms of aggression or illegjtimat~ intervention ry a State or a group of States in the internal affairs of another State are matters of princi- ple and apply not only to the case of Kampuchea, but to all other cases wl-'ch, like Afghanistan, have occurred, regrettably, and continue to occur elsewhere in the world. 131. Mt: TROYANOVSKY (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (interpretation from Russian): First, Mr. Presi- dent, allow me to congratulate you on your election to the lofty post of Presidellt of the General Assembly. We are sure that with your rich diplomatic experienc~, including experience inside this very building, you will be a suc- cessful leader of the work -of this session of the General Assembly, and the Soviet delegation would like to assure you of our co-operation. 132. In our vote on the first report of the Credentials Committee, the Soviet delegation will take as a basis the fact that the sole authentic representative of the people of Kampllchea is the People's Republic of Kampuchea. 133. The KarnIJuchean people has put an end to the domination of the criminal Pol Fot clique which, with the assistance and under· the protection· of their Peking lead- ers, perpetrated a policy of genocide against the whok. population of the country. It made its choice and is going along the path of socilli ~nd economic transformations, a!1.suredly. Exceptionany important is the fact that this yeat in Kampuchea, for the first time in many years, gen- 134. The Government of the People's Republic of Kam- puchea is exercising effective control over the territory of the country and enjoys the full support of its people. In the field of foreign policy it is in favour of good, peaceful relations and co-operation with all neighbouring countries. It favours peace and :;tability in South-East Ash and throughout the world, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 135. Since the sole legitimate representative of the Xampuchean people is the People's Republic of Kam- puchea, the Soviet delegation considers that only repre- sentatives appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of Kampuchea can and should represent Kam- puchea in the United Nations and in other international forums. Allowing individuals who bave wormed their way into the Organization as representatives of so-called Dem- ocratic Kampuchea to remain in the United Nations is a sinister reminder of the mos~ tragic days of the Kam- puchean people. Their lccmaining in the United Nations is unnatural and msults the dignity of States represented here. 136. A vote for the credentials of the Pol Pot clique is a vote for tl"'e policy of genocide, which runs counter to the human C',:,nscience and has been condemned by our Organization. The history of our Organization shows clearly that attempts to prevetlt the legitimate representa- tives of States Members of the Unitd Nations from tak- ing their seats in the United Nations only subvert the au- thority of the United Nations and, in the ultimate analysis, are fruitless. The sooner this abnormal situation is eliminated the higher the prestige of the United Nations will be in the eyes of peoples.

Although the Chairman of my delegation will congratulate you in due course, Mr. President, I should like personally to express my warmest congratulations to you on your election as President of the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I am cOllfi- dent that y,>ur long experience in the work o~ this Organi- zation and your amply demon..trated skill as a diplomat will ensure that the tasks before us will be carried out in a most efficient manner. 138. My delegation has consistently maintained the position that the competence of the Credentials Commit- tee is limited to ascertaining whether credentials submit- ted by delegations are in conformity with rule 27 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. My delega- tion, therefore, fully supports the recommendation of the Credenti?ls Committee that the Assembly approve its frrst report, which recordll its decision to accept tlte credentials of the representatives of all the Member States mentioned therein, including Democratic Kampuchea. 139. My delegation believes that the validity of creden- tial~ mt,st be examined in an objective and impartial man- ne., suiely from the legal and technical points of view. Such e~amination.should in no way address the specific policies of the Government issuing the credentials con· cerned. . 141. My delegation cannot accept the amendment pre- sented, which singles out the credentials of that State in order to deny their validity. My delegation will therefm~ vote in favour of the recommendation of the Credentials Committee. 142. In this connexion, I should like to draw th~ atten- tion of the Asser.:biy to the grave fact that the political situation in Kampuchea has not changed during the la&t two years, with its territory still being occupied by Viet- namese troops. The rejeoction of the credentials cl Demo- cratic Kampuchea would lead to the recognition by the Uni:ed Nations of the present situation which has been created by the intervention of foreign troops in Kam- puchea as a fait accompli. 143. Before concluding, my delegation would like to stress that its acceptance of the credentials of Democmtic Kampuchea from t.~ legal and technical points of view in no way implies any degree of support for or approval of the activities conducted by tlle Government i~ the past. 144~ Mr. MARTYNENKO (Ukraiman Soviet Socialist Republic) (interpretation from Russian): The delegation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic has asked to speak to explain its vote and to state that we strongly oppo~e recognition of the credentials of the representatives of so-called Democratic Kampuchea, in other words, the Pol Pot regime, which has been overthrown by the Kam- puchean people. The presence of the Pol Pot criminals in this hall is a flagrant violation not only of generally rec- ognized norms of international law but also of elementary common sense and is an outrage to the memory of the millions of Kampucheans who fell victim to that bloody regime. 145. Today in this forum it has already been said that Kampuchea has a legitimate representative and also a su- preme organ of State power in the country, the National Assembly, which in June this year adopted the Constitu- tion of the People's Republi<: of Kampuchea, which em- bodies the new genuinely democratic social system estab- lished in the country after the ousting of the Peking proteges by the Kampuchean people. A process of rebirth has started in the country. The Gove~ment of the Peo- ple's Republic of Kampuchea is pursuing a policy atmed at strengthening peace and security and has a vital con- cern for stability in South-East Asia. Together with the Socialist RepUblic. of Viet Nam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the People's Republic of Kam- puchea has repeatedly rr.ade constructive proposals, most recently in June this year, to establish a dialogue with the State members of the Associatiolll of South-East Asian Nations to seek effective ways to turn that region into a zone of peace, stability and prosperrity. 152. The delegation of Madagascar voiced its views on the :representation of Kampuchea at the thirty-fifth session of the General Assembly on 13 October 1980 [35th meet- ing], on the occasion of a vote Oil the itlllendment intro- duced by the Lao People's Democratic Republic in respect of the report of the Credentials Committee. Our posifon has not changed since then; it is based on the decision taken at the Sixth Conference of Heads of State or Gov- ernment of Non-Aligned Countries held in Havana in 1979, a meeting during which the seat of Kampnchea was left vacant pending a political decision regarding contrary claims, to the lI3presentation of Kampuchell. furthermore, new facts have appeared, to which theLeg~.COW1sel of the Organizatioll. has ,drawn the. attention of members of the Credentials Committee. We. refer in particular to doc- l..t.t-- ... M 146. The delegation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic considers that the Government of the People's Republic of.Kampuchea alone is entitioo to .(epresent that country in·the international arena, including\the United Nations. We shall vote against recognition of~e 'crede~- 148. My delegation believes that the sole legitimate rep- resl'.ntative of Kampuchea i:i the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. The so-called Pol Pot regime ended when the Kampuchean people put an end to the tragedies they had be.Jn suffering for several years. The Government of the Feople's Republic of Kam- puchea has complete and effective control over the tern·, tory of Kampuchea. That Government is the legitimai'; representative of the Kampuchean people, following the free elections that were held and the establishment of the National Assembly, which in turn drew up the Constitu- tion of the country. 149. The attempts in some quarters to secure acceptance of the credentials of the toppled bloodthirsty Po1 Pm re- gime constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter, inter- ference in the internal affairs of the people and denial of their right to self-determination. Those creden1..LIs are il- legal and are not based on reality. That so-called regime does not have any actual authority over the territory of Kampuchea. The persistence of ilie presence of that dele- gation in this Assembly is due to the overt manoeuvres planned in some quarters to deprive the Government and people of the People's Republic of Kampuchea of their right to play an effective role in the proceedings of this Assembly. . 150. Consequ:::ntly, my delegation fully supports the amendment presented by the representative of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Mr. President, the head of my delegation will convey to you official congratulationsftom my coun- try, but in my personal capacity I should like to voice my special satisfaction at seeing you preside over our work. We have known each other for a long time, and the brev- ity of my ~,'ords does not reflect any diminution in sincere fratemai feelings for you. 153. 'It is logical that any decision or recommendation on the Kampuch\~en credentials d~s not jeopardize the political decision that this Assembly will obviously have to take. 154. For all these reas:Jns, my delegation will vote in favour of the amendment.

Mr. President, may I first extend to"you my delegatilJn's sincere good wishes and warm felicltati'Jns. 156. In considering the matter before us, my delegation recognizes that the credentials of the delegation of Demo- cmtic K:mtpuchea were found to be in order by the major- ity of the C.-et.lentials Committee members. It would therefore be ;rely proper to approve the Committee's action, in Ct Jnnity with the rules of procedure. 157. The nationalist Kampuchean forces have waged a continuing struggle to free their non-aligned country from foreign occupation, and my Government recognizes the legitimacy of that struggle. The occupying Power, having failed to eliminate the nationalist resistance ::.n the ground. and having twice met with a rebuff in tllis As- sembly, has tried once again to deprive the Government of Democratic Kampuchea of its legitimate representation in the United Nations by introducing the amendment con- tained in document A/36/L.2 and Add.l. 158. The General Assembly has in the past two con- secutive years pronounced itself on the substance in its resolutions 34/22 and 35/6 on the situation in Kam- puchea, calling for the complete Wtthdrawal of foreign fl'rces and a free exercise by the Kampuchean people of its right to self-determination. The Economic and Social Council has twice adopted similar resolutions. The Inter- naHonal Conference on Kampuchea, convened by the Secretary-General in June of this year, confirmed the same position, as well as offering a reasonable framework for a negotiated settlement. However, thus far the occupy· ing Power has obstinately refused to come to the con- ference table, and persists-in its intent to impose a mili· tary solution of the situation. 159. Such a blli..mt violation of the basic norms and rules Cif international law would subject smaller countries to the danger of armed intervention by a militarily more powerful neighbour. It would also en\;."Jrage the occupy- ing Powers in similar situations to pe!:'...~t in their defiance of the United Nations and the world comnniii~ty. 160. 1\vice before, the issue of the credentials flf Demo- cratic Kampuchea has i',een raised by the same party, to- gether with its friends and allies, and twice before, this august Assembly has rejected their unwammted attempts. My delegation believes that the real issue before us is quite·siniple, namely, that the continued support of the seating of' Democratic Kampuchea,.will demonstrate our

Mr. President, first I ;;h;;ald like to take this opportunity of heartily congra~ulating you on your elec- tion to the responsible post of President of the Geneml Assembly at the thirty·sixth session. I wish you success in discharging your great responsibilities. 163. For the third time now it has belln proposed that we should recognize the right of the so·called representa· tives of the overthrown regime to represent Kampuchea in the United Nations, the regime which, notwithstaading the short period of its tenure of power, committed un- precedented genocide against its own people, unprece- dented in the recent history of mankind. That proposal is being made despite the fact that in.May of this year in the People's Republic of Kampuchea elections were held with the broad-based participation of the electomte, elections to the legislative bodies, including the People's Assembly, which adopted a constitution and set up the main State bodies, which are the sole legitimate representatives of the Kampuchean people. The adoption of the constitution it· self, the establishment of those bodies and the full sup- port given to them by the Kampuchean people are gmphic proof of the continuing normalization of the internal polit. ical and economic situation in the country, and testify to the stability of their development. Those organs are effec- tively exercising State power-throughout the whole terri- tory of Kampuchea and in their external relations are pur- suing a policy of non-alignment, peace, friendship and constructive international co-opemtion, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. 164. The Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic has bee" developing all-round co-opemtion with the People's Re- public of Kampuchea, thus promoting the achievement of the goals set by the genuine, sole and legally elected rep- resentatives of that country. That successfully developing co-opemtion was demonstrated by the visits paid last year by the President of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Gustav Husak, to Kampuchea and by the Chairman of the Council of State of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, Heng Samrin, to C,'~choslovakia, during which a new basis was established for further deepening and strength- ening bilateraJ relations. The same mm was served by the talks between the Vice-Chairman of the Council of Minis- ters and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, Hun Sen, which took place this year in Prague. 165. On the basis of the foregoing, the Czechoslovak delegation will vote in favour of the amendment submit· ted by the Lao People's Democratic Repuh~ic and t. num- ber of non-aligned countries.

Mr. Pre..;']ent, ftrst let me say that I am dl'l;<::nted at your election to the presidency of the thirty·si.....~ session of the General Assembly. I am person- ally familiar with your distinguished qualities as a diplo- mat, your political skill and your integrity and, above all, yourdevotiop to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and I am convinced that our deliberatio.!ls will be 167. Now I should like to explain our vote. The circum- stances prevailing with regard to a decision concerning the credentials of Kampuchea at the thirty-fifth session have not changed. Positive elements in the development of the situation in that country and in that region confirm the correctness of that decision and the recommendation of the Credentials Committee, whic.! recognizes the valid- ity of the credentials of Democratic Kampuchea. 168. Consequently the delegation of Zaire will vote in favour of the recommendation of the Committee.

Mr. President, when my Minister of Foreign Affairs and head of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan makes his state- ment during the general debate he will have an oppor- tunity to convey to you the sentiments of my delegation upon your election to the high office of the presidency of this Assembly. However, allow me to elitend to you my WlI:.m personal greetings on your well-deserved election '-' our President for this year. Being aware of your qualifica- tions and expertise, I am sure that the deliberations at this session will be crowned with success under. your able guidance. 170. The position of the Government of tlte Democratic Republic of Afghanistan on the so-called Kampuchean question is well known. For us there is only one Govern- ment in Kampuchea which exercises full sovereignty over Kampuchean territory and which enjoys the full support of the Kampuchean people. That Government is the Gov- ernment of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. 171. Individuals claiming to represent a non-existent "Democratic Kampuchea" represent nobody but them- selves. The genocidal Pol Pot-Ieng Sary regime has been ousted by the people of Kampuchea once and for all. To accept the credentials of those individuals as representa- tives of the people they themselves condemned to mas- sacre and annihilation not only would constitute sheer in- terference in the internal affairs of the Kampuchean people but also would be an unlawful questioning of the right of that people to choose its own form of govern- ment. 172. For those reasons and others, my delegiliion will vote in favour of the amendment proposed by a number of cou.~tries to tIle recommendation of the Credentials Com- mittee.

The Assembly will now proceed to take a decision. In accordance with rule 90 of the rules of procedure, I shall first put to the vote the amendment contained in document N36/L.2 and Add.1. In this con- nexion, I wish to inform th!e Assembly that the following countries have become sponsors of the amendment: Al- geria, Benin, Congo and Guyana. A recorded vote has been requested. Against: Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Canada, C~ntral African Re- public, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Democratic Kampuchea, Denmark, Djibouti, Domil1ican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Federal Republic of, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Is- rael, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Upper Volta, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zai~ Abstaining: Australia, Austria, Bahamas,3 Barbados, Brazil, Burundi, Finland, France, Ghana, Iceland, Ire- land, Jordan, Lebanon, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Nether- lands, Norway, Peru, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Sur- iname, Sweden, liinidad and Tobago, Thnisia, Uganda, United Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Tan- zania, zambia, Zimbabwe. The amendment MW rejected by 77 votes to 37. with 31 abstentions.

May I take it milt tlle General Assembly adopts the draft resolution recommended by the Credentials Committee? NOTES I For the report of the Conference, see AlCONF.IG9/S (United Na- tions pUblication, Sales No. E,81.I.20). 'For the text, see ElCN.4/1296, chap. XVU. 3 The delegations of the Bahamas and of Solomon !slllDds later in- fonned the Secretariat that they had intended to vote against the draft resolution.