A/37/PV.78 General Assembly

If there is no objection, the list of speakers in the debate on this item will be closed at 12 noon today.

For nearly three years, the United Nations has been seized of the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for inter- national· peace and security. 3. The Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in December 1979 constituted a serious violation ofthe fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of the norms of inter-St~terelations. The international community responded immediately, and the matter was discussed at the sixth emergency special session, in January 1980. Resolution ES-6/2, adopted on that occasion, issued an unambiguous call for the immediate, unconditional and total withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. 4. Subsequently, at its thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth sessions, the General Assembly adopted resolutions 35/37 and 36/34, which reaffirmed the principles and objectives mentioned in resolution ES-6/2 and spelt out the measures for a political solution of the problem. Resolution 36/34 was supported by 116 States, providing evidence that the international community was virtually unanimous in demanding the effective application ofthe fundamental principles ofthe Charter to the situation in Afghanistan. 5. In addition to the United Nations, the Organiza- tion of the Islamic Conference has, at the level of Heads of State and Government and at the level of Foreign Ministers, repeatedly called for a solution based on those principles. The most recent instance was the resolution adopted at the thirteenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, held at Niamey from 22 to 26 August ·this year [see A1371567. annex /. resolution No.JJ113-Pl. 13. The crux of the Afghanistan crisis is the viola- tion of a sacrosanct principle of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. The concern of the intemational community over the violation of the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan, whose neutrality and non-alignment survived more than a century of imperialist onslaughts, has been expressed in clear and emphatic terms. This has been repeatedly manifested in the unequivocal demand made at the United Nations and other important international 6. The same principles have been endorsed by the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, and the Foreign Ministers of the non-aligned countries reaffirmed their position at the Ministerial Meeting ofthe Co-ordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Countries, held at Havana from 31 May to 5 June this year. NEW YORK 14. The argument that the foreign military inter- vention in Afghanistan was necessary to defend that country from outside threat ignores the time-honoured tradition ofindependence ofthe people ofAfghanistan, who never needed foreign soldiers on their soil to defend the freedom oftheir country. Equally untenable is the contention that foreign troops came at the invitation of the Kabul Government. It is an indisput- able fact that the established Government was itself overthrown as a result. 15. A most serious dimension. of the Afghanistan tragedy, which directly affects us as a neighbour, is the colossal problem of the Afghan refugees who have been forced to flee their country in search of safety. In Pakistan alone, the number of this vast mass of displaced humanity has reached nearly 3 million, representing almost one fifth of the population of Afghanistan. Those who refuse to admit the gravity of the situation inside Afghanistan need only be re- minded that, in the words of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Afghan refugees constitute the single largest community of refugees in the world. Obviously, people do not leave their hearths and homes unless they are forced to do so by intolerable conditions in their own country. 16. The Afghanistan crisis has created serious secu- rity, economic and social problems for Pakistan. The presence ofnearly 3 million Afghan refugees has placed an enormous financial burden on our limited re- sources. Nevertheless, we have accepted, as our humanitarian and Islamic duty, the responsibility of providing these afflicted people with shelter and basic necessities of life, The generous help received from friendly countries and international humanitarian organizations, particulary the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] and the International Red Cross, is a valuable con- tribution which we deeply appreciate. 17. The presence of foreign military forces in Afghanistan and the resistance offered by the Afghan mujllhidin have resulted in the continuing hillux of Afghan refugees into Pakistan. The presence of these refugees in the border areas has been used as an excuse for baseless allegations that Pakistan's territory is being used for mounting subversive activity inside Afghanistan. These allegations are totally without foundation. The refugee camps are regularly visited by the officials of UNHCR and other international humanitarian agencies and are open to impartial international observers who may wish to ascertain the facts for themselves. 18. Pakistan's frontier with Afghanistan stretches over 1,400 miles of rugged mountainous terrain. The influx of large numbers of refugees across this terrain into Pakistan and the intensity of the conflict inside Afghanistan have created an extremely difficult situa- tion for Pakistan. There have been frequent violations of our international border, which have been regularly brought to the attention of the Security Council and the General Assembly. peace" 32. What has happened in Afghanistan since the 26. It is an honour and a privilege for me to introduce, April 1978 natioqal democratic revolution, which put on behalf of 45 Member States, draft resolution A/37/ an end to the despotic Daoud's regime and the feudal L.38. The draft resolution underlines once again the system of brutal oppression and exploitation, is totally concern of the General Assembly over the grave situa- and exclusively an internal matter and is entirely tion in Afghanistan and its determination to seek an within the domestic jurisdiction of the Government of early political settlement on the basis of the un- the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The Afghan exceptionable principles enunciated by the General people itself has made its historic choice once and Assembly in previous years. Such a political settle- for all, and nobody, including the Assembly, can dictate ment must ensure that the Afghan people are once to the proud Afghan nation what kind of political again masters of their own destiny and free to manage and social system it must have and how it should their affairs in accordance with their national aspira- run its affairs. tions and values. In this context, the draft resolution reaffirms the same principles as were embodied in 33. It is our conviction that those quarters which General Assembly resolutions ES-6/2, 35/37 and 36/34. have imposed this discussion on the General Assembly The draft resolution further expresses appreciation of will bear full responsibility for wasting the time the constructive steps taken by the Secretary-General of more than 150 delegations and for diverting their to find a solution to the problem and requests him attention from such burning issues as preventing to continue those efforts. nuclear catastrophe, strengthening international peace and security, curbing 'the arms race and combating 27. In dealing with the humanitarian aspects of the Israeli aggression against the Arab nation, from the Afghanistan situation, the draft resolution renews the search through collective efforts for a just and com- appeal of the General Assembly to all States and pr.ehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict, national and international organizations to continue to including the exercise by the long-suffering Arab peo- extend humanitarian relief assistance with a view to pie of Palestine of their inalienable right to their home- alleviating the hardship of the Afghan refugees. land, and from overcoming the economic backward- Finally, the draft resolution seeks to ensure that the ness of the greater part of the world and establishing United Nations remains seized of the grave situation a new international economic order based on truly in Afghanistan and requests the Secretary-General democratic principles of equality and justice. to keep Member States and the Security Council con- currently informed of the progress towards the imple- 34. It has also become evident now that certain mentation of its provisions. imperialist quarters which are instigating the anti- Afghan campaign are impudently exploiting the so- 28. As in the case of past resolutions, the present called Afghan question as a false pretext for their draft resolution is yet another sincere effort in the well-known imperial aspirations in South-West Asia, interest of a peaceful political settlement of the The Middle East, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Afghanistan crisis on a just and comprehensive basis. It avoids polemics an.d focuses on the principles which 35. Since the Western propaganda machinery has must be respected in order to resolve the crisis, compiled mountains of lies about the situation in and bring to an end the sufferings of the freedom-loving around my country, I deem it necessary to inform people of Afghanistan and allay the deeply felt regional representatives about the actual state of affairs. and global concerns. 36. The April 1978 national democratic revolution 29. It is our hope that the international community was a natural consequence of the development of will once again lend its powerful support to this draft internal social and economic factors. It was a response resolution, underlining its commitment to the fun- to the growing historical discontent and indignation of <!amental principles of the Charter of the United the broadest social forces-the working people, the Nations and to world' peace. Such support will carry intelligentsia,progressive officers and soldiers, tribes, the clear message that the international community ethnic groups and nationalities-at the reactionary and cannot acquiesce in repression and reliance on force selfish policies of anti-people regimes. and that it cannot relent in its demand for a just 37. According to estimates made by United Nations .political settlement of the Afghanistan problem, based experts, during the monarchy the per capita income in -on respect for international law and the Charter, Afghanistan was about $100 a year, and during Daoud's which remains the foremost prerequisite for peace and Hroyal republic" it dropped to $76 a year, which stability in the region. was one of the lowest in the world. In the country- 30. Mr. ZARIF (Afghanistan): It is to our profound side there were still feudal and semi-feudal conditions, _regret and dissatisfaction that this body, the General such as had existed 100 or 200 years earlier. The life ei~ht per "cent of the population was illiterate; there was one doctQr per 160,000 persons and one hospital bed per 49,800 patients. The broad masses of the Afghan population knew nothing of electricity, sanita- tion, water supply or sewer systems. The infant and child mortality rate was hQrrifying, and life expectancy did not exceed 40 years. Such, in brief, were the economic and social conditions in pre-revolutionary Afghanistan. 38. The April 1978 revolution was the historical suc- cessor to the long struggle waged by the patriots of Afghanistan for a better, a happy future. T~ie demo- cratic movement in Afghanistan can be traced as far back as the last quarter of the nineteenth century. All that is living testimony to the existence of the great historical need ofour people for genuine and all- round progress. 39. The present national democratic system and Government of Afghanistan evolved as a result of the heroic, persistent, 18-year struggle of the Afghan people under the leadership of the People's Demo- cratic Party of Afghanistan, now headed by that out- standing politician of international repute, Comrade Babrak Karmal. Re has a brilliant record of fighting for the interests of the Afghan people; he was im- prisoned several times for advocating his people's cause and, in spite of constant persecution by the despotic regimes, was twice elected to the National Assembly of the country. Right after the revolution, he was appointed Vice-President of the Revolutionary Council and Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which was officially recog- nized by all the countries of the world. 40. As to the goals of the April 1978 revolution, I wish to quote a part of a statement made by Babrak Karmal, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan and President of the Revolutionary Council of the Demo- cratic Republic of Afghanistan, during ene of his many tours of the country. While in Renat province, he described the main objectives of the April revolu- tion as follows: uThe April revolution, which gained victory through the efforts of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan and owing to the will of the people and with their support, proclaimed the prin- ciples of equality and justice. "In the name of this very great and noble aim of ours, we came out for the realization of deep socio-economic transformation in the interest of the toiling masses of Afghanistan. We want our beloved country., revolutionary Afghanistan, to be la power- ful and blossoming country; we want our people to enjoy the needed moral and material wealth so that no one shall suffer any despair or insult, and so that justice is turned into an unchangeable and ccmstant law of life in our country. We want industries to grow in the cities of Afghanistan and the toiling peasants to be busy with their noble work on their plots of land in villages and towns in an atmosphere of peace and freedom. Our goal is to see that every Afghan possesses a shelter worthy of human life, liter~cy courses have been started. 45. Right now, as m.any as 632,500 people are busy acquiring literacy. In addition, 300,000 of our com- patriots have obtained certificates from literacy courses; by contrast, the total number of graduates from such courses over many years before the revolu- tion was only 5,265. 46. The social and economic changes which are under way in my country reflect, in general, the aspira- tions to abetter, progressive life, aspirations which cannot but be shared by the peoples of all the devel- oping ~ountries. 47. The revolutionary Government of the Demo- cratic Republic of Afghanistan is enjoying ever greater support from all strata of the population; the political 49. In the very near future, a system of jirgah~, that is, assemblies, will be formed, from the village level up to the provincial level, in a free, democratic and traditional way, which will ensure in the best manner and the most democratic form the all-round and active participation of the masses in the task of State administration and in economic, social, political and cultural activities. The participation of the broad masses of the people in administering State affairs, which itself is the highest manifestation of demo- cratic leadership, is comprehensive, serious and extensive. 55. Despite the fatal and deadly blows dealt by the heroic armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan during the past year against couliler- revolutionary bands and the smashingoftheir hideouts, the armed incursions into the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the incessant dispatch of armed bandits from abroad, mainly from the territory of Pakistan, continue unabated. 56. The territory of Pakistan continues to remain the main springboard for the constant dispatch of bandit groups, which are being trained, armed and equipped in numerous camps and military centres. SO. Every day, more and more of our compatriots begin better to realize the real nature of the long- standing enemies of their prosperity and freedom -namely, imperialism, headed by United States im- perialism and Chinese hegemonism and other forces of reaction-and they join the ranks of the active defenders of the revolution. In this respect, it is worth citing the most recent example. On 30 October, 2,500 persons who, under the influence offalse enemy propaganda, had earlier joined the counter-revolu- tionary groups, surrendered to the Government authori- ties in the district of Mir Bachakot, Kabul province, and, with their arms, joined the revolutionary. defenders' groups. All of them were avaiHng them- selves of the general amnesty decree of 18 June 1981. They made it clear that they were surrendering in recognition of the reality of the April 1978 revolu- tion, the humanitarian policy of the Government and the futility of resistan~e against revolution: 57. According to accurate data, on Pakistani ter- ritory alone there are at present 80 camps and military centres for training mercenaries and bandits. In these camps and centres, up to 8,000 bandits undergo mili- tary training. Si~ce the period of such training is up to five months, in the course of a year .these centres can train and prepare up to 20,000 bandits. According to reliable information, instruction in terrorism and manslaughter is being given by American, Chinese and Pakistani instructors. 58. Gangs of bandits are instructed to create an atmosphere of terror in the country. Violating all norms and standards of human and Islamic conduct, they km people, burn them alive, skin' them and . hack them into pieces, they burn granaries and schools, thereby attempting to prevent consolidation of the revolution and thus to implement the sinister schemes of their masters. 51. Wais, a former member of the counter-rev0Iu- tionary band, said when inte. viewed by the Bakhtar Information Agency on 6 November 1982: 59. I should like to cite the testimony of Aminullah, a resident of' the village of Keral, Kunar province, who, once deceived by false propaganda, left for Pakistan and enlisted in one of the training centres. He said: "After fighting for two to three years, I under- stand that our Government, led by beloved Karmal, stands for the honour of the poor people and that, on the contrary, the leaders of the so-called Islamic -Party' are tricking us. They live in comfortable houses, but the poor peoole are dying in the mountains and deserts. Enough of this, we want peace for our homeland and we want to serve it." 52. Thousands of our deceived compatriots, in- cluding those staying abroad, are realizing the right- eousness of the revolution and are returning to their homes and v.1llages in response to the compas- sionate call of the homeland, expressed in Babrak KarmaJ's message of 25 August 1982. Their numbfll' -would be even greater were it not for the hindrances 60. Wahid, a former member of a counter-revolu- tionary band, publicly. confessed in an interview with the Bakhtar Agency on 15 November this year, saying: "Before those groups are sent to Afghanistan, they are told by the advisers and leaders of.the bandits that anyone who will kiIJ such-and-such a Government nfficial will be awarded $500 to $1,000. The armed groups were told by American advisers to set fire first and foremost to the mosques in order to discredit the party and the Government of Afghanistan." ho~t5es, roads and Government buildings. "We are the first witnesses and executors of cruel murders of people by this traitorous and criminal band. This band forces the people to provide food and lodging facilities for them. They resort ~o propaganda activities against the Govern- ment and the revolution, and they prevent the residents of remote areas from listening to the radio and reading the Government papers:' 61. I am going to cite only a few figures, which illustrate the so-called ""holy war" waged by the so- called freedom fighters. They have destroyed 230lycees and secondary schools and 1,479elementary schools in Afghanistan, thus elir~~;Jatingthe possibility of education for about 150,000 schoolchildren. They have ruined or burnt to ashes 30 major hospitals and 106 medical centres. The damage caused by these acts alone amQunts to 1,128 million afghanis. 62. The real face of those who call themselves free- dom fighters is vividly exposed in a documentary book- let. The True Faces of the Afghan CoullIer-re"olu- tion. issued recently in Kabul. This booklet, together with ~.,me other relevant material, is being distributed in the General Assembly at the request of the Afghan delegation as an annex to this statement. Any reader of this booklet can easily find that the principal aim of these purported freedom fighters is to serve the imperialist interests, cause more bloodshed and thus make more pocket money. They do not care what this might cost the people of Afghanistan, who have recently thrown otT the chains of repression and begun to build a new life. 63. These highway robbers and mercenaries of imperialism have found good shelter in neighbouring Pakistan. As the Christian Science Monitor of 9 July 1982 wrote: "They enjoy considerable freedom, which in fact is rigorousiy denied to Pakistani parties under martial law". The Pakistani radio now and then, in its broadcasts in the Pashtu and Dari languages, announces the arrival in and departure from Peshawar of such and such ringleaders. Among those men- tioned in September and October of the current year alone were Khalis, Habibulla, Abdul Haq, Ahmad Shad, nicknamed Mas'oud, Zabihulla and others. 64. Bands equipped with ammunition and weapons are being poured into Afghanistan across the frontier areas. The so-called free-lance American journalist, Jere Van Dyk. who illegally penetrated into Afghani- stan alongside a guerilla band, wrote in The New York Times Magazine on 17 October 1982: "During the next eight hours, we passed a half- dozen Pakistani military checkpoints.... At one of the stops. the soldiers searched the trunk of the crrr; they must have seen the ammo, but they didn't say anything. The rest of the time they just peered at us and waved us ono" As to the source of the weaponry, Van Dyk also gives eyewitness· testimony in the same magazine: " ... just a few hours "efore my arrival [somewhere 71. While raising a hue and cry over so-called self- determination for the Afghan people, American public figures cynically and. shamelessly reveal their under- standing ofsuch ··self-determination". During hearings in the United States Senate, Mr. Paul Tsongas put a blunt question: "Who will come to power in Afghani- stan if the Soviets leave? Will American interests be served?" And he recommended that United States planners make the right choice from among the counter-revolutionary factions because, he went on to say: "for a small investment now, we stand to reap just rewards in the future". What could that reward be for the Americans in Afghanistan? I think no com- ment is needed on that. 72. While categorically rejecting all kinds of inter- ference in its domestic affairs, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, relying on the principles of peaceful coexistence, is ready to establish normal relations with all countries of the world, including the United States and other coun- tries engaged in anti-Afghan activities, provided they cease those activities. 73. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, whose general policy and poJiticalline are supported by the vast majority of the people of Afghanistan, needs the necessary international conditions for completing the realization of revolu- tionary transformation and for the successful fulfil- ment of all tasks in the present phase of the develop- ment of the country for the benefit of its toiling people. Therefore, the ensuring of lasting peace and tranquillity on the basis of settling the grave situation around Afghanistan, which results from the continuous armed and other interference in Afghanistan, first of all from the ~erritory of Pakistan, constitutes our ut- most desire and main goal. Such interventions and incursions are the primary and main causes of insta- bility and differences in our region. We are convinced that these problems could and should be tackled by peaceful means through- negotiations. Our approach to' the problem is _clearly reflected in our proposals of 15 May 19801 and 24 August 1981.2 Needless to say, any impartial analyst would find that those proposals are realistic and flexible enough to serve as a sound basis for a comprehensive settlement of the situation and the normalization of relations among countries of the region. Last year's developments have proved the correctness of this assertion. _74. The Geneva talks held through the good offices of Mr. Diego Cordovez were rather encouraging in the sense that the search for a negotiated settlement was taking the right direction. We assure the Sec- retary-General and his personal representative of our continued co-operation. 75. As far as the Democratic Republic of Afghani- stan is concerned, we have reiterated our willingness to meet them half-way in order to achieve an early comprehensive politicai settlement, and we are firmly convinced that only good will and political determina- tion are needed to solve existing differences. There is 80. The Afghan people are fighting for their own survival, but their struggle has a much broader meaning. If a small, relatively defenceless, non-alig- ned country like Afghanistan is allowed to be in- vaded, brutalized and subjugated, what other similarly vulnerable country can conceivably feel secure? If the fiercely independent and incredibly courageous people of Afghanistan are uprooted, ravaged and eventually subdued, the survival of other peo- ples--even those equaHy resilient-will be endangered. 81. The effort to subjugate the Afghan people and to impose upon them a form of alien tyranny has been marked by a degree of violence against the population that is exceeded in the recent past only by the tragedy of Kampuchea. The crimes against tion~ than the fact that the resistance forces remain intact and active throughout the country despite' the massive violence that the Soviets have used against them. In the Panjsher and Paghman regions, for example, the Soviets ,were able to establish footholds. as the mujllhidin melted into the hills. But as soon as the main invading force withdrew, the resistance over- ran the newly established Government outposts and regained control of those positions. Similarly, savage bombardments in the Shomali region temporarily drove the mujllhidill back from the main roads but in no way broke their organization. Even in the devastated city of Kandahar, the freedom fighters have been able to mount operations against the occupying forces, the most notable being a spectaculargaol-break and freeing of prisoners last August. Destroyed Soviet tanks and transport vehicles litter the roadsides throughout Afghanistan, testimony to the Soviet Union's con- tinuing inability to establish security in the country- side or control over the Afghan population. 91. The most glaring and revealing failure of the Soviet Union has been its inability to build the puppet regime's armed forces into effective units that could take over the brunt of the fighting. To date, it appears that no progress hag been made in this key area. Several.measures have recently been taken to over- come the critical manpower shortage in the Afghan army. These measures have so far proved fruitless. Not the toughest draft decree yet issued, nor in- discriminate arrests and beatings of those resisting conscription, nor incentive pay scales almost equal to sub-Cabinet salary levels for recruits, have produced the desired consequences. So futile have been these various measures that young men are again forcibly conscripted in house-to-house searches, and defec- tions, surrenders and desertions by Afghan soldiers led last summer to a net loss in military personnel. 92. The failure of the Soviets to break the resistance by military means and the self-evident fact that the Soviet aggressors and their Afghan proxies are rejected by the Afghan people have not caused the Soviets to relent in their desire ultimately to subjugate' the country. Instead, they show every sign ofpursuing a long-term strategy, looking, on the one hand, to the gradual wearing down of the resistance through attrition and, on the other, to the military, economic and social integration of Afghanistan into the Soviet empire. 93. The Soviets have already taken significant steps in this direction. They have consolidated their mili- tary, transport and communications infrastructure, '-including the expansion of existing airfields and the completion of the bridge across the Amu Darya river. They have tightened their grip on the strategic Wakhan corridor, which rests on Pakistan's northernmost border and links Afghanistan with China, and they have tied Afghanistan's economy tightly to thee,=on- omies of the Soviet bloc through a proliferation of economic and trade agreements. 94. Perhaps most significant is the Soviet effort to reshape Afghan culture and to replace the decimated - intellectual and middle classes ofAfghanistan with a new elite train~d in the Soviet mould. Thousands of 98. The ~orld ha.s not permitted this act of expan- sion and aggression to go unchallenged. It has re- jected the claim advanced by Soviet propaganda that it is only providing "fraternal assistance" to Af- ghanistan with its "limited military contingent". These words ominously echo assurances which were given to Afghanistan itself nearly 60 years ago when it protested the entry of Soviet troops into two of its neighbours, the independent Moslem States of Khiva and Bokhara. Let me quote from a letter which the Soviet Ambassador in Kabul sent to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 February 1922: •'Concerning the question of the independent status of Khiva and Bokhara, this has been provided for in the treaty agreed to and signed by the two governments of Russia and Afghanistan. The Government which I represent has always recog- th~ same justification and the same assurance with homeland. By adopting this draft resolution, the respect to its invasion of Afghanistan. It is useful, General Assembly will be impressing upon the Soviets therefore, to reflect upon the ultimate fate of Khiva the necessity to negotiate'an end to their misadventure. and Bokhara. Two years after the Soviet Ambassador Hopefully, this will speed the day when real negotia- gave his assurances to the Afghan Government, tions on a settlement can begin. the Soviet Union annexed Khiva and Bokhara. Their languages, Turkish and Persian, were abolished and 106. In this context, the United States wishes to replaced by pseudo-languages fabricated by Soviet express its appreciation to the Secretary-General linguists. These languages, Uzbek and Tadzhik, were for his effort to probe the opportunities for a settle- mere dialects of Turkish and Persian, but were ment which would implement the General Assembly transcribed, first into the Latin and later into the resolutions. We support those efforts and urge the Cyrillic script. Mosques were closed or changed into Soviets to co-operate with them. We also recognize, museums? and Koranic education was abolished. The as the Secretary-General said in his report to the surviving members of the local factions the Soviets Assembly, that ..time is of the essence". If the Soviet had supported with their invasion were executed on Union truly desires to negotiate, it must come for- charges of "bourgeois nationalist deviationism" and ward quickly, or the rest of the world wiJi be forced replaced by young bureaucrats trained in new Soviet to conclude that it has no serious interest in reaching a schools. settlement. , 100. Is history repeating itself today in the case of 107. The alternative to a negotiated settlement is a Afghanistan? If we are to judge from Soviet actions contipuation ofthe conflict, with far-reaching and long- to date, it is hard not to conclude that they intend lasting consequences for world peace. The Afghan that history shall repeat itself, ifnot through the formal people, unbowed and unbroken despite repeated and annexation of Afghanistan, then through its de facto relentless hammer blows, have shown that they will . absorption into the Sovietempire. And ifthis is allowed not submit to aggression-not now and not ever. They to happen, can anyone be reasonably assured that this have proved themselves to be a strong, proud, heroic will be the end of the process, that there are not future people. With our support and solidarity, they shall Khivas and Bokharas and Afghanistans that await a also once again become a sovereign and independent similar fate? people, permitted, as former United States President Harry Truman once said, to work out their own 101. It is not, therefore, simply moral considerations destiny in their own way. That is what they seek; and human solidarity that link us to the fate of the that is all that they seek. It is all that we, the States Afghan people. At stake in their struggle is respect Members of the United Nations, seek for them. for the principles of the United Nations Charter, the principles of the non-use of force, the principle of 108. Mr. NATH (India): The situation in and around respect for territorial integrity, national independence, Afghanistan has been engaging international attention and the political sovereignty of States. Without this for more than three years. There has been a lot of respect, world politics would succumb to anarchy and polemics, a lot of rhetoric and a plethora of resolu- domination by the most ruthless, expansionist tions, both here and elsewhere. And yet, none of those predator. has made any impact on the situation. It has not brought practical action to find a comprehensive ~~~Pe:,e cannot-we must not-permit this to political solution any nearer; far from it, since ideas and suggestions in that direction are just beginning to be 103. The Soviet leaders undoubtedly believed when explored. they launched their invasion of Afghanistan that they could deal with the international reaction by waiting 109. What have we achieved by acrimonious debate patiently for the world's outrage to subside. The on this question? Have the ritualistic declarations General Assembly can take great credit for frustrating over the years brought us any nearer to a solution? h· P f' h d h I am afraid not. All that has happened as a result is t IS strategy. assage 0 time as not serve t e perhaps a greater inflexibility of positions and lack of aggressor. Indeed, the adoption of resolutions on Afghanistan by increasingly large majorities of the realism in attitudes, further frustrating any construe- General Assembly over the last three years shows that tive efforts aimed at defusing the situation and the world's outrage is growing. initiating dialogue. Clearly, the present debate may well prove counterproductive unless it contributes to 104. We now have an opportunity to reaffirm once a greater understanding of the complexity of the again our commitment to the liberation of Afghani- problem and encourages the parties concerned to •••• ~mong ~he States in the area and for strengthening international peace and security in the region. There was also common understanding on the principles that should underlie the comprehensive settlement, on the interrelationship that should obtain among its com- ponent elements, and on the measures that would be- required to ensure its effective implementation. We share the. Secretary-General's optimism that the Geneva talks have given cause for encouragement and, at the same time, agree that the existing dif- ferences must be bridged so that these efforts may eventually succeed. Indeed, time is of the essence and much remains to be done. ' 116. We see in the modest success registered by the Secretary-General in his efforts towards a political solution a certain vindication of the approach India has advocated from the very beginning. The Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, recently had occasion to reiterate that position in New York. She said: BOur position has been made clear publicly and privately, through diplomatic channels and at the personal level, that foreign troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan. At the same time, we are aware of other interferences there. This also must be taken into account. There is no alternative to a political settlement which will take into account the concerns of all the parties involved: We hope that the Geneva talks will progress." 117. There is need to build upon the gains of Ceneva so that the negotiations can enter substantive areas, 121. Geographically, Costa Rica is a country far dist"nt from Afghanistan. Morally, our people identify with the cause of the Afghan people, and we join together in defence of principles, lack of respect for which is a threat to peace and our very existence as sovereign peoples. 122. Almost one third of the States Members of the Organization have joined together to sponsor a draft resolution. There is no industrialized Power or country among us. Today, the cause of the Afghan people must be the cause of the third world. It is the cause of the defence of a concept of the interna- tional community according to which coexistence is based on respect for legal pril\ciples, the sovereignty of nations and the will of the peoples. 128. We do not accept, nor must the peoples of the third world accept the disguises held up to hide inter- ference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and the stationing of foreign troops on Afghan soil. No excuse can lull the international community into accepting the presence of more than 100,000 foreign soldiers. None of the legal arguments can make the interna- tional community forget the more than 2 miBion Afghans who are being tended by UNHCR in Pakis- tan alone. This is the result of a conflict which sets a people against a foreign occupying Power and against a non-representational Government which seeks to legitimize intervention. 123. r said that the cause of the Afghan people must be the cause of the third world. This was made clear at the thirty-sixth session of the General As- sembly, and we are sure that it will be reaffirmed I See Offidal Records of the Security Council, Thirty-fifth Year, Supplement for April. May and June 1980, document 8/13951, annex. 2 Ibid., Thirty-sixth Year. Supplement for July, August tmd September 1981. document S/l4649, annex. 3 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925; League of Nations, Treaty Series, vol. XCIV, 1929, No. 2138, p. 65. 4 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Produc- tion and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, signed in London, Moscow and Washington on 10 April 1972; resolution 2826 (XXVI), annex. NOTES 5 A/36/116 and Corr.1, paras. 82 and 83.