A/39/PV.42 General Assembly

New Zealand remains deeply concerned about the conflict in Kampuchea. It is now nearly six years since Vietnam- ese forces invaded that country, in violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations. More than 100,000 members of those forces are still in Kampuchea, occupyin~ that country. Kampucheans who fled before the Invader are still resisting the occupation, especially along the border between Kampuchea and Thailand. People are still being kiHed on both sides. Refugees are still fleeing and seeking protection. 2. At each General Assembly session for the past five years a resolution on Kampuchea, calling for the withdrawal of Vietnamese forces and the recognition of the right of the Kampuchean people to determine their own future, has been adopted by an overwhelm- ing majority. Yet today, as the people (·f Kampuchea are painfully aware, the parties principaH:r concerned are no closer to establishing a dialogue than they were five years ago. The New Zealand Government deplores this situation. 3. My Government has taken a close look at the situation in Kampuchea and at whaL New Zealand can do to help find a solution to the tragedy. New Zealand believes that the efforts of the countries members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations [ASEAN] to find some common ground with Viet Nam and to establish a framework for a comprehensive settlement deserve support. The draft resolution [A/39/L.3] before the Assembl¥ put for- ward by the ASEAN countries is part of thIS process. New Zealand has decided to become a co-sponsor of the draft resolution because it contains all the essential elements for a political settlement. It calls for the withdrawai of foreign troops from Kampu- chea; it reaffirms the right ofthe Kampuchean people to decide their own future; and it calls for the re- establishment of Kampuchea's independence, sover- eignty and territorial integrity. These points sum up the ASEAN approach to the Kampuchean problem, and they reflect New Zealand's position, too. 4. The first major step towards a settlement in Kampuchea must be for the parties involved to sit down together and try to resolve their differences through negotiations. A mechanism has been set up NEW YORK within the United Nations system to bring the different elements together. I refer to the Internation- al Conferer,.~e on Kampuchea. New Zealand ap- plauds Lue efforts of the International Conference on Kampuchea and its Ad Hoc Committee to find a solution. We hope that, through the International Conference on Kampuchea, progress can be achieved. It may be that some other forum would be more acceptable to the parties involved; but all efforts should be directed towards the goal of real negotiations. By that I mean negotiations based on the principles ofthe draft resolution that is before us. 5. In co-sponsoring this draft resolution, I wish to make it crystal clear that New Zealand and New Zealanders have a total abhorrence of Pol Pot and the regime he headed from 1975 to 1978. That regime was distinguished only by its brutality to its own citizens. It is, of course, for the Khmer people to decide who should be their own Government; but we have no doubt that, give.n the chance, the people of Kampuchea will reject Po! Pot and his followers decisively. At the same time, I should make it clear that we believe that Prince Norodom Sihanouk and Prime Minister Son Sann have an important part to play in any settlement in Kampuchea and we shall continue to give them full diplomatic and political support. 6. The draft resolution before us incorporates the eST-ential elements and a practical framework for a comprehensive political settlement in Kampuchea. It rca.ffirms that the Khmer people are entitled to the rights upheld by the Charter of the United Nations. I urge all Members of the United Nations to give it their support. 7. Mr. GOLOB (Yugoslavia): The recent general debate in the General Assembly reflected world-wide concern over the deterioration of the international situation particularly regarding the lack of oolutions to crises in the world. This concern applies fully to Kampuchea. The foreign occupation of Kampuchea is in its sixth year, but so is the tenacious struggle of its people for their inalienable rights to freedom and independent choice for development. 8. The struggle of the Kampuchean people is yet another proof that those fightin~ for freedom cannot be halted in their lawful aspiratIons to exercise their le~itimate rights, and that nothing attracts world- WIde support more than a people fighting for inde- pendence and self-determination. 9. The prolongation of the occupation of Kampu- chea must not be allowed to deteriorate into accept- ance of the principles of fait accompli, foreign intervention or the use of force, whether in Kampu- chea or elsewhere in the world. In each and every case, we should remain consistent in the demand that the basic principle of the Charter of the United Nations and of the policy of non-alignment, namely, ~ 1. The. consequences of the use of force. and 19. But I must say again that the solution can be InterventIon should not be all.9.w~d.to be legalIzed, based only on the withdrawal of foreign troops and !l0r should they be accepted.. 1hIS IS of the ut~ost the elimination offoreign intervention. This seems to Importance t~ all those .wh~ w~sh to preserve the nght be the only way to use the potential of negotiations of ~very I}atIOn. t~ ma1Ota1O.10dependence and free and to bring about peace, security, freedom and c.hoIce of ItS polItIcal and SOCIal development. In that stability in the region of South-East Asia. lIght, the problem of Kampuchea bears not only . . . regional but also global implications. 20. ThIS year agaII} Y~gosl~vIa supports the draft . f' . d' resolution on the sItuatIon m Kampuchea, deeply 12. That IS the ~ss~nce 0 our pOSItIon regar 109 convinced that without an independent and non- Kampuchea and It IS the reason for o~r consta~t aligned Kampuchea, free from outside interference ~upport of t~e <;Je!1eral Assemb!y. resolutIons on t~IS and pressure, and until the Kampuche~npeople are Issue. ~n ~amtam1Og su~h a pOSItIon,. we are apply10g able to decide freely and in a democratIc manner on th~ p~IncIplesof the polIcy of non-:alIgnme~tand the their future &nd their way of life, there can be no pnncIples ofthe Charter ofthe Umted NatIOns to the lasting and stable peace and security either in the case of Kampuche~. . . . region of South-East Asia or beyond. 13. Interference, mterventIon, foreIgn occupatIon .. . h and the imposition of foreign will are inadmissible. 21. AgaIn thIS year. I s~ould lIke to state t~at t ese The right of every people to decide independently on are no abstract notIons, they are the baSIS of t~e its political system and way of life is supreme. This world ~f peace and the world of equa~s. I.n the famIly cannot be applied selectively and differently in of natI~ns no o~e should re~a1O I~dIfferent and different parts of the world; nor can its application st.and aSIde when mdependence IS demed or blatantly depend on who violates those principles: The use of VIolated. . . . force cannot be justified on any ideologIcal gr~u~ds 22. Mr. MAHBUBANI (Smgapore): ThIS IS t~e fifth or on the grounds that the perpetrator or the VIctIm sessi~n of th~ General Assembly to be conslde~lI~g of aggression does or does not belong to one or the the SItuatIOn m CambodIa. Some ~ay fear that thIS IS other bloc or to a certain alliance. Nor should we put an instance of resolutions hav10g been adopted up with s~-called preventive interventions and pre- without bringing us closer to a solution. ventive attacks. 23. The United Nations role in Cambodia should 14. It should be kept in mind that so-called local not make us despair. The United Nations has interventions are not isolated events and that they do contributed forcefully to a series of trends which, if influence the global situation, global peace and sustained, will lead to an enduring and comprehen- security. There are no harmless foreign interventions. sive settlement of the Cambodian problem. What are They cannot be harmless because they are always these trends? ~ssentially attacks on sovereignty, aggression !lgainst 24. First the United Nations has prevented Viet mdependenc~ and attempts to .tak~ away {fom a Nam froni accomplishing a fait accompli in Cambo- people the nght or. self-determmatlOn. Thus th.ey dia that would be irreversible. Viet Nam believed in ~epresentthe most dIrect threat to peace and securIty 1979 that it would have a quick and easy victory. It m the world. has been denied that victory. Secondly, the coura- 15. As in all other similar cases, the role of the geous and principled stand of the United Nations in United Nations in the solution of the problem of condemning the Vietnamese occupation of Kampu- Kampuchea is irreplaceable. Although a comprehen- chea has solidified the views of the international siye political solution of ,the crisi~ in Kampuchea is community. Viet Na~'s guilt has.been well exposed. stIlI.not at h~nd, the UOlted NatIOns has ~revented Thirdly,. the CambodIan pOl?ulatton, e~coura~ed by the 1Oterventton and use of force from bemg legal- internatIOnal support, has mcreased ItS resIstance ized. The General Assembly has done this again this against the Vietnamese occupation. Emerging slowly year by ac~epting the credentials of th~ delegation of from the painfu! pe~iod of recent ):'ears, C~mb~d!an DemocratIc Kampuchea, headed by Prmce Norodom nationalism, whIch IS seven centUrIes old, IS gam10g Sihanouk. in strength. Fourthly, Yiet Nam continues to pay a 16. It is of the greatest importance that the United grim price fo~ its occupat~on of Ca.~bodia. Apart Nations is providing urgent humanitarian relief t~ fro~ the obvl~us econo~Ic and mIlItary c~sts of those who need it most. Thus has the wor~d Orgam- forel~n oc~upatlOn, t~e WIll and morale of th!s once zation significantly eased the long sufferIng of the herOIC natIon are bemg sapped. At some oomt WP t~eIr .tradltIonal lan~s and ~shenes, m !1agrant gl'essman Steve Solarz, 'Human rights was not a VIolatIon ofa conven~lOn that.VIet Nam has sIg~ed- question; that was their problem .... We were the Geneva ConventIOn relatIve to the ProtectIon of concerned only with security'" 2 Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 32 W' h II h' b r . V· N ' I' 19491-which specificaily states in article 49 that: . .1t a. t IS, ~an we e leve .Iet am s c alm~ "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer of havmg tn~d to lI~rat.e Cam.bodla fro~ Pol Po~. parts of its own civilian population into the territory 33.. We beh~ve t~at VIet ~al1'! has. basl~ally thiS it occupies." We do not know the exact number of chOIce no~: eIther It can. mamt~m thiS cynical ~ycle Vietnamese settlers in Cambodia. Viet Nam will not of aggression and deceptIon which I have descnbed, allow the international community to investigate this or it can join t~': internati?nal community in working trend. The Cambodians, however, are deeply towards a polItIcal solutIOn. alarmed by the trend. They recall that for several 34. We believe that this cynical cycle of aggression centuries Vietnamese settlers have encroached into and deception cannot ~o on forever. The Cambodi- traditi~nal Khmer territory and they fear that, if this ans are paying a terrIble price for this prolonged trend IS allowed to continue, Camuodia, populated conflict. But so are the Vietnamese. We in ASEAN ~y Vietnamese, n:tay no longer exist as a nation firmly believe that it is neither in the Cambodian nor mdependent of Vlet Nam.· in the Vietnamese interest to prolong this conflict. 29. We all know that Viet Nam has claimed that That is why \ye have c0!1stantl~ advocat~d a jl;lst and these settlers are being allowed into Cambodia by the durable solutIon that Will take mto conSIderatIOn the Phnom Penh Government. Yet we also know that the interests of both the Cambodian and the Vietnamese Phnom Penh Government is no!hing but a puppet peoples. regime installed by the Vietnamese army. Puppet 35. In fact, in all these years when we have spoken regimes cannot disobey their foreign masters. Viet on this item before the General Assembly, we have Nam has also claimed that this puppet regime has always maintained that Viet Nam, as one of thE' i~dependence; thirdly~ the exercise ofself-determina- 43. Austria finds this situation wholly unaccept- tIOn ~X t~e CambodIan peop.le; and, fourth~y, the able. The international community has repeatedly, in ~ehab~htatlOn an~ reconstructIOn of Camboqta and clear and unambiguous terms, expressed its condem- ItS n~Ighb,?urs. Smce. al~ these elements are In con- nation of the violation of the fundamental principles fort:Iuty wI~h the prmclpl~s of the Charter of the of the Charter in Kampuchea. It has called for the UnIted NatI~ns, we. ~rge Vlet Nam to support such a withdrawal of all foreign troops and for the restora- comprehensIve polItIcal settlement. tion of an independent, sovereign and free Kampu- 37. In his report on this question, the Secretary- chea; it has reaffi~med t~e right of t~e Ka.mpuchean General has said that "there is clearly no alternative p~opl~ to determIne then own destmy WIthout for- to a comprehensive political settlement", adding that elgn Interference. "such a settlement must be based on the fundamental 44. Events in South-East Asia have time and again principles of the Charter of the United Nations and demonstrated the futility of trying to solve prohlems can only be reached through a process of genuine by the use of force. There is no doubt in our minu negotiations and mutual accommodation" [see that the Kampuchean question is another that can be A/39/576, para.16]. We endorse that. By voting in resolved only through peaceful means. The frame- favour ofthe draft resolution, the Member States will work for a comprehensive settlement has already be contributing to a process that we believe will been established by the International Conference on eventually lead to a comprehensive political settle- Kampuchea in July 1981. What is lacking today is ment of the Cambodian problem. the recogniHon of the prir; ..y 0" he freedom and . . . . well-being ofthe Kampuchean people over all consid- 38. Fmally, I.would be f~l~mg m my duty here wt::re erations of regional and global power politics. What I ~ot to mentIon th~ deCISIOn of ylet Nam .and ItS is required is, first and foremost, the political will to fr~ends to boycott thIS de~ate. If thIS w~re a sIgn.that overcome differences of views and to enter into a Vlet. Nam h~d finally declqed to recogmze the WIll of genuine process of negotiation that will lead to a just th.e mternatIOnal c<?mmumty we would congratulate settlement acceptable to all. Austria appeals to all VIet Nam. Alas, It appears to us to be. another parties to the conflict to exert this political will, to arrogant act of defiance on the part of Vlet Nam. break the deadlock and to allow the Kampucheans to 19. The question we should ask ourselves here is: live at last in freedom, peace and security. Why is Viet Nam afraid to particip~t~ in a qebate on 45. I wish to express our appreciation to the Kampuchea? The ans~er IS surpnsmgly sImpl~..If members of the Ad Hoc Committee established by you have stolen someth~n~ and you .already ha~e It.m the International Conference on Kampuchea and to yo~r pccket, why publICIze the cnme? To dIsgUIse its Chair-nan, Mr. Sarre, for their efforts in maintain- th.elr reluctance to have the theft ~xppsed, t~e ing contact with the countries directly or indirectly VIetnamese have had to pretend that thIS debate WIll involved in the Kampuchean problem. I wish to add harm a regional dialogue. The countries of the South- our thanks to the Secretary-General and to his East Asia region ha~e been meeting.for several years. Special Representative, Mr. Rafeeuddin Ahmed, for We have had meetmgs between Vlet Nam and the their constructive work on this issue. Let me also say countries of South-East Asia every few months every that we have noted with appreciation the fact that the year. We believe tha\. this debate will help, and not Governments of the States members of ASEAN have harm, that dialogue. pursued their efforts towards a negotiated settlement 40. We also fear that Viet Nam's decision to in Kampuchea. boycott this debate has set a very bad precedent. The 46. On a recent visit to South-East Asia, the purpose of these annual debates is to exchange ideas, President of the International Conference on Kam- clarify issues, establish the principles for a negotiated puchea, Mr. Willibald Pahr, submitted some settlement and air alternative points of view. What is thoughts for the future work programme of the Ad the point of having a General Assembly if nations Hoc ComlT'ittee and for measures to rescue the begin to boycott substantive debates? endangered monuments of Angkor Wat. We believe illegall~ to .occupy Cambodia. . 77. Nearly 250,000 Khmer civilians remain en- 72. FIve tImes the world communIty has called on camped along the Thai-Cambodian border unable or Viet Nam to withdraw its illegal expeditionary force unwilling to return to their homes. As;istance to and to restore to the Khmer people their right to seek them remains an international responsibility. The their own destiny under a freely chosen Government, United States will continue to do its share and urges ~ithout ou~side interference. The overwhelming mar- other nations to continue their support for this gInS by WhICh the General Assembly's call for with- programme of humanitarian assistance. We offer our drawal of foreign forces has been supported reflect sincere appreciation to the Secretary-General and his the concern of the great majority of the world's Special Representative for humanitarian assistance nations at the continuing tragedy of Cambodia. to t.he Kampuchean people, Mr. Tatsuro Kunugi, for 73. What has occurred in the wake of those resolu- theI! eff~rts on behalfof the Khmer people uprooted tions? Hanoi, aided and abetted by the Soviet Union, by InvaSIOn and war. :rh; staty of UN~~O, WFP, ignores those resolutions, continuing its illegal occu- l!NHCR and oth~r Umteu Na;tIons speclahzed agen- pation of Cambodia and its oppression of the Cam- Cles, the Int~rnatIOnal CommIttee .of ~he Red ~ross bodian people, in violation of the Charter and in an~ ~he vanous v<?l~ntary o~gamza~I~ns contInue defiance of the expressed will of the General Assem- theIr Important ~ntInngwork In ~rovldmg emerge~- bly, offering to the Cambodian people no opportuni- cy food and medIcal care to the displac~~ CambodI- ty for self-determination or self-government The an people, oft~n under dangerous con.dItIons caused need to address again the situation in Cambodia- by repeated VIetname~e attacks. ,!heu efjorts have for the sixth time-is testimony to the stubborn earn~d the commend~tlO~s of the ~ntematIonal com- policy of military conquest and colonization being munlty and our adrn~ratIon. SpeCIal th,!nks.are alsc pursued by the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam due to the Royal ThaI Government for ItS aId to the . . , . Khmer people, particularly during the terrible fight- 74. Dunng the past two decade~ CambodI~ s people ing earHer this year. have endured unmatched suffenng. HanOI'S use of . ,.. . Cambodian territory in its war against the South and 7~.. VIet Nam s mvaSlOn a~d oCCup~tlon ofCambo- the war between the Khmer Republic and the dla IS ~ chane~ge to the UnIt~d NatIons system.and communist Khmer Rouge, aided by Hanoi, destroyed !O the In~ernatIonal c<?mmunl~Y. The challenge IS to Cambodia's economy. The Khmer Rouge victory in Induce V,Ie,t ~am to WIthdraw ItS a.rmy and to restor.e 1975 brought a horror the world still struggles to Ca~bodla s Ind~p~ndence, sovereIgnty and n~utrah- comprehend. Systematic political murder and starva- ty WIthout permIttIng a return to power of the Khmer tion took the lives of more than 1 million Cambodi- Rouge. ans and nearly destroyed that ancient culture. 79. The count:ies members ofASEAN have provid- 75. The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam must bear a ed the world ~he lead~rship to meet that challenge full measure ofresponsibility for the tragic tyranny of h;ere at the Umted NatIons and beyond. The Interna- the Khmer Rouge. Viet Nam's support was critical to tIOnal Conference oD; Kamp~chea, held In 198 ~ and the Khmer Rouge victory in 1975. Hanoi's claim that sponsore.d by the UnIted NatI40ns, wor~e~ out, In ~he it invaded Cambodia to liberate the Khmer people Declara~lOn on Kampuchea, the pnn~Iples WhICh from Pol Pot and that it remains there only to must gUIde a settleII.1ent of the CambodIa!1 problem: prevent his return to power is a transparent decep- a cease-fir~ and w.Ithdrawal of .all foreIgn fo~ces, tion. Viet Nam deposed Pol Pot only when it became under .Umted. NatIOns ~upervIslon; free electIons clear that it could not dominate and control the under InternatIonal auspIces; and ~rrangem~nts to Khmer Rouge. No one laments the demise of the ensu~e that armed groups do not Interfere In free Khmer Rouge, a regime detesteu universally. But elect!ons an~ that they re~pect the .r~sults of those Hanoi did not invade Cambodia for the purpose of electIons. N:mety~fo~r natIons partICIpated In that returning Cambodia to its people; instead the Social- confere~ce; ItS pn~clples have been endorsed by five ist Republic of Viet Nam did so in order to install a succeSSive resol~tIons of the qenetal As~embly. puppet regime largeiy comprising former followers of Surely they prOVIde the best ba~Is for. J!leetmg the P~l Pot himself, including the hated Heng Samrin challenge posed by the CambodIan cnsls. hImself. 80. The United States supports those principles and 76. Now the Cambodian people are again threat- exte!1ds its appreciation. to Mr. Willibald Pahr, ened with the loss of their homeland and the ChaIrman of the InternatIOnal Conference on Kam- extinction of their culture. Thousands of Vietnamese puch~a, and to Mr. ~ssam~a Sarre aD;d his .col- nationals have settled throughout Cambodia, abetted ~eagues on t.he Ad /foe commIttee f,!r theIr con~Inu- and encouraged by Hanoi. Indepe~dent observers mg efforts In seekmg a settlement In CambodIa. have estimated their number to exceed 500,000. Viet 81. The United States affirms its support for Mr. Nam'~ clie.nts in Phnom Penh have ~een instructed Pahr's recent proposal to internationalize the temple !O aS~Ist Vlet}lamese, both fo.rmer reSIdents and n~w complex surrounding Angkor Wat so that these ruins ImJ!lIgr~nts, m any way. pOSSIble and t~ consult ~Ith can be restored, free from the danger of war. Mr. theIr VIetnamese supenors before takmg any actIOn Pahr's proposals merit international support. The affecting Vietn~mese settler~. Yietnamese immi- ruins ofAngkor Wat and Angkor Thorn represent the grants are also gIven extra-terntonal status and many greatest achievements left by a classical Khmer have reportedly received Cambodian citizenship. civilization and are a cultural treasure of imoortanC'P Cam~odia's seat at th~ Assembly. Their regi:ne 86. Even as Hanoi talks ofa settlement and negotia- remaInS depe.ndent on Vlet~aJl.lesesoldIers and V~et- tions today, the Vietnamese army is building up its namese offiCIals .who .remaln ~n p.1ace. The gr0'YIng forces near Thailand, threatening the civilian en- appeal of th.e natIonahst or~amza~H~ns, led by PrIn~e campments which house 250,000 Cambodians. New ~o~od<?m Slhanouk and Pnme MInIster Son Sann, IS units have moved up near the border and artillery IndIcative of the fact that the Khmer people are fire continues to threaten the residents of those unwilling to accept. a regime establish~d on the camps. It is an ominous harbinger of the coming dry bayonets of a foreIgn ~rmy.. The Umted St~tes season, which may begin only days after the General welcomes t~e presence In thIS debate of Pnnce Assembly completes its work. The world will mark Norodom SIhanouk and Son Sann. They and the Viet Nam's actions in Cambodia as well as hear its organizations they lead are the true embodiment of words. Khmer nationalism and the hopes of Cambodians for . . ,. . . a future which is neither Khmer Rouge nor Vietnam- 87. In time, the CambodIans qUIet herOIC determI- ese nation will convince Hanoi's leaders that they cannot . subjugate the Khmer people. We hope that realiza- 83. To what lengths will Viet Nam's rulers go to tion will lead to a settlement of the Cambodian impose their will on others? The war in Cambodia problem to the satisfaction of all parties, most and the confrontation with China it has engendered important, the Cambodian people. The way to a fair have drained Viet Nam's economy. With a per capita and just settlement has been shown by the interna- income far lower than that of any of its ASEAN tional community. The General Assembly resolutions neighbours--indeed, one ofthe lowest iil the world- on Cambodia, the 1981 International Conference on Viet Nam supports the world's third largest standing Kampuchea and ASEAN's appeal for Kampuchean army. Unable to pay the cost itself, Viet Nam has independence all outline a basis for a comprehensive turned increasingly to the Soviet Union for assist- settlement in Caml)odia involving the complete ance. Massive Soviet aid meets Hanoi's military withdrawal of foreign forces, free elections super- needs but cannot meet the needs of the Vietnamese vised by the United Nations and non-intervention people, thousands of whom have risked their lives to and non-interference in Cambodian internal affairs. flee in small boats rather than remain in a Viet Nam Such a settlement would guarantee a free and neutral oppressed and destitute. Other nations have reduced Cambodia and constitute a threat to none of Cambo- their aid because of their opposition to Viet Nam's dia's neighbours. It would also end Viet Nam's continuing occupation of Cambodia. Moscow has international isolation, restore Viet Nam's dignity traded on its aid to increase its military presence in and freedom of action, and permit Viet Nam to turn Viet Nam, establishing now a major air and naval to the task of building its own economy and raising base at Cam Ranh Bay, underlining the falsehood of the living conditions of the Vietnamese people, who Viet Nam's claim to be a non-aligned nation. have suffered for so long. tha~ would allay the conce~s of the ~tates of the commitment by all States in tile region to non- regIon an~ that, a~ the same tIme, woulo. remove the interference and non-intervention in the internal threat to InternatIOnal peace and secunty. affairs of Kampuchea. 94. Such a negotiated political solution must, in our . . view, be based on respect for Kampuchea's sover- ~Ol. .Let me a~d that res~ect for the terntor~al eignty, independence and territorial integrity. This !ntegnty and natlO~al sovereIgnty of other count~les necessarily implies, first and foremost, the withdraw- IS a cornerstone of In!ernatlOnallaw. The occupation al of foreign forces-and Haiti condemned the of Kampuchea by VIetna~es~ troops can therefore occupation by those foreign forces when it took not .be accepted, nor. Wl~l It ever be condoned. place. qbvlously, self-d~termInatIo~cannot be freely exer- 95 0 ·t·· th' t·· ~ 11· Clsed under foreIgn occupatIon. . ur pOSI Ion In IS connec Ion IS iU Y In accordance with the spirit and the letter of General 102. The road to reach these goals may be long and Assembly resolution 38/3, which, among other cumbersome, but delay in taking the first steps would things, recognized that "the withdrawal of all foreign not be to the advantage of any of the parties forces from Kampuchea, the restoration and preser- involved. For some time now, there have been vation of its independence, sovereignty and territori- serious attempts to establish a dialogue between the al integrity, the right of the Kampuchean people to parties most concerned. It is the task of the interna- determine their own destiny and the commitment by tional community to support and encourage such a all States to non-interference and non-intervention in process. the internal affairs ?f Kampuch.ea are the. principal 103. Kampuchea's ~eat in the United Nations is components of any JUS!, and lastmg resolutIOn of the occupied by representatives of the coalition that calls Kampu~hean problem. . . . itself Democratic Kampuchea and is headed ~y 96. It 1~ deplorable that Vlet Nam contl1~uesto thIS Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Although one partner In day to dIsregard the. terms of that resol:utlOn as well that coalition is the faction once infamously known as the recommendatIOns .of the IntematlOnal Confer- to the world as the Pol Pot regime, Prince Sihanouk ence ~m Kam~u~hea, WhICh offer the sole b~ses for a himself is widely known and respected as a Kampu- negotIated polItIcal s~tt1ement. We regret Vlet Nam's chean patriot. Since the coalition is not in control of d~fiant attItud~, w~Ich cann9t but exacerbate the the territory it purports to represent, it cannot be clImate of tenSIon In the regIOn. regarded as a Government. Nor does Sweden consid- 97. A special aspect of the Kampuchean problem er the so-called People's Republic of Kampuchea that causes us very great concern is the establishment under Heng Samrin as the legitimate Government of ofVietnamese settlements on Kampuchean territory. Kampuchea. Consequently, in the Swedish view We are among those who fail to understand the logic there is no Government which can be regard~ci in thp huma~ rights c~used innumera~le dea!hs and endl~ss 144. Mr. ADENIJI (Nigeria): The situation in suffen!1g,. so ~t cannot acqu~esce In an outsIde Kampuchea continues to give my delegation serious Power. s lI?-vadlng and oc~upymg an\Jther cOl}n.try. concern as it symbolizes the tendency by certain -:r:he vlolatI.o~s of human nghts,by the former reguI?-e Member States to destroy the credibility of the gIve no legItImacy to the new regIme or to the way In United Nations. Too often the General Assembly has which that regime was installed in Phnom Penh. witnessed the ever-recurring violation of the princi- 138. The Norwegian delegation shares the view that pIes of the Charter of the United Nations by some an essential first step towards a comprehensive Member States; too often the admonition to such solution to the situation in Kampuchea must be a Member States to be faithful to their obligation has firm commitment by the occupying Power to cease been treated with utter contempt. Kampuchea pre- all hostilities and to withdraw its forces, thus paving sents such an example. the way fOf ~he restoration and. preservation. of 145. Six years after the invasion of that unhappy Kampuchea s Independence, sovereIgnty and ternto- country by forces of a Member State of the United rial integrity. Nations, the situation still remains unresolved des- 139. In our view, the draft resolution before us of pite all efforts towards a peaceful settlement exerted which Norway is a sponsor, incorporates the essential by th~ Asse~b.lY· This.of course is a ~onsequence of elements for a comorehensive nolitical settlement: the dIsappOIntIng and mdeed frustratIng response of first, the total withdrawal of ""all foreign troops; !he occ~pying Power to. the ove!Whel!TIing call of the secondly, the right of the Kampuchean people freely International communIty for ItS WIthdrawal from to choose their own Government. My delegation is Kampuchea. confident that the General Assembly will once again 146. It is an acknowledged fact that the Pol Pot reaffirm the basic principles for a solution to the regime unleashed a reign of terror on the Kampuche- question of Kampuchea by approving that draft an people which shocked the conscience ofthe world. resolution by an overwhelming majority. However, it is also an established principle of 140. The Secretary-General and his Special Repre- int~rnational relations-a principle enstLrined. in sentative have continued to seek a peaceful solution ArtI~le 2, paragraph 4, of the Charter of ~he Umted to the Kampuchean question through extensive talks NatIOns-.that no Mem~er .Stat.e has .the rIght t'? .use with the parties concerned Hopes early this year that force agaInst the terntorIal Integnty or polItIcal these exchanges would pr~pare the ground for pro- independence of another. Th,er.efore revulsion at the gress towards a solution remain unfulfilled. Instead, cond.uct ,?f t.he ~ol Pot regIme. could not. have armed incidents and renewed tension occurred. prOVIded JustIficatIon fo.r the. forelg~ occupatIon of 141. Although the efforts and initiatives undertak- Kampucpea and ~he subjugatIon of Its people to the en at various levels have yet to lead to concrete status 0 a colomzed people. . results, I should like to commend the Secretary- !47. In the process, untold sufferIng has been General and his Special Representative for their Imposed on the people of Kampuchea, a large tireless efforts to bring about a comprehensive politi- num.ber of whom have b.een forced to seek refuge cal settlement. We find it encouraging that all parties outSIde the borders oftheu cou~try. Th~y have.thus seem ready to accept the continuation of the good added to.the refugee ~urden WhICh the mternat~onal offices of the Secretary-General in the conflict and commumty has conSIstently had to grapple WIth. we urge the parties and the States most directly 148. The efforts of the Secretary-General and the concerned and other interested parties to renew their Ad Hoc Committee of the International Conference efforts towards genuine negotiations and mutual on Kampuchea have not, unfortunately, shown any accommodation on the basis of the principles of the positive signs, due largely to the persistence of Charter of the United Nations. This will be in the foreign interventionists. As a member of the Ad Hor ~rinciples and objectives laid do~n in the Declara- 154. By invading Kampuchea, Viet Nam has violat- t~on on Kampuchea..4 My delegatIOn sees ~o alterna- ed the fundamental principles governing relations bve way of ar~angmg a peac~ful solution to the among States. These are respect for the indepen- problem. We.belIeve that a solutIOn !TIust be based on dence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the total WIthdrawal of all foreIgn fo~ces from non-interference in the internal affairs ofStates non- Kampu~h~a, the restoratIOn an~ preservatIon ~f t~e resort to force in the settlement of disputes between ~ountry s Independence,. sovereIgnty and terntonal States and the peaceful settlement of disputes. lntegnty and the commItment by all States to non- . . . interference and non-intervention in the internal 155. By that actIon Vlet Nam has threatened Inter- affairs of Kampuchea. These steps would enable national peace an~ se~urity. I~ has in~roduced a.new arrangements for free elections under United Nations and dangerous prI.nclple m mternatIonal relatu;ms, supervision to be undertaken and this would allow namely, that ~ .md.ltanly strong~r State.has the nght the Kampuchean people to exercise their right to self- !o attack a mlhtar:,dr weakt:r nelghbou~mg State and determination and elect a Government of their own Impose a puppet regIme on ItS people, SImply because choice. it does not like the Government of that State. This is 149. The solution of the problem of Kampuchea is a dangerous precedent. Unless we 0l?pose it, it may of course important for peace and stability in South- come back to haunt some ofus, es~eclally the smaller East Asia. My delegation, therefore, fully subscribes and weaker States. If we allow thIS precedent to go to the Final Communique adopted by the Meeting of u!1c~allenge~, ~e may on.e day find ourselves the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of Non-Aligned VIctIms of SImIlar aggreSSIOn. Countries to the thirty-ninth session of the General 156. That is the main reason why the delegation of Assembly held in New York from 1 to 5 October Saint Lucia has supported the draft resolution on 1984 [see A/39/560, annex], which urged all States in Kampuchea. We support it also because it is a the region to undertake a dialogue which would lead balanced draft which offers a comprehensive political to the resolution of differences among themselves solution for the Kampuchean conflict. The draft and the establishment of durable peace and stability resolution contains the essential elements for such a in the area, as well as eliminating involvement and solution: it calls for the withdrawal of an foreign threats of intervention by outside Powers. forces from Kampuchea; it reaffirms the right of the 150. Finally, my delegation commends the efforts Kampuchean peo~le to decid.e their own fu~u.re of the Secretary-General, both at the political level thro.ugh free ~lectIons supervIsed by ~he Umted and in the implementation of humanitarian assist- NatIons; a~d .It calls for the re-~stabhshment.of ance to Kampuchea. We urge all Member States and ~a~puch~as mdependence, sovereIgnty and ternto- tIle various international hU"'1anitarian organizations nal mtegnty. to continue to make contributions. We also join other 157. More than five years have passed since Viet delegations in calling for an international mobiliza- Nam invaded Kampuchea and overthrew the legiti- tion of resources for a programme of rehabilitation mate Government of Democratic Kampuchea. There and reconstruction in Kampuchea once the political are still more than 150,000 Vietnamese troops occu- problems have been solved. Needless to say, my pying that unfortunate country. However, Viet Nam delegation will vote in favour of the draft resolution has not succeeded in controlling that country. I can on this subject. think of at least three reasons why Viet Nam has 151. Mr. FLEMMING (Saint Lucia): This is the failed to achieve what it set out to do in Kampuchea. sixth year the General Assembly has been asked to First, Viet Nam is wa&ing an unjust ~ar it?- Kampu- adopt a draft resolution on the situation in Kampu- chea. The people of Vlet Nam know It. VIetnamese chea. Saint Lucia has been a sponsor ofand has voted soldiers are not. fighting w!th the s~me kind of for the draft resolution since 1980. This year Saint courage and sacnfice as dunng the VIet Nam war. Lucia has joined 53 other countries in sponsoring the This is because they are fighting an unjust war. draft resolution before us. The delegation of Saint Secondly, the Kampuchean people are valiantly Lucia is confident that at the end of the debate on resisting their aggressors. The Kampuchean national- this item this draft resolution will, like such past ist resistance forces led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk draft resolutions, be adopted by an overwhelming have been waging a courageous war of national majority. We feel that this draft resolution is just and liberation. Thirdly, the United Nations has refused to fair and that, therefore, it deserves our support. condone Vie.t Na!D:s action ~nd recognize the puppet 152. Saint Lucia is in the Caribbean. Kampuchea is Heng Samnn regIme. ThI.S has ~mboldened the in South-East Asia. The distance separating Saint Ka~puchean people to contmue theIr struggle to free Lucia and Kampuchea is some 12,000 miles. Why, theIr country. some may ask, should Saint Lucia be concerned 158. Viet Nam has rejected the last five Gener&l about a conflict that is far from its shores and is no Assembly resolutions on this item. There is no doubt direct security threat to its Government and people? that it will also reject the present draft resolution. We have voted with the ,;ountries members of This does not make this a futile exercise. We have a ASEAN and we shall continll"; to do so, because the moral obligation and responsibility to a Member Kampuchean conflict symbolizes a threat not only to State of the United Nations that has fallen victim to the ASEAN States but to all States, especially the foreign aggression and occupation. Viet Nam can smaller and militarily weaker ones. ignore the United Nations resolutions but it cannot The meeting rose at 1 p.m.