A/38/PV.31 General Assembly

The General Assembly will hear an address by Mr. Karl Carstens, President ;;fthe Federal Republic of Germany. On behalfof the Assembly, I have the honour to welcome him to the United Nations and to invite him to address the Assembly. 2. Mr. CARSTENS (Federal Republic ofGermany):· Mr. President, thank. you very much for your kind words of welcome. For the first time since the Federal Republic ofGermany became a Member of the United Nations its President has the great privilege ofaddressing this world forum. 3. Ten years ago the Federal Republic of Germany bt.'Canle a Member of the United Nations. My visit today is a mark of the high esteem which the United Nations enjoys in the Federal Republic of Germany. At the same time it underscores a great importance which my country attaches to close co-operation with the United Nations in the pursuit of peace and justice. 4. From the very outset the goal ofthe Federal Republic of Germany has been peace. This policy is an expression of our poHtical conviction, which stems from the bitter experience of two world wars in one century. 5. This policy also has its roots in the tradition of German philosophers and thinkers who saw peace as the basis for the well-being of every nation. Two hun- dred years ago one of the great German philosophers, Immanuel Kant of Konisberg, described the pre-condi~ tions for a world order in a treatise which reflects his deep insight into man's nature. The citizen of the world, as Kant called him, is the starting point and the goal, as it were, the subject and the object of politics and law. Kant saw a close link between a State's internal constitution and its foreign policy. A State's internal const:.dtion, its legal system, is also bound to affect its conduct in relation to others. By the same token, injustice in matters of foreign policy poses a serious threat to the State's internal structure. 6. Throughout history mankind has longed for and dreamed of peace and justice, but to this day the reality is, unfortunately, different. Throughout the centuries, right down to the present day, the world has been torn by war and conflict. Today, the United Nations is the great hope ofmankind. Imperfect though it may be, there is no alternative to the United Nations. My country has learnt from the terrible experience of two world wars. We have chosen the path of reconciliation and mutual understanding. *Mr. Carstens spoke in German. The English version of his state- ment was supplied by the delegation. NEW YORK 7. Today, the Federal Republic ofGermany is a member of the European Community. The enemies of yesterday have become the friends and partners of today. The European Community is a unique example of what com- mon ideals and common aims can achieve for the benefit of more than 300 million Europeans and all the 62 third world countries that are linked with us within the frame- work of the Lome Convention. 8. The Federal Republic of Germany is also a member of the Atlantic alliance which links Western Europe with the United States and Canada. This community safe- guards peace in our part of the world, which so often in the past has been the battlefield of conflicting power interests. The Atlantic alliance differs from the military pacts of fonaer tim~ by virtue ofits defensive character and the identity of shared values, such as peace, equality, democracy and respect for the rights of the individual. 9. For over 30 years we have owed peace and security in Europe to this alliance. Peace in Europe, may I add, is not an exclusively European affair. The state of peace we Europeans have been able to enjoy for more than three decades has also placed us in a position to develop and extend our economic relations with the nations of the third world, with the objective of promoting the economic and social development of those countries for the sake cf their citizens. 10. The treaties which the Federal Republic o~ Germany has concluded with its Eastern neighbours have helped to reduce tensions in Europe and opened the way for new forms of co-operation on our continent. The Federal Republic of Germany attaches great importance to con- tinuing dialogue and peaceful co-operation with the countries of Eastern Europe. The 1975 Final Act of Helsinki I and the process it initiated have revitalized the concept and the ideal of human rights, the desire for closer human contacts and the intent to reduce tensions between East and West. 11. The agreements between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic have paved the way for closer co-operation between the two States on German soil. We see that co-operation as an element of and a means of strengthening the bonds between the people in divided Germany. It remains our political aim to work for a state of peace in Europe in which the German nation will regain its unity through free self-determination. The boundary which cuts Ger- many in two, the wall that runs right through our old capital of Berlin, cannot be the final word of history. 12. Disarmament and arms control leading to balance at the lowest possible level are one of the foremost objec~ tives of the German peace policy. At many conference tables our Governments are striving for a reduction of armaments. To achieve this what we need above all is mutual confidence. That is why the Federal Republic of Germany sets so much store by confidence-building meas- ures that lead to greater transparency and control. The first significant results to this end were achieved in the Final Act of Helsinki. The Conference on Confidence- and Security-building Measures and Disarmament in Europe, as envisaged in the Concluding Document ofthe 18. We continue to have an obligation to mankind not to spare any effort to achieve the goals of the Charter of Afri,~? with whom we have close bonds of friendship, TO'dIce is the key word for international co-operation an\ lor understanding among nations. 22. Many years of experience in public life and inter- national affairs have convinced me that, as in private life, tolerance is also indispensable in relations between States. Tolerance in the international sphere implies respect for the historical and cultural identity of every nation and its political, economic and social needs. The Federal Republic of Germany, in whose name I have the honour to speak today, is willing, as the Charter says, "to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours". 23. I wish the United Nations endurance and success in its pursuit of peace. The aim of preserving peace and the hopes which mankind places in the world Organiza- tion deserve our every effort. 24. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from Spanish): On behalfof the General Assembly, I thank the President of the Federal Republic of Germany for the important statement he has just made. 25. The General Assembly will now hear a statement by Mr. Michael Thomas Somare, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. I have great pleasure in welcoming him and inviting -him to address the Assembly. 26. Mr. SOMARE (papua New Guinea): My delegation wishes to join previous speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President of the thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly. 27. We also wish to express our si[l.cere appreciation of the able manner in which your predecessor, Mr. Imre Hollai, guided the deliberations of the thirty-seventh session. 28. Like other speakers, my delegation also warmly welcomesthe admission of the newly independent island State of Saint Christopher and Nevis. We look forward c~nformitywith Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. 70. Still speaking of Africa, my country continues to be concerned over two hotbeds of tension there, Western Sahara and Chad. In tEs connection I shall leave it to others to recall the efforts made by the head of State of Gabon, Mr. Omar Bongo, concerning negotiations in these disputes. I hope that, thanks to the structures already established by the Organization ofAfrican Unity [OAU], the parties to these conflicts will fmally agree to sit at the same table to settle these problems through dialogue, in order to bring peace and security to the whole of the African continent. Mr. Ma/inga (Swazi/and), Vice-President, took the Chair. 71. Two brother countries, Iraq and Iran, with which Gabon has excellent relations, are still fighting. This means an indefinite prolongation of the suffering of the 88. In this regard, many readjustments must be made in the world economy, in the general interest. That requires a global approach to the problems between the dev~loped and the developing regions, in order to draw up the blueprints for joint action in the areas of commo- dities, manufactured goods, currency and finance. 89. With regard to primary commodities, we are con- vinced that putting the Common Fund for Commodities into effect is still the driving force for the implementation of the Integrated Programme for Commodities. This is a body based on a new concept. It is both integrated, because it seeks to co-ordinate the financing of various policies for the stockpiling of commodities, and global, because in addition to price stability it meets the concern for managing the supply ofcommodities by greater par- ticipation in processing, marketing and transport. These aspects account for the innovative nature of the Fund. 90. As for manufactured and semi-mam:factured pro- ducts, everything must be done to establish a new inter- national division of labour based on the necessary complementarity between countries at different levels of development. . 91. In respect of monetary and financial problems, the present indebtedness of the third world countries requires a redefinition of assistance. Thus, the diversity of the channels used to ensure the transfer of real resources necessitates joint efforts by developing and developed countries. The need for large-scale action to restructure the debt of the developing countries, such as the estab- lishment of some financing facility or the partial or total cancellation of the debt of the least developed countries, is based on the idea that the disequilibrium in the devel- oping countries' balance of payments arises not so much from an excess of demand as from basic rigidities, the elimination of which implies accelerated growth and diversification of the productive structure. 92. At the same time, we must not lose sight here of the necessity for, on the one hand, strengthening the resources of IMF by urging the United States Congress to agree on 30 November this year to increase United States contributions to the Fund and, on the other hand, closer co-operation between the Fund and the World Bank when a country has trouble coping with its struc- tural deficiencies and with the current excessively high interest rates. Naturally, this requires reworking the structures of the Bank, as well as broadening the role of the Fund, which up to now has limited itself to assisting in the rescheduling of balances of payments rather than acting as an arbiter of the world monetary system. 97. May I also express my delegation's wholehearted appreciation and thanks to Mr. Imre Hollai, Deputy Foreign Minister of Hungary, for the selflessness and competence with which he fulfilled his duties. 98. And, finally, how could I not take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Illueca on his election to the presi- dency of the thirty-eighth session? His election is testi- mony not only to his outstanding talents as a statesman but also to the great esteem and respect which the inter- national community as a whole has for his country, linked to my own by that same determination to pursue the useful work already begun by his predecessors with admi- rable courage and determination, in order to tontribute, within the great family of the peoples of the United Nations, to the safeguard of the ideals of peace, freedom and independence. We are already assured that under his presidency the Organization will have even more out- standing successes and that even more important steps will be taken along the road of the permanent quest for the peace and security which mankind so desperately wants. 99. These congratulations are also addressed to the other members of the General Committee, whose colla- boration will be most valuable to the President. It is also a pleasure for me to assure the President ofthe complete co-operation of the delegation of Gabon in ensuring that the work of the thirty-eighth session will conclude successfully. be overcome if each Member State fulfIls its moral obli- gation and duty to make the Organization work. Morality in international relations might be dismissed as something simply idealistic, but then idealism is something to be striven for. Certainly no one Catl deny that it is the lack of moral responsibility that makes nations trigger-happy towards other nations. It is for lack of moral respon~ sibility that nations pe<Jdle weapons of death to each warring party and that national leaders conducting inter- national relations calculate their moves on the mere basis of "them" and "us". Coming from a small country like mine, these observations may sound over-simplistic. But then, over-simplification does provoke thought, and this after all is what the United Nations forum is all about. 102. It is precisely because of these principles that the question of disarmament is a matter of serious concern to my delegation. The escalating arms race, particularly between the two super-Powers, is pushing us closer to the brink of destruction. It is incumbent on all members of the international community to exercise restraint and seriously addtess themselves to the issues relating to disarmament in order to defuse the state of tension and mistrust. 103. One of the most immediate and urgent problems facing us today is the question of Palestine. Indeed, it is relevant to the effectiveness and to the very future of this world body. This is because the question of Palestine embodies all those values and principles ofmorality, such as justice, human dignity, international peace and secu- rity, that the United Nations-indeed humanity as a whole-is called upon to uphold. Therefore, it is not surprising that some 137 States and the Palestine Lib- eration Organization [PLO], at the International Con- ference on the Question of Palestine held recently at Geneva, todk a major step toward resolving the question of Palestine, the core of the West Asian conflict in ail its aspects. 104. It is encouraging to note that major step, contained in the Geneva Declaration on Palestine4 and the Pro- gramme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights,4 in the formulation of which Malaysia was proud to play its small part, beginning with the Asian Regional Preparatory Meeting, held at Kuala Lumpur in May. Indeed, it provides the long-awaited basis for a just and comprehensive peace in West Asia in a clear and specific manner and within an applicable and realisable framework, one that seeks peace for the Palestinians within an independent and sovereign State of their own, co-existing with all other countries in the region within secure and internationally recognized boundaries. All concerned parties, inc1uding the PLO, are indeed required to sit at the same table to negotiate for themselves all the essential and final features of a permanent peace in the area. 105. Even.though two Member States directly concerned had absented themselves from Geneva, their absence does 1 not in any way diminish the Geneva consensus,'which econom.~ co-operation among developing countries.' Malaysia's contribution to promoting this spirit of self- reliance is the Malaysian Technical Co-operation Pro- gramme, et. modest pr~ Jramme through which we share with friendly developing countries our know-how and experiences in economic development. 124. Like other developing countries, Malaysia, as a major primary commodity producer, has felt the negative effects of depressed prices for our commodities. Our earlier hope that international commodity agreements would help stabilize prices was disproved by the lack of good will, co-oper"'~:Jij 1and political will from consumer countries. Nevert1.u~le§5, Malaysia still maintains its faith in international ~l. .~.il.lOdity arrangements, as manifested NOTES