A/38/PV.21 General Assembly

I warmly con- gratulate Mr. Illueca on his election to the important post of President of the thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly. I wish him and the Secretary-General every success in their work. 2. We are extremely grateful to the President of the thirty-seventh session, lvir. Hollm, for the work he md. 3. The delegation of the Ukrmman SSR wishes to con- gratulate Smnt Christopher and Nevis on its admission to membership in the United Nations. 4. The current session of the General Assembly is taking place at a difficult and troubled time, a time crucial to the future of mankind. In an international situation of a~ute tension what is needed is a sober and objective analysis of current alanning trends in international rela- tions and sensible conclusions consistent with the ultimate interests of mankind. 5. Nevertheless, this approach is being rejected by the aggressive imperialist circles of the United States. They have openly embarked on a policy based on a. position of strength and on interference in the internal affmrs of sovereign State.s. The arms race they have unleashed, an unprecedented military buildup, large-scale programmes for manufacturing all kinds of weapons-nuclear, chem- ical and conventional-and plans to extend the arms race to outer space are, in effect, incontrovertible proof that the United States is creating the material basis for war. Vast sums already running into trillions of dollars are being allocated to finance the United States military buildup. 6. The plans to deploy new United States medium-range missiles on the continent of Europe are extremely dan- gerous. In practice, their implementation would mean the creation of a first-strike capability in the immediate vicinity of vital centres of the USSR and other 'Warsaw Treaty countries. It would appear that those who intend to do this-and they are the very ones promoting the idea that nuclear war is possible or even admissible-are prey to the illusion that if these missiles are launched against Soviet targets from Western European countries rather than from Unit~ States territory, then it would be those countries that would be the targets ofretaliation. In ac ing in this way, Washington is making the countries and peoples of Western Europe its nuclear hostages. 7. The progranu--nes for developing and manufacturing the very latest weapons systems, which are being formu- lated and implemented in the United States, are mmed NEW YORK at disrupting the existing parity of forces between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] and the Warsaw Treaty countries and at securing a dominant world position for the United States. Such an open mili- taristic course poses a serious thr~t to peace, heightens international tension and is edging the world towards a nuclear conflict and increasing the risk oi nuclear war. 8. In order to justify its militaristic course and its fur- ther escalation of tension, the United States Administra- tion has invented the myth of a Soviet military threat, has proclmmed a crusade agmnst socialism as a social system and is trying by its actions to transfer ideological mfferences onto the plane of relations among States. Mr. Yuri Andropov, General-Secretary of the Central Committee ofthe Communist Party ofthe Soviet Union and President of th~ Presidium of the Supreme Soviet ofthe USSR, smd on 28 September that such actions are absurd and inadmissible, especially now in the nuclear age [see A/38/459]. 9. The realities ofthe existing international situation call for particular restraint in all spheres of relations among States, above all when the interests of countries wit~ differing social systems ~e involved. 10. In the present extremely acute and tense interna- tionalsituation, no task is more urgent or important than that of preserving peace and preventing nuclear war. The very survival of life on earth depends on accomplishing that task. There is no doubt but that the United Nations has an important part to play in this noble undertaking. 11. The thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly must make its o\\n contribution to curbing the arms race and normalizing the international situation. It would be entirely logical if this session were to focus its attention on such central issues as the prevention of nuclear war, an early haltto the arms race, the prevention ofthe spread of that arms race to new areas, and movement towards msarmament, particularly nuclear msarmament. There is no other reasonable or reliable way of solving these urgent priority problems than to hold honest negotiations and to explore and rmd mutually acceptable solutions. 12. Numerous foreign-policy initiatives of the Soviet Union and other Socialist countries have created a con- crete and practical basis for taking urgent action to prevent nuclear war, curb the arms race, bring about disarmament, eliminate hotbeds oftensions aud improve the international political climate. 13. Of undying historic importance is th~ unilateral obligation assumed by the Soviet Union not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and its appeal to the other nuclear Powers to follow suit-something to which, most regret- tably, the United States and its nuclear partners have not yet responded, although the renunciation of the rust use of nuclear weapons by all the nuclear Powers would in effect mean that the possibility of nuclear war could ~e ruled out altogether. 14. The new Soviet proposal to include in the agenda ofthe thirty-eighth session an important and urgent item entitled "Condemnation of nuclear war" [A/38/243] has been mctated by the same profound concern for the ye! realized that such a treaty, if signed, would con- siderably improv,e the situ~tion in Europe and in the world as a whole and would have a substantial positive impact upon the ongoing negotiatio.ns on the limitation 29. The goal of preventing further dangerous develop- ments in the world and a drift towards disaster is also being pursued through other specific Soviet proposals concerning arms limitation, proposals which if imple- mented would in our opinion be conducive to the creation of a favourable atmosphere for measures of a more radical nature. Such measures would include, in particu- lar, the actual working out by the Committee on Disar- mament of a convention on the prohibition of the production, stockpiling, deployment and USfl of neutron weapons, and the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in various regions of the world, including the European continent. The strengthening of the security of non-nuclear States, too, is quite important. 30. The solution to the problem of the earliest possible banning of the development, production and stockpiling of chemical weapons-one of the most barbaric means ofannihilating people-has been long overdue. The draft basic provisions of a convention on this subject put forward by the Soviet Uniuil provide a constructive platform for banning these weapons. It provides for the total cessation of the development, production and stock- piling of chemical weapons, a gradual destl1lction of stockpiles and the elimination of manufacturing facilities. This draft is before the Committee on Disarmament.3 The General Assembly has repeatedly indicated its strong Zimbabwe~ depriving the peoples of those countries of peace and stability and thereby forcing them to divert lOO. Furthermore, Africa believes that Lebanon must be left alone to regain its social peace and political sta- bility through scrupulous respect for its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as its national unity. 101. The other problem of concern to Africa is the war that has been raging for the last three years between Iran and Iraq. Over and above the great loss of Hfe, the immense destruction of property and the displacement of persons that it has entailed, the war between the two countries hasbecome a source ofinstability and insecurity for the Gulf region. On behalf of Africa, I would like once again to call on both Governments, mindful of their responsibilities and in response to the appeals previously made by the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the OAU, to cease hostilities and to try to resolve the problem peacefully. 102. As regards the tension and conflict that prevail in Central America, the South Atlantic, Cyprus, the various sub-regions of Asia, including South-East Asia, and the Korean peninsula, I wish to express the hope that peaceful solutions will be found to all these problems and that 122. We have always warned that the South African racist regime was sitting on an active volcano. That volcano is now showing signs everywhere of erupting. Mere cosmetic changes such as the so-called constitutional reforms will not prevent that eruption. The only preven- tive measure against total eruption and a consequent blood bath is the complete eradication of the evil system ofapartheid. Those who continue to collaborate with the racist regime must share responsibility for the violence that is escalating in South Africa. 123. Recently my delegation le&ned with great concern about reports that the United States Department of State had approved a request from seven United States com- panies to provide technical and maintenance services for a South African nuclear-power installation near Cape Town. We can neither understand nor accept this devel- opment. We call on the United States Government to respond positively to the appeals already issued by the Group of African States and the Chairman of the Special Committee Against Apartheidcalling for the revocation of this approval. 124. There is need to ensure full and effective imple- mentation of Security Council resolution 418 (1977) on an arms embargo against the racist apartheid regime. 125. South Africa has continued unabated its campaign ofdestabilization against the front-line States. Last May South Africa launched a major air raid into Mozambique. South Africa continues to occupy the southern territory of Angola and recently a massive air and ground attack was carried out further inside Angola. LCfsotho is being benefIt. 141. It is, therefore, regrettable that the flexibility shown by the developing countries in the negotiations has not been matched by a positive and concrete response from the major industrialized countries, which have remained silent on the latest proposals of the developing countries. We hope that this session will witness the launching ofthe global negotiations, in accordance with presen,~e of a United Nations llJ.ultinational force to replace Indonesian troops during the period oftransition; thirdly, the forces of FRETILIN to remain in the regions which they controlled in order to keep the people free from any pressure; fourthly, a referendum supervised by the United Nations in order to determine the wishes of the people of East Timor. 180. Unfortunately, it must be noted that the Indo- nesian Government did not respect its undertakings fol- lowing the cease-fire, because it did not wish to inform the Secretary-General of the results of the talks. Instead it chose to try to go back on those talks and to reduce them to an offer of amnesty to FRETILIN. Furthermore, starting on 17 August, it launched a major military offen- sive in order to try to crush the heroic resistance of the people of East Timor. 181. It is difficult to imagine that a certain number of States members of the Non-Aligned Movement, States that should be identified with the struggle ofthat valiant people if only out of respect for the fundamental prin- ciples of non-alignment, are in fact remaining indifferent to the genocide which is being carried out against the people of East Timor. And the United Nations cannot shirk its responsibilities with respect to that serious problem. Our solidarity is a vital duty. 182. Tile central region of Latin America has experi- enced extremely disturbing developments as a result of threats and military intervention by the United States Government, particularly in Nicaragua and El Salvador. It is necessary to seek peace in the region through a negotiated political solution. To that end, we support the six-point position of the Government of Nicaragua ns well as the efforts of the Contadora Group. In order to l)ave peace in Central America, there must be peace 187. Furthermore, we reaffirm our support for the position taken and the efforts made by the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in the.search for a normaliza- tion, through negotiation, of the situation prevailing in and around that country. 188. We also reiterate our complete solidarity with the people and Government of Cyprus and we support their NOTES 11Movimiento Popular de Liberta~o de Angola. 12Frente Popular para la Liberaci6n de S· -,'ua el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro. 13Frente Revolucion4ria de Timor Leste Independente.