A/39/PV.25 General Assembly

9.  General debate 1. Miss CHIEPE (Botswana): I should like, Sir, to join preceding speakers in extending to you the congratulations of the delegation of Botswana on your election to the presidency of the thirty-ninth session of the General Assembly. The honour and pride that we feel in seeing you presiding over our deliberations derive not only from the fact that you are a Zambian and that Zambia and Botswana are bound together by deep-rooted ties of friendship9 culture and history, but also from the happy realiza- tion that you are the first son of southern Africa to assume this high office. We repose in you our confidence that the thirty-ninth session will, com- mensurate with the brilliance of your stewardship, produce the desired results. 2. I should like to express my sincere gratitude to your predecessor, Mr. Jorge Illueca, for the efficient manner in which he presided over the proceedings of the thirty-eighth session. 3. I should like to pay an especial tribute to the Secretary-General for his stable and enlightened leadership of the United Nations. We particularly commend him for his thought-provoking report on the work of the Organization [A/3911]. The message conveyed by his report is timely and must receive the attentIon it so richly deserves as we embark upon the preparations for the commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. 4. The admission of the new independent State of Brunei Darussalam as the 159th Member of the United Nations is an occasion for joy and celebra- tion, for it represents another nail in the coffin of colonialism. It is a confirmation of the fact that the existence of the United Nations is incompatible with the existence anywhere in the world of colonial outposts tenaciously dedicated to the preservation of soclo-political values, beliefs and practices that have long been discredited and consigned to the scrap- heap of history. But in welcoming Brunei Darus- salam to our midst let us also reaffirm our determina- tion to struggle even harder to rid the world of all the remaining pockets of colonial resistance. " 5: There has been no improvement in the world Situation since the last session of the General Assem- bly. The arms race between the super-Powers has continued unabated, while the fury of the cold war has persistently threatened to consume all of us. NEW YORK Admittedly, the super-Powers have now started what we hope will be sustained overtures to each other; otherwise, world stability will remain seriously at stake as the East and the West continue to communi- cate with each other across the widening ideological divide with virulent verbal abuse. 6. Almost everywhere else on our globe, bloody conflicts persist, conflicts which mayor may not have anything to do with super-Power rivalry, as nations large and small seek habitually to settle their disputes on the battlefield. Wasteful ideological wars have become the popular means to which nations resort in the pursuit of dubious and narrow national objec- tives. Warmongering seems to have become a habit, an addiction, in many places. 7. My own part of the world, the region of southern Africa, has endured much conflict and bloodshed in the last two decades. Since the early 1960s, we have had continuous wars of liberation, some of which have happily ended in victories, as in the case of the people of the former Portuguese colonies and of Southern Rhodesia. But, although the Portuguese empire in Africa is no more and Southern Rhodesia has become the proud, independent Republic of Zimbabwe, southern Africa remains poised on the edge of a dangerous precipice. Thanks to South Africa's intransigence, the international Territory of Namibia is yet to be delivered from foreign occupa- tion, while South Africa itself continues to totter on the brink of a revolution. 8. The question of Namibia has been a burning issue in the United Nations, particularly in the past six years. It is six years since the Security Council adopted resolution 435 (1978) as a blueprint for the peaceful decolonization of Namibia. That resolution has not been implemented, but not because the people of Namibia do not want independence or because our friends of the South West Africa People's Organization [SWAPO] have been found deficient or wanting in their commitment to the peaceful libera- tion of that country. There has been no progress towards the implementation of the resolution for two reasons: first, South Africa continues to refuse to co- operate in the implementation of resolution 435 (I978)~ the provisions of which it accepted without reservation six years ago; and secondly, the resolu- tion no longer stands on its own; it is linked to an issue on which neither SWAPO nor South Africa, and neither the Western contact group nor the front- line States, have locus standi: the issue of the presence of Cuban troops in Angola. 9. The Foreign Minister of South Africa was report- ed recently as having said that, because of the uncertainty about the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, "an all-out effort should be made now to achieve a cease-fire"-not the U~(IDted Nations supervised cease-fire, but one prior and in addition ~ll ~h.e peop,lt: of South Afnca, together as equal of good-neighbourhness with South Africa would !ndl.vld~al CItIzens, to work out for themselves the imply that we have been found seriously wanting in mS!ltutlons ,!nd the system of Go,,:,ernment under our enforcement of our policy of not allowing our whIch they will, by g~neral consen.t, hve t~get~eJand country to be used as a steppin~-stone for guerrilla work together to buIld a ~armo~lOus society . The attacks against South Africa-whIch is far from being so-called reforms now gomg on m th.at country beg the case. The record is there to attest to the strictness t~e ql;lestlOn. They ~mo~nt to. nothmg more than of our enforcement of the policy. t~nke~Ing-reckless tmkenng wIth a very dangerous 20. Thirdly, signing a non-aggression treaty with situatIOn. , , , South Africa would compromise the peace and 14. The 23 mllhon black South Afncans ~ho ,have stability ofour country, as we would be seen, wrongly b~en so ~allously left, out of the ne.w ~onstItutlOnal or rightly, to be joining the ranks of the white dlspen~atlOn are not lIkely to suffer In Silence, for, as minority in South Africa in its confrontation with the one wIse man has aptly observed: black majority. So far, our policy of not allowing "It is one of the oldest laws of history that where guerrillas in our country is respected because the there is no democracy to provide for the counting reasons for it are understood. This understanding 0" heads, men denied those rights and brutalized would be impaired if we signed a treaty which would by oppression inevitably turn to violence as what virtually force us to join the South African Govern- ~emain frustrated. The building of Jewish settlements In the West Bank and Gaza will not enhance security for Israel; it will engender more violent bitterness among the Palestinians towards the Jewish State. 27. So will the occupation and annexation of the Golan Heights, which can never give Israel the security it so desperately needs; Syria is' ·rightly embittered by the usurping of its territory and will employ every means to regain it. The occupation and ran~acking of southern Lebanon by the Israeli army dUrIng the past two years also can only have earned Israel the bitter enmity of the people of Lebanon. All these are the deeds of a country which seems bent on ensuring security for itself literally at all costs-not p.loy~ent, underemploymen,t and p~v~rty are on the to achieve a clear break from its colonial, dependent nse m ma!1y of th~se countnes. SOCial mfrastructures economic inheritance, with a production structure and pubhc ser':lces a~e frequently unger seve~e heavily dominated by export-oriented agriculture, a pressi.l~e. There IS growmg eyldence of difficulty m small industrial base, fractured and only minimally Insulatmg ~ealt~ .and ed~cat~on from t~e effects. of linked with its natural resour~~s base, with mining the economic cn,sls. P,hyslcal mvestment IS also be!ng output being predominantly for export and with the severe!y constramed ,m a large n':lmbe~ of countn~s, most open and exposed economy in the world. As is reflectmg both a d~mg uP. of prIvate m,:estment m wen known, external trade normally constitutes a the.face of eco~o~lcrecession or co~tractlOnand the major stimulus to spur internal socio-economic pro- falhng of p~bhc m~estment .followmg pressl!r~s to gress even where this is affected by the narrowness of reduce pubhc .spendm.g. The Impact of the CrISIS on export commodities and dramatIc price shifts over health, e9uc~tlOn and mvestment places future devel- which Africa has no control. opm ilt m jeopardy. 42. The economic and social transformation of 37. The forces underlying this severe set-back to Africa, which started in the 1960s after the attain- development have been gathering momentum for a ment of political independence by most African number of years. Althuugh the precise causes vary countries, is not only coming to a halt but also from region to region and from country to country, gradually reversing. Throughout the 1970s, Africa, severe strains in external payments are a common particularly sub-Saharan Africa, experienced a deteri- factor, The debt crisis in Afnca, Latin America and oration in all major economic and social ~ndicators. some parts of Asia has been characterized by a cut- While the gross domestic product grew at an average back in new private and public financial flows, which annual rate of 3 per cent between 1970 and 1980, this has led to a slow-down in economic activity. rate has persistently fallen and is at present negative. , . , On the other hand, population has been rising 3~. No regIOn ~as had to face thiS stark reahty more consistently at an annual rate of 3 per cent. Conse- directly ~han Afnca. T~e Secretary-General has cle,ar- quently, per capita income has been declining. To- ly descnbed the magmtu~e of the ch!lllenges.facmg day, 26 of Africa's 50 independent countries are most of sub-Saharan African countnes. As IS well classified by the United Nations as least developed documented by .reports prep!lred. ~y the Secr~tary- among developing comi.tries. Because of the severe General, th~ AfrIcan economic CrISIS calls f~r slmu!- drought which has negatively affected agricultural tane~us action on sev~rallev~ls. In the most ,Immedl- production in a large number of countries in sub- ate tlme-fram~, the mternatlOnal c~mmuD1ty must Saharan Africa since 1982, food is the most critical work closely With the affected countrIes t.o respond to aspect of the crisis. the emergency needs. Among the requIrements are. . d adequate supplies of food and water and steps to ~3. The SJ?eclal FAO/WFP .Task Force, estabhshe counteract desertification, as well as others related to m 198~, estImated food geficlt for 1~83/84 for the 24 population displacement, unemployment and debt- fo~~-ald dependen~ Af~lcan countnes a~ ab.out 5.4 servicing. In the medium- and long-term, we must mI1!lon tons. I?es~lte report~ of g~d rams m West seriously address the need for developing institution- Afr~ca, the projectI~ns. remam vahd for the !984/85 al infrastructure which will enable these couo:ries to ~enod. I Wish ~t thiS jU!1cture to thank the lI:tterna- deal more effectively with future emergencies. tlOnal c~mmuD1ty, espeCially the donor, ~ountrIes, for respondmg very generously and expeditIously to our 39, In reviewing the African economic crisis, it is appeals. Without their assistance whole populations highly important to appreciate that the emergency, would have perished. However, there remains a lot to short-, medium- and long-term implications and be done, and I hope we can continue to count on the ramifications are not only interrelated but are very generous support demonstrated so far. Because of the closely intertwined. Any measures to be taken, be continued drought, poor harvests are expected for the they at the national, regional or international level, 1984/85 period in eastern and southern Africa, must ensure internal consistency between the differ- resulting in a food deficit of about 2.6 million tons, ~o focus on three major ~~ctors: food a~d a~nculture, Africa; and eighthl>:, liberation of IMF conditionali.. lOdustry, and the provIsion of essen~lal mfrastruc- ties, including facIlitation of access to other IMF ture. Such m~a~ures mus~ tackle not Ju~t the symp- windows, such as the cereal window; and the restruc- toms of.the cns~s but also ItS roo~ caus~s I~ they are t.o turin~ of lending programmes and policies as well as be consl.stent wIth long-term polIcy obj.ectlves. In t~IS aid-dIsbursement procedures by the World Bank, connectIon, on~ can~ot over-emphasize the .cruclal regional development banks and other multilaterai role of domestl~ pol!cy reforms for. acceleratl~g t~e financial institutions with a view to a speedier and process of r~hablhtatmg,~econstructmgand revltahz- more flexible flow of resources to Africa. 109 the AfrIcan economies. 50 I' . 1 h h' . I . . . t IS essentla t at t e mternatlona commuOlty 46. Aconsensus has long emerged among AfrIcan accept the fact th?t the economic crisis facing the countnes as to w~at4these me~sures should be. sThe African continent is a challen$e not only to African Lagos Pl~n ofActIOn and the fmal Apt of Lagos ~re Governments but to humamty as a whole. The clear testimony to the ~esolve by.Afnca to tackle Its international community must respond positively, p.ro~lems squarely. It IS hearten109 to n~te that a magnanimously and speedily to the various proposals sImI1~r consensus has emerged among major donor put forward by the various United Nations agencies agencIes. such as t~e World. Bank, the European in order to resolve the present economic and social EconomIC Commumty, the ASIan pevelopment Ba~k crisis that is crippling the African continent. It is also and, the Arab Bank for EconomIC Developmen.t m important, and even more important, that the Afri- Afn~a on what needs to be d?ne.to, pull ~he -{\fncan can Governments themselves should continue with ~ontment out of the economIC pIt m WhIch It finds their efforts to institute fundamental domestic policy Itself. reforms which enable them to accelerate the process 47. In order to restore growth and to enable African of structural change for achieving the objectIves set countries to rely mainly on their own resources, it is forth in the Lagos Plan of Action. In this vein, at essential to deVIse speCIal short-term measures which Lus&~:a on 1 April 1980, the Heads of State and will ensure that their export earnings are stabilized at Government of the nine independent countries of remunerative levels. Export earnings of most African southern Africa adopted the Lusaka Declaration, commodities have dropped by as much as 20 to 47 entitled "Southern Africa: Toward Economic Libera- per cent since 1980. tion",8 which established the Southern African De- 48. In this connection, the implementation of the velC!pmen~ Co.o~dina~ion Conference [SADCCj and Integrated Programme for Commodities, especially set m motIon a hlst~rIc process o~growth and change the entry into operation of the Common Fund for and a ~tra~egy for 11'~tegra~ed regIonal d~velC?pment. Commodities, as well as the early conclusion of new The obJect~ves enuncIate~ 10 the Declaration ~nclude: commodity agreements, are an important eleilent in the reductIon of economIC .dependenc~, partl~ularly, the realization of this objective. Also important is the but not only, on South.Afnca; t~e forfJmg of !mks to removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers against creat,e.ge1l;ume and eqUItable regIOnal mtegratl?n; the African agricultural and mineral products. mO~Ihzatlon of resources t~ pro~ote the attamment . . or ImplementatIon of national, mter-State and re- 49. To enable Af~Ica!l countnes to f~ce the Herc:ule- gional policies; and concerted action to secure inter- ~~ tasks ~f r~~abIhtatmg, recon~tructmg ~md revItal- national co-operation within the framework of a IZIng thelf qlsmtegrated economIes" maSSIve external strategy for economic Hberation. resources WIll be needed. The SpeCial Memorandum . . on Africa's Economic and Social Crisis, adopted by 51. The southern African leaders knew theIr the Conference of Ministers of the Economic Corn- strengt.hs and we.aknesses. 1 ney knew the power of mission for Africa in May of this year,6 proposes col~ectlve self-reha!1ce as well as the value of extr~. some cor:~rete measures, which include: first, an r~glOnal co:operatlo~. They were ~ware that th.elr increased flow of concessionary resources to the mne c.o1;1ntnes constI!uted .a. populatIOn app,roachmg African least developed countries, especially those 60 mdh~n p~ople, mhabItmg a geogr~phlcal area most seriously affected by natural calamities; second- replete With ~Ich natural resources-agrIc~ltural and ly, the increase of resources by the World Bank to mm,eral-whlch could be harnessed effiCiently and Africa to enable it to cope with the current external equltab~y for the ~enefit of the ma~ses of the local de~t crisis; to that end, we urge that structural- populatlons and, mdeed, for mankmd as a whole. adjustment lending should be expanded to cOhstitute 52. The member States of SADCC realized that a major lenrling programme and that it should be pragmatic, realistic and attainable objectives were ~pread over a longer period; thirdly, the substantial essential for the attainment oftheir noble.8oals. They !ncrease in lOA resource flows to Africa for the picked on selected and specific tasks and functions to Implementation of the World Bank Special Pro. be undertaken by chosen members among them- 8;famme for Sub-Saharan Africa; fourthly, the expedi- selves. SADCC recognized, to begin with, that one of hous completion of negotiations fOf supplementary the first economic objectives to be pursued by funding of at least $3 billion for the seventh IDA member States was the provision of basic infrastruc- expr~ss the gratitude and appreciation of my delega- the Umted Nations. tion to your predeces~or,¥r, J~rge Illueca, Pre~ident 66. With regard to Namibia, South Africa continues o~ Pana~a, for the SkIll, falr-mmdedness ~nd WIsdom to raise uncertain hopes and expectations, but the wI,th w~lch he ~onducted the proceedmgs of the reality is that there has been no practical change in thirty-eIghth seSSIOn of the Assembly, the situation in spite of recent talks between SWAPO 60. Ghana is particularly proud and happy to and representatives of the apartheid South African welcome Brunei Darussalam as a new Member of the regime. The Territory regrettably remains in bondage United Nations. This addition to our number not and its people still under racist oppression and far only enhances the universal character of the Organi- from freedom and independence. za~IOn, but also, reinforces the prit:tciples of s~lf-deter- 67. As we understand from the reports of the mmatIOn and mde~endenc~, whIch are baSIC to the Secretary-General, all outstanding issues over Na- Charter of the Umted NatIOns. mibia have been cleared to the satisfaction of even 61. It is indeed because of our unflinching commit- racist South Africa. Why, then, does the apartheid ment to those principles that we cannot countenance regime of South Africa continue to use the extrane- the continued denial to the people of South Africa ous and irrelevant presence of Cuban troops in and Namibia of their inalienable rights to the Angola as an excuse for delaying freedom, justice and ~sr~el. COf;ltInues ~o practIse a reIgn of terror and of the efforts of the Secretary-General and his mtImlp~hon agamst the Arab c9untnes and ~he Personal Representative, a dialogue on the future of PalestIm~D; people of the area. It~ IlI~gal occ~patlOn Afghanistan has still proved elusive. The people of ofPales!lman a~~ other Arab terntones contmues to both Afghanistan and K~mpuchea deserve to Hve ~nderm~ne stablhty and to P9se a grave threat to under conditions which will permit them to deter- mternatlOnal peace and ser,unty. There can be no mine freely their own system of government. basis for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East 0 . I h b . unless Israel withdraws from all the Arab territories it 75. vershad~wI~g a I t. ese tro!J hng but none t~e has illegally occupied and annexed by acts of war. less local conflICts In vanous ~eglOns of the world IS Israel must cO"Tlply with Security Council resolution the threat o~ nuclear war. Unhke the. threat posed by 242 (1967) and other relevant United Nations resolu- all the c0f;lfllcts I have alre~dy mentIoned and many tions. It must also now resolve the core of the Middle others whIch are no less ser~ous, th~ threat of nuclear East problem, which is the denial to the Palestinian war poes no! .endanger mternat.lOnal. peace and people of their inalienable right to their homeland, s~c':lnty alone, It .l}len~ces humamty WIth total an- self-determination and national incfependence mhJlatlOn. In addltI<?n, It consumes such vast sums of . money as to constItute an obstacle to the global 71. Developments in Cyprus in recent months have developmental process. also given the ,Government of Ghana cause fo~ grave 76. It is for these reasons that we appeal to the concern.. As ,~e have stated before, th.e un~late~al international community as ~\ whole, and the super- ~eclaratlOn.of mdependence by the TurkIsh mmonty Powers and other nuclear States in paI1icular, to m C~pru.s IS clearly the unfortunate and regrettable make a supreme effort to save mankind from nuclear cUlr.nm~tlOn of efforts ~~ .the part <?f Turkey to extinction. mamtam a permanent dIVISIon of the Island and to . achieve a complete separation of its Greek and 77· We are encouraged by the re~eut resumptIon of Turkish communities. The decision of the Turkish- hlg~-level ~ontact between the U.mt~d States and the Cypriot minority puts in permanent jeopardy the SovIet Umon, a!1d we hope that It WIll soo~ le.ad to a peaceful coexistence of Turks and Greeks on the return to t'.~ bIlateral nuclear-a~ms negOtIah~ns of Island. It undercuts all decisions and efforts of the Gen~va, t well as to a meamngful thaw m the United Nations, the Movement of Non-Aligned relatIOns b",(ween the two super-Powers. Co.untries and the Commonwealth to preserve the 78. While we recogniLe the value of the bilateral ~ntty and territorial integrity of Cyprus. Gh'ana, for approach within the context of the Strategic Arms !ts part, will continue to support a unified and Reduction Talks at Geneva, it is our firm ('(")nviction mdependent Cyprus, free of external interference, that other disarmament issues should be discussed and the resolution of communal differences by within the multilateral framework of the United peaceful dialogue. It is our sincere hope that the Nations. Only when the United Nations is involved ~urkish-Cypriot leadership will reconsider its deci- will the voice of the non-nuclear-weapon States be SCion and work for the unity and territorial integrity of heard and their interests and concerns taken into Yprus. account in the search for those agreements that will, Interes~ ~ates. InternatIOnal. mechamsms for the and improving revenue collection, and revamping transmission of growth have m any case been weak- the administration and management of the economy. ened by recent developments. The recovery has The broad aim of these reforms is to create the therefore barely touched the develo~ing wor!d, ~nd material conditions for implementing the national the prospect~ of most o~ these countnes remam dim. objectives of social and political transformation, In many Afncan countnes, these set-backs h~ve ~een including the restructuring of the basic institutions of aggravate~ by.prolonged drought and desertl~catIon, the economy. We have made considerable progress by the ~Idemng gap between food productIon and towards this objective, but, as in other African populatIon growth, by acute dependence ,?n fo?d countries in a similar position, the full success of our Imports and .by the consequent threat to theIr social efforts depends on whole-hearted international sup- and economic systems. port. Unless such support is forthcoming, the credi- 81. Immediate steps are accordingly required on a bility of those who urge policy reform and adjust- number of fronts. The stance of macro-economic ment on African countries will be sharply compro- policies in the developed market-economy countries mised. ~ee.d~ to be shifte~ so as to b.roade!1 ~nd deepen the 85. In this re~ard, we are encouraged that, after a Incipient. upturn m economic a~tlvlty. Mor~ than period of sceptIcism, our efforts in Ghana have now that, actIon must ~e take~.to reheve the s.trams on won the respect and support of the financial commu- th.e extern,al financial po.sltIons of developmg coun- nity. 'We hope that support will be even more trIes. Dehbera.te ,and vigorous measures mu.st be forthcoming in the critical months and years ahead. pursued to revItahze the development process m the , third world. In particular, there is need to augment 86. Th~ last 12 Il,lonths or so have been especially the financial resources of the multilateral lending trau~atIc f,?r A~r~ca, and we must together seek institutions and to improve access to them by solutions to Its cntIca~ pr~blems. ,The Secretary~q~n- developing countries; there is need for a fresh and eral has. stressed this mternatIonal re~P?nslblhty substantial allocation of special drawing rights; there several.tImes, and.we must help to save ~ulhons from is need for systematic debt relief for low-income starvatIon and misery. I hope that Afnca can count countries; and there is need to replace the present ad on the General Assembly to lead the way. hoc treatment of commercial bank debt with longer- 87. Turning now to the domestic political scene in term approaches. Moreover, recent developments Ghana, our revolution is a process initiated by show that the present trade and payments system is citizens of Ghana, some in uniform and others not in serving increasingly to destabilize the developing uniform, who courageously took up the challenge, countries rather than protect them, as it should. It is one no longer to be denied or devalued, posed by the important, therefore, that the necessary processes of continued inability of successive Governments and reform in the international economic system be set in the political organizations that sponsored them to motion with urgency. All these measures require resolve the economic, social and cultural issues which intensified international co-operation; yet, paradoxi- have for some time now obstructed the development cally, multilateralism has been weakening. of our nation in the true interests of our people, 82. In these circumstances, the critical economic 88. I wish to reiterate that the ultimate and irrevo· situation in Africa cannot but arouse grave concern. cable objective of the Ghanaian revolution is the Living standards in sub-Saharan Africa have shown a development of a viable democratic system which sharp decline. Net capital flows to the region are still genuinely reflects the political will and creative substantially below the volume required to have an power of all our people, a system that derives its impact on the developmental process. The Secretary- strength from their active and dedicated participa- General and the Director-General of the Food and tion in a Government which is fully committed to the Agriculture Organization of the United Nations are cause of our people and which th~refore makes dele~ation fully shares in the accolades and warm 98. For us in Africa it is particularly painful that sentIments expressed by preceding speakers on your this unprecedented threat to the existence ofhumani- personal ability, competence and well-known ty coupled with greater diversion of resources should achievements as an outstanding diplomat and untir- coincide with Africa's acute economic crisis. Natural ing fighter for peace and freedom, I pay tribute to calamities such as the widespread and persistent your dedicated service in the cause of the United drought, the destabilizing policies of the apartheid Nations as the indefatigable President of the United regime of South Africa in relation to its neighbours, Nations Council for Namibia and also to the consis- and the world economic recession, with the attendant tent voice and role of your country in the common selfish policies of the industrialized countries, have search for regional and global peace, justice and combined to produce a desperate economic condi- understanding. I feel confident that under your wise tion, which alarmed the Secretary-General when he and able guidance this session will witness movement visited some African countries at the beginning ofthe in most of the issues before the Assembly. It is year. True to his vocation, he immediately called the therefore with great pleasure that I pledge to you the attention of the international community to the full support and co-operation of the delegation of explosive situation and set up a high-powered group Nigeria in the discharge of your difficult task. to make specific recommendations. 94. Permit me also to pay tribute to your eminent 99. The current economic crisis in Africa has its predecessor, Mr. Jorge Illueca, President of Panama, immediate as well as its medium- and long-term for the skilful manner in which he conducted the dimensions. The emer~ency aspect emanates mainly work of the thirty-eighth session of the Assembly. from the devastating Impact of the drought, which ~eglOn. As the ~ost exposed m the world, because of it is being said that recovery by most industrialized ItS unusually high degre~ ~f dependence.on. external countries from the recent global economic recession sources for almos~ ~l~ cntlcal and. essential mput for has manifested itself and taken hold, we must developmet:lt ~ct1vI~le~, the Afncan econ~my has continue to ask when the light at the end of the dark been the pn!lclpal VICtll;1l of the glo~al recessIOn. The economic tunnel will appear for developing coun- e~port earnmgs of Afncan c,?untn~s have tumbled tries. It is now clear that recovery in other regions ~Ith the coll~ps~ of co~modlty pnces. T~e stagn~- does not necessarily produce a positive impetus or t10n and declme In ~fficlal.devel~p11?-ent.asslstanc~m act as a catalyst, even in tentative forms, for econom- real terms an~ the }ncreas1Og pnv3;t1zahon of capital ic development in developing countries, because of flows have hl~ Afnca hardest, whIle esca~atlI~g debt the fundamental barriers to their participation in and debt-servlc1Og and ~npre~edentedlyhigh 10terest international economic activitie~. rates have spelt financial disaster for most of the countries of the continent. 105.. We cann~t run away from the t~th that for 101. Recognizing that the primary responsibility genu10e econom~c .recovery to take place m the world for the development of their economies rests on there m':!st be w~lhngness on th~ part of all members I f . . h I k d . d of the mternatIonal communIty. to redress those themse ves, A ncan cou~tnes ave 00 e 10war S structural imbalances that contnbute and condemn and, at the tenth meet10g of the Conference of f . hi' . l'fi Ministers of the Economic Commission for Africa, A ncan and ot er dt:ve op1Og countnes to a I e of held in May 1984, their Ministers of economic poverty and economic underdevelopment. development and planning formulated and adopted a 106. The only way that vigorous global economic Special Memorandum on Africa's Economic and growth can be achieved and sustained over time is by Social Crisis,6 which is a framework for action for the active participation of all countries, developed dealing with the crisis in its emergency, short-, and developing, in mutualiy beneficial and equal medium- and long-term dimensions. This was closely partnership in global economic processes and activi- followed by the Conference of African Ministers of ties. This calls for the adoption and the faithful Finance, held at Addis Ababa from 18 to 20 June implementation of a package of measures, both 1984, during which the Addis Ababa Declaration on short- and long-term, which truly respond to the Africa's External Indebtedness was adopted 10 to needs of all countries and regions, and of developing focus special attention on the region's growing exter- countries in particular. There must be a deliberate nal debt of over $150 billion and to suggest ways to attempt and effort to resist the growing tendency to address the problem concretely. resort to protectionism, in the interests of a truly free 102. Africa is not alone in feeling the crushing world trade. The drift from the multi~ateral ~pirit impact of the severe debt crisis. Most developing mus~ be 3;rrested;. We cannot r<?duce 1Oternatl.onal countries have had to bear the same burden. The relatIOns 10creasmgly to th~ bIlateral level 1o.a huge size of the debt of the developing countries and tu~ultuous ~orld such as thiS. one. Let. u.s bear In its impact on their economies make it imperative for m10d that unIversal understanq10g and wtlhngnes~to the international community, as well as the interna- co-operate have been-and still can be-an engme tional financial institutions, to address the subject for so much .c~ange and so .m~ch good. We must not, with urgency and great imagination. In this connec- th~re~ore, wI~t1Ogly or unwlttll~gly,turn <?ur backs on tion, we recognize the important role of the IMF in thiS r~ch h~ntage and reserVOIr of multtlatera~ part- helping members cope with their balance-of-pay- nershlp which holds so ~~ch hope for o~r um~ers~. ments problems. However, in so doing, the IMF We ~ust r~turn to the SPirIt of co-op~ratlonw~lch IS should endeavour to show greater flexibility in its enshr10ed m the Charter of the UnIted Nations. approach when prescribing adjustment pro[,rammes 107. It is for this reason that Nigeria, along with for each country. other members of the Group of 77, has consistently 103. Unfortunately, the experiences of several de- underscored the necessity for a global dialogue that veloping countries, including my own, that have had will lead to reform of the structural imbalance which to resort to the IMF have shown a certain deliberate lies at the heart of the global econumic malaise. My insensitivity on its part to the possible consequences Government strongly believes that, until the structur- of its prescribed package as the price for its loan. Let al imbalance in the economic relations between me hasten to say that the present military regime in countries is redressed, friction and ill-will will remain Ni~eria accepts, and has indeed taken the initiative to trouble and undermine the real and steady growth in 1Ostituting, realistic sacrifices to turn back the slide of the world economy. It is, therefore, unfortunate in the economy. However, such sacrifices must be that, in spite of almost five years of strenuous efforts, within tolerable economic and social limits. The nothin~ positive has taken place to permit the application of the IMF's conditions is unfortunately launching of the global negotiations. My delegation rather stereotyped and should be reviewed with the appeals to the Assembly to live up to the spirit of the objective of paying more attention than ever before Charter and embark on a course that will permit the to the underly10g circumstances of each State, in early launching of genuine negotiations, so as to ~ 11. T~e Government of Nigeria calls upon the credentials of South Africa because those who pur- lOte~at~onal community to play a decisive role in ported to represent that country were in fact unrepre- the, uq~l1dation of apartheid. This is an inescapable sentative. Ten years ago, the General Assembly oblIgation to Africa and to the world as a whole. adopted resolution 3207 (XXIX), in which it called ~egret that the, sltuatlO,n today remams as vol~ttle as ern Africa or the Middle East, whether in South-East It ha~ been, m ,prevIous years. The questIOn of Asia or Central America, whether in Korea or Palestme? which I~ the core of the proble~, has s~ far Cyprus, the resort to force or the threat of the use of deqed a Just, eqUItable a,nd co~prehe,nslve solutIOn, force, the violation of the right of self-dl ~ermination owmg largely to the contm"!ed I~transl~~~nce of Israel and the violation of the principle of non-interference an~ the total support which It receives from the in the internal affairs of States continue to pose a Umted States. severe threat to international peace and security. But 122. The international community has in the recent much more alarming is the escalation of the arms pa,s! witnesse~ the futili,ty of ,attemptin~ to find a race, particularly the nuclear arms race. mIlitary sol~tlon or of I~posmg a lopSided super- 126. The world, which is our common heritage, is rowe~ solutIOn to the Mlddl~ East problem. T~e being ominously imperilled by the nuclear-arms race, myaslOn of Leb~non ~y Israe! I~ 1982 and the tragic which has become the pastime of a few countries, fallu~e ~f the Ill-adv!sed mission of the so-calle.d There is great apprehension, which is fast becoming multmatIonal fo~ce. m Lebanon are. ~oth claSSIC panic, that the world is on the brink of a catastrophe examples of the hmlts to the use of milItary power. of immense and universal proportions arising from 123. The solution lies in a negotiated peace, a peace the unprecedented nuclear rivalry of the two super- that is just, equitable and fair, a peace that recognizes Powers, No country can afford to be unconcerned the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self- about the present precarious situation, which may determination, to return to their homeland and to give the super-Powers and their allies cause for establish their own independent State in Palestine, doctrinal or strategic satisfaction but which for the The United Nations has already called for such a rest of the world evokes a constant nightmare. The thl~; great Organization. It is our solemn duty to uphold these principles and to fulfil our cOIr.mit- ments to our peoples. 138. As a true non-aligned developing country, Maldives believes that amongst the major issues confronting our universal body special emphasis should be given to the problem of disarmament and the e3calating nuclear-arms race. We cannot help expressing our anxiety over the lack of a viable solution to that problem, for countries such as my own must admit that the contribution they can make to bringing the situation closer to solution is rather limited. However, we humbly share our concern and pledge our support to any endeavour to eliminate the shadow of the threat and the perils of a nuclear confrontation. 139. We urge all States Members of the United Nations, particularly the nuclear-weapon States. to co-operate and enter into relevant international agreements and arrangements that will be instrumen- tal in limiting the production and stockpiling of nuclear and other destructive weapons in order to insure the world against global suicide. 140. We live today in the presence of a chilling and unprecedented phenomenon. It is very unfortunate that, at the pinnacle of world power, there exist enough nuclear weapons to destroy all life on our planet. At the intermediate level of world power, there exist vast quantities of sophisticated, so-called conventional weapons. These weapons are, by com- parison with those of former times, immensely destructive, as their use has so horrifically demon- strated. They are also the object of a highly profitable international trade. 141. Yet, at another level, we have the poverty of the vast proportion of the world's population. We ille~al occupation of Palestine, including the Gaza Stnp, the West Bank, the city of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Israel continues to perpetuate its policies of expansionism through the establishment of illegal settlements, ignorin~ and rejecting numer- ous United Nations resolutIOns and violating all norms of international behaviour. Maldives joins the international community in its repeated condemna- tion of the Israeli aggression against Arab territories and Israeli atrocities in the occupied land. 147. The invasion of Lebanon under the cruel pretext of liquidating the Palestine Liberation Organ- ization [PLO], which symbolizes the legitimate will of the Palestinians, has clearly revealed the tru~, nature of Israeli policies in that area. Mr. Sal/am (Yemen), Vice-President, took the Chair. 148. Every State Member of the United Nations has pledged its commitment to the provisions of the Charter. Therefore, action should not be delayed any further regarding the delicate situation in the Middle East. The Security Council should invoke the rele- vant provisions of the Charter with re~ard to the arrogance and defiance with which Israel IS trampling underfoot the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. nat~on by the people of South Afnca, irrespective of ing the Indian Ocean a zone of peace. We are theIr race, colour or creed. concerned over the escalatin~ tension created hy the 155. My delegation wishes to express its concern great-Power rivalry for military superiority in fhe over the situation in Afghanistan and Kampuchea, Indian Ocean and the introduction of nuclear wcap- developin~ countries is widening and the latter are our association is one of working together, which has being demed effective and equitable participation in as its basic foundation the promotion of the interests the benefits of international development. of our region, an essential aspect of which is the 164. At a recent meeting held at Male, in my maintenance and, indeed, the strengthening of our country, the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, Bhu- people's political, social and economic independence. tan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives, These words of wisdom give us confidence that the member countries of the South Asian Association for outcome of the forthcoming summit will further Regional Co-operation, expressed their concern over strengthen the global aspirations and efforts made by the conditions in the developing countries. In the the United Nations. final communique, the Ministers reviewed the cur- 169. The Government of Maldives whole-heartedly rent world economic situation and expressed their supports the call of the non-aligned countries and the concern over the deteriorating economic and social Group of 77 for the removal of the structural conditions in the developing countries. In the past imbalances and inequalities of the present pluralist three years, sharply falling commodity prices, deteri- economic system and the restructuring of the world oration in the terms of trade, intensification of economy through the establishment of a new intema- protectionist measures, excessive debt burden and a tional economic order. This should be done through decline in the flow of financial resources had caused North-South dialogue and global negotiations among unprecedented balance-of-payment problems and se- developed and developing countries. Maldives also rious loss of development momentum in the develop- considers co-operation among developing countries ing countries. It was agreed that without redoubling themselves, both for economic and social develop- of efforts by the international community, including ment and to minimize their dependence on devel- immediate measures, the goals and targets of the oped countries, to be vital. Maldives welcomes the International Development Strategy for the Third establishment of the South Bank as a practical step in United Nations Development Decade [resolution the right direction and hopes that it will prove very 35156, annex] and the Substantial New Programme useful to developing countries. of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed 170. The delegation of Maldives noted with satis- Countries7 could not be attained. They expressed faction the adoption, in 1982, of the United Nations their deep disappointment at the lack of progress in Convention on the Law of the Sea l3 as a historic putting internatIOnal support measures into place achievement in the progressive development of the and at the continued stalemate in the negotiations on law of the sea. The Convention was adopted by an international co-operation. In this connection, they overwhelming majority of States and has a.lready noted with deep regret that no appreciable progress been signed by 136 States, including my own, and had been made in meeting the concerns of the ratified by a number of them. My Government is developing countries at the London Economic Sum- now in the process of ratifying it. The Convention mit of the industrialized countries, held from 7 to 9 establishes a new legal order for the rational use of June 1984, despite urgent actions suggested by the seas as an instrument of justice, peace, develop- various leaders from the non-aligned and developing ment and international co-operation. It represents a countries. rare example of global interests and ideologies strik- 165. That important meeting at Male endorsed the ing innumerable pra(~tical bargains. It is a most desire to communicate with leaders of industrialized comprehensive international Convention, consisting envi~onJ!1e~tal, climatic, scientific and potential eco- mls~ ,about t~e viable fU!1ctionin~ of important nomic slgntficance for the world. The delegation of specmlIzed ,bodies of the Untted NatIons system. We Maldi.ves firmly ~elieves that, in the interest of all h<?ld the view .that their development justifies the mankmd, Antarctica should continue for ever to be wisdom by which they were created and that they used exclusively for peaceful purposes, should not need to be strengthened now more than ever before. become the scene or ,object of international disputes My G~y~rnment, d~es not ~elieve in any endeavour and should be accessible to all nations. The explora- t~ polItIcize specialized bodies whose executive func- tion of the area and the exploitation of its resources tIOns are p'lrely technical in nature. It is therefore should be carried out for the benefit of all mankind essential ~o m...intain a high de¥fee of professionalism and in a manner consistent with the protection of the and to onent pro~rammescarned out by those bodies environment of Antarctica. towards the achIevement of more tangible results. 173. Maldives supported the proposal for a compre- 180. We in Maldives are happy to be associated in hensive study on Antarctica by the United Nations the noble tasks prescribed under the WHO Global taking into account all relevant factors, with a vie~ Strategy for Health for All by the Year 2000, which to widening international co-operation in the area. s~ould ensure humanity a better world in which to 174, Like Antarctica, outer space should be used for lIve. We ~re confident ,th;a~ th~ w<?rk of UNICEF, peaceful purposes only. Recent proposals for intensi- whose pnmary r,esponslblhty lies III ~he care and tied militarization of outer space are a cause of grave welfare of the chIldre~ of the worl~, wIl! stre,ngthen concern, and measures should be undertaken with the future of hum~mty through Its d~namlc l?ro~ urgency for the rejection of such proposals. gramm~ launched m 1983 as the chIld survival 175 M d I t' I h h d' 'b' revolutIOn. . y e ega Ion a so notes t at t e Istn utIOn ' ., , of the benefits of outer space among the countries of 181: My ~elegatIOn stIll belIeves that anlld the the world has to date been uneven. To remove that vanous p~nls that now threaten t~e orderly progress imbalance, the principle of guaranteed and equitable of humanity, we can rall~ once a~am to th~ st~nda~ds access should be the essence of any new regulatory of the Charter of the Umted Na,tIons, begmnmg \VI.th mechanism, which should take into account the the pea~eful settlement of dlsput~s ~md steadily particular needs of the developing countries espe- progress,mg towards the other objectives of that cia~ly those ,of an equatorial nature. We'firmly prophetIc do~ume~t., , belIeve and smcerely hope that the benefits resulting ! 82. ~n all sIncerity, Maldlves pledges Its fullest co- fro~ the peaceful use of outer space will be shared operatIOn and support to the United Nations system. equItably for the benefit of mankind as a whole. 1,83. Mr. OULO MINNIH (Mauritania) (interprela- 17~, My delegation is fully convinced that the non from Arabic): I should like at the outset to U!llted N:ations is inqispens,abl~ in a world fraught congratula~e Mr. Lus~ka, on,behalf of th~ Mauritani- wIth tenSIOns and penl. InstItutIons such as this are an delegatIOn, on hiS electIOn as President of the not built in a day; they require constant constructive general Assembly at it" thirty-ninth session. We are work and fidelity to th~ principles on which they are mdeed proud that this lofty post is occupied by one ~ased: We must ser!ou~ly consider the prac,tical ways of the sons of our strugg!ing African co~tinent. We ID which the OrgamzatIon should develop ItS capaci- are f!JI,ly confide~t tha~, with hiS outstandmg personal ty and be u~ed as an essential institution in a stormy qualItIes, h~ wIll gUide t~e work of the General and explosIve world. Assembly wIth great expenence and wisdom. ,177. Primary responsibility for the maintenance of 184. To his predecessor, Mr. llIueca, the President IDternationa.l peace a~d security has been entrusted of Panama, we also ~xten~ our co~gratulations for to the Secunty CouncIl. We belIeve it is still the best the excellent manner In whIch he gUided the work of de,:ice ,fo,r defusing tensions, solving problems and the Assembly at its thirty-eighth session. mamtammg peace and s~curity. ~hil~ i~ tends not to 185. yve should I~ke to thank the Secre~a~-General, have much of a pre-emptIve capacIty, It IS our duty as who discharges hiS enormous responsibIlIties with ~emb,er~ of the United Nati0!1s t,o ,strengthen it,S role complete devotion to th~ Organi~ati<?n. It gives me y resJstmg the attempts of mdlvldual countnes to pleasure, on behalf of the Mauntaman delegation assum~ the primary responsibility of the Security again to assure him of our renewed support for the Co~ncIl. ~fthe, Sec~ri~y Council fails, to ~ct or rea~t in great efforts ~e is, exerting in order to realIze the goals ~ gIven sItuatIOn, It IS not the institutIOn that IS at of the Orgamzatlon and to surmount the difficulties ,ault ,but the countries that constitute it. It is for us to of the current international situation. ~ib~vIHce ourselves and ~h~ generation we are respon- ! 86. On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Maurita- e d<?r that the world IS Interdependent, and to act nia, I should like to congratulate the fraternal accor mgly and be guided by that reality, Muslim State of Brunei Darussalam on its admission 178, The United, Nation,s system should play the ~o t~e Unite~ Nations, We are indeed confident that rold of a cata~yst In creatmg mutual understanding It Will lend ,Its support to the cause of right, justice ~ co-ope~atlOn., We should not allow it to become and peace m the world. keharen,a m whIch to battle out our differences, 187, A glance at the international scene givcs little an~ er, ,It sh~uld and must be a place wh~re hatred c~use for optim!sm, concerni,ng thc future of man- , a e ~nlmosJty to~ards o~hers are ~voldc~. The kmd, The contmumg deterioration of thc world g nCles of the Umted NatIons came mto eXistence economy. and especially the collapse of thc ccono- ~ccupied Arab territories, including AI-Quds al-Shar- If. 202. In Lebanon, we are pleased at the effOl is being made by the fraternal Lebanese people and its Government to achieve reconciliation and to pre- serve the country's territorial integrit~ despite the yoke of the Israeli occupation, which affects not only Lebanese territory but extends to the repression of ~ebanese national resistance. Israel has this year mtentionally carried out a scheme to take possession of the waters of southern Lebanon by diverting the courses of certain rivers in the area under Israeli control to serve that country's aggressive designs in occupied Palestine. The international community must resist such pressure and remain faithful to its noble position in the face of Israeli practices in southern Lebanon. fOl In southern Africa, the iacist Pretoria regime IS c~ntinuing its odioUG policy and intransigence with a VIew to consolidating racial discrimination, on the one hand, and hindering Namibia's movement towards independence, on the other. The farce of the so-called constitutional reforms does not delude the pc<?ple in southern Africa, who have heroically reSisted them despite campaigns of intimidation and massacres in various parts of their homeland. The malevolent intent behind such manoeuvres has been