A/38/PV.18 General Assembly

I should like to invite members of the General Assembly to turn their attention first to part I of the report of the Fifth Committee on agenda item 17 (a), which is contained in document A/38/461. In paragraph 4 of that report, the Fifth Committee rec- ommends the appointment ofMr. Igor Vasilevich Khale- vinski of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to fill the vacancy in the Advis~ryCommittee on Administrative and Budgetary QuestioZJl; for the unexpired portion of the term of office of Mr. Anatoly Vasilievich Grodsky until 31 December 1984. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to adopt that recommendation? It was so decided (decision 38/305 A).

On behalf ofthe Government and people ofthe Republic of Trinidad and Tobago I congratulate Mr. Jorge Illueca on his election to the office of President of the thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly. My delegation is confident that his vast experience and skill, particularly in the United Nations system, will contribute tremendously to the fruitful outcome of our work at this session. His election to the presidency is recognition of the high esteem in which his country and he himself are held by the inter- national community_ 3. My delegation pays tribute also to the outgoing President, Mr. Imre Hollai of Hungary, who so success- fully presided over the work of the thirty-seventh session. 4. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to express its warmest congratulations to Saint Christopher and Nevis, a sister Caribbean State, upon its achievement of independence, on 19 September 1983, and its admis- sion as the 158th Member of the United Nations. It says much for the continuing relevance and influence of the United Nations and its pivotal role in the main- tenance of international peace and security that while newly independent States face the challenges posed by such factors as small size, economic and infrastructural underdevelopment and limited natural and manpower resources, their Governments attach high priority to membership in this Organization. NEW YORK 5. We, the countries of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, have achieved our independence peace- fully, but not without the dedication, hard work and sacrifice of several generations. We have thus sought to create societies founded on the values and aspirations of our peoples, enriched by the diversity of their racial, ethnic and cultural heritage. My delegation is confident that this respect for the human experience and the ability to forge a cohesive society will enable Saint Christopher and Nevis, like the rest of our Caribbean societies, to contribute invaluably to the future work of the United Nations. 6. The current crisis in the world economy continues. Recent hopes of a slackening in the recession appear to have been premature. The projected upturns in the eco- nomic activity of the developed market economies have not materialized. Indeed, there are disturbing signs that these economies may decline this winter. World trade over the last two years has been stagnant for the first time in the pc~t-warperiod. Inevitably the situation has had particularly severe repercussions for the developing countries, which, w~ile being on the periphery of global economic decision-making, are the first to feel its nega- tive effects. The consequences for their development and for the social and economic well-being of their peoples have been disastrous. 7. Domestic policies being adopted by several countries to deal with the crisis continue to exacerbate it. High- interest-rate policies impact directly on the crushing debt burden of developing countries. High interest rates are the single most destructive element frustrating the efforts of developing countries to improve their economies. With these interest rates at 18 per cent, and with the need to renegotiate and extend repayment schedules, original debt doubles in less than four years, even without any new borrowing. The severe debt burden and debt servicing problems confronting most developing countries have worsened in 1983. Their debt burden is approximately $540 billion and requires over $100 billion annually in servicing. This has made it. necessary for many developing countries to seek to defer repayment or to reschedule their loans, sometimes through further borrowing, simply for the payment of capital and interest due and not for new investment or additions to infrastructure. It is not sur- prising that under these circumstances there is widespread concern that the collapse of the economies of certain States could have disastrous consequences for the global monetary and financial structures. 8. In conjunction with high interest rates, there has been an unprecedented depression of the world commodity markets. In nearly all developing countries, including the net oil producers, export earnings experienced a catas- trophic decline. This decline has been due to the state of the global economy and partly to the imposition of pro- tectionist trade barriers bysome developed countries. This myopic panacea, adopted by several important trading nations, restricts the volume of world trade and intensifies the world economic crisis. Developing countries thus fmd themselves with insufficient foreign exchange earnings to meet their current requirements for imported goods and actio~ that would assist positively in the development of the $ubregion. ~~~:ll~~~:~~~~o:i~i~e~fe:g~e~:~~t~~~o~o:k~ ~~~tat:tt:o':.~e~~pearthat the nuclear arsenals of the the General Assembly. United States and NATO are filled to capacity, and yet 60. I should like to take this opportunity to convey our the assembly lines continue to churn out military hard- gratitude to our friend and comrade Mr. Imre Hollai, the ware in a kind of frenzy. Every item of military hardware representative of the fraternal Hungarian People's Re- that exists is being either increased or replaced by another public, for his skilful conduct of the proceedings of the even more destructive. General Assembly last year. 76. Armaments programmes costing many billions are 61. We would also like to welcome the entry into the being approved one after another. Whatever objections United Nations of a new State, Saint Christopher and are raised--and they are being raised in this regard by Nevis. sober-minded politicians and authoratative public figures 62. There are today 158 Member States of the Un.\ted in the United States itself-the United States Adminis- Nations. It is worth recalling that this reality of the tration has but one thing to say: there is not the slightest ~~~~i:r~~~~~rnational scene has quite a definite ~~~~t that we must arm and preferably two or three times 63. The solution to the crucial problem-the problem 77. There have been fierce clashes over deployment of of war and peace-depends precisely on the States Mem- the MX strategic missile and, indeed, as to whether it is bers of the United Nations, on the way they construct necessary at all, but the decision was both to deploy the 1!8. The USSR is submitting a draft declaration on this pointto the Assemblyfor its consideration [seeA/38/243]. Its adoption would contribute to generating a political climate which would make more difficult the actions of those who are devising plans calling for the first use of nuclear weapons. 179. The approval of this declaration, following the Declaration on the Prevention of Nuclear Catastrophe [resolution 361100], adopted in 1981 on the initiative of the Soviet Union, would be a major move by the United Nations towards removing that threat. 180" The condemnation of nuclear war should be effec- tively backed up by practical steps to curb the nuclear arms race. 181. In this context a freeze on nuclear weapons by all States which possess them would be an extremely timely and truly tangible measure. The idea of such a freeze has been winning ever-increasing support in the world, in both nuclear and non-nuclear countries. 182. Our country proposed some time ago, in the course of negotiations on the limitation and reduction of stra- tegic arms and on the limitation of nuclear weapons in Europe, that both strategic weapons and medium-range weapons in Europe be immediately frozen for the dura- tion of the negotiations. 183. Now the Soviet Union is submitting an urgent and important question entitled "Nuclear arms freeze" to this session of the General Assembly for its consideration ~n8n~. . 184. Our proposal is for a cessation, under effective verification, ofthe buildup ofall components of nuclear arsenals, including all kinds of delivery vehicles and weapons, a renunciation of the deployment of new kinds and types of such weapons, the establishment of a mora- torium on all tests of nuclear weapons and of new kinds and types ofdelivery vehicles, and a halt in the production of fissionable materials for the purpose of creating arms. 185. A simultaneous quantitative and qualitative freeze on nuclear weapons by all nuclear Powers is the best way to achieve this goal. Our country is prepared to agree that initially this be done by the USSR and the United States on a bilateral basis as an example to other nuclear States. 186. Giving practical effect to this initiative would markedly raise the degree of trust among the nuclear- weapon count!iies and would make it possible to move decisively towards breaking the vicious circle of the arms race. This would also promote the reduction and, even- tually ~ the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. 187. We express the hope that States Members of the United Nations, above all the other nuclear Powers, will take SI responsible and constructive stand on our proposal and will support it. 188. The Soviet proposal entitled "Conclusion of a treaty on the prohibition of the use of force in outer space and from outer space against Earth" [A/38/194], sub- mitted to the current session for consideration, has been prompted by concern for preventing the militarization of outer space, an issue which is becoming extremely important. Abs~nceof progress has invariably resulted in an escala- tio1'1'1n both numbers and quality of armaments, with ~ave joined the Organization since its birth. The newly mdependent States of Africa, Asia and Latin America Gn.~ek and Turkish communities of Cyprus that would guara."lfee security and coexistence for the people of the island, a~' well as the territorial integrity and non-align- ment of the Republic of Cyprus. 334. The developments in southern Africa continue to arouse our grave concern, in view of the intransigence of the racist minority and its actions to perpetuate its control of, ana its violation of the poli~ical and civil rights of, the majority of the population. The Pretoria regime persists in its policy of apartheid, its restriction of free- doms and its executions or arrests of leaders of the na- tional movements. 335. In Namibia, that regime maintains its defiance of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, its frus- tration of the efforts of the Secretary-General and the creation of obstacles and difficulties, thus impeding the holding of the elections called for by the United Nations. The most recent obstacle was the formatic,n by the occu- pation authorities of the so-called Council of State to draft a constitution for Namibia, contrary to the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General As- sembly. My delegation reaffirms its support for the legit- imate struggle waged by SWAPO for self-determination and independence for the people of Namibia. We strongly condemn the repeated aggression committed by South Africa against the neighbouring States. 336. The failure of the second special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, held last 346. In the light of the foregoing, it is necessary to emphasize once again that the overall picture of the international situation, whether at the political or at the economic level, is not very promising. Our planet is confronted with various dangers and perils. This makes it more essential than ever before to call for caution and vigilance, to employ reason and prudence in dealing with issues of an international character, not to allow imme- diate self-interest to take precedence over the interests of mankind as a whole and to ensure for all a secure life and a futu.re free from the threat of annihilation. Thus, international detente and the avoidance of tension in international relations should be given the utmost priority in order to create an atmosphere of mutual confidence. This will make it possible to promote the role of the United Nations and its various organs as a forum for constructive dialogue aimed at identifying the common denominators in the interests of States and thus freeing the world from tensions and crises. 34'7. Our confidence in the ~bmty ofthe United Nations to play a positive role in international relations leads us to emphasize the importance of strengthening and en- hancing its role in the establishment of a lasting peace based on right and justice and by adherence to the letter and spirit of the Charter, thus fulfilling our hopes for a better future in which both small and large States will enjoy stability and independent development. NOTES sSee OffiCial Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1983, Supplement No. 6. 6Report of the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Paris, 1-14September 1981 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.32.I.8), part one, sect. A. 7Adopted at the High Level Conference on Economic Co-operation among Developing Countries.. held at Caracas from 13 to 19 May 1981. aUDited Nations, Treaty Series, voI. 402, No. 5778, p. 72. 9Common Crisis North South: Cooperation for world recovery, the Brandt Commission 1983 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, the MIT Press).