A/38/PV.24 General Assembly

It is with great pleasure that I bring to the Assembly the greetings of my head ofState, King Moshoeshoe 11, and of my Prime Minister, Mr. Leabua Jonathan. 2. Permit me, Sir, to congratulate you on your well- deserved election to the presidency of the thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly. Your well-known qualities and experience as an illustrious and dedicated diplomat certainly augur well for the Assembly. We are more than confident that you will guide its deliberations to a successful and fruitful conclusion, because your country is not only a prominent member ofthe Movement of Non-Aligned Countries but also has an illustrious record on such issues as the eradication of colonialism, racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, matters which are of paramount importance to us. 3. We also congratulate the other officers ofthe Assem- bly on their unanimous election. To you, Sir, and to all of them I pledge my delegation's full co-operation. 4. I also take this opportunity to express our satisfac- tion with the excellent manner in which the President of the thirty-seventh session and his officers concluded the work of that session. ). I should like to convey my delegation's commen- dation of the Secretary-General"and his championship not only of the rights of the smaller and weaker Members ofthe Organization but also of the independence of those few parts of the globe that still labour under the yoke of colonialism. To us, his office is the pivotal point of the entire work of the United Nations, and we hope and believe that with him the responsibilities of that office are in very good hands. 6. In accordance with our firm belief in the Organiza- tion's universality, we were more than delighted to be among the sponsors of the resolution admitting Saint Christopher and Nevis to membership. We are doubly gratified because that nation is a fellow member of the Commonwealth. This event is a credit to the British Government and to the Special Committee on the Situa- tion with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. We view it with mixed feelings, because we are once again reminded of those"countries and peoples that are still denied their rightful place in forums such as this one. In our view, the independence of Namibia is now overdue. 7. On the economic front, we note that the Assembly meets at a time when prospects for prosperity are at their bleakest. The economies of more than two thirds of the Organization's Members are being hit by the worst recession since the Second World War, and all of those I NEW YORK countries are pinning their last hopes on the Assembly. It is imperative, therefore, that the Assembly live up to those expectations. 8. When the heads of State or Government of the non- aligned countries pledged their commitment to the North- South dialogue at their sixth conference, at Havana in 1979, it was because they had recognized its significance in their area, especially in' view of the prevailing world economic crisis. The situation facing these countries can be tackled only through a collective global approach. It is their belief and ours that these problems call for a genuine dialogue and a willingness to recognize and accept not only the gravity but also the urgency of the matter. 9. However, we regret to note that despite all the efforts made by the developing countries during the eleventh special session, in 1980, and during subsequent General Assembly sessions, no agreement has yet been reached regarding the agenda, procedure and time-frame for these global negotiations. In the meantime, the world economy has been experiencing the most critical decline since the great depression. It may be noted that in some developed countries of the North there have been signs of recovery. But the rigidity in some of these countries' financial policies resulted, for instance, in the failure of the sixth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development held at Belgrade from 6 June to 2 July 1983. These developments leave no room for optimism. 10. It is three years now since the new International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade was adopted, and its overall review and appraisal is due in 1984, as provided for in General Assembly resolution 35/56. The indications are, however, that there is very little movement, if any at all, towards achieving the objectives of the Strategy. The past three years have seen a sharp decline in the rate of growth of world production, which reached in 1982 its lowest figure in three decades. In 1981 world trade was stagnant for the first time since the Second World War, and it declined by 6 per cent in real value in 1982. The responsibility for this unfortunate state of affairs should be attributed to a fall in commodity prices by 16 per cent between 1981 and 1982. Protectionism persisted and grew stronger, and as a result there was a decline in exports and intense pressure on the balance of payments position of the developing countries. 11. Signs of recovery have recently emerged in some developed countries, but they appear tentative and far from reaching developing countries. Debt servicing among the developing countries continues to be wide- spread and unmanageable, while interest rates have remained at unprecedented levels since 1980. The aid performance of donor countries is still one half of that called for in the Strategy,and the volume ofcontributions to the multilateral programmes has actually declined. Official development assistance receipts by the least developed countries by no means constitute the sub- stantial increase needed to enable them to double their national income during the decade, as envisaged. The message is therefore that we cannot look forward to the awar~ of its national and international responsibilities, and South Africa should have no fear of insecurity because of any actions emanating from Lesotho. For detrim~"t of those Indo-Chinese countries. ,70. For the past five years China and Thailand, the traditional expansionists and hegemonists with designs on the countries of Indo-China, have acted in collusion with each other to again oppose the three Indo-Chinese countries, with the complicity of the United States and Japan, the former aggressors in Indo-China. 71. It is well known that the three Indo-Chinese countries are the victims of aggression. They have never in their history invaded China or Thailand or any other country. Of course there are problems among the three unchanged, as does the situation with regard to the Iran- Iraq war. The situations in Afghanistan and Kampuchea continue to deteriorate and tensions in Central America increase, as does racial oppression in South Africa. And all that is in addition to the economic and social deteri- oration that has beset the world. 110. It goes without saying that the super-Powers bear the greatest share of the responsibility for all these cir- cumstances, for on every occasion they work for the advancement oftheir own special interests at the expense ofthe common international interest. The world has wit- nessed the super-Powers exploiting these situations, not in order to resolve them but, rather, as part ofthe strate- gic balance of those super-Powers. 111. The impotence of the United Nations in regard to resolving these issues is a true reflection of the inter- national situation; the international Organization is being increasingly pushed to the margin of events by the super- Powers instead of being allowed to act as the basic and principal mechanism for solving them. 112. The best example of this is the Palestinian ques- tion. The world is aware that everything that happens in the Middle East is a natural and expected result of that question, which is the core of what is known as the 139. It should be pointed out that in the context of the political change which began a little over a year ago, important laws have been enacted in Guatemala which underscore the principle that a pluralistic democratic system is the only one through which the world's nations can fully reaIlze their aspirations ~nd satisfytheir hunger 153. Our country has unreservedly supported the Con- tadora Group. We have taken an active part in its meet- ings, and we believe that it offers a viable means of achieving the goals I have outlLled. We recognize and appreciate the value ofthe creative and realistic mediation of the Contadora countries. We believe that their sus- tained effort has borne fruit and that there is still hope of a comprehensive agreement. That is why my delegation considers it unnecessary at this point to discuss the prob- lem of Central America in any other international forum. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that my Government has unconditionally endorsed the Document of Objec- tivess resulting from the fourth meeting of Central American Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Conta- dora Group, which was held at Panama City from 7 to 9 September. This document represents a very impor- tant step forward in the process of negotiation and estab- lishes solid foundations for a permanentunderstanding. This step is highly significant and should be considered as an achievement in the quest for peace. Of course, it is solely for the Central Americans to make the decisions leading to formulas for a settlement. ~nd stability of the regkt.ll as a whole. 23~. H was against the bleak background of such an ]nternatioli~l political and economic 'lituation that the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Alignt:d Countries was held at New Delhi, from 7 to 12 March this year. The CDncern and commitment of the 101countries represented there at the highest level fmd their expression in its fmal documents [see A/38/132 and Corr.l and 2~. OU.i crusade for peace based on political and economic justice will continue until the day every nation feels secure in its independence and all peoples share the benefits of development. 233. The non-aligned world seeks to achieve this target not as a separate bloc but as a moral and political force working in co-ordination wi~a the United Nations system. The United Nations, with its well-defmed principles, permanent structures and universal membership, has the necessary prestige and prerequisites to serve as both an ideal and an instrument of peace. Nepa', which has full faith in the Organization's principles and purposes, will continue to support all measures to strengthen the effec- tiveness and operational capacity of the United Nations in its efforts to create a safer and better world as envi- saged in the Charter. 234. At this point I cannot fail to express our great appreciation for the valuable support and assistance extended to us by the various bodies and specialized agencies of the United Nations in our development efforts. Nepal believes that there can be no alternative to the United Nations in reaiizing the goals of intema- tional peace and security and promoting the cause and Sf~m tc be inspired by purely defensive considerations. Conventional armaments-but armaments that are highly sophisticated-are piling up in the arsenals of coun- tries whose primary needs are obviously in other areas. Although we do not wish to belittle the security and sovereignty of nations, which deserve great respect and the i,:!osest attention, we cannot possiblydisregard the fact that in speculating with these values and trying to reach for priorities that are out of step with reality, countries gIe sacrificing to the acquisition of weapons which they cannot use efficiently, or even keep in good condition, the elementary needs oftheir peoples: the overcoming of hJ.fJ.ger and the elimination of poverty, which is the first 'JteJ. for the mobilization of the collective conscience in pursuit of economic and social development. dividf~d. It has been estimated that 10 million people are in this situation, which has not changed. The last initiative to alleviate the suffering of separated Korean families dates back a decade, to the conference of the Red Cross of South Korea and the Red Cross of North Korea. Begun in 1972, its proceedings were suspended in 1973, and since then there has been no progress towards putting an end to this distressing problem, whose major difficulty lies in the very fact of the division of Korea into two ideo- logically antagonistic States and the differences in their situation in the international community. 261. For the sake of peace and of human rights, which embrace the Korean nation over and above divisions, the delegation of Paraguay believes that we should encourage the Secretary-General's initiative in his noble mission of good offices to promote dialogue between the two Koreas. This task has its antecedents in his visit to North Korea on 2 and 3 May 1979 and to the Republic ofKorea from 4 to 6 May. 262. Because of the persistence of the problem and the obstacles raised by other factors, a State with 40 million inhabitants and a volume of trade of$50 billion remains outside the United Nations, despite participating as a full member in 55 international organizations, includmg 14 specialized agencies of the world Organization. This situation, which is logically indefensible, is part of the problem, to which a compre~ensive solution is the most desirable, since it would resolve everything. But the best way to bring this about, free from outside interests, can only be direct commupjcation between Seoul and Pyong- yang, with tbe good offices of the Secretary-General. 263. The shooting down of a South Korean airliner is an event which profoundly moved the world. It was and civic values, if there was any premeditated attempt to e:~acerbateinternational tension, such actions would receive (he response they deserved. That is to put things in the passive, and no one summed up the thoughts prompted by the statements of the Soviet Foreign Min- ister better than the United States Secretary of State, GeOI"ge Shultz, who said that the Soviet Union's concept ofdefensive methods made one think that such acts could be repeated. He added, in a most impressive comment, that there were many ways of defending Soviet territory, but they must be compatible with human rights. 265. Given the high level of technology achieved by the Soviet Union, it is inexplicable and unbelievable that it was UDi!lble to make a complete and correct identification of the South Korean commercial airliner in order to co- ordinate it with the schedule of its normal flights and with the number of passengers it normally carries. These data are not secret, but information whi1.ch is routinely available. 266. Th,ese circumstances make the various explanations provided unlikely and show the true value of the Soviet Foreign Minister's words. In the version which admits that the shooting down of the jumbo jet and the resulting death of 269 passengers of various nationalities were a "mistake", it was maintained that the Soviet pilots took the aircraft for a reconnaisance aircraft. According to Viktor Linnik, a counsellor in the department of inter- national information of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Sov5.~t Union, in a statement published by the Madrid press, "They never thought it was a civililm aircraft. If they had known, the decision would have been quite different. I am absolutely certain of that.'S That is not what the Soviet Foreign Minister says, nor is iit what logic dictates, considering the sophis- ticated mean.s ofaerial and remote sensing at the disposal of a super-Power such as the Soviet Union. 267. As soon as he learned ofthis incredible and terrible event, the President of the Republic of Paraguay, General Alfredo Stroessner, sent the following message to the Secretary-General: "The people and Government of Paraguayjoin with me in rejecti.ng and vigorously condemning the barba- rou) crime perpetrated against the peace-loving, free Republic of South Korea by the Soviet air force. We denounce before the highest world body, of which N~tions. We shall accordingly remain unswervingly loyal to the resolutions of the Organization and the efforts of 297. My delegation would like to emphasize the support of Paraguay for all the actions of the Organization for the establishment of machinery to ensure the securing o~ resources and technologies to promote the carrying out of specific projects within the Nairobi Programme. It is to be hoped that at this session the Committee will be able to offer something new with regard to the progress of its work. 298. The Republic of Paraguay for years now has been carrying out with the utmost seriousness a programme ofenergy production to free itself from thermal factories, which are insatiable devourers of valuable forestry re- sources, whether wood or charcoal, or which, in a country that has no oil, require very expensive imports, greater each year, if they require oil to function. The experience of the country has been encouraging in these respects, and the Government decided in the mid-1950s to establish a hydroelectric energy project, using the different levels of an internal river, the Acaray. With financial assistance from the Inter-American Developt11ent Bank and with the generous support of Brazil in carrying out the project, the work was completed within the planned time limit and had. the intended effects. Clean hydroelectric energy totally replaced that which had been produced by thermal means, and the gainer in all this was the ecology of the country. Sources of pollution were eliminated, and for- estry was restored in the areas of Asunci6n, which had 1)een the most deforested. The original factory ofAcaray was duplicated, and another dam was tuilt at a higher level to increl:!se the water reserve. 299. Apart from the national hydroelectric energy pro- gramme, within which other projects are still being devel- oped, the Republic of Paraguay, together with the Federative Republic ofBrazil and the Argentine Republic, by means of treaties it has with each of them, partici- pates on an equal basis in the gigantic project at Itaipu! which is almost finished, and a similar one at Yacyreta. The first, which is the largest of its kind in the world, is soon to begin energy production with the installation, which is now almost ready, of its first turbines, which will number 18 in all and will produce more than 12 mil- lion l:~lowatts. As regards the Yacyreta project, under- taken jointly with Argentina, after many difficulties and postponements and with a great deal of support work and infrastructure which has already been completed, the work now seems well on the way. It enjoys the political support of the parties, and it is necessary for the devel- opment of a broad region of the Southern Cone of America and will stimulate new forms of integration. Therefore it is to he hoped that it will have the support of the wealthy countries and international financial agen- cies, since such is well merited in view of the fact that its energy production will be approximately half that of Itaipu and the fact that when the work is completed and production begins it will constitute an invulnerable insur- ance against inflation and the passage of time. 300. My delegation cannot omit a special reference, however brief, to the subject of trade and development, which it believes to be of great importance. In this con- nection, for obvious reasons, since it is a land-locked country, Paraguay awaits with interest and will follow with great attention the evaluation of the report of the sixth.session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,IO held at Belgrade from 6 June to 2 July 1983, and the examination of the drart resolution iti~s of the Paraguayan Government, a list of necessities 309. With regard to the conventio!! against mercenaries, whose preparation has been long and difficult, the item was included in the ~gendaof the General Assembly for the first time in 1979. Since then it has been considered every year, given the importance attached to it by various nations and groups of nations with often conflicting criteria. 310. In relation to the various draft conventions sub- mitted for the consideration of the Ad Hoc Committee created in 1980,11 the position of the Paraguayan dele- gation, on express instructions from the national Gov- ernment, has always been one of wholehearted support for the adoption of a legal text on the subject. Inpartic- ular, with regard to the primary item of the definition of "mercenary", it highlighted the need for a more current concept of this word, bringing it more into line with the general realities of our time. Thus a mercenary will not be just a foreigner who participates for pay in a fight that has nothing to do with him, but also one who for ideological reasons enlists as a volunteer in the internal struggles of other countries. Such attitudes are contrary to the peoples' right to self-determination and the prin- ciple of non-intervention in their internal affairs. In support of this position of my delegation, J. quote para- graph 1ofarticle 1ofthe International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [resolution 2200 (XXI)~ annex], which reads as follows: "All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development." 311. With regard to the law of the sea, the Republic of Paraguay, which is situated more than 1,000 kilometres from the nearest port, has followed with constant interest the evolution of the law of the sea. As long ago as 1971, at the G~neral Assembly ofthe OrganizaticJn ofAmerican States, my country set down its position in the following terms: "The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked State, and geographical and historical circumstances have deprived it of the extraordinary benefits of enjoying a coastline. Nevertheless, Paraguay has the right to enjoy the freedom of the high seas, unrestricted navi- gation thereon, fishing resources and the subjacent resources and the air space over it. And~ to the extent that States with a coastline arbitrarily increase their sovereignty by increasing their territorial sea, they are thereby arbitrarily limiting the rights of the Republic of Paraguay ana ~n other land-locked States." 312. Therefore, my delegation considers that the year 1982 was of surpassing importance in the history of the development of the law of the sea. The Third United Nations CO" ~~rence on the Law ofthe Sea, which began in 1973-a Ciecade ago-concluded its work. On 10 De- cember 1982 in Montego Bay, the United Nations Con- vention on the Law ofthe Sea, the fruit of such arduous and long-drawn-out work, was opened for signature. Paraguay signed the Final Act, confirming its commit- ment to participate actively in the establishment ofa more just juridical order for the seas. "The will of the people shall be the basis of tt~e authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures." 317. This essential stipulation for democracy is incom- patible with terrorism, whose pernicious effects fre- quently aggravate the causes on which it is based before these causes are eliminated. 318. Finally, again with regard to terrorism, we may invoke, onlyto despair of its lack ofeffect, the norm laid down in article 30 ofthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights, since no person or group of persons can invoke it "to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein". 319. The PRESIDENT (interpretation/rom Spanish): The representative of the United States of America has asked to speak in exercise of the right of reply. 320. Mr. LOEB (United States of .A_'llenca): To refute all the false allegations which the Foreign Minister of Cuba made against my country and our leaders would require a statement which would approximate in tiresome length the one we endured at the 20th meeting. On a co~dly by the other side, we remain hopeful that further reflection on their part will produce a more positive response. 322. In this context, it is peculiar, to say the least, that a country like Cuba, with some 30,000 troops in far-away lands and possessing the largest military establishment in Latin America, should dare to accuse others of impe- rialism, militarism, fostering arms races and increasing international tensions. If Cuba is not interested in fos- tering arms races, why has it been adding unprecedented quantities of new materiel to an already bloated military arsenal? IfCuba is against imperialism, why does it have over 30,000 of its troops on foreign soil? If Cuba is against militarism, why does it continue to allocate its meagre economic resources to increasing its military establishment? IfCuba is against international tensions, why does it continue to interfere in the events of its hemispheric neighbours? Let Cuba stop interfering in the affairs of others. Let Cuba bring home its military forces. Let Cuba reduce its military establishment. Let Cuba reallqcate its economic resources to alleviate the desperate needs of its people. UntH such a time, Cuba's proclama- tions ofanti-imperialism, anti-militarism and opposition to arms races will lack the slightest shred of credibility. 323. It is totally cynical for Cuba to impugn the sover- eignty of other nations and accuse them of being mere lackeys. That allegation coming from a country tbat had jealously protected its national independence would deserve close scrutiny, but not coming from Cuba. Cuba The meeting rose at 7.55 p.m. NOTES I United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189, No. 2545, p. 137. 2/bid., vol. 606, No. 8791, p. 267. 3Frente Popular para la Liberaci6n de Saguia el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro. 4Report ofthe International Conference on the Question ofPales- tine, Geneva, 29August-7September 1983 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.I.21), chap. I. 5OfficialRecords ofthe Security Council, Thirty-eighth Year, Sup- plementforOctober, NovemberandDecember1983, document S/I6041. 6Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (United Nations, Treaty Series, voI. 634, No, 9068, p. 326). 7Report ofthe United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Paris, 1-]4September 1981 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.82.I.8), part one, sect. A. 8Report ofthe Ur.ited Nations Conference on New and Renewable SourcesofEnergy, Nairobi, 10-21August /981 (United Nations publi- cation, Sales No. E.81.I.24), chap. I, sect. A. 9Report ofthe United Nations Conference On Science and Technol- ogy for Development, Vienna, 20-31 August 1979 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.79.I.21 and corrigenda), chap. VII. 10Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Sixth Session, voI. I, ReportandAnneKes (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.II.D.6). 11Ad Hoc Committee on the Drafting of an International Con- vention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. .