A/37/PV.43 General Assembly

At the thirty-sixth session, speaking in explanation of vote at the 4th meeting after the vote concerning the amendment to the report of the Credentials Committee, th~ repre- sentative ofPoland said that an injustice had been done to the People's Rl..public of Kampuchea and, indeed, to the cause of the United Nations. 2. This should not happen again. The United Nations should not again fail in its political and m~Hal ob~ig~­ tions. The situation, in which the credentIals of mdl- viduals who are connected with the overthrown genocidal regime are accepted while the only legitimate and authel1tic representative: of the Kampuchean people has been denied its rightful place in this Hall, should not be repeated. 3. These individuals represent nobody but them- selves-the inhuman, discredited clique which is responsible for the mass murders carried out against its own people. There should be no place for them among the Members of the United Nations. !heir presence in the United Nations chambers IS an arrogant challenge to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, visible evidence of support rendered to those individuals by certain Member States pursuing a policy directed against the interests of the peoples of South-East Asia, and an insult to the memory of the millions of victims of the Pol Pot regime. 4. The Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea is the sole legitimate and true ~epresenta­ tive of the Kampuchean people. This is the Govern- ment that was formed by the National Assembly established as a direct result of national elections held in 1981, in accordance with the country's Con- stitution. This Government exercises authority over the whole territory of Kampuchea. Its policy is devoted to the speediest possible reconstruction and development of the national economy, education and culture. Its achievements in all fields of national life need not be emphasized. They are well known by all those who want to know the truth about this reborn country which has been brought back to life from the brink of the abyss and the verge of annihilation at the hands of the Pol Pot-Ieng Sary clique. 5. The Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea pursues a foreign policy based on the NEW YORK principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, n~n­ interference in the internal affairs of others, equalIty, stability and peace. This policy is well reflected in the international activities it carries out in the interest of strengthening peace and developing friendly relations with all the countries of the region regardless of their political, economic and social systems. 6. My delegation once again firmly supports the legiti- mate representation of the people and Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, which has a full right to the seat in the General Assembly. Un- fortunately, once again the Credentials Committee has submitted a recommendation that totally disregards the real situation, ignores the relevant provisions of international law and neglects the obvious facts. 7. The new coalition dress of the Pol Pot regime, which was custom-tailored in foreign places, should not be regarded by the United Nations as anything other than a suit of camouflage. It should not mislead anybody. Consequently, my delegation will vote in favour of the amendment submitted [A/37/L.8 and Add.1] since we cannot accept the first report of the Credentials Committee [A/37/543] , for the reasons I have given. 8. Mr. RAcz (Hungary) (interpretation from French): The delegation of Hungary will vote in favour of the amendment submitted. We consider that those who claim to be the representatives of Kampuchea under the name "Democratic Kampu- chea" have no place in this Hall. Our sense ofjustice and morality and, even more, the rules of international law do not permit us to agree that people who, ~hile exercising absolute power in the past, commItted one of the most monstrous acts of our time should continue to represent that country in international organizations after having virtually destroyed its civilization and its people. Throughout these past years it has been difficult for us J'I,!)t to give way.to our feelings of disgust, loathing and repugnance WIth respect to those who are guilty of genocide in the strictest sense ofthe word when they have shamelessly claimed at this rostrum that they are the saviours of the Khmer race, of its culture and of its traditions. Apparently, moral degradati9n knows no bounds. 9. I need hardly demonstrate here that the phe- nomenon of the "coalition government" has in no way changed the basic elements of the situation. Countless facts indicate most clearlv that it is stilI the old rulers of the so-called Democratic Kampuchea, ousted from their country in 1979, who are playing a decisive role in this doubtful enterprise. They only needed a more respectable image to conceal their true face from the international community of nations. That patent attempt in itself suffices to gauge the nature of the manreuvres, of which the United Nations are the witness and to some extent the victims. No one, A/37/PV.43 ~fKampuchea that is the sole and authentic representa- tive of the Khmer people, both in the United Nations and in other international organizations. We believe, howeve~, that the primary task incumbent upon us at present IS to remove the usurpers from Kampuchea's seat in the United Nations. It is for this reason that we consider the amendment submitted a step in the right direction.

In deter- mining our position on the [;'st report of the Creden- tials Committee, the delegation of the Soviet Union proceeds from the premise that the sole lawful repre- sentative of the people of Kampuchea in the United Nations and in other international organizations and forums.can only be the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, which is exercising effective control over the whole territory of the country and has the full support of the people of that country. After the overthrow of the Pol Pot regime, which was conducting a policy ofgenocide against its own people, the process of national rejuvenation in Kampuchea is growing in strength from year to year. General elections to the National Assembly were held in the country on a free and democratic basis. The Consti- tution has been adopted. The organs of statehood have been formed and are functioning successfully. The changes that have taken place in Kampuchea a:oe irreversible because they are the result of the choice of the Kampuchean people itself. 12. There is increasing recognition of the peace- loving foreign policy of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, which is striving to develop good neigh- bourly relations with neighbouring countries and to strengthen peace and security in South-East Asia and throughout the world in accordance with the prin- ciples of the Charter of the United Nations. "13. The question of the representation of Kampu- chea in the United Nations goes beyond the framework of mere formal verification of credentials, inasmuch as the persons acting as representatives of the so- called "Democratic Kampuchea"-but in actual fact ofthe overthrown Pol Pot regime, which has been cast out by the Kampuchean people-do not represent anyone. Can we agree with the idea that criminals who have been con<temned by the Kampuchean people and by world public opinion should be con- sidered as those expressing and representing its interests in our intt:rnational organization? Of course not. It is the conviction of our delegation, as well as of very many other delegations, that the presence of these persons in the United Nations is a profoundly amoral phenomenon, which is contrary to the law, to the Charter, offends the memory" of millions of victims ofthe Pol Pot genocide, and is an affront to the intelligence and conscience of mankind. 14. The unnaturalness of the representation in the United Nations of the Pol Pot genocide regime is so obvious that its overseas protectors have decided to r~presentatives of reactionary Kampuchean emigra- tIOn. The appearance of the "coalition" introduces nothing new to the question of the representation of Kampuchea in the United Nations and in no measure alters the unlawful character of the presence of the representatives of the Pol Pot clique in the United Nations. 15. The delegation of the Soviet Union wishes once again to emphasize that only the representatives of the People's Republic of Kampuchea can speak on behalf of the Kampuchean people in the l!oited Nations. Only by the allocation of the seat \Jf Kam- puchea in the United Nations to the sole Ip.wful repre- sentative of the People's Republic of Kampuchea can there be ajust solution, in keeping with the aspirations ofthe Kampuchean people and the requirements ofthe Charter. No rhetoric can conceal the fact that a vote cast in favour of the Pol Pot personalities, who are trying to represent themselves as a "coalition", is a vote for a policy of genocide, which is something that goes against the conscience of mankind and which has been condemned by the Organization. The delegation of the Soviet Union is firmly opposed to the recognition of the credentials of the delegation of the so-called "Democratic Kampuchea" and supports the amendment to the report of the Credentials Com- mittee which has been presented by a group of States.

The fundamental view of the German Democratic Republic with regard to the representation of Kampu- chea in the United Nations is well-known and remains unchanged. My delegation unreservedly supports the right of the People's Revolutionary Council to take the seat of Kampuchea in the United Nations. 17. On 17 September 1982, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, Mr. Hun Sen, addressed a telegram [A/37/48/, annex] to the President of the thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly and to the Secretary-General demanding the restoration of Kampuchea's seat in the United Nations to the People's Republic of Kampu- chea, a request which had the full backing of the German Democratic Republic. 18. Laws and facts reaffirm that the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea is the sole authentic and competent representative of Kampu: chea. That Government was created as a result of democratic elections, and it firmly and irreversibly holds t~e reins of power in the country. The People's Republic of Kampuchea is effectively handling all internal and external affairs of the country. The positive contributions made by the People's Republic of Kampuchea towards the strengthening of peace and stability in South-East Asia are particularly appreciated in the German Democratic Republic. Kampuchea's seat in the United Nations belongs to the Govern- ment of the People's Republic. Only representatives appointed by that Government are entitled to represent the country in the l aited Nations. No question what- soever relating to Kampuchea can be adopted .without it or, still less, against it in any international body. 20. For the above reasons the delegation of the German Democratic Republic fully supports the amendment which has been submitted and will cast an affirmative vote on it. 2~. The Mongolian delegation believes that the presence at the United Nations of a group of persons de facto usurping the right to represent the Kampu- chean people radically contradicts the spirit and prin- ciples of the Charter. Their presence is totally unlaw- ful, because neither legally nor in terms of statehood is there any so-called "Democratic Kampuchea". The presence in the United Nations of those persons is highly immoral, because it desecrates t.he memory of more than 3 million Kampllcheans annihilated by the genocidal Pol Pot regime. 29. The political farce recently played out in the establishment of the so-called "Coalition Govern- ment" of Democratic Kampuchea in no way alters the unlawful nature of the presence at the United Nations ofpersons who have betrayed the fundamental interests of Kampuchea's people. Everybody knows that that coalition, which is headed by agents of Pol Pot, has no support whatsoever from the Kampuchean people, but is merely a fa!;ade for the attempts of hostile forces to prevent the building of a new life fQr the people of Kampuchea and the restoration of peace and stability in South-East Asia. 30. The Mongolian delegation considers that the sole legitimate representative of Kampuchea at the United Nations can and must be the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, since it has total .control over the whole country. The Mongolian delega- tion fully supports the position of the People's Repub- lic of Kampuchea as set out in the telegram sent by that country's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hun Sen, to the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General on 17 September this year. We also subscribe to the basic views of the International Asso- ciation of Democratic Lawyers, contained in its memorandum dated 15 September 1982 [A/37/549, annex] on the representation of Kampuchea in the General Assembly. We are convinced that the deci- sion to give Kampuchea's seat to its lawful repre- sentative, the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, would be the only one that was just and in accordance with the will of the Kampuchean people and the requirements of the Charter. On that basis, our delegation fully supports the amendment sub- mitted and will vote in favour of it.

My delegation has two observations to make with regard to the report of the Credentials Committee. First, the General Assembly 36. The Government and people of India are deeply shocked by these tragic events. It is our conviction that an even bigger tragedy in West Asia cannot be averted unless the people of Palestine, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization, are enabled to exercise their right of self-determination and have a State of their own in Palestine, and Israel vacates all Arab territories, including Jerusalem, occupied since 1967. I should like to place on record India's historic and consistent support for the people of Palestine and the Arab cause.

The delega- tion of the Byelorussian SSR, together with m... Jy other delegations of States Members'of the United Nations, in systematically and firmly striving for an urgent solution to the question of the just representa- tion of Kampuchea in the United Nations, comes oUt resolutely in favour of the immediate expulsion from the United Nations of persons claiming that they 4M. A vote against the credentials of Democratic ~ Kampuchea would give the force of legality to an act of aggression and invasion that my delegation, like those of many other countries, has rejected. For that reason my delegation will vote in favour of the report of the Credentials Committee, thus preserving· the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 49. Mr. KAMANDA WA KAMANDA (Zaire) (inter- pretation from French): The closer we come to the twenty-first century, the more it seems-as an eminent contemporary thinker put it-that the triple zeros of the year 2000 that we are approaching enunciate three 56. For those reasons, the delegation of Zaire will vote in favour of the recommendation of the Cre- dentials Committee. We welcome the constitution of the Government of National Union of Democratic Kampuchea, presided over by His Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, an eminent political figure who is internationally recognized and respected and a militant, early champion ofthe non-aligned movement.

As one of your many friends and admirers in this house, Mr. President, may I begin by expressing to you my great personal pleasure at seeing you occupying your high office and by wishing you a very successful tenure during the thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly. 58. I shOUld lIke to take a tew moments to sum up the debate on the credentials of Democratic Kampu- chea, on behalf of the delegations of the Association of South-East Asian Nations [ASEAN]. 59. I begin by asking the question: Are the cre- dentials of the delegation of Democratic Kampuchea in compliance with rule 27 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly? According to the first report of the Credentials Committee, the credentials of the delega- tion ofDemocratic Kampuchea are in compliance with rule 27. 60. We have before us, however, an amendment the effect of which is to ask the Assembly not to approve the crt:dentials of the delegation of Demo- cratic Kampuchea. What grounds have been adduced by the co-sponsors of that amendment and their sup- porters? They have adduced four grounds on which to support their case. 61. Permit me to identify the four grounds which have been adduced by the sponsors and supporters of the amendment and to reply briefly to eac31 of those four grounds. 62. According to the first ground, the Assembly should not approve the credentials ofthe delegation of Democratic Kampuchea because the Government of Democratic Kampuchea was overthrown by the people of that country. My reply to this first argument is that, as a matter of historical record, it is not true that the Government of Democratic Kampuchea was overthrown by its own people. It is a matter of historical fact that on 25 December 1978 Kampuchea was invaded by more than 100,000 Vietnamese troops. This massive armed invasion compelled the Govern- ment of Democratic Kampuchea to vacate the capital and to carry out its resistance to the invading force from the countryside. 63. In recent months a very important development has taken place with respect to the Government of Democratic Kampuchea. The important fact is that the Government of Pemocratic Kampuchea was expanded into a Coalition Government to include all the patriotic elements resisting the occupation of their country by Viet Nam. fhe Coalition Governmevtnow includes Prince Norodom Sihanouk and his followers 65. The second ground on which the sponsors of the amendment have urged the Assembly not to approve the credentials of Democratic Kampuchea is that there is another Government, namely, the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, which has a better claim to Kampuchea's seat if! the United Nations. It is claimed by them that the People's Republic of Kampuchea is in effective control of the entire territory of Kampuchea. It is also claimed by them that in the areas under the control of the Phnom Penh regime social and economic conditions have improved. 66. Above hU, it is not true that the whole of the territory of Kampuchea is under the control of the Phnom Penh regime. As Prince Norodom Sihanouk, President of Democratic Kampuchea, informed us at the preceding meeting, the nationalist forces are carrying on their armed struggle against Viet Nam in many different parts of their country. 67. Furthermore, even if it were true that the Phnom Penh regime controlled more territory than the resistance forces, the normal rule under international law of recognizing a Government if it is in effective control of territory is not applicable when that country is under foreign military occupation. I remind the Assembly that during the Second World War many of the countries of Western Europe were occupied by N_azi Germany. The Governments af those· countries fled abroad and established themselves in exile. Although the Governments in exile were not in effective control of their territories, they were never- theless recognized by -he rest of the world. 68. It has also been said that m those parts ofKampu- chea under the control of Heng Samrin social and economic conditions have improved. My response to this argument is twofold. 69. On the one hand, mUCh of the all'~ged im- provement is due to international humanitarian efforts. The Assembly will remember that during the past two years the international community has channelled aid and assistance ofmore than $500 million to rescue the Kampuchean people from famine, from disease and from other forms of deprivation. If social and economic conditions in those parts of the territory of Kampuchea under the occupation of the Heng Ctu~stion of the credentials of Democratic Kampu- chea is, of course, important on its own merits. But it is also important because of the underlying issue presented by this. I want to clarify what I consider to be the underlying issue. 76. The defence of the right 'if Democratic Kampu- chea to maintain its seat in the United Nations has become coterminous with the defence ofcertain funda- mental principles of th.... Charter. It has become coterminous with our defence of the right of a small country to maintain its independence, its sovereignty, !ts ter..itorial integrity. It has become coterminous with our defence of the principle of the non-use of force in international relations, with the principle of non-ir-erference in the internal affairs of other States. It ;~as become coterminous with the right of small countries to live in freedom and dignity, free from coercion and aggression by their militarily powerful neighbours. 77. For these reasons, I appeal to the Assembly to support us, the ASEAN delegations, by voting against the amendment. 78. Mr. TREIKI (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (inter- pret!ltionfrom Arabic): On behalfofthe Group ofArab, States, having read the first report-of the Credentials Committee, which contains a recommendation on the acceptance of the credentials of a number of delega- tions, among them tile hraeli delegation, I shcmld like to place on record the reservations of the Arab delegations, in addition to those of a number of other delegations, with regard to the acceptance of the cre- dentials of the delegation of the Zionist entity. In doing so we are acting within the framework of the 85. Fifthly, we would like to stress that Israel denies totally the conditions under which it was accepted as a Member c.[ the United Nations, under re80lution 273 (Ill) of 11 M:ay 1949. 86. Sixthly, Israel has refused to implement Security CO'Jncil resolutions concerning the Palestinian cause, ip. contravention of Article 25 of the Charter. 87. Seventhly, Israel has refused to implement General Assembly resolutions concerning the Pales- tinian cause, in contravention of the Charter. 88. Eighthly, Israel has not implemented Security Council resolution 509 (1982) of 6 June 1982, which demands that Israel withdraw all its military forces forthwith and unconditionally to the internatibnally 90. TenthlY, Israel has become the apostle of a theory based on Fascist ~acism. The United Nations, in resolution 3379 (XXX) of 10 November 1975, asserted that zionism was a form of racial discrimi- nation. 91. Eleventhly, Israel continues flagrantly to violate human rights in the occupied Arab territories and Palestine. It is guilty of false administrative and legislative practices which include in particular the creation of settlements in the occupied Arab territories and in thp confiscated territories as well as the settle- ment of foreigners, who are then armed so that they can carry out acts of violence against the native inhabitants and expel them. Israel has also evicted the original inhabitantf., dispersing them, confiscating their goods and depriving them of their properties. It has imposed collective punishment on them. It has tortured them, suppressed their freedom and their religious practices and exploited their natural re- sources, even going so far as to usurp these, as indi- cated by the report of the Special Committee to Inves- tigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories [A{37{ 485]. All these practices are violations of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 19492 and of the principles of international law. 92. Twelfthly, the Zionist entity has pursued sys- tematically and persistently an aggressive. expan- siomist, terrorist policy which it justifies sometimes on the pretext of its religious rights and other times on the pretext of its security, which has led it to occupy Arab territory through the use of force-a practice that is rejected in all international relations and also by the United Nations. That entity was not satisfied by aggressive activities against the people in occupied Palestine. It extended its acts ofaggression to neighbouring Arab countries, as evidenced by its attack on the Iraq: reactor in Baghdad and its con- tinuous acts of aggression against Lebanese sover- eignty and territorial integrity, including the invasion and occupation of part of Lebanon, as far as its capital, and the destruction of Lebanese villages, cities and towns. There was also the massacre of Lebanese civilians carried out while committing genocide against the Palestinian civilian inhabitants of Lebanon in order to liquidate the Palestinian cause by the physical liquidation of the Palestinian people as a whole-children, women and the elderly alike. 93. The leaders in those actions are a gang of ter- rorists and killers, headed by the terrorists Begin, Sharon and Shamir, each of whom has a IOr.2 record of terrorism and bloodshed It is indeed ironical that the terrorist Begin, the head of the gang which carried out the massacre of Deir Yassin and who personaHy undertook the killing of children, should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. That makes it an award for terrorism and killing; and it does no honour to those who have already received the Prize to have Begin among their number. There in ample ju~tification 95. These incessant violations of the Charter and the decisions of the United Nations, as well as intern&- tional law, would never have continued had it not been for the unlimited support given this Zionist entity by a super-Power that is a perIT,nent member of the Security Council, namely thi:: United States of America. 96. We believe that the hostile Unit~d States policy is caused by the fact that American society itself is a victim, like the Arabs, of international zio~!~m. Zionist organizations intervene in political life in the United States through the Zionist lobby, which uses every immoral method available to control and pressure decision makers in 'he United States and to make them serve the interests of the Zionist entity even when those interests conflict with the interests of the United Slates. I would point out to the As- sembly that the United States Administration now puts the Zionist entity on one side of the scales and the rest of the world on the other. 97. The terrorism practised by the Zionist lobby inside the United States ofAmerica and the domination of this terrible lobby of the information media, con- ~titute a real danger to the liberties anc freedom of the American citizen, as well as to human rights within the United States itself. This octopus of ter- rorism has been embodied in a campaign of distortion which aims at silencing any opposing voices within American society trying to defend their country and people, and as a resutt many honest people have fallen victim to this octopus. I am thinking in par- ticular of former Vice-President Agnew, Gener~ Brown, the former Joint Chief of Staff, and Senator Fulbright, the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and thousands of other honour:" able United States citiz~ns. ' 98. Unfortunately, Zionist terrorism invokes an out- moded theory, what they term anti-semitism. We,as Arabs, are Semltes and we, more than others, are able. to understand this. We feel that it is high time for the world to put an end to this terrorism and redefine,anti~ semitism, because this is in fact the policy that is being practised by Israel to terrorize the Palestinian people and the American people. It is high time for,the international community, either throngh the General ' Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights, or the International Court of Justice, to adopt legisla~ion preventing Zionists frem using this pretext to termrize people. The perpetration by the Zionists of genocide against the Se ", penple of Palestine deprives them 101. We have all witnessed the hysteria and the unbalanced reactions of the officials of the United States Administration concerning the rejection of the credentials of the Israeli I ,'esentatives. We see threats and blackmail, as i~ .he United States had really become subject to the Zionist entity; this can only constitute an insult to the great American people themselves. 102. The officials of the United States Administra- tion, in justifying this position, said that they believed in the universality of the Organization and the right of all peoples to be represented therein. We wish to ask the United States Administration: Do not the Palestinian people constitute a people like all others? Do they not have the right to be a Member of the United Nations? What logic is there in the presence in the United Nations of a gang that is occupying Palestine, while the Palestinian people themselves do not have the same right? Is this the universality of the Organization? 103. The United States Administration should be the last to talk about the universality of the Organi- zation, eSi-,~~ia!ly since for a quarter of a century it prevented the People's Repubiic of China, with over a q~arl:er of the world's population, from obtaining its seat as a Member of the United Nations. This is the logic of the American Administration in speaking of the universality of the Organizrtion. 104. The threat of the United States of America to withdraw from the United Nations and to discontinue its contributions to the United Nations is indeed evidence that proves the forecast and expectation of the Secretary-General when he prepared his report. It is" also further evidence of a need to revise the Charter, because the international community cannot agree to live with threats and blackmail. If the United Nations cannot exist without the presence of a certain State, then it would be better that it should die rather than remain paralysed by threats and blackmail. 105. It is high time seriously to consider the status of any Member proved not to be peace-loving. We should undertake serious action to revise the status of any M.;mbetwhich does not respect the Charter or carry 107. We shall closely watch the behaviour of the Zionist entity, and we regard these reservations as a warning to it. If it continues its occupation of Lebanon and the other occupied Arab territories and if it con- tinues to refuse to enable the Palestinian people to exercise its right to self-determination and to crp.ate an independent State in its homeland, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, it will become neces- sary in future to adopt a decision to expel it from the United Nations. The Arab group will in future submit an agenda item to this effect if it deems that neces- sary. 108. On the basis of what I have said abouL Israeli practices, a number of delegations of countries in solidarity with the Arab group have put on record in writing their reservations on the credentials of the Israeli'delegation. These reservations appear in the letter of 22 October 1982 addressed to the President of the General Assembly [A/37/563 and Add./]. Before re&ding out the list ofthose countries, I appeal te other States to put on record their collective reservations. The countries in the aforementioned document are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bulgaria, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, China, Comoros, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Democratic Yemen, Djibouti, German Democratic Republic, Guinea, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian Soliet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam, Yemen and Gambia.

For reasons connected essentially with difficulties ofcommunication between my country and New York, my delegation was unable to sub- scribe in due time to document A/37/563 of 22 Octo- ber 1982, containing reservations originally formli~ated by 43 delegations in connection with the credentials of the representatives ofIsrael. However, faithful to the consistent policy followed by Madaga~::-<!.r in respect of both the situatio" in the Middle East and the Palestine question, :,,1/ delegation states on behalf of its Government that in the present state of affairs it associates itself with the nine-point reservations of the 43 Member States [ibid.]. 110. We cannot in fact accept that a Member of the United Nations should deliberately and with impunity, flagrantly and continuously, violate the principles of international law and the Charter ofthe United Nations or that, having been created and admitted into the lIS. In this verse God requires of all Moslems-in fact, of all believers in truth and righteousness-that they stand against tyranny, aggression and injustice. This is God's dictum. 116. Today is a very important day, because after 35 years a seriC'k decision is to be made for the first time. There are excuses, many excuses; there are problems, many problems. Some have to consult their embassies. We believe that. But we also believe that when the principles offaith show the way straight forward there is no room for hesitation. We must not ignore the commands of Allah. I hope that we shall not be allowed to ignore them. 117. My delegation has stated its position in the Assembly with regard to Israel's credentials. We have done so at this session and at other sessions. We regret that this year the Islamic States did not reach a united position on the issue and that as a result they decided simply to explain their reservations about the matter. We shall also explain and declare our reserva- tion, which is simply that we do not approve. We do not believe that a forgery, an illegitimate State, should be here. We know all the compromises, all the partterns of diplomacy, but in spite of all that 120. Therefore, by next year the question of Israel's credentials may even become irrelevant. That must not be allowed to happen. All those who believe in the inalienable rights of the Palestinians should fight any attempt to trample upon those rights, even if such attempts are made by some Moslem countries. No one must be allowed to pour cold water on the Palestinian cause, particularly when it is not simply a national cause. It is a religious cause; it is not simply an Arabic cause. This is not a matter of linguistics. It is a religious matter. 121. Regrettably, some States have taken very seriously the American bluff of threatened withdrawal from the General Assembly. We do not believe that the United States would carry out its threat, but we believe that even if it did, just a few Moslem coun- tries could meet the challenge and pay for the deficits that withdrawal of the great Satan might bring to the United Nations. 122. Upon the instructions of my Government, my delegation is presenting the idea here and declaring that we are ready to pay our sharf;-more than our share. A draft to this effect will sooI.1 be submitted to other Moslem nations, and I hope that they will sup- port us. I have already been supported by the delega- tion of Libya. 123. My statement will be very brief. We do not need to go into the rhetorical aspects. We have had enough of them, 124. As for the credentials of Isra~l, I should like to reiterate something that everYbody knows vety we ~l. First, Israel is essentially an illegitimate State; it is a forgery of imperialist forces, imposed upon us in the area and upon the United Nations. Secondly, Israel has illegally chaD~ed its capital from Tel Aviv to AI- Quds, a sacred place. Thirdly, Israel does not repre- sent the people residing in the territories occupie~ ty the Zionists and then called Israel. Fourthly, the United Nations, at its seventh emergency special session, decided that Israel was not a peace-loving State. And that decision was taken a long time ago, before the carnage in Lebanon. Representatives have heard the painful story ofthat bloodshed and massacre. Fifthly, Israel has openly and blatantly ignored the Geneva Convention relative to the Protectnon of 152. My delegation wishes to make it clear that the fact that Pakistan has not raised formal objection to the credentials of the delegation representing Afghanistan should in no way be interpreted as recog- nition of the regime in Kabul or as acquiescence in the continuing foreign military presence in that country.

Again this year the United States supports the credentials of Democratic Kampuchea on tech- 157. On 30 September last, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, in addressing the Assembly put succinctly Kampuchea's plea to the United Nations: "We ask but restoration of our national sover- eignty and our territorial integrity; and once that is achieved, we solemnly commit ourselves to living in perfect peaceful coexistence with all our neigh- bours-and first amongst them Viet Nam-as with all other countries which respect us, no matter what their political and social systems may be. 166. As we see it, we must not only respect the I sacred principle of non-interference in the internal' affairs of States, but also ensure the viability of the United Nations itself, because its viability is at risk when it recognizes a non-existent State. 167. In any event, we believe that the position taken by the non-aligned movement in declaring vacant the seat of Kampuchea reflects a much wiser decision. We also believe that we should continue to make efforts to achieve a lasting peace in South-East Asia 176. The Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea is the logical outcome of the long struggle of the people of Kampuchea against a regime which, being dominated by the satanic clique of Pol Pot, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan, had embarked upon the course of mass annihilation of their own people. The atrocities committed by the Pol Pot gang exemplify the most horrendous fate to which a nation has ever been condemned by i~s own "leaders". The estab- lished facts about the mass murder of more than 3 million innocent Kampuchean men, women and children testify, beyond any doubt, to the reasons for the national upheaval that toppled the reign of terror. Therefore it is more than ironic to regard the individuals present in the Assembly as the representa- tives of the Kampuchean people. 177. It is indeed a betrayal of the Kampuchean people to regard as their representatives their very killers. It is regrettable that, despite the strong ob- jections of the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, the seat of Kampuchea in the As- sembly is still being illegally occupied by an entity that has no place in Kampuchea. The establishment of the new tripartite coalition government, in our view, is nothing but an attempt to cover up the bloody faces of the Pol Pot gang. It has not changed and cannot change the determination of the people of Kampuchea, who reject any kind of Government that is a tool in the hands of imperialism and hegemonism. 178. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan strongly supports the proposal of the Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea that until the lawful rights of that Government are restored the individuals claiming to represent Kampuchea should be expelled from the Assembly. 179. For those reasons, my delegation will support the amendment, contained in document A/37/L.8 and Add.l, to the text of the report of the Credentials Committee. 180. I should also like to express the reservations of my delegation regarding paragraphs 10 and 13 of the report of the Credentials Committee. We also reject ••After the President has announced the beginning of voting, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order in connection with the actual conduct of the voting. The Presi- dent may permit members to explain their votes either before or after the voting, except when the vote is taken by secret ballot. The President may limit the time to be allowed for such explanations. The President shall not permit the proposer of a proposal or of an amendment to explain his vote on his own proposal or amendment." I think that rule 88 is indeed being complied with 3n the present case. 193. I call on the representative of Singapore on a point of order. 194. Mr. KOH (Singapore): The representative of Spain is right-unfortunately for me, because it was I, Mr. President, who led you and the Assembly into error. 195. What the representative of Spain is saying is that under rule 88 once the process of voting has begun it cannot be interrupted. In other words, the Assembly cannot vote on one amendment and then suspend or adjourn the meeting and resume the voting at the next meeting. Once the Assembly has started voting on one amendment, it has to carry on until it ,has.completed the process of voting. 196: I repeat that Mr. de Pinies is, unfortunately for me, right. My error was that I referred the Presi- dent to rule 78, which says that normally a proposal or amendment should be circulated in writing and should be available to delegations for at least 24 hours before a vote is taken. But this is a rule which can be waived by the President. Indeed, it says "The Presi- dent may. however, permit the . . . consideration of amendments . ., even though such amendments . . . have only been circulated the same day" . 197. If you are a strict constructidnist, Mr. Presi- dent. and you wish the Assembly to comply strictly , with rule 88, then what we have to do is to waive the 24-hourrequirement of rule 78 in respect of the amendment of Iran. We can then comply strictly with rule 88'by voting first on the amendment con- tained in document A/37/L.8 and Add.l and then on the amendment proposed orally by Iran. 198. So if it would help you, Mr. President, I shall w,thdraw my earlier request, which I made under rule 78, for the written circulation of the amendment 206. In the present case, it is my understanding that the Assembly has already accepted the President's proposal that the General Assembly proceed to dis- pose completely of the amendment contained in document A/37/L.8 and Add.l, and that tomorrow it dispose of the other amendment in the light of the application of the 24-hours rule. I do not believe there is anything inherently illegal in this and, in any

The Assembly will now vote on the draft amendment in document A/37/L.8 and Add.l. A recorded vote has been requested.