A/39/PV.18 General Assembly

Mr. President, it is an honour to come to this important rostrum to repre- sent a Government born of the people's will. Your personal qualities and experience ensur(; the success of this Assembly's deliberations and the continuance (J1f outstandin~ leadership such as was given by the previous PreSident, a Head of State and friend of Bolivia, Mr. Jorge IUueca. 2. My delegation is happy to welcome Brunei Darussalam to the United Nations. . 3. I wish also to express the special fraternal gratitude of the Bolivian people to the Secretary- General for the interest which the United Nations system has shown in my country and for its co- operation. 4. The people and Government of Bolivia once again reiterate their support for the principles laid down in the Charter of the United Nations, particu- larly those concerning the peaceful solution of dis- putes and the non-use of forct in internationa! relations, respect for the sovereignty and territorial inte~rity of all St.ates, non· intervention in inte/mal affaus, and the self-determination of peoples. In the same way, we reject territorial conquest and all fOims of military occupation. 5. Bolivia emphatically stresses its attachment to the principles of non-alignment; it rejects the occupa- tion of Lebc400n and Cyprus by foreign forces; it deplores the fact that the Secretary-General's efforts concerning the crises in Kampuchea and Afghanistan have not achieved the progress hoped for by the international community; it regrets the continuance of the Iran-Iraq conflict and reiterates the need to make more intensive efforts to resolve it; it supports all actions designed to bring about the reunification of Korea; it deeply regrets the absence of peace in the Middle East and supports the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. 6. Bolivia, for reasons of principle and historical experience, supports the universal doctrine that conquest by the use of force is inadmissible. 7. My country stresses its solidarity with the peo- ples struggling to throw off the colonial yoke and reaffirms Namibia's right to independence within the framework ofSecurity Council resolution 435 (1978). New YORK , .... 8. Of course, we must emphatically repudiate the doctrine of apartheid and would pomt out that no constitutional ch~e io tbeRepublic ofSouth Africa can be le~itima~e If it does not include the direct particippbon of the majority of its population. 9. The d\stressing conflict in Central America not only affects sister countries but also threatens to have negative consequences for the whole continent. Boli- via has always expressed its solidarity with the people and Government of Nicai'agua in their struggle to move ahead with the country's liberating national transformation, designed to bring about the institu- tionalization of a pluralist democratic system. 10. The work of the countries of th~ ContaCkJra Group, which enjoys the support of the international community, demonstrates the capacity, imagination arid will ofthe Latin American countries to find their own soluti~s to their problems without the interven- tion of outside interes!s. The advances recorded on 7 September 1984 at the seventh meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Contadora Group and the Central American countries, held at Panama City [see A/39/495], demonstrate that by means of dia[o~ue and ne~otiation it has been possibk to identify the prinCipal problems and find formulas of concihation for their solution. My Gov- ernment reaffirms its support for the work of the Contadora Group and its hope that a final solution to the conflicts in the region may be found. 11. Since the last century, Bolivia has recognized the legitimate rights of the people and Government of Argentina over the Malvinas. We express the hope that the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom will resume negotiations and work to find a just and honourable solution" I should like to men.. tion once again our concern at the deployment of nuclear weapons in the islands. 12. My country views with satisfaction the begin- nings of the application of the Torrijos-Carter trea- ties, I which have restored to Panama its sovereignty over the Canal Zone. We hope that the provisions of the treaties will be complied with faithfully within the scheduled timetable. 13. Bolivia is the epicentre of political and social movements that are. sweeping tbe continent. The rugged terrain of its mountains is swept by the winds of geopolitical storms, the drug traffic and the economic crisis. Against this background, the dra- matic epic of the buildin$ of democracy among the Latin American peoples IS being played out. 14. In October 1979, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (GAS] stated that "it is in the permanent interest of the hemisphere to find an equitable solution whereby Bolivia would acquire sovereign and useful access to the Pacific Ocean". This categorical assertion can be explained Qnly by recQgnition of ~ fact that the war of 1879 t~is ~eason th~t the non-al~g!led countries stress ~he 25. As this war and its distressing consequences "mabenable rIgh,t" of Bohvl.a to reco,:,er sov.erelgn involve Bolivia, Chile and Peru, it is logical that its acces~ to the PaCIfic Ocean, SInce there IS a unIversal solution should include and benefit those nations, doctrIne to the en:e~t that conquests brought about by within the framework of legal tre?ties and precedents force are not legn~ ·,ate. on the subject, so that we can a-..:hieve an agreement 18. It is my hope that this description will help that "will take into account the rights and interests of members of the As~embly to have a better under- the parties involved", according to a paragraph in thr. standing of the un~werving determination of my resolution the OAS unanimously adopted in Novem- country to return to th~ se~ with the same ri~ts ~f ber 1983. soyerel~nt~ as those whIch It possessed at the tIme It 26. ThLAt:, ,n be no doubt that the road to peace is gamed Its tndependen~e., There h~s !lever been any understanding, based on good faith a.d the clear doubt as to what BolIVIa seeks In 2~S de~~nd for political willingness to resolve the difficulties sepa- a,ccess to th,e sea, although th~ dynaml~m of mterna- rating our peoples. Bolivia is once again ready to tlona~ relat~ons.has several tImes modIfied the con- engage in dialogue with a view to 1;1 ling its rights text m WhICh ItS ~emand ~as be~n ma~e, almost respected, becauJe it has always rt ,~d on peaceful always to the det~ment of ItS natIonal mterest. methods to solve international disputes. 19. Recently, the constitutional Government of 27, For a long time now, the domino theory in President Hernan Siles Zuazo, based on the popular conflicts has been accepted. Perhaps the time has will, brought forward a process of internal consulta- come to restore the domino of peace hypothesis, tion from which emerged a national consensus to put according to which the solution to one conflict is an end t.o the enclosed position of my country likely to facilitate ending others. This is the hope of internati~~'1al community, but that the principal the Illicit Use of Drugs [A/39/551 and Co...r.1 and 2, contribution must come from the consumer coun- annex], in which it is resolved to request the United tries, which possess the necessary financial and Nations to convene a specialized conference-which technical resources to fight this scourge with any we hope will be held in Bolivia-to examine and find hope of success. a solution for the various aspects of this criminal 32. As is well known, drug trafficking operates activity from a global standpomt, which in the Latin through a complex international structure. Produc- American view is an essential pre-condition for tion, processing, transport, financing, adulteration, success in the task being undertaken today. marketing and consumption are all phases of an 40. The concatenation of various factors has caused illegal activity vertically and horizontally integrated. two, almost continuous, world recessions: the first in The developmg countries that produce drugs and the middle of the 1970s and the second at the allow them to pass through their territories are once beginning of the 1980s. For Latin America, this again dependent links in this chain. Other countries phenomenon was manifested in a gradual reduction determine how they are produced and for what in its gross national product, the acceleration of the reason. inflationary process and the loss of its purchasing 33. It is clear that isolated national action will not power on external markets owing to the constant be successful given this intricate network criss-cross- decline in the terms of trade. ing economic re~ions, various kinds of activity and 41. Latin America today has a per capita gross political and socIal strata, if there is no co-ordinated, national product similar to what eXIsted seven years centralized and concerted effort internationally. ago, with an increase in consumer prices that in 1983 34. Another aspect of this matter is that we must reached 130 per cent and with a decrease in the terms take into account that any action against drug of trade of 38 per cent from 1977. Consequently, the trafficking should not be restricted to purely punitive region has found !tself obliged to reduce its imports measures. Although that is an indispensable element to a dangerous level, a fact which is even more of any overall strategy, it .i' of fundamental impor- serious when we consider that since 1983 Latin tance to offer development .alternatives to the peas- America has become a net exporter ofcapital. In fact, ants and sectors of the population subsisting on the whereas in 1981 it had received a net transfer of real production and processing of drugs; their backs are resources from abroad, this process was reversed in against the wall owing to poverty and marginality. 1983, when an amount of$30 billion was transferred We must also replace sub rosa and illegal economies abroa~. being developed within this international drug traf- 42. If we add to this the burden of its foreign debt, ticking network and resulting in grave and profound the servicing of which requires resouroes that are distortions in the development of producer countries. more limited today than ever, we may conc!ud~ that 35. It will not be in punitive measures but in the economi" criSIS in Latin America needs priority economic and social development that we shall find tre~tment, calling not only for the solutions required subje~tion to the 14~, w~ must integ~~te withi!l. the 67. During the nearly four decades of the existence mac~Inery of partIc~patIOn .and polItical deCISIon- of the Organization, the world has been faced on makmg new, em~rgl~g SOCIal .stra.ta born of !he several occasions with rising international tensions process of modernIzatIOn, urbamzatIon and agrarIan and with developments contrary to the spirit and reform. letter of the Charter of the United Nations. The 61. In the case of Bolivia, this is undoubtedly a sharpening of international tension, the acceleration difficult task, fraught with tension because of the of the arms race and the increasin~ attempts from upsurge of new protagonists that have won their right outside to disrupt the internal SOCIal and political to participate at the price of their blood, and because order of sovereign States have reached dangerous of unprecedented forms of regional presence that are dimensions in our times, and this is a legitimate contrary to the classic modes of social, economic and source of concern for people not only in a particular political organization. country or region but throughout the world. 62. It is therefore indispensable to renovate politi- 68. The strategic arms limitation agreements al- cal doctrine and practice in oroer to include, in the ready signed are in jeopardy, and no new agreement appropriate institutional forms, new soci~l protago- has been reached. The start of the deployment in nists and structural levels of active representation of Western Europe of United States medium-range the mass of the peoples in the economic, social and nuclear missiles is one ofthe gravest developments of political decisions affecting the life of the community the recent past. It increases the feeling of a nuclear and the State. threat in Europe and serves not only to stir up more 63. From those considerations stem certain asoects tt:nsion in international. life but also to augme~t of the concept of democracy: economic democracy, dIstrust between countnes of the European contI- through the strengthening of the system of a mixed nent. economy resting on the relative balance of power 69. In this situation, a positive reaction by the bet~e~n the p':lblic and pri:,ate sectors and t~e countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization explICIt recogmtIon of the gUIdIng role of the State In [NATO] to the reasonable proposals of socialist the plannin~ of the national economy; regional countries, proposals that take into account the right- democracy, In the sense that it is absolutely indis- ful security interests of all parties, would be of cal~s for a tangIble mamfestatI?n of polItIcal wI~I, a task. My Government also believes that the establIsh- senous study of proposals seekmg to reduce tenSIOn, ment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in Europe and and a substantive response to such proposals. other parts of the world is useful and timely. 71. The paramount significance attached to rela- 78. The Government of the Hungarian People's tions between the two great Powers, the Soviet Union Republic continues to attach great importance to the and the United States, has been emphasized by many efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weap- speakers here in the Assembly. The course of Soviet- ons. We hope that the forthcoming Third Review American relations is seen by Hungary, too, as a Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non- determinant factor of the international situation. I Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons will contribute to believe that all members of the international commu- the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime. nity would welcome a genuine turn towards a more General and complete prohibition of nuclear-weap- realistic and more responsible relationship between ons tests would equally help to curb the arms race. the two countri~s. We. are convinced, that relations 79. The extension of the arms race to outer space is between th,e SOVIet Umon and t~e Umted States can a dangerous development that gravely threatens be. n~rmalIzed onl~ on the baSIS of re~pect for the world peace. We support the efforts to have talks on prmcIples of equalIty and equal secunty. its complete demilitarization started as early as 72. My Government believes that the international possible, as well as the inclusi~n in the agenda of the conditions of today make it even more imperative current session of the questIon of the exclUSIvely that everythin~ possible be done to stop the deterio- peaceful use of outer space. ration of the SItuation. It i~ th~refore regret~~blethat 80. While laying special emphasis on nuclear dis- some quarters are questIOnmg the realItIes that armament, we deem it necessa11' to speed up the talks emt:rg,ed since the Second Wor~d, War" thu~ further on the prohibition of such m~truments of mass strammg the already tense polItIcal SItuatIon. The destruction as chemical, radiologIcal or other weap- peoples do not want to give up the benefits of detente ons and to complete them successfully as soon as anq the beneficial atmosphere generated by th~t possible. Ending the rivalry in conventional weapon- penod for all of us. Goyernments should rely on thIS ry is a similarly important task. enormous moral asset m ord~r to rev~rse the unfav- 81. Concerned with the maintenance of peace and ourable processes that promIse nothmg but danger the promotion of constructive inter-State relations, for th~ whole,world and could lead to a waste of the Hungarian Government devotes increased atten- ~atenal and .mtellectual resources, postpone soh~- tion to strengthenin~ security and co-operation in t~ons for pressmg global problems, worseD; the ,C<?~dI- Europe and to fostermg the spirit of Helsinki. With t~OI.iS of l~fe f~r peoples and cause our entIre cIVllIza,. the approach of the tenth anniversary of the signing tlOn to smk mto decay. of the Helsinki Final Act,2 my Government remains 73. In international forums, including the General convinced that the most effective way of defending Assembly, the socialist countries and other States detente and deepening co-operation in Europe is the have been exerting consid~rable efforts towards full and balanced implementation of the provisions disarmament. Unfortunately, it has so far not been of that document by all the participating States. possible to achieve con~rete resul~s and, moreoyer, 82. The vitality of the process initiated at Helsinki the results already achIev~d are ~n danger. It IS a is evidenced by the fact that the Madrid mee!ing ?f c~use for worry that, the mternatIonal forums des- the Conference on Security and Co-operatIon ID tmed to elaborate dIsar~ament and a~~s control Europe-even under conditions of tension-con- accords are doomed to faIlure by the unwIllIngness of cluded its work with the adoption of a substantive NATO to reach substantive agreements. and balanced document and thereby opened the way 74. The Hungarian Government holds that effo.~s to the convening at Stocl,dtolm, o~ the Conference on should be redoubled despite the failures. The polItI- Confidence- a.nd SecurIty-bUIldmg Measures an~ cal significance of the disarmament forums is in- Disarmament m Europe. My Government deems It a~ by preservm~ and fUl1her develo~mg Its relatio~s achieving a fuller measure of social justice and a WIth States hav~ng a SOCIal syste1l:1 dIfferent from .ltS more complete exercise ofhuman rights in the world. o~n. We remam ready to contmue a substantIve Proceeding on the basis of its socialist system of dIalogue. society, Hungary is working to comply fully with the 86. The situation in the Middle East and the Israeli international obligations it has undertaken in this aggression against Arab countries continue to pos~ a field. We regard the policy of the racist Republic of grave threat to the entire world. My Government South Africa as the most strikin$ example of gross .considers that further international efforts are re- and mass violations of human fights. We consider quired for the solution ofthe problems in that region. the adoption of the new South African constitution It believes that the Mjddle East situation calls for a as a manoeuvre designed to perpetuate the system of comprehensive, just and lasting settlement that aparthei.:4. Responsibility for the delay in the settle- would ensure for the Palestinian people the exercise ment of the question of Namibia rests with the South ofits legitimate rights, including the right to establish African regime and its supporters. a State of its own, and would create all the conditions 94. The Hungarian People's Republic supports the an~ guaran,tees.that are necessary for al~ S~at~s of the anti-imperialist endeavours of the Movement of r~glon to lIve 1!1 peace and secunty wlthm mterna- Non-Aligned Countries and is ready to co-operate tlOnally recogmzed borders. with it in the realization of its just demands for the 87. D~veloPI!lents in the past year, particularly the esta~lishment of a more peac~ful and m.ore demo- ~ggresSlon agal~st Grenada and the actions threaten- cratlc world ord~r and for eqult~ble solutl<?ns to the Ing the sovereIgnty of Cuba and Nicaragua, have problems besettIng the developIng countnes. introduced more tension in the Caribbean region. My 95. The unfavourable trends in the international Governm~nt is increasingly concerned at such devel- situation have had their impact on the world econo- opments In that part of the world and lends its my as well. International economic and technological supp~rt to the efforts to find a peaceful, negotiated relations are seriously damal!ed by the I!rowing solutIon for the crisis in Central America. tendencies to embargo, increaSIng protectiomsm the 88. T~e Go~ernment of the Hungariaq People's difficulties in the intern~tio~al cu~ren~y and mone- RepublIc contmues to be in favour of the territorial tary systems and the artIfiCIally hIgh mterest rates, !ntegrity <?f the Republic of Cyprus and of respect for which, affect al.most all couJ?tries ~nd groups of Its sovereIgnty and non-aligned status. It supports the countrIes but hIt the developmg natIons hardest. endeavours of the Secretary-General on behalf of a 96. In the prevailing situation, further delay is peaceful, negotiated settlement of the question of being experienced in dealing with the numerous Cyprus, in the spirit of the relevant United Nations ~lobal probbms of the \ 'orId, the settlement of which resolutIons and on the basis of respect for the IS possible only if international co-operation im- Interests rf both ethnic communities. proves. The accomplishment ofpressing tasks such as repress~ terrorize, incarcerate, torture and execute their best children and patriots. 167. But it is not only in Central America and southern Airica that we see the imperialists arrogant.- ly tryin~ to maintain their interests under neo-co{oni- al dommation. Other focal points of tension exist in various parts of the world which mUiit also be diffused in time if we are to avoid the progressive deterioration of the international situation and the risk of war. Effective action must be undertaken towards this end. The duty of the United Nations to preserve peace cannot be delegated; nor can the duty to demand that all States respect the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations be ignored, especially when the State in violation is a permanent member of the Security Council. 168. Never before has the policy of blackmail and ofexerting pressure in international relations been so blatant, brutal or wide-ranging. It is now also used to place conditions on the financing of international organizations, especially those in which the United States has an overwhelming say. Pressures are exert- ed on the drafting of the budgets of international organizations in an attempt to stem the progress of multilateralism and international co-operation, to int~rnational.relations and if we are to ~[ruggle 0!1ce population. agam to attam peace, development and a more Just 180. Such senseless waste takes place in the midst world order. of the most serious world economic crisis of the past 173. We are pleased that, in the present delicate 50 years. Originating in the developed capitalist circumstances, Mr. Paul Lusaka, of Zambia, is countries, the crisis affects all countries, but the so- presiding over this important session of the Assem- called developing countries are the hardest hit, bly. His contribution to the defence of the interests of subjected as they are to unfair international econom- underdeveloped countries, his indefatigable efforts as ic relations based on inequitable terms of trade and President of the United Nations Council for Namib- economic dependence. ia, his, ~ell-known C?rganizational skills a~d ~ersonal 181. At its thirty-fourth session, the General As- capabIhty ~ssure h~m the respec~, ~dmlfat~on and sembly adopted a resolution [resolution 34/138] trust, of th~ IntematIon.al. ~0!J1muntty m the d~scharge expressing the desire of the overwhelming majority of hIS serIOUS resp~nslbtlltIes .. Cuba pay~ trIbute to of its members for global negotiations aimed at M~. Lu~aka's un~mmouselectIOn as PreSIdent of the restructuring international economic relations and thlrty-nt!1th sessIOn of the Gen~ral Asse~bly and establishing a more just and equitable international offers hIm th~ f~11 supp0t:! of Its delegatIOn as a order. Unfortunately, we have not been able to modest cont~lbuh0!1 to hIS noble efforts for the advance a single step in that direction. It must be success of thIS sessIOn. said that the process has stagnated mainly because of 174. We could not fail to express as well our sincere the intransigent and inflexible attitude of the United appreciation to Mr. Jorge Illueca, President of the States Government. Assembly's thirty-eighth session, who, with charac- 182. Thus, the initiatives of the developing coun- teristic intelligence and tenacity, led the Assembly tries have met with no response. This is true of the brilliantly through a period equally fraught with well-known immediate economic measures endorsed dangers and tension. by the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or 175. In its irrational quest for world strategic Gov~rnment of Non-Aligned Countries, held at New supremacy, the United States did not hesitate, only a DelhI from 7 to 12 rvtarch 1983, and further elabo- year ago, to impose the deployment of 572 medium- r~ted an,d 'pres~nted m, the form of a proposal by the range nuclear missiles, weapons with first-strike FIfth Mlnt,stenal lVieetmg of the Group o~ 77, held at capability, in Western Europe in order to create an Buenos AIres from 28 March to 9 AprIl 1983, imbalance of forces in that region which could not 183. The so-called Buenos Aires Platform3 gave but elicit the adoption of countermeasures by the some hope for the success of the sixth session of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, thus United Nations Conference on Trade and Develop- increasing the danger of nuclear confrontation and ment, held at Belgrade from 6 June to 2 July 1983, turning several European States into virtual hostages Perhaps never before has such a large group of or targets of a nuclear counter-attack. countries worked so hard and so seriously on a 192. The Cuban delegation reaffirms its support for the struggle of the people of Puerto Rico, that unredeerned portion of our America, in their un- swerving aspiration to exercise their right to self- determination and independence, free from colonial ties. 193. We wish to express once again our support fOi the desire of the Panamanian people and Govern- ment that the provisions of the Panama Canal treaties· be strictly observed and respected; for Bolivia's just demand to recover its access to the sea; for Belize's non-aligned St8tUS, territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty. 194. W~' stand for a peaceful settlement of the differences between Guyana and Venezuela over the Esequibo region. We stand also for the recovery of the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands by the Argentine Republic through negotia- tions between Argentina and the United Kingdom, in accordart~c with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly. We urge the United Kingdom Government to undertake such negotiations immedi- ately. 195. We pay homage to the Chilean people, who, .defying the arrogance, terror and repression of the Fascist Junta, have raised with dignity and in open struggle the banner oftheir ideals of social justice and independence, free from corrupt national oligarchy and impetialism. Sooner er later, the people of Chile will win. We salute the struggle of other South American peoples who suffer the repression of the vassals of imperialism, in particular the Uruguayan people, who, having taken to the streets in protest, have seclUred the freedom of patriots who truly represent their ideals and aspirations and are still struggling to secure it for all other political prisoners and to achieve a truly democratic system. We salute them for having forced the Government to recognize the existemce of previously banned politic&l parties. They, too, will regain their freedom and will hold the reins of their destiny in their own hands. 196. We hail the efforts to create a climate of peace and stability in South-East Asia; we urge all con- cerned to continue such actions, steps and measures as may enable them to attain that important goal, and we reaffirm our solidarity with the countries of Indo-C~ina, which still endure hostility and foreign aggressIOn. 197. We believe that in South-West Asia efforts to promote a stable climate of peace and security based on mutual respect among the parties to the conflict must prevail. 1S18. We support the just aspirations and efforts of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to achieve the peaceful reunification of their country, and we caU for the cessation of interference in the internal affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and for the withdrawal of United States interventionist forces from the southern part of the Korean peninsula. 199. We support the aspiration of the Comoros to recover sovereignty over Mayotte and of Madagascar Govt~rnment and people of Sierra Leone, I congratu- late you most warmly, Sir, on your election to the high office of President of the thirty-ninth session of the General Assembly. Your country's philosophy of humanism and your considerable personal skills as a diplomat assure us that under your leadership the General Assembly will further the cause of peace and justice in the world. 205. Allow me also to pay a tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Jorge Illueca, now President of the Republic of Panama, who served as President of the thirty-eighth session with distinction and exemplary skill. 206. Let me also congratulate and welcome into our midst Brunei Darussalam, whose accession brings us closer to the ideal of universal membership. 207. Ten years ago, the General Assembly con- vened in a special session to examine the economic relations between developed and developing coun- tries. After weeks of long and exhaustive debate, the Assembly adopted a resolution recommending the establishment of a new international economic order [resolution 3201 (8- VI)]. That historic recommenda- tion reverberated around the world and ignited the hopes of many poor, developing countries. A new optimism was born, as many countries were led to ~lUch of the third world. 209. Today, the stark economic reality of the African condition is that millions of people are afflicted by hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy and ab- ject poverty. Over the last few years, the economies of African countries have suffered severe declines in growth and output of goods and services. This trend, already apparent in the 1970s, has worsened over the last three years, leading to depressing growth rates or total stagnation. The r;;,;sult is a dangerous fall in 1ilready precarious living standards, mass starvation and widespread decay of the small, but vital, infra- structure an.d even the environment. 210. The reasons for this decline are many and varied. Foremost among them are the recent severe world recession, which has had such a damaging effect on the economies and productive capacity of many African countries, and the Stubborn refusal of our trading partners to pay fair and remunerative prices for our commodities and raw materials. 211. Moreover, in an international trading system that requires developing countries to negotiate the prices they receive for their major raw materials and commodities, while they must pay the ever-increas- ing prices that are set by the manufacturers of those same raw materials and commodities, it is inevitable that the weakest members of the system should be driven into bankruptcy. 212. For Africa, these various factors have been further aggravated by the most severe drought the continent has suffered in this century~ resulting in a catastrophic fall in food production and the conse- quent loss of human lives through famine and starvation. 213. The acute debt burden of third-world coun- tries, particularly those in Latin America, has preoc- cupied the international community over the last two years. The harsh conditions attaching to those debts are today hampering economic recovery and devel- opment in many of the afflicted countries. 214. Given the magnitude and severity of the problems that I have just been describing, It is clear that the African people cannot on their own prevent the imminent economic collapse that threatens many of their impoverished nations. While we recognize that African Governments must continue to bear . our countries. It is imperative, therefore, that the 228. My delegation notes with satisfaction the international community and the African Govern- stress laid by a cross-section of delegations at the ments make joint efforts to reverse this dangerous Vienna Conference on the subject of the Industrial trend. Development Decade for Africa. It is clear that, since Africa has the greate~t number of least developed 220. While on the theme of international co-opera- countries, the international community must make tion, I would like to make some brief remarks on two special efforts towards the industrial development of international conferences which have recently been Africa in order to lift that continent from the state of concluded. I refer to the second International Confer- poverty in which it is currently trapped. ence on Population, held at Mexico City last August, 229. I now wish to reflect on the political state of and the Fourth General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, held our world. at Vienna, also in August. In doing so, may I once 230. Over the past few years, the United Nations again express the ~ratitude of the Sierra Leone has been confronted by a number of complex and Government to MeXICO and Austria for hosting these menacing challenges, many of which threaten the two important meetings. very survival of mankind. The most dangerous of these challenges is the accumulation and accretion of 221. Population issues are, today, assuming ever- nuclear weapons with the attendant danger of nuclear greater importance. A!most every Government has annihilation. Today we watch with growing concern ~ecome increasingly aware that its greatest resource as the arms race enters the sphere of outer space. IS human. 231. It is the considered view of the Sierra Leone 222. For us in Africa, developmental problems delegation, guided by historical evidence, that an have been identified as those of dis,turbingly low unbridled and perennial arms buildup, the perfecting levels of literacy, low levels of technical skills, poor of weapons of mass destruction and the acquisition performance of middle-level manpower, little or no of nuclear capability by many nations inexorably lead attention to research and development, weak infra- to war, either by design or through accident or structure and a chronic shortage of capital. miscalculation. 223. It is evident, therefore, that if we are going to 232. Like other members of the General Assembly, solve these problems urgent measures will have to be my country has a vested interest in the prevention of taken to improve and develop our human resources. a nuclear catastrophe. This, more than anything else, NOTES 'Panama Canal Treaty and Treaty concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal signed in Wash- ington on 7 September 1977. (The Department'ofState Bulletin. 3See Proceedings ofthe United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Sixth Session, vol. I, Report and Annexes (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.I1.D.6), annex VI. . AI101 12, chap. IV.