A/38/PV.69 General Assembly

The Vietnamese delegation wishes, first of all, to express its strong disapproval of the fact that once again the General Assembly is faced with a dis- cussion of the so-call~dquestion of the situation in Af- ghanistan, in spite of the firm opposition ofthe Govern- ment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. This is gross interference in the internal affairs of the Demo- cratic Republic of Afghanistan, an independent, sov- ereign State, member of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and Member ofthe United Nations, in flagrant violation of the Charter of the Organization. 2. This is a combined manoeuvre by imperialist and international reactionary forces with the idea of deflect- ing the vi!rllance and condemnation of world public opin~f"J regarding the implementation of their criminal plans against the independence and freedom of peoples and of international peace and security in various parts of the world: Grenada, Central America, Lebanon, the Middle East and southern Africa. We all know with what unjustified obstinacy the Western countries, headed by the United States, have exploited this artificial question of Afghanistan as a pretext for sabotaging on many occasions the negotiations aimed at making the Indian Ocean a zone ofpeace and fmding solutions to the urgent and burning problems ofdisarmament, to spare humanity the scourge of a nuclear war of extermination. The obstinacy of the hegemonist Chinese authorities in per- sistently invoking the so-called problem of Afghanistan to impede the normalization of relations with the Soviet Union will also be recalled. 3. Those facts sufficiently highlight the interest of reactionary and imperialist forces in continually trying at all costs to impose the so-called question of Afghan- istan on the agenda of the General Assembly and im- properly involve the United Nations in the internal affairs of a Member State. 4. The appearance and strengthening in South-West Asia of the Democratic Republic ofAfghanistan, f('lIow- ing the Afghan people's victory ofthe April 1978 revolu- tion, were welcomed by progressive forces throughout the world as a major event in the interest of the independ- ence and freedom of the Afghan people and, indeed, of peace and stability in the area. That was a new stinging defeat for the forces of imperialism in the post-Viet-Nam period and following the downfall of the oppressive pro- American regime in Iran. It is not surprising, therefore, that the United States has sought by every possible means to thwart the efforts ofthe Afghan people to build a new free, democratic and happy life; to undermine the gains NEW YORK of the revolution and the progressive reforms which have been carried out by the Democratic Republic ofAfghan- istan; to work for the overthrow of the people's regime, and to reinstall the old pro-American regime. 5. It is worth noting that the United States has benefited in this undermining enterprise since the middle of 1978 from the close collusion of the Peking hegemorJsts. The natural result ofthis diabolical collusion was a merciless, undeclared war imposed immediately after the April 1978 revolution against the new Democratic Republic and the Afghan people. Tbe occurrences and vicissitudes, the means employed and the evil effects ofthat war are only too well known and were reviewed with great authority and conviction by the representative of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in this Assembly yesterday [66th meeting]. We content ourselves with vigorously condemning this policy of aggression and intervention which so seriously threatens the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, an independent, sovereign State, and is the cause of the present misfortunates and sufferings of the Afghan people and of the serious tension sw·' 'Junding Afghanistan, to the detriment of peace and ser.:urity in South-West Asia and throughout the world. 6. The interest of independence and sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is entirely in accord 'With the interest of peace and stability in South-West Asia and demands that all armed or other intervention in the internal affairs of Afghanistan be ended. 7. While standing up fmnIy for the past five years to the undeclared war imposed by the enemies ofthe Afghan people, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan has shown its good will by putting forward the proposals of 15 May 19801 and 24 August 198P as the most realistic basis for a just settlement of the situation in South-West Asia. These proposals are aimed, on the one hand, at putting an end to all outside armed or other intervention against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which is the underlying cause of the tense situation around Afghanistan, and, on the other, at normalizing that situation and the relations between Afghanistan and its neighbours on the basis of reciprocal respect for the independence and sovereignty of each country. The Afghan Government has patiently; and con... sistently sought to achieve this legitimate goal through dialogue with the parties directly concerned. It warmly welcomed and appreciates the efforts of the Secretary- General and his personal representative to promote this process of negotiations. It welcomed also the progress achieved in the course ofthe talks held in Geneva·on this subject and has stated its readiness to continue them. . . . 8. This is a display of good will which should be en.. couraged by the international community. In accordlmce ~th the general tendency of our times, peace through dialogue should prevail now in South-West Asia, as in South-East Asia and, indeed, everywhere. Of course, the political will, a sense of realism and a sense ofTespon- sibility are necessary in this as in all cases. 9. The delegation of V~et Nam fmnIy supports the just position of the Der "~,atic Republic of Afghanistan anxiety and serious concern everywhere. This fact has been cl dy underscored in the various statements de- livered in the Assembly in the last few days. With the exception of a few, the pronouncements have been expli- cit and unequivocal, rrnamely, that we cannot accept the continued presence 0" Soviet troops in Afghanistan, as such presence is not only against the will and wishes of the people there but constitutes a blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations. 12. The argument that the foreign military intervention in Afghanistan was necessary to defend that country from outside threat is untenable, for it ignores the time- honoured tradition of independence of the Afghan people, who nev ~r .nr;eded foreign soldiers on their soil to defend the fbe.tom of their country. These simplistic arguments have ~~;'f been used in the case ofAfghanistan only, but have aiSG been applied to justify intervention in Kampuchea and elsewhere. These indiscriminate acts of intervention carry serious implications for global peace, for they have understandably heightened the concern and anxiet~ of the international community, in particular the small countries. Needless to say, the edi- fice of trust and confidence s) painstakingly built and adjusted among countries, in particular those in the re- gion, has been brazenly vitiated by the single act ofinter- national delinquency by a super-Power in Afghanistan. 13. The cost in suffering hrlS been high. Cities. and villages have been ravaged and merciless reprisals taken against V&t sections of the Afghan peop)'" millions of whom have been forced to flee therr homes and to endure the privations ofa life in exile. Despite the enormous price of their resistance in blood and suffering, the Afghans are united and determined in fighting for the cause of their freedom from foreign domination. Popular support for the nationalist resistance forces increases with each day, and the invader, its superiority in military technology notwithstanding, has not been able to quell the Afghan freedom fighters. 14. My delegation wishes to express its deep apprecia- tion to the Secretary-General for the step:; he has taken to promote a just political settlement of the Afghan problem. The indirect talks conducted in Geneva and the visits of the Secretary-General's personal representative, Mr. Diego Cordovez, to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran are indeed steps in the right direction and, it is hoped, would 'create an impetus to the diplomatic efforts to resolve the Afghan problem. We are gratified at the additional understandings reached on the nature and ~?.gression by a super-Power against a small, helpless E:.•.tion. It is an attempt to use a client leadership, a quisling or a puppet to seek domination, dominance or influence in order to assuage a feeling of insecurity or in fulfIlment of a strategic design, This is indeed a worrisome trend, and it becomes all the more frighten- ing when one realizes that the aggression was committed by a super-Power which is a permanent member of the Security Council and which, in our view, should behave more responsibly, particularly on issues which impinge directly on world peace and security. 17. The extent ofthe violence committed in Afghanistan has caused thousands upon thousands of refugees to flee to the neighbouring countries. At the start of the inva- sion, when Babrak Karmal was installed by the Soviet Union, the number of refugees who left Afghanistan was 400,000. Since then, the number has increased to the astonishing figure of over 3 million, constituting almost a quarter of the 1978 population of Afghanistan. This is the single largest concentration of refugees for anyone national group anywhere in the world. In this regard, my delegation would like to express its deep appreciation to the Government and people of Pakistan for their patience, courage and determination in facing the monu- mental problems of the refugees who have to be fed and sheltered. 18. Todaywehavebeforeusdraft resolutionA/38/L.17, of which my delegation is one of the sponsors. The draft resolution, inter a/ia, stresses the preservation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and non-aligned character of Afghairlstan; it calls for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from that coun- try; it urges parties directly concerned to work for the urgent achievement ofa politic:il solution, and it expresses appreciation and support fo~' the constructive efforts of the Secretary-General. These are indispensable elements for an honourable solution to the problem of Afghan- istan, and we urge all those who believe in independence, freedom, self-respect and hUl'i1an dignity to manifest their support for this draft resolution. 19. Mr. WASIUDDIN (Bangladesh): The delegation of Bangladesh has heard with deep jpterest the statements made by the representatives who have spoken before us, and hen~ we do not wish to take the time of this body by gob(g at length into the background of the present situation. However, it would be pertinent to mention pa~,Les. The Secretary-General's report gives us a measure of :.atisfaction with regard to the progress made in the diplomatic process he is carrying out. We particularly welcome the Secretary-General's assertion that: "During the discussions, which were conducted in a very constructive spirit, substantial progress was made in the definition of the contents of the compre- hensive settlement, its principles and objectives, the interrelationship amongst its four component elements and the provisions, including time-frames, for its imp.ementation." [A/38/449, para. 7.] It is regrettable that the Secretary-General did not find it possible, however, "to bridge differences of attitude and position regard- ing a number of issues, including some crucial issues, which were left in abeyance" [ibid.]. 22. We agree with the Secretary-General and regret the slow pace of negotiations, which, by delaying the final settlement of the dispute, only prolongs the sufferings of the Afghan people. 23. It cannot be denied that over 4 million Afghan refugees, of which 3 million have been given asylum by Pakistan, are awaiting the day when they can return to their homes in honour and dignity to shape their future destiny of their own free choice, without being branded as reactionaries, bandits and counter-revolutionaries. 24. At the same time, the gallant and heroic struggle of the Afghan people-men, women and children- against a most powerful and brutal foreign Power, so graphically described by many speakers, has caught the imagination of all freedom-loving people. There cannot be a more positive assertion than that the people of Afghanistan cannot and will not be subjugaloo and that they will fight to the end. It would be unimaginable to expect the Afghan refugees to return to their homeland before the foreign forces against whom they have so valiantly been fighting are withdrawn from their coun- try and they are assured that they will be able to choose a Government that will command their respect, trust and confidence. 26. We consider that the only solution to the prob- lem is along the lines recommended in draft resolu- tion A/38/L.17. 27. The Secretary-General must be given full support and co-operation in pursuing his efforts, and we urge all parties concerned to strive earnestly to reach an agreement that would recognize the inalienable right of the Afghan people to determine, through free choice, its own form of Government, and to choose its own economic, political and social system without any outside intervention or interference.

A persistent but futile attempt has been made by the Soviet Union and its allies to rewrite history. They continue to argue that Soviet troops entered Afghanistan in December 1979 at the invitation of the Government of Afghanistan and in accordance with the 1978 Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighbourli- ness and Co-operation concluded between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The critical question is who issued the invitation on behalf of the Government of Afghani- stan. It could not have been President Hafizullah Amin, the then President and Head ofGovernment of Afghani- stan, because he was killed by Soviet troops on 27 Decem- ber, three days af~er the Soviet invasion began. Was the invitation issued by Babrak Karmal? The fact is that on 24 December 1979, Babrak Karmal was not a member of the Government of Afghanistan and therefore had no authority to act on its behalf. He was then living in exile in Eastern Europe. He was brought back to Kabul by the Soviet Union on 27 December when Hafizullah Amin was killed. Significantly, the first announcement that Babrak Karmal was the new leader of Afghanistan came in a radio broadcast from the Soviet Union. 29. The Soviet Union and its allies have argued that the present debate is an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. This argument is a classic example of double-talk. The Soviet Union's invasion and continued occupation of Afghanistan is apparently not an interference in the internal affairs of that country. It is the discussion in the General Assembly of what the Soviet Union has done and is doing in Afghanistan which is an interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. 30. This line of argument is totally devoid of logic. It amounts to saying that the world should accept the fait accompli perpetrated by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by force of arms and in contravention ofthe fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law. 31. We shall never acquiesce in the Soviet/ait accompli in Afghanistan. We reject the Soviet argument that the Assembly's discussion of this item is interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, because the argument is totally without merit. 32. The Sovi~t Union may mistakenly think it can dis- credit the Afghan freedom fighters-the mujahidin-by calling them counter-revolutionary bandits. The Soviet Union can hurl whatever abuse 1t chooses at the muja- hidin. It wiU not alter tile fact that the international community, including most of the non-aligned COUIt- tries, perceives the mujahidin as heroic freedom fighters t:D4. Fourthly, Democratic Yemen reaffIrmS its support for the constructive proposals of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan to settle the dif- ferences with the neighbouring countries and calls upon all countries bordering on Afghanistan to respond favour- ably to those proposals so as to bring about a political settlement that will ensure stability in that region. 10;;. Mrs. ASHTON (Bolivia) (interpretation from Spanish): My delegation voted in favour of draft resolu- tion A/38/L.17 and Add.1 for two basic reasons. The flIst is its attachment to the principle of non-intervention, which my country has been systematically and consist- ently upholding in this forum; the second is that Bolivia believes that we should support the Secretary-General so that he will have the backing of the international com- munity in his efforts to achieve a just and lasting solu- tion in this delicate matter. 106. My delegation wishes to place on record a clarifi- cation with regard to paragraph 2 of the draft resolution, since the Bolivian Government, although it supports the principle of self-determination, does not prejudge the legitimacy of the Gove:nment ofAfghanistan or question its efforts to apply programmes of social change and economic development.

Many years have passed since the Assembly flISt urged Member States and the Security Council to make serious efforts to bring an end to the inhuman practices of the policy of apartheid in South Africa. During those years, numerous resolutions and decisions have been adopted, yet the racist minority Government of South Africa continues to defy them all. The regime h3$ shown by words ~d deeds .that it i~ not prepared to listen to and heed the will ofthe mternational community. Instead, it has taken and continues to take steps to extend and tighten its tentacles of oppression of the black people of South Africa. The recent referendum conducted among its white population is a case in point. Can this referendum ever be considered to express the wishes of all the people of South Africa? For my dele- gation the answer is "No, it cannot". We call for the total restoration of political rights to all the people of South Africa. . /1 . ·Rcsumcd from the 63rd meeting. ,~anctionsagainst the regime under Chapter VII of the Charter." Mr. Pelletier (Canada), Vice-President, took the Chair. 134. Unfortunately, hardly was the ink on the resolu- tion dry when South Africa attacked the Kingdom of Lesotho, a peace-loving, land-locked country. 135. The racist regime of South Africa is increasing its barbarous acts of armed aggression in Angola and Mozambique. Following closely in the footsteps of its Zionist counterpart in Tel Aviv, the apartheid regime has even carried its criminal activities into the refugee camps. 136. In spite of all this; the Security Council has been prevented from taking the necessary measures. It has become clear that South Africa could not have engaged in this policy of oppression and aggression and defied in this way the resolutions and decisions of the United Nations if it had not been encouraged by the collabora- tion, collusion and support of certain countries, and of Israel. The report of the Special Committee against Apartheid [A/38/22 and Add.I] provides very clear evidence of this collaboration, which in our view is an abuse of confidence and a betrayal of the just struggle of the South African and Namibian peoples for their freedom and independence. 137. The policy of apartheid of South Africa and the policy of the Zionist entity in Tel Aviv have identical aspects. That is why co-operation between the two racist regimes remains very close. This growing collaboration between Israel and racist South Africa, particularly in the military and nuclear fields, constitutes a threat to peace and stability in Africa and throughout the world and represents a serious challenge to the United Nations. The International Conference on theAlliance between South Africa and Israel, held in Vienna from 11 to 13 July 1983 [see A/38/22, paras. 63-73], unmasked the constant development of relations between the two racist regimes in all fields: military, nuclear, economic, scientific and cultural. The Conference exposed the lies and spurious arguments of Israel, which claims that it has no relations with the South African regime. 138. Any policy against the elimination of apartheidis against the most elementary human rights concerning the elimination of slavery and subjugation. We also believe that any policy which supports or tolerates the South African apartheid regime is incompatible with the prin- ciples of the Charter ofthe United Nations and is doomed to failure. 139. We vigorously condemn the policy ofbantustani- zation, the sole aim of which is to create a permanent pool of cheap labour. 140. We also condemn the criminal acts of terrorism and armed aggression, which are increasing in number, against the front-line neighbouring States. Those States have the right to defend themselves against these repeated acts of aggression and intimidation, the aim of which is to destabilize them so that they will be unable to help the valiant peoples of South Africa and Namibia and their national liberation movements. We pay a tribute to them for the courageous and praiseworthy role they are play- ing in giving all possible moral and material support 178. Lastly, I wish to reaffrrm the solidarity of the Government and people of Uganda with the freedom fighters ofthe ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress and, indeed, with the oppressed people of South Africa, who are waging a courageous and extremely arduous struggle against the determined and inflexible enemy, the racist regime ofSouth Africa. My delegation believes that there is still time for the United Nations to make the peaceful choice of applying comprehensive mandatory sanctions against South Africa, in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, to force South Africa to put an end to its policy of apartheid. As the Minister ofState for Foreign Affairs of Uganda warned on 11 Oc- tober 1983 in this Assembly: "the South African racist regime [is] sitting on an active volcano. That volcano is now showing everywhere signs of erupting. Mere cosmetic changes such as the so- called constitutional reforms will not prevent that eruption. The only preventive measure against total eruption and a consequent blood bath is the complete eradication ofthe evil system ofapartheid. Those who continue to collaborate with the racist regime must share responsibility for the violence that is escalating in South Africa." [27th meeting, para. 122.] 179. Mr. :MACIEL (Brazil): Even though almost every- thing that coufdbe said has been said about the evil nature ofapartheid and about the degrading social and political system inspired by it, Brazil fe~ls impelled once again to join in the world community's unanimous condemnation of the racist policies which the South African regime uses to subjugate the overwhelming majority ofthe people of South Africa. 180. A question that has been inscribed on the agenda of the United Nations since its very inception, the poli- cies of apartheid of the Government of South Africa relates to a subject which has generated some of the longest debates and on which more resolutions have been passed than almost any other. One might well say that the persistence of the system ofapartheid can be counted as one of the greatest failures of the United Nations. 181. Perhaps on no other international issue has tilere been such a wide gap between the intensity of our com- monly held, deepest convictions, proclaimed in this Hall every year, and the bitter reality that confronts us. And yet we owe it to our own consciences and even more to the suffering peoples of South Africa themselves to per- severe in our efforts. Sooner or later, freedom must inevitably prevail, and the struggling people of South Africa will then be able to enjoy their inalienable right to citizenship in their own country. 182. The situation obtaining in South Africa since the institutionalization of apartheid in 1948 cannot be de- scribed solely as a simple case of the violation of human rights. Although in essence that is exactly what it is, the persistence and brutality ofthe policies resorted to by the I~;1ders in Pretoria in order to foist apartheid upon the people ofSouth Africa, in defiance of the will ofthe rest ofAfrica and the world at large, have converted the situ- ation in South Africa into what can be considered a real threat to the whole southern African region. Apartheid has become a major factor ofinstability and a source of tension which, if left unchecked, will sooner or later explode into open and unrestrained military confronta- tion, with predictably deleterious consequences for inter- national peace and security. sy~tem of apartheid. 186. Although at this moment there seem to be no grounds for optimism, my Government, consistent with the principles that inspire its foreign policy, still hopes that the present unjust state of affairs in South Africa will be superseded peacefully by a new order in which all men and women, irrespective of race or political afrtliation, will be able to live together as equals. We cherish the belief that the United Nations, by resorting to all peaceful mechanisms available to it, will bring the South African leaders to realize that no one stands to gain from the perpetuation of the present tense situation. The escalation of acts of violence in the region is a harbinger of a large military confrontation, the effects of which could spill over "beyond the confines of the southern African region and invite int'3rference from outside. We should all act decisively before it is too late to prevent this from happening. 187. I could not conclude this brief statement without expressing my delegation's ~ppreciation to the Special Committee against Apartheid for the work it has done in behalf of the noble cause of freedom and dignity. 188. Mr. URBINA ORTEGA (Gosta Rica) (interpre- tation from Spanish): More than 30 years have elapsed since the United Nations dealt for the first time with the policy of!apartheid of, the GoVe1T.uilent of South Africa; morethan 30 years of tireless effort by the international Isr~li Government is one such Government. It has steadily developed an alliance with the racist regime of South Africa, an alliance that has grown more intimate, despite the numerous cynical denials which emanate from Tel Aviv. 200. The representative ofIsrael has not tried to refute any of the evidence of growing collaboration with the South Mrican racist regime, nor has he provided any undertaking that his Government will cease such collab- oration. Instead, he has tried to insinuate that the com- plaint is against what he described as the minor trade of Israel with South Mrica. The figures he used regarding Israel's trade relations with South Af";-a are totally mis- leading as they do not include the anns trade, the dia- mond trade and many other economic relations. 201. The issue, however, is not merely one of trade relations with the apartheid regime, but the much more se~ous evidence of collusion by Israel with the racist regime ofSouth ~Urica,which is engaged in a brutal war against the African majority in South Africa, against the people ofNamibia and against the front-line States•.lwill mention onlya few fa~s, and I challenge the representa-·. tive of Israel to deny them. '. 202. In 1976, the Prime Minister of South Africa, . Mr. Vorster, led a high-level delegation to Israel. Israeli propaganda told the world that he was only visiting the Holy Places, but he had discussions with the Israeli Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Defence Minister and visited military installations and armaments factories. The two r6gimes signed a series ofagreements establishing a virtual alliance and agreed on periodic joint meetings of fmance, defence and other ministers. No other coun- try in the world has similar co-operation agreements with S~ates plans for turning that country into a base for its Central Command force have added to the instability and insecurity in our neighbourhood and in the region of the Indian Ocean as a whole. 214. A very detailed and completely distorted version of the proceedings of the negotiations between Afghan- istan and Pakistan through the intermediary of the Secretary-General's personal representative was also incorporated in the text of Pakistan's statement. We can only voice strong disappointment at this irresponsible and hypocritical attitude towards the contents of higWy serious negot!ations which we had all agreed to hold in strict confidentiality. 215. Merely to clarify some points, we would like to make the following comments. Negotiations did not start at the initiative ofPakistan. It was precisely the proposals of 15 May 19801 and 24 August 19812 of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan which, for the first time, ad- vanced the idea of negotiations as the only correct and viable path for fmding acceptable solutions to the prob- lems in South-West Asia. The purpose of these nego- tiations is to put an end, once and for all, to the armed aggresSIon against Afghanistan and thus pave the way for the'solution of other related problems. reveals that "A certain amount of double registration might have taken place . . . either in different villages or even in the same village. The actual village population ap- peared much less than the registered population. Also, a proportion of the refugees presumably belongs to the semi-nomadic category ofthe Afghan people who . . . used to shift their habitation according to season. Hence some refugees may be registered in two villages at different altitudes...• "From the [refugees'] point of view, the best way to handle shortages [of fpod] would be ... to obtain as much as possible when supplies arrive. Over-registra- tion would in this sense be an efficient means ofcoping with uncontrolled, irregular food deliveries . . . "Many refugees reported that the village staff had registered the actual size of the resident households incorrectly . . . "Other issues were apparent. Visits to the villages revealed that the size of the refugee population may be much smaller than indicated by the official popula- tion figures. Assistance programmes may thus be"- 223. The PRESIDENT: I would remind the representa- tive of Afghanistan that his 10 minutes have expfred, and I must ask him to conclude his statement. 224. Mr. ZARIF (Afghanistan): "Assistance pro- grammes may thus be geared to unrealistic numbers of refugees." 225. The representative of China, a country which has been one of the prime instigators of and partners in the dirty undeclared war on the people and revolution of Afghanistan, also made some fallacious remarks about my country. Nothing more could be expected from the hegemonistic circles who maintain territorial claims against practically all of their neighbours, who have forcefully occupied and later annexed vast territories of other countries, who, relying on their might, have launched treacherous armed aggression against some of their neighbours and who are still manipulating minori- ties of Chinese origin in other countries for the purpose ofeconomic blackmail, subversion and destabiIization of those countries. 226. Mr. Riaz KHAN (Pakistan): The previous speaker exercised his right of reply, even though the General Assembly had concluded its discussion ofthe item. Since he has done so and, in so doing, has made baseless allegations against my country, I too would like to exer- cise the right of reply. 227. I shall address myself to two separate questions or aspects: fIrst, the reality of the situation inside Afghani- stan and, secondly, the question of the diplomatic pro- cess. I shall do so because these are the two things with regard to which the previous speaker has made allega- tions against my country. 228. The reality of foreign military intervention in Afghanistan and the resistance to it by the Afghan people can neither be denied nor obscured by misleading propa- ganda such as we have heard from the speaker. This 238. However, I should like to respond to some of the new issues raised by the representative of Pakistan. I shall not, of course, repeat what we have already said in our statement in the Assembly this year, or during the pre- vious sessions, but I would like to show how Pakistan is falsifying the number of so-called refugees in their country. 239. I shall cite a United Nations source-the study entitled Sustaining Afghan Refugees in Pakistan, m.en- tioned above-which states that, in the same month- that is, July 1982-the recorded population of the villages visited-they are referring to three villages-reached 16,474, 15,384 and 10,955. 240. Now, after they had visited the refugee camps later, in August, the recorded number appeared to be com- pletelyincorrect. The study reads as follows in this regard: "By August and September 1982, visits to the vil- lages, however, disclosed the possibility that in fact the size of the resident populations could conceivably be much lower than the offIcial registration fIgures. Alternative estimates of the three village populations could fall to the level of 7,000,"-as compared to 16,000 in the past year-"8,000"-as compared to 15,000-"and 2,OOO"-as compared to 10,955. 241. I believe that these sources, which are prepared very carefully by United Nations offIcials, who are sup- posed to be-and I believe they are-impartial in their conduct of affairs, can be more trusted than what Paki- stan claims to be the correct numbers of the refugees. 242. As far as the diplomatic process, to which he made reference, is concerned, we have already expressed our disappointment at the revelations made and at the dis- torted picture which the Assembly was given by the rep- resentative of Pakistan. 243. His statement also contained an accusation that the Afghan Foreign Minister did not appear in New York, or did not make himself available for the Secretary- General's consultations. But the Assembly had just heard me say that the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan was not only present in New York, but had already had some consultations with the Secretary-General and with his personal representative. 244. With regard to the root cause of the problem around Afgh~tan,we would like to refer him and other delegations to the statements we have made throughout the debate on this so-called issue in the Assembly. 245. The PRESIDENT: I call on the representative of Pakistan, who' wishes to exercise his right of reply a second time, within the usual time-limit of fIve minutes. 246. Mr. Riaz KHAN (Pakistan): Briefly, as regards tbe fIgures of the Afghan refugees, these fIgures are main- tained and registered by UNHCR. They are checked and rechecked again and again. In fact, the number should be larger than the fIgure which is indicated by us, because, on account of the ethnic affiliations in the population across the border, some ofthe people who live with their kith and kin there usually do not"register. Therefore, the fIgure could be even larger. But this fIgure is authentic, and i~so authentiCated by the UNHCR and other inter- "Every week in Afghanistan there are probably as many victims of Russian-wielded or Russian-supplied arms as there were in the South Korean airliner shot down on September 1st. In a single skirmish in the city of Herat last month-news of which reached the out- side world last week-some 250 Afghan guerrillas and 50 Russian soldiers are said to have been killed. The week before at least 100 people died in a street-fight in Kabul. "Russian retaliation usually strikes at the civilian villagers who shelter the elusive guerrillas. Incidents like the mowing down last month of SO Afghans in a tea- shop by a Soviet gunner, after somebody had taken a shot at his tank, are common. Altogether, maybe 130,000 Afghans-two thirds of them civilians-have died since Russia illvaded Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, 1979. Some 4 million Afghans, a quarter of the population, have been forced into drab tent cities in exile." 248. This is how the others, the outsiders, portray the picture inside Afghanistan. So it is not really a matter .ofsurprise to us that there are so many Afghan refugees, NOTES 3Ibid.• Thirty-fifth year, 2190th meeting. ..see Report of the International Colljerence on Sanctions against South Africa. Paris. 20-27 May 1981 (A/CONF.I07/8). 5seeReportofthe Second World eolljerence to CombatRacism and RacialDiscrimination (United Nations publication, Sales No.E.83.XIV.4 and corrigendum), chap. 11. 68ubsequently circulated as document A/38/651.