A/41/PV.75 General Assembly

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. I call now on the representative of Venezuela to introduce draft resolution A/41/L.34. ME:. AGUILAR (Venezuela) (interpretation from Spanish): As the Assembly concludes its debate in the item relatwg to the situation in Central America, we remain convinced that a speedy solution of the conflict in that part of our continent is one of the greatest Calcerns of the international community. ~re0\7er, statements in the debate have testified to the great support enjoyed by the Contadora Group and its SUpport Group as the appropriate machinery to proJOOte a positive end to the Central lmleriean crisis. Prompted by the prevalent spi.rit of our debate, and on behalf of the sponsors, the delegations of Argentina, Brazi!, Colonbia, fexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, I wish to introduce draft resolution A/41/L.34. The primary source of inspiratial for the text before the Assenbly was the decisim adopted at the sixteenth session of the general assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), held last week at Guatemala City, with the support of all the states members of that regional body th~re represented. l'he imperative of averting war in Central America and defending peace at any cost was the basic motivation of the sponsors in submitting this draft resolution. The preanbular part unequivocally reflects cardinal principles on which any peace process must be based, approached from an essentially Latin lmler iean - and specifically Central American - point of view. It reaffirms the purposes and spirit of pcevtous seourity CO\Wlcil and G~laral As8ellbly resolutions. It ruffir. mre particularly the right of all the countries of the Central American region to live in peace and seourity, free £rOIl outside interference, and it urges all interested States in and outside the region to abide by the urgent appeal of the seourity Counoil to co-oPerate fully with the Ccmtador:a Group, througb a frank and oonuuotlve dialogue, so as to achieve solutions. An illportant element of the pr:ealllbular part of this draft resolution is the reference to the international co_unity's effeotive support for the Contadora Group's peace efforts, support .iob has stillUlated these efforts, whiob have been strentbened since last year by the invaluable support of the Lima Group, composed of Argentina, Brazil, Peru and uruguay. Tbo sponsors also felt it proper to stress an important aspect of General As8elllbly resolution 39/4, .iob urged eaob of the five Central American GoVernments to speed up its consultations with the Caltadora Group with the riill of bringing the negotiatial pcooess to a oalolusicn and to respeot fully the purposes and pcinciples of the Caltado1'8 Act on Peace and Co-operation in Central America. In recalling seourity Counoil resolution 562 (1985), we bave stressed the Counoil's appeal to all States to refrain from carrying out, supporting or promoting po1:l.tioal, eoonollio or military aotions of any kind against any State in the region which llight impede the peace abjeotiv~s of the Caltadora Group. Tbe draft resolution also takes aooomt of the right of the peoples of Central AIIerioa to acbieve peace, developaent and justice without outside interference, in aooordanoe with their: own decision and their own bistorioal experience, and without saer: ificing the pr: inoiples of self-determination and non-intervention. The last put of the pceubulu put of the draft resolution eloquently reflects concern about the deterioration in the Central lIlerican situation cmd the possible outbreak of a wu *icb could bave serious consequences for the rest of the continent. We, the sponsC!C8, are fully convinced that all _mers of the international COJUlWlity share oar view about the gravity of the situation, as stated by the Ilbreign Ministers of the CGfttadora SUpp()rt Groups in their Declaration of 1 OCtcber 1986. To turn nO": ':D the operative part of the draft resolution, which I have the hGftour to introduce, paragraph 1 reaffirms tile conviction that the glcbal, coDIpCehensive and negotiated solution of the conflict in Central America requires that all states fully respect the principles of int~national law enshrined in the Cbarter of the United Natioos. The next two paragraphs refer to the peace initiative of the Cmtadora SUpport Groups, micb are requested to persevere in their efforts with the resolute support of all States. We trust that, as an expression of their interest and desire to assist in the e,c:hievelllent of peace in Central America, all MaDber States will suppcxt the draft resoluticn I bave introduced, so that it can be adopted by consensus. Of course, we hope that the Assembly will express its agreement at this session, if possible. Tbe PRESIDENT: The Assembly will now proceed to take a decision on draft .t'esoluticn A/41/L.34. May I take it that the Asselllbly wishes to adopt this draft resolution? Draft resolution A/41/L.34 was adopted (resolution 41/37).

I shall now call on those representatives who wish to explain their position on the resolution just adopted. May I resina Members that statements are limited to 10 minutes ana should be made by representatives from their seats. Mr. \"OST (alited States of A'lIerieah Today·S consensus repc••enta an affirmation of the need for puce ane r.1alogue in the Americas. All of WI in this hemiSphere have again affiraed our commitment to resolving differences within the region in a regiO'llal framework and without C1UtBicSe inteNentiClfto Today'S draft resolution underscores the desire for co-operation expa:e8se4 in the resolution appr:O'Ied on 14 NO'Ielllber by the orgllllization of American Stat:u. The participation of my country in the consensus adoption of this draft resoluticn lauds the spirit of democracy sweeping Central AIledea. Tbe reference to self-determination reinforces the crucial role of dellOerac:y in allOlfing citizens to choose their leaders through freely-ccntestea fair elections. we are glad to see all of the Central American countries joining in support of this call for constructive dialogue. The United States l'6118in8 coDlDitted to thr 1983 Contadora DQlCUEDt of O»jectives. We welcome initiatives from all nations to encourage the effact of the COntadora support Groups to produce an agreement: that achieves the colIPreben8ive, verifiable and sim~t_eous implementation of these points, so that all the peoples of Central Amer ica can iive in peace and securi ty •

I shall now call on those representatives who wish to speak in exercise of the right of reply. May I remind Members that, in accordance with Gen.-a1 AssUlbly decision 34/101, statements in exercise of the right of reply are limited to 10 rainut. for the first intervention and to 5 minutes for the second, and should be _c1e by representatives for their seats. Mrs. AS'lORGA Gi\DEA (Nicaragua) (interpretation froll Spanisbh The vi.... of the more than 55 countries wbich have taken part in the discussion of this important item have been so eloquently expressed that we doubt whether there is any need to respcnd to yesterday's statement in exercise of the right of reply and to the stateaen~ _de to4ay by the A1Iedcan delegatiOft, since other countries have Repeesentatives of the var: 10UB oountr ies taking par~ ln the debate have _pb.bed the need to r.pec~ the pclnc1ples and nor_ of in~ernatlonal law, and in pardcular the pcinciples of nen-lntervention and self-determinadon, in the qu.~ fcx a solutiOft to the Central AIIerican probl_. There is no n.eed to say who ls the _in violator of thes_ principles and nor_. Baseless a~tack., di81nfoc_~icn and li. CIIMO~ cOftceal tha~ truth, nor Ule share of resp0n8:lbili~y whieb the unlted States bellI'S for the situaUOft prevailing in our region. Tbe adoptiOft a few mlHllts ago of the draft resolution subJli~ted by ContadCll:a 18 proof, too, of the willingness of all countries represented in this forum to rHolv8 tile proble_ of Central AJledca through negotia~ion withou~ foreign 1nterf.r~ce• unfortunately, bowever, one of the major defects whieb acme United states MIIinistrations have bad - and the presen~ Ofte suffers froll it in a parUcululy alulling and dangerous way - is the inability to learn frOlll the mistakes of the paa~ anc! to accept the natural cbange;.'l of bistcxy. we think that the present leaders of the Qlited states oould benefit from a review of their own history of revolution and struggle foe &tmeraay, fOlt it would enable them to \Blderstand the Central AIIerican pbuOEnon. I~ was in that context that we quoted Patrick Henry's well-known words of 1775 befoce the Virginia Parliaaent. If the blindness of 8uperiority and militarisUc designs did not distort their vision, they wonld GUily see that the CO\Blter revolution - whic:b they created, finance, train and arm to overthrow the legiU1IIlte Nicaraguan Government - bas more in oollllOn with Benediet Arnold, the traitor m the thited States, than with the founding fathers of the 1lIIIerlean nation. (Nr. AlIter. Gadea, Ven_uela) 'rh. repc••tati.,e of th. ttli~ States said in hi. etateMllt teday that be considers ther. is bope for a bet.ter future for Central AIIerlca and Nicaragua. My comtry is of tile .... v1ew. Tbe freecbl, cSellOcraey, .elf-cSeteEllIinaticn _d sOlV...lgnty of our COUftuy ia, and will continue to be, a reality. 'l'O that end, .e Nicaraguans bave fOllgbt for 80 many years and will centlnue to defend ourselves aga~st fOl:eign intervention. Tbe united States slllply forgets that the history of Nicaragua and i t8 futUl'e dwelopaent &Ee in the banda of tile NlcaJ:aguans and that its llUC8nary UIIY, tile contra, ••ely I:ep:esent the SO.:).an past of terl:cx ancS deatbJ that the type of cSelDcracy that the cmuas l:epz:eBent wu the ene .mder wbieb we suffel:e4 during five yeal:8 of SOml:a's dlctator8blp "bleb wu supported by the QlitalS States of Med,ca,. and tbat, en 19 July 1919, for the first tl_ in ita blstol:Y, OUl: ..11 nation was offe~.d the possibility of being fl:ee, scweJ:eign and independent,' an4 of buUding a aellOcratic society. (Mrs. Astorga Gadea, Nicaragua) Lack of historical aemory leads the United States to forget even more recent events, such as the efforts made by Contadora in the past three years since the adoption of the document of objectives in 1983, which Nicaragua, of course, signed, ratified and continues to support. Since then, oontadora has submitted to the Central American Governments for their consideration two versions of the Act on Peace and CO-operation in Central America, which only Nicaragua viewed in positive terms and which, on the other hand, the united states prides itself on having blocked. It is deeds, and not words, which show who is for peace and who has opted for war. M¥ delegation has listened carefully to the statement by a Central American country in this debate to the effect that ",ts Government would be prepared to put an end to the presence of military advisers in its country if my country were to do the same. We are gratified by that statement if it implies a change of ~ttitude on the part of that country in relation to its previous position. Nicaragua confirms its desire that Central America should become an area free from foreign military presence. COntadora has made a very specific proposal on this point and Nicaragua has accepted it. If it is also accepted by the other Central American countries, we should meet under the auspices of COntadora to conclude the necessary agreements. Nicaragua is prepared to attend a meeting convened by COntadora to deal with this or other aspects of the Central American problem. We hope that the " other Central American countries will express the same willingness. Peace in Central America depends on the political will of all of us. Hr. GVIR (Israel): Although my delegation had not intended to intervene today, the interjection of totally extraneous and unwarranted elements into the discussion by a certain Member State now compels me to do so. (Mr. Gvl~, Is~ael) once again this ao~ning, one country - and I sball ~efrain f~c. naming it - followed its usual abusive custa. of injecting its own narrow and transparent political interests into the Gene~al Assembly's debate. Of course, these interests are not ~elevant to the issues we are gathe~ed here to discuss. ~ Obst~ucting the cou~se of this debate with such matters that country underained the progress of the discussion and, in effeet, held the Assembly captive. I should like to point out that that countll.y, which ~evels in such abuse, is allOng the worst offenders against international peace. Its financial logistical, diplomatic and ideological support of inte~national terrorists have produced some of the most ho~~e"doua acts of terror in the world today. It has recently been caught ~ed-handed in attempting to carry out more of these horrors. Many international terrorists find a welcome home in the heart of Central America. It is no coincidence tbat the PLO, the spearhead of modern terrorism and the world's foremost terror group, has a long-standing and intimate relationship with at least one country in the region. But the~e are other forums in our Organization where such topics are and should be discussed. The General Assembly is not one of them. We should, therefore, have avoided such empty and eztraneous rhetoric in tt~is important debate and restricted it to the question of peace and security in Central America. '!'he PRESIDENT: This concludes our consideration of agenda item 42. The meeting rose at 6.25 p.m.