A/43/PV.11 General Assembly

The Assembly will now hear al) address by the Prime Minister of Canada. Mr. Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada, was escorted to the rostrum.

I have great pleasure in welcoming the Prime Minister of Canada, His EXcellency the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, and inviting him to address the General Assembly. Mr. MULRONEY (Canada): Let me first congratUlate Hr. Caputo on his election as President of the General Assembly. His wisdom and experience will, I believe, make this a particularly productive session. It is an honour to be here today speaking to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the crucible of human hope for peace in a troubled world. I believe we are on the brink of a new age, one in which the differences that have divided liS are becoming less important than the dangers we must face together. It is a new age in which concrete acts that make our world more secure must and can be matched by tangible commitments to reduce poverty in the developing world and protect our common environment. For two generations the world has lived in the shadow of nuclear war, but today we meet at a time of significant achievement in arms control. The Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles is a historic first step in arms r~duction for which, I believe, we owe a great dp.btg of gratitude to the courage and leadership of President Reagan of the United States of America and of. General Secretary Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. They have laid a foundation, and we can now build upon it. (spoke in French) We e,'w cut strategic weapons. We can limit the spread of nuclear weapons. We can Umi t nuclear testing, and every step in this direction takes us closer to a (Mr. MUlroney, Canada) comprehensive test ban. We must redouble our efforts to reach a treaty banninq chemical weapons. In this respect, I welcome President Reagan's proposal for an early meeting of the signatories of the Geneva Protocol on the pr oh ibi tion of chemical weapons. We must also control conventional weapons. Let us not forget that it is in conventional wars that people are still dying today. I encourage this Assembly to provoke and provide even more achievements in the field of disarmament. (continued in English) We have also seen progress on regional security issues this past year, progress of which Men'ber nations could only have dreamed in the past. In Afghanistan, the attempt to impose solutions by invasion and occupation has failed, and the Soviet Union is withdrawing its fOT(ces. The United Nations remains heavily involved in the search for solutions. In the Gulf, no country has been able to impose its will by force. Representatives of the United Nations, including 500 Canadians, now patrol in peace where hundreds of thousands recently died in combat. Canada's role in these events is consistent with our 1009 tradi tion - more than four decades - of peace-keeping, ~ ~ole we have always willingly assumed. Canada has participated in every United Nations peace-keeping force since its foundation, and we are proud of this contribution, costly and difficult though it has often been, because we believe it has assisted in bringing stability to explosive regions of the world. Tbday a significant portion of our armed forces is either involved i~ peace-keeping around the world or tra 1ning for further duty in the service of peace. The award today of ~he Nobel Peace Prize for peace-keeping is a splendid tr ibute both to the secretary-General of the United Nations and to those courageous men and women from all countries who patrol the world's danger spots in the pursuit of a durable peace. May I, on behalf of everyone, offer the Secretary-General our very sincere congratulations. But not everywhere do we see the progress we would wish. The vicious cycle of repression and violence is unbroken in South t.frica. We all know the cause: the massive and institutionalized viOlation of human rights called apartheid. Internationally, pressure is increasing and is having an impact. The entire world finds apartheid repugnant: the whole world must now join forces to bring it to an end. Canada has taken strong measures on its own to rid our civilization of this unique evil known as apartheid. We are ~nder no illusions about the effectiveness of our efforts alone, and so we have actively pursued objectives in co-operation with other Governments, especially in the Commonwealth and la Francoph0nie. From the outset we have applied all the sanctions agreed to within the Commonwealth; we will continue to do so; and we will seek to broaden their application, increase their effectiveness and encourage others to join in adopting and applying them. Consistent with our policy of moving systematically and deliberately to increase pressure on South Africa, our Government announced earlier this week specific new measures tn tighten the ban on government contracts with SOuth African companies and a further ban on high technology, together with initiatives designed to add practical support to peaceful efforts to work against apartheid. Because of threats to major development projects in the front-line States w~ intend to provide assistance, in concert with others, to preserve these development initiatives. The movement in favour of human dignity is now irreversible. There can be no doubt that fundamental change will come to South Afr ica. The only questions are when and how and at what cost in human life. We must make sure the answers come soon, and peacefUlly - and that a framework is preserved that will give rise to a non-racial deoocratic South Africa. Only then will the children of Marldela know the gifts that freedom brings. (spoke in French) The problems of the Middle East have preoccupied this Assembly since the creation of the United Nations. Peaceful solutions have proved elusive, and in their absence violence and extremism have increased. But that is an argument for redoubled effort, not for despair. There is today growing support for a properly structured international conference based en Israel's right to exist and recognition of the rights of Palestinians. Canada believes ~~at such a conference can provide a path towa~ds dialogue and away from a situation that appears to promise little but further SUffering. Some regional di~)utes continue to challenge our courage and imaginationl but, in just a short period of time, progress towards a more peaceful world has been dramatic and deeply encouraging. Who would have predicted a year ago that today soviet forces would be withdrawing from Afghanistan) that Vietnamese fo~ces would begin withdrawing from Cambodia) that United Nations peace-keepers would be patrolling the Iran-Iraq border; that negotiations on Angola and on western Sahara would be starting to bear fruit) that the secretary-General would be discussing the independence of Namibia with the SOuth African Government? Those who have doubted bot.h the value of multilateralism and the United Nations surely must be reassessing their views today. (continued in Engli~) The Secretary-General's recent report on the work of this Organization is a document which should ins~ire the deliberations of this Assembly. In this dawning hope for peace, the path we ought to take is clear. It is towards conciliation and not confrontation between East and West. It is towards co-operation and generosity, not recrimination and rigidity, in North-South relations. It is towards negotiation, not warfare, in regional disputes. It is towar~s implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 40 years ago. We must give hope to those who today find their rights to fr.ee expression silenced by gunfire. we must provide sustenance to the flame of liberty in all regions where fundamental rights are being abused. We must reinforce the role of th,e Secur ity Council in the pursuit of pe~cemakinq and peace-keeping around the world. It can ba done, but only wi th the help of everyone in this Assettbly. For ':'';0 generations the arMS race, regiona:" disputes and the threat of nuclear annihilation have been a central preoccup.1tion of the Unii:ed Natio:ls, and so they will remain. But i believe that we are at a point in history whe~ ~e must devote significantly more political energy to problems other than security, problems perhaps just as important but until now accorded a somewhat lower pr iority. I want to speak specifically about ~~e twin challenges of severe poverty and our endangered environment. I believe we shall not have true security until these problems have been successfully resolved. These issues were high on the agendas of the summit meetings chaired last year by Canada - from the Commonweal th and la Francophonie to the Economic Sum.mi t Meeting in Toronto. At these meetings I found a growing conviction among national leaders that these problems can and must be tackled, and must be dealt with before the end of" this century. These problems col1l1land the same priority here in the United Nations. Pover ty undermines secur i ty. It compromisl!s equality. It den ies hope. Today it is estimated that at least one billion people li\re in absolute poverty. They are hungry. They are often sick. They are uneducated. They die young. Alleviating poverty must be given a new priority on national and international agendas. We must work to achieve sl)cial justice for the poore~.t of our world and economic growth which does not destroy our magnificent environment. At Toronto the leaders of the major industrialized countries renewed their commi.tmant to work towards continued growth for the benefit of both the industr.ialized and, particularly, the developing countries. We are also working towards a trading system ~1ich is more open and more beneficial to all nations. I believe it will be strengthened bilaterally, as in the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, the largest commercial agreement in the history of two-way trade. It r.an also be strengthened regional1y, as in the Association of SOuth-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and in Europe as 1992 approaches. (spoke in French} It must be strengthened, too, through the General Agreement cm. Tar iffs and Trade (GATT) and multilateral talks such as the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations. Progress in those talks is essential at the GATT mid-term review to be held in Mentreal this Decell'ber. Increased development assistance, especially to the poorest countries, is another imparative. Canada has just completed a review of its official development assistance policy. We have reset our bearings bo improve the quality and increase the quantity of the help we give, to recognize the special role of women in development and to concentrate on the poorest people in the poorest countr ies. That is why Canada has completely written off the official development assistance debts of a large number of countries. It is surely reasonable that loans given for development purposes should not be allowed to become hindrances to that same development. None of this is altruism. All countries, North and south, rich and poor, have an equal stake in a world in which wealth must be more equitably shared. That is why our assistance programme is now composed entirely of grants. We have affirmed that Canadian assistance will continue to increase to reach the target of 0.6 per cent of gross national product by 1995 and the desired 0.7 per cent target by the year 2000 - now less Chan 12 years away. (continued in English) I can best illustrate the importance that we attach to the United Nations by pointing out that Canada is the fourth largest contributor to the United Nations system. Most of its contributions are directed towards development assistance. But Canadians generally feel that more could and should be done. Africa is a very special case. Canada has taken seriously its responsibilities under the United Nations Programme for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990. In 1986-1987, Canada disbucsed a total of almost $1 billion in Africa, through all channels, multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental. Nearly half of our bilateral assistance will be directed to }\frica over the next five years. But poverty in ~frica and elsewhere cannot be ended solely through trade and help from developed countries, although these are vital parts of any effective interr.4tional programme. It will require as well sound national economic and development strategies, and the Governments of the developing countries have a very di~ect responsibility to their a~n people to achieve substantial progress. (spoke in French) I have said that we must devote the energies freed by greater security to two equally pressing problems. one is poverty~ the other is environmental protection. The world is facing an environmental crisis of unparallelled magnitude. Nature is sending us an urgent message that we ignore at our peril. The signs of this crisis are all around us~ shortages of timber, exhausted soil, desertification, depleted fish stocks, seals dying in the North Sea, beluga whales washing ashore in the St. Lawrence River in Canada itself. Some even maintain that we have reached the point where the survival of mankind is at risk. The Chairman of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Prime Minister Brundtland, has said that the threat to our environmental security is "second only to nuclear war". Now that we have lessened the li~elihood of global nuclear war, we face invasion by rising seas, polluted air and encroaching deserts. There is a growing awareness that the environnent, the economy and human health are inextricably linked • (continued in English) At the same time as we in the North suffer the effects of our industrial society's lack of regard for the environment, the South suffers from the environmental degradation engendered by poverty, by population growth and by pressure for immedi~te economic development. Destruction of the rain forest in Brazil, deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa and the pollution of drinking water in the sprawling cities of the developing world are the consequences, the simple, direct and inevitable consequences, of people in poverty seeking the simple means to survive. Without improved development oppor tunities they cannot be e1C]?ected to do other than search for fuel, shel ter and livelihood as best they can. We must help them, with their co-operation and fr iendship, to protect these precious resources. We require a new er a of economic growth, but we need growth that sustains and expands the resource capital of all the countr ies of this planet, not growth that poisons the air we breathe and the wa ter we dd nk • An aboriginal elder in Canada., speaking to a Canadian Government commission, said it best: "We did not inherit the Earth - we only hold it in trust for our children." In a world in Which rivers and winds cannot be contained by laws or borders it is clear that domestic initiatives by themselves are inadequate. Canadians know all about this. Our economy, as well as our environment, is being damaged daily by acid rain. We have taken important internal measures to address the problem. we have urgently pressed our neighbour to follow suit and to conclude a treaty with us that would reduce the environmental damage from this blight by stated amounts within specific time-frames. But acid rain is not limited to one nation or one continent~ it is an international problem and it demands, I believe, a viable international solution. The greenhouse effect, the deterioration of the ozone layer and the disposal of toxic wastes are causes for legitimate concern both here and around t."e world. (spoke in French) I am encouraged by the strong emphasis given to the environment by others in this year's debate. Problems of environmental protection require strengthened international co-operation, and the United Nations has a key role to play. As with security issues, important action has been initiated. The signature a year ago in Montreal of the Protocol on the protection of the ozone layer is a landmark example of what nations working togethel' can accomplish. ! urge all States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Protoool without delay. The increasingly urgent question of global warming and climate change received serious attention at the International Conference on the Changing Atmosphere in Toronto last June. Our goal should be an international framework convention for the protection of the atmosphere by 1992. We applaud the work of the United Nations Environment Prograntne in developing a global convention on the trans-frontier movements of hazardous wastes. We hope that it will be ready for signature by Member States next year. This powerful momentum must be maintained and even strengthened. Other steps are needed. (continued in English) Canada is supporting a feasibility study on a world conservation bank to work in concert wi th the World Bank. Canada is asking the World Bank at its annual meeting in West Berlin to strengthen the integration of environmental concerns into the design and implementation of its own projects. Canada fUlly suppor ts the holding of an environmental summit at the Heads of Government level. Canada urges all corporations and international industrial and trade associations to develop, strengthen and vigorously apply environmental codes of conduct. Obviously, wealthier nations have to offer more assistance and greater support to help developing countries achieve growth which does not destroy their environment. And for that reason, the Canadian International Davelopment Agency makes environmental protection one of its criteria for development projects. I want to announce today that Canada will establish a centre which will promote internationally the concept of environmentally sustainable development. This centre will be located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and will work closely with the United Nations Environment Programme and other like-minded international institutions and organizations. Canada strongly supports the call for a United Nations conference on sustainable development in 1992. The global challenges we face are great, but we are proving that they can be met and that they can be resolved. Mankind is not destined to destroy itself. War is not inevitable. Poverty can be alleviated. The environment can be preserved. Injustices can be redressed. The United Nations is not and never will be - ever - a perfect institution. But in the last few years the Uni ted Nations has proved that it can make needed reforms and emerge as a stronger and more effective ~ody. We must continue to improve th is irreplaceable Organ ization. Oue ci tizens will judge the Uni ted Nations not by the rhetoric of which we are capable, but by the actions that we have achieved in the past and of which are capable aga in in the future, by our practical successes in working together. (Mr. Mulroney, Canada) An immunization programme that saves children's lives in a developing nation is, in itself, an enduring monument to the profound value of this institution. And surely, there are enough such monuments around to persuade any objective observer of the profound and ongoing value of an institution that treats its Members on a basis of equality and mutual respect. Because now, as the international political climate improves, the United Nations can play the role intended in the Charter. tester Pearson, a great Canadian statesman who was present at the creation of this Organization, once observed that the United Nations is the "living symbol of our interdependence, and embodies that emerging sense of international community, going beyond nation and region, which alone can save us in this nuclear age". The United Nations, in my judgement and in the jUdgement of my Government, reflects the vision of our predecessors and the hope for our children. The agenda before the United Nations is compelling, and the choices are clear: to manage the irresistible forces of change th~t swirl about us; to acknowledge the intimate interdependence of our world and of the issues before us; to ensure a more peaceful, more prosperous, more humane world, a world in which the strong nations are just, in which the rich nations are generous, a world in which all nations - all nations without exception - have the legitimate hope for greater economic and social justice, understanding as we all must that there is but one Earth for us to preserve for all of our children. The PRESIDEN'l:'. (interpretation from Spanish) ~ On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank the Prime Minister of Canada for the important St.atement he has just made. Mr. Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada, was escorted from the ros~• Mr. MAIMIERCA PEOLI (Cuba) (interpretation from Spanish): On behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of Cuba, and on my own behalf, I should like at the outset to express our warmest congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of the forty-third session of the Gener al. Assembly. I am all the more pleased by your election r first, because you represent a sister Latin American nation that has repeatedly demonstrated its devotion to sovereignty and independence, a nation to which we are united by histor ical bonds of understanding and fraternity and secondly, because of our close, long-standing friendship, which will be further strengthened by this session of our world Organ iza tion. We are certain that on this occasion you will once again demonstrate your high qualities as a statesman, and for its part the Cuban delegation commits itself to making every effort for the success of this forty-third session and the attainment of world peace and the development of all peoples of the world. Last year, in this very forum, we said that, the great prevailing difficulties notwithstanding, we were living in a time of encouraging expectations, because the triumphalist ascendancy of the Reagan Administration had been checked and was on the wane. The activity of major international organizations had been strengthened, and a climate favourable to negotiations prevailed in Europe, Central America, southern Africa, Afghanistan and South-East Asia. The fa~ts of history and the efforts of the forces that cherish peace and progress have dr iven the ob::'>curantist tendencies in internaUonal relations into total bankruptcy. Such tendencies seemed to be driving us to the brink of insanity and holocaust at the beginning of this decade. Such ideas, which had argued that a nuclear war was winnable and which advocated the theory of military superiority as a means of ensuring '=quilibrium and peace, are already losing ground. There is a growing rejection of measures - such as the so-called strategic defence initiative - that oould lead to an arms race and enhance the possibilities of the total destruction of our planet. (Mr. Malm~erca Peoli, Cuba) (Mr. Malmierca Peali, Cuba) A new and effective form of international relations is evolving, one based on dialogue, understanding and the negotiated settlement of conflicts that for years have hung over the world and been bringing our nations ever nearer to the brink of a cataclysm of incalculable proportions. The adoption of significant disarmament agreements between the two main nuclear Powers is not only a contribution to the attainment of world peace and international security for present and future ggnerations; it enables us to envisage the release, within a reasonable time, of significant resources for the development of all nations and to help overcome the effects of the world economic crisis now threatening. The efforts of the Soviet Union arid other peace-loving progressive forces are beginning to bear fruit. Thus, we warmly welcome the Moscow meeting between General Secretary Gorbachev and President Reagan; we welcome the agreements reached there and the way in which they are being implemented. We believe this represents a major step towards disarmament, but it must be developed and supplemented. At Reykjavik, Comrade Mikhail Gorbachev p~oposed working on a draft agreement to reduce strategic weapons by no less than 50 per cent and to eliminate them completely before the end of this century; that proposal is still pending. Although it is clear that we are moving towards a process of change, much remains to be done and positions that should be abandoned are still being taken. An example of this was the third special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, which took placetllis year. Renewed efforts by non-aligned, socialist and neutral nations to achieve agreements compatible with the new times that seem to be emerging in the field of disarmament ran into the irrationa? stance of those le and who stubbornly refuse to countenance the Assembly taking anything beyond general decisions. Such an irresponsible attitude must be condemned. (Hr. Malmierca Peeli. Cuba) However, if th~ changes we are trying to bring about in intp.l~ational relations in our quest for full justice and equity do not go beyond disarmament measures, if they are not aimed at promoting the urgent solution of the problems afflicting the economies of the third world and the establishment of a new international economic order, then those changes - despite the glimmers of hope we discern - will be incomplete. !b understand my country's position, it suffices to remember the words spoken recently at Quito, Ecuador, by President Fidel Castro: "But the world's problems are not only problems of nuclear weapons and the threats of nuclear war that have unfortunately existed, there still remain other terrible problems for millions of people in the world, such as underdevelopment, povertYr hunger, and lack of education and health". While the prospect of nuclear war and the reSUlting destruction and death is dreadful, the lives lived by billions of people on Earth are no less dreadful. The preservation of human life has been our incentive to strive for nuclear disarmament and for general and complete disarmament, and the preservation of human life must also be a driving force in the quest not only for disarmament measures but also for effective solutions to the problems caused by underdevelopment and poverty. For while nuclear war could potentially claim millions of innocent victims, it is no less certain that underdevelopment and poverty claim thousands of innocent victims every day. Suffice it to recall that every three days the number of children who die in the third world is greater than that of all those who died in the genocidal nuclear bombing of Hiroshima at the end of the second WOrld War. Under the present circumstances, according to data from the united Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), one in four children is SUffering from malnutrition; four in five children in rural areas do not have access to running water or adequate sanitary facilities; two in five children between the ages of six and 11 do not go (Mr. Malmierca Peali, Cuba) to sd100h and four in five d1ildren have no access to modern medical care. These facts I1l1st cry out to our conscience. On f>t>nday, 26 September, Pres iden t Reagan said far ewell to us. Bu t: befor e he addressed us we had already said farewell to his policy of confrontation &ld war) more than saying farewell, we had defeated it. The international oomnunity said no to attempts to dr ive the world towards nuclear holocaust and sta ted its determination to move towards peace, disarmament, independence and development. President Reagan devoted sevelal lla::-agraphs of his statement to Cuba, in which he confirmed his well-known ignorance of the facts of today's wor Id, of their historical background and even of the most basic geographical facts. For tha t reason we shall not reply to his statement so mud1 as correct it, setting out the facts as they truly are and calling for respect for the truth. President Reagan tried to distort the results of the meeting of the Conmission on Human Rights held last March at Geneva to fit his own desires, though at that meeting he was defeated thanks to member countr ies' respect for the purp:>ses of the Commiss ion. Cuba is proud of its record in the field of human rights, and after defeating those Yankee manoeuvres we invited a delegation from the Commission on Human Rights to visit our country and observe the human rights situation there. The situation today is very different from that of 30 years ago, when we were under United States neo-colonial domination and when the Yankee ambassador served as a pro-Consul who handed down orders to the sitting Presidents. Now, illiteracy has disappeared) life expectancy has risen from 55 to 74 year s) infant mortality has declined from 60 to 13 deaths per thousand live births) the epidemic diseases that once claimed the largest nUnDer of victims have been eradicated) poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, and other such diseases have been wiped out. Where we (Kt. Malmierca l?eol i, Cuba) ,~- - had 20,000 university students fJie now have more than 300,000. Where we had 30 per cent unemployment, all Cubans of working age C· . exercise their right to work. There remain counter-revolutionar ies imprisoned in Cuba. That is only natural, because the 30 years since the triumph of our revolution have been years of our people's victor ious struggle against the constant aggressio~ of successive United states Governments, especially that of the Reagan Administration. Fortunately, those in the employ of Cuba '.s e;--emies - agents of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other services - have failed in their attempts and have been sent to prison. In prison they receive humane treatment and their human rights are respected. There has never been an instance of torture or mistreatment, not a single pcisoner has disappeared. President Reagan also ignored the facts when he spoke of the situation in southern Africa. He persisted in his failed policy of support for the hateful apartheid regime~ he tried to equate the South African invader troops with the Cuban internationalist combatants who went to Angola l3years ago at the behest of the Angolan people to drive back the racist invader troops. But President Reagan does not even seem to read the newspapers. How else are we to understand his insistence that the agreement on the full withdrawal of foreign troops from Angola should apply first of all to Cuban troops? South African troops have already withdrawn from Angola, after SUffering defeat at Cuito Cuanavale. from resolution 435 (1978) and is being called for by the international community. The Cuban internationalist combatants will withdraw, as has been stated, pursuant to a decision taken by Angola and Cuba. Constluctive engagement has been useful in prolonging the existence of the hateful apartheid regime, extending by 10 years South Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia. However, it was unable to prevent the failure of the invasion launched by the SOuth African racists against the People's Republic of Angola. In southern Af~ica in 1988 we have witnessed significant developments which give rise to hope that we shall see achieved some of the objectives pursued by the countries in the region will bp. achieved - namely, the independence of Namibia on the basis of Security Council resolution 435 (1978), adopted by the Council exactly 10 years ago, and the provision of safeguards for the borders of the People's Republic of Angola. Within the framework of the quadripartite talks, which involve the juint delegation of ~~e People's Republic of Angola and the Republic of Cuba, the delegation of the Republic of South Africa and the delegation of the United States, acting as mediator, several meetings have been held in which the problems in the region have been dealt with in extensive discussions and principles have been established for the political settlement of the problems affecting the region. In this context, in Brazzaville, following the seventh round of quadripartite talks a communique was issued informing the secretary-General of the united Nations that, beginning on 1 November, effect would be given to Security Council resolution 435 (1978), on the independence of Namibia. It is a fortunate coincidence that this is occurring exactly 10 years after the adoption of resolution 435 (1978). We trust that very shortly Namibia will become independent and take its seat as the l60th Member State of the United Nations. In this context we reaffirm once again the existence o~ indestructible links between Cuba and the People's Republic of Angola, its Government and its people. They have been strengthened by the blood shed by Cubans and Angolans in the struggle for the freedom and sovereignty of that sister nation. Cuba is not seeking a military victory. Cuba has no intention or desire to humiliate anyone. It is inspired simply by the desire to make its modest contribution to the preservation of Angola's independence, to the progress of the negotiations on Namibia and to the attainment of peace and secur ity in that par t of Afr ica. Consequently, Cuba is prepared to continue these consultations and looks forward to a successful conclusion, although it is aware of the obstacles and difficulties that still have to be overcome and the time and effort that this will entail. We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the Namibian patriots, led by the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), and the SOuth African patriots, represented by the African National Congress (ANC). We support their resolute struggle against oppression. The security of the other front-line States should similarly be guaranteed, thus checking the aggressive b~laviour of the South African regime. Particular attention should be paid to the position of Mr. Nelson Mandela, whose release from a prison in SOuth Africa has become a matter of universal concern. From this rostrum we congratulate him on his seventieth birthday and reaffirm the steadfast support of the Government and people of Cuba for him and his cause, which, with the whole of mankind, we share. The negotiating process which began recently with a view to ending the Iran-Iraq war is also showing encouraging signs, notwithstanding the difficulties involved. That war, which should never have broken out, must come to an end, not merely because of the benefits to both peoples that would result from peace and national reconstruction, both peoples, but also because this would be in the interests of non-aligned unity and world peace. Furthermore, stopping the war between the two nations would put an end to the imperialist presence in the ~ulf, which must also be uprooted. Those naval forces are not acting as guarantors of peace, rather they are a source of tension and a threat to the independence of the States in the ree:Jion. In Central America there were hopes that peace would be reached under the Esquipulas agreements and the sapoa talks. Such prospects, however, have run into the stubbornness and arrogance of the imperialists. The renewed efforts of the Government of Nicaragua, the Contadora Group and its Support Group in the search for a just and honourable peace in the region deserve recognition. More than a year has passed since these peace initiatives were launched by the five Central American Presidents. They have not yet borne fruit, however, owing to the mano~uvres of those forces interested in impeding their implementation and pursuing a policy of aggression, destabili~ation and blockade against the Government of Nicaragua. The situation in Central America calls for prudence, wisdom and firm support from the international community in order to prevent a further escalation of the dirty war directed against Nicaragua, to achieve a negotiated political solution to that regional conflict and to ensure the economic reconstruction of the region. We should also support the peace efforts being made by the Contadora Group and its Support Group. We must reject every attempt to exclude them from the negotiating process. Fur~,ermore, a process of negotiating should be ensured for El Salvador and Guatemala, with the indispensable participation of those who were compelled to resort to armed struggle to achieve what they were denied by law and democracy. and reaffirms Nicaragua's sovereign right to decide its own destiny free from any form of interference. We welcome with healthy Latin American and Caribbean pride the honourable example set by the Panamanian people, which has rejected and defeated all the imperialist acts of aggression, blockades and threats directed against it, thereby demonstrating the enormous strength of a people united in defence of its sovereignty and independence. We cannot fail to welcome also the significant agreements reached in Geneva with regard to Afghanistan, which are a source of satisfaction to us. The new situation \mich that Asian nation currently faces calls for renewed and continuing endeavours by all the parties and by the international community as a whole to bring about the speedy implementation of agreements, to ensure respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and to enable all obstacles to the attainment of peace in that region to be overcome. Cuba fully supports the Republic of Afghanistan in the ciifficult and comple, process of national r econci1iation. We welcome the negotiating efforts being made by the states of Indo-China in order to achieve the long-desired Peace in SOuth-East Asia, the constructive and flexible dialogue among the countries of the region and the initiative taken by the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement in his eff"lrts to contribute to a negotiated solution. In this context, we reiterate our full support for the policy of national reconciliation formulated by the People's Republic of Kampuchea. These developments represent a source of hope in a climate fraught with dramatic potential. The ministerial Conference of non-aligned countries met in Nicosia, the beautiful~ warm capital of Cyprus, just a few days ago. The successful discussions at that Conference, the fraternal, constructive atmosphere during the talks and the presence of almost all member States of the Movement. with delegations mostly led by their Foreign Ministers, was unequivocal proof of the progress made by our Movement and evidence of its growing unity and capacity for action. In cyprus we reiterated our call for struggle for peace and development. We welcomed the progress made in the negotiations on disarmament and at the same time warned that acts of aggression were still persisted and that solidarity and encouragement should be gi~en to the peoples of the world in their struggles. We agreed to meet next year in Belgrade ~ where the first non-aligned summit was held in 1961 - for the ninth summit conference of Heads of State or Government in order to strengthen further the decisive role we should play in the defence of peace and the furtherance of development. Last year we reaffirmed that the United Nations should contribute with all its influence to the attainment of peace and the political resolution of conflicts and disputes among nations. TOday we are witnessing a resurgence of the United Nations contribution, and ~ery particularly that of its Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar. He has been responsible for much in the way of resolving many of these regional conflicts. We have noted with satisfaction that the achievements of the United Nations this year have helped put an end to the theories proclaiming the death of multilateralism and the ineffectiveness of the United Nations. The United Nations has done this by meeting its obligations under the Charter. The situation in Latin America and the Caribbean is both promising and potentially dangerous. It is promising because of the sustained progress made in the political and social realms in our. continent, because of the growing awareness of shared problems and because of the growing unity in a spirit of pluralism that has not been impeded by the natural differences of ideology, wealth or territorial extension among the countries in our region. The future of this continent will be bright if tatin America .and the Caribbean succeed in exercising unity and cohesion, if we are able to take advantage of the leqacy left us by our predecessors, that is, Bolivar, San Martin, O'Higgins, Sucre, Juarez and Marti; if we succeed in ldentifying our common problems and in finding shared solutions; in short, if we advantage of all those features that br ing us closer together rathe!" than resorting to those that divide us. The informal dialogue of foreign ministers of Latin ~nerican and Caribbean countries held recently in Caracas represented encouraging evidence of a growing and necessary unity and of the urgent need for integration and co-operation. It showed that our uni ted voice is strong and to be heard wherever integrationist tendencies are on the rise. Cuba will do everything in its power to contribute to this process of Latin American and Caribbean unity, co-operation and integration. Democracy has progressed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dictatorial regimes are more isola ted than ever, re jected by bo th the ir ot-m peoples and the Latin ArRer ican and Car ibbean commun ity. We are confiden t that .7e shall be able to manage our future collectively for the benefit of our peoples. However, we also said that Latin America is faced with a potentially dangerous situation, as hazardous as that facing the other countries of the third world. The international economic crisis has produced intolerable repercussions. It has stirred up an unbridled and spiralling decline in the living standards of our peoples with the progressive erosion of our economies, the worsening"of injustice and unequal relations with the industrialized countries of the West. Furthermore, in recent years the arms race and its almost geometric growth have made the prospects of development even more uncerta in and an ever grea ter amount of resources has been used that could otherwise have been employed to alleviate the ef fects of the er is is. The difficult path we have had to trace in the 14 years since the adoption of the Declaration and the Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order by the General Assembly at its sixth special session has become increasingly uncertain. This has shoun the serious nature of the problems we face and the need for urgent solutions. The phenome~a which have traditionally affected international economic relations, in particular those involving the developed capitalist countries, on the one hand, and the third world, on the other, continue to worsen and to make the plight of billions of human beings unprecedentedly hopeless. Protectionism, the difficulties encountered by third world countries in the export of commodities and in getting access to markets, together with the unequal terms of trade, the dumping and the external debt copstitute scourges which have plunged a large number of countries into an economic crisis, a "crisis for existence", the solution of which requires a major restructuring of the world economy and of its operating procedures. This is one of the great paradoxes of our time. While we are witnessing encouraging signs of progress in international political relations, progress in terms of disarmament and a tendency to resolve many local confl icts, at the same time the economic plight of the underdeveloped countries is becoming increasingly worse. While the major capitalist countries Powers agree to hold negotiations on matters pertaining to war and peace, they still refuse to held comprehensive negotiations to resolve the most pressing economic problems of the contemporary world. Do they not r~alize that, no matter how much they pursue secur ity, secur ity will be incomplete as long as an economic gap continues to exist between one group of nations and another, and indeed continues to widen? A new international economic order continues to be our goal. In recent years we have repeatedly heard views questioning its validity in present circumstances. we do not agree with such views. How could one se~iously and responsibly argue that an instrument that has never been implemented has ceased to be valid? Is it that the conditions that have brought it about have already disappeared? * Of all the phenomena to which we have referred, the spiral! ing external debt of our countries has had the most serious impact and may potentially be the most dangerous for the political, economic and social stability of \ ast sectors of the world. We have recognized over and over again that the external debt of third world countries is a political issue and should be approached as such and that all the parties involved - debtots, creditors, banks and financial institutions - shou1d pool their efforts. We need to find a speedy solution to this problem. We have recognized a nuniJer of factors which link such a solution to the search for anS\o1ers to other problems affecting third world economies. However, a debt that exceeds $1 trillion is not something to be simply recognized or dealt with in terms of theoretical assumptions. Our countries have been concerned for far too long with p:>verty, hunger, illiteracy, inadequate health services and the desire for equality and justice. The recent fourteenth Latin American Council of the Latin American Economic System decided to convene a regional conference on external debt. Everyone agrees on the fact that it is unpayable and uncollectable. We need to develop a comprehensive strategy for tackling the debt problem; we need to take a new approach. several years ago President Fidel Castro proposed a formula with which this General AsseniJly is very familiar. we strongly believe in the accuracy and force of his argument and, indeed, it has been borne out by events of recent years. We are entering a new decade. We should work for a new millennium of peace and coexistence in the 1990s, with a new and positive fo:m of international relations as opposed to the attitudes and policies that prevailed in the 1980s. Aggression must give way to good-neighbourliness among nations. The use of force should be replaced by consultations and dialogue. Policies of coercion should yield to negotiations for the protection of mutual interests. Unequal terms of trade should give way to a just and equitable international commerce. The obsolete mechanism based on Bretton WOods should yield to a new international monetary system which would eliminate overt or covert exploitation. The process which is now beginning for the united Nations Fourth Development Decade could offer a suitable framework for these objectives. Those who illegally possess the world's weal th currently "have the floor". They are the ones tha t have to demonstrate wisdom and genuine concern for the fate of the world; otherwise, it will fall into a state of collapse fraught with unforeseeable consequences. In this connection, we welcome the endeavours of the SOuth Commission and, particularly, the results of its meeting in Mexico. We believe that such institutions may be very useful in raising world consciousness about the need for development and providing new ideas for solving the most pressing problems of the third world. We are particularly pleased to see that this Commission is presided over by Mr. Julius Nyerere, an outstanding contemporary political figure and one of the eminent leaders of African independence. We note with satisfaction that the Conference on the Indian OCean will be convened in 1995. We should build our collective determination so that by the time the Conference starts that region will have been freed from military pressures and will have becorre a zone of peace. We believe that the new course we are beginning to see developing in international relations may represent a decisive contribution to the attainment of & climate conducive to the demilitarization of the region. We reaffirm our support for the sister repUblics of Korea and express our solidarity with their aspirations for reunification and for the total withdrawal of United States occupation forces from the southern peninsula. we trust that we shall shortly have the delegation of a united Korea in the United Nations. We also express our support for the legitimate desires of Cyprus, a non-aligned country to which we are linked by ties of close friendship. We call for preservation of its independence, sovereignty, national unity, territorial representatives of the Greek Cypriot ana the Turkish Cypriot communities. We support the convening of an international conference on cyprus under the auspices of the Un i ted Na tions • In the peesent international circumstances, we should increase our efforts to put an end to the wandering life of the Palestinian PeOple, .mo are subjected to unparalleled outrages on their native land. The response of the Palestinian people to zionist abuse has been a national popular uprising ~~ich since its beginning last December has marked the start of a new phase in the long struggle waged by the Palestinian people against foreign colonization and domination. We reaffirm our support for the holding of an international peace conference on the Middle East with equal participation by all parties to the conflict, inclUding the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. We reaffirm our conviction that there can be no solution to the conflict in the Middle East without a solution to the Palestinian question and without recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of their own State. We support the just cause of the people of Lebanon in their just struggle for national unity, respect for their territorial integrity and for preservation of their non-aligned status. We support the call for the withdrawal of Moroccan troops and administration from the territory of western Sahara and for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Sahraoui state. We continue to support Bolivia's just claim for direct and practical access to the sea, a right supported by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. We support Argentina's claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands. We reiterate our solidarity with Madagascar and its claims over the Malagasy islands of Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa and Bassas da India. We also support the aspirations of Comoros to regain sovereignty over Mayotte.* Other vestiges of colonialism also remain in Guam, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, East Timor, Gibraltar, New Caledonia, Anguilla, Pitcairn, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the United states Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and elsewhere. We cannot disregard the attempts to prevent the independence and sovereignty of so-called Micronesia. Cuba is still suffering from illegal occupation of its territory by the United States naval base in Guantanamo, which remains there against the wishes of our people and Government, in violation of the most basic norms of international law. However, the day will come when we shall exercise soyereignty throughout our territory. Since the end of the last century, Puerto Rico has remained under the yoke of the most powerful colonial system of our century. It is the steadfast duty of the Cuban revolution, which liberated its own people from shackles, to contribute to the independence of Puerto Rico, as Jose Marti stated when he founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party almost 100 years ago, and prevent Puerto Rican soil from being used for the launching of continued aggression against other States of the region. The General Assembly is duty-bound to continue to endeavour to promote the exercise of the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination~ to independence; to soyereignty over their natural resources; to free economic and * Mr. Dlamini (Swaziland), Vice-President, took the Chair • identities, and to demand the removal of military bases from their sea and their soil. The world is now facing the dilemma of peace or war. We have no right to disregard the appeals of our peoples. We must be prepared to live in peace. We must create the machinery that will enhance and strengthen confidence and security among nations, as well as peaceful coexistence and productivity. We must lay the foundations for the relationships of the future so that the generations of the next millenium will f~el proud of the heritage left to them by their predecessors. That is our goal. Mr. NGUZA KARL i BOND (Zaire) (interpretation from French): The forty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly has elected Mr. Dante Caputo to preside over its work as President. Accordingly, on behalf of my delegation, I should like to extend to him, in these happy circumstances, our most sincere and warmest congratulations. Zaire, which cooooperated very closely with Mr. Peter Florin, President of the forty-second session of the General Assembly and also of the third special session devoted to disarmament, would like, as outgoing Chairman of the First Committee, to express our great esteem for him and our appreciation for the outstanding success achieved throughout his term of office, which has just recently ended. TO the Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar - a tireless pilgrim in the service of international peace and security - my delegation extends all its gratitude for having found time, despite his many international obligations, to make an official visit to Zaire from 16 to 18 February 1988, in order to become personally acquainted with the facts about my country and its people. The people of Zaire as a whole were able to appreciate the significance of this official visit, which followed logically on those made earlier by the late Dag Hammarsl,jold and the late U Thant during the crucial period of our history. Thus today zaire is able, more than any other country, to appreciate the cost of the peace, so dearly won thanks to the determination of the Un ited Na tions to strengthen our independence and ensure our unity. The many successes that have been ach ieved so bl:' ill iantly by our S't<tcretary-General in the peaceful settlement of some international conflicts of the present time demonstrate the effectiveness and the relevance of his aclion and also enable us fUlly to appreciate his great talents as a superb diplomatic and a skilled negotiator. The Nobel Peace Prize awarded today to the United Nations peace-keeping forces is indeed moving and eloquent proof of the contribution our international Organization is making to the cause of international peace and security. May I say how happy the delegation of my country, Zaire, is to find itself once again here at this internati.onal gat.llering, the greatest forum of all times, which we all regard as the conscience of the world. We, the representatives of peoples, Governments, States and var tous communi ties, are given another opportunity to think aloud, together, about the situation of the human race. A feature of the present international situation is the resolve of the major ity of States to settle their disputes by pt; ·;~ful means, as provided for in Article 33 of the Uni ted Nations Charter. Thus, the Organization is continuing to play its primary role in the maintenance of international peaoe and security. It now has increased importance as the universally recognized body seeking, through negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation or any otRer peaceful means, solutions to the conflicts pitting MenDer states one against the other. The relaxation of tension in, inter ~, Afghanistan, Democratic Kampuchea, the Persian Gulf and western sahara, thanks to action taken by the Uni ted Na tions - syrrbol ized by its secretary-General - and with the valuable support of the ~wo super-Powers, whose interests seem to be converging, is a tangible example of that. These far-reaching changes that are progressively taking place hold the promise that relations of trust will develop between East and West, and we hope that this will help to strengthen North-South relations as well. Recently the internation~l community has been witnessing a more or less positive development in regard to conflicts in the world. Indeed, the efforts made by the security Council that led to the adoption of resolution 598 (1987) enabled the Secretary-C~neral to continue his consultations and negotiations with the Foreign Ministers of Iraq and Iran, following the Ir&,ian Government's acceptance of that resolution, and those consultations finally led to the cease-fire in the war that had lasted since 1979 between Iraq and Iran - two brother countries and, moreover, members of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. The dimensions that the so-called oil war in the Persian Gulf were assuming had become a matter of increasing concern to the international community, with so many human lives being lost on both sides, so many ships being sunk and so many aircraft being shot down. My country, Zaire, sincerely hopes that the commitments entered into by the two parties will be scrupulously respected so that peace and security may be restored to that sensitive region ...;-t: the world. (Mre Nguz a Karl i Bond, Zaire) The international community is glad to see that the Afghan people is now about to exercise fully its sovereignty and control over all its national territory, pursuant to the Geneva agreements of 14 April 1988, which entered into force on 15 May 1988 and which are based on the total withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. That is fully in keeping with the aspirations of that people, whose country is also a mell'lber of the ltbvement of Non-Aligned Countr ies. My delegation believes that this example being set by the Soviet troops should be followed by the Vietnamese troops in Democratic Kampuchea so that the people of that country may be able to regain its dignity, freedom and unity. The talks which were held at Bogor from 25 to 28 July 1988 between the Foreign Ministers of the members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Viet Nam and the representatives of the four political factions in Kampuchea led to the establishment of a working group of high officials of all those countries, with the mandate of studying in depth all aspe.cts of a political solution to the Kampuchean problem. It can be hoped that the wind favourabie to dialogue that is blowing through Asia will reach the two Koreas. In that connection, my delegation feels that the admission of those countries to membership of the United Nations could only strengthen the role they are already playing on the international scene. While the spirit of harmonization and concertation prevails in the Far East, the same cannot, alas, be said of the Middle East, where there is still fierce antagonism and hostility which constantly f.ans hatred. Despite the efforts made by some States directly involved in the conflict, and despite the efforts of the United Nations, no progress seems to have been made on the road to a comprehensive, peaceful settlement of that issue • (Mr. Nguz a Karl i Bond, Zaire) So far as my country, zaire, is concerned, the State of Israel exists and is a Member of the United Nations, just as the Palestinian people is a living reality that should also have a state and become a Member of our universal Organization. That is why my country appeals urgently to all the parties involved not to listen to the sirens of discord but, rather, to adopt a more conciliatory attitude that would be more favourable to dialogue. For it is by recognizing everyone's inalienable right to existence within a nation that all the Member States of our Organization can demonstrate their devotion to the purposes and principles of the Charter. The United Nations has adopted many resolutions calling on the white minority regime to put an end to the political system of apartheid in South Africa, which has been almost unanimously regarded as a crime against humanity. The Republic of zaire, linked by geography, history and culture to southern Africa, is following with particular interest the developments in that part of the continent. (Mr. Nguz a Karl i Bond, zaire) The quadripartite negotiations currently under way between those mainly concerned should be encouraged by the international community, because the process augurs well for the independence of Namibia and because the resul ting wi thdrawal of foreign troops from Angola and Namibia would set that region on the right road, so that an atmosphere of peace. and trust could develop between the protagonists. My delegation also takes a positive view of developments in Western Sahara and Chad, where the consultations that have now begun between the parties offer the prospect of a lasting, peaceful solution. It is also encouraging that in Central America substantial progress has been made in the peace process since the signing of the Esquipulas II and sapoa agreements. Turning to the economic situation, I Should like to begin by presenting some food for thought from a recent publicatien call~d "Pour I' Afr ique", whi ch says among other things\ "The subsoil of Africa has a very high mineral oon.tent. ~'le already know that it contains 91 per cent of the world "s reserves of platinum, 64 per cent of manganese, 2S per cent of uranium. Copper in zambia and zaire, lead in Namibia, cobalt in zaire and Zanbia, nickel in ~tswana and zirrbabwe, phosphates in Morocco, senegal and To9O, gold, silver and diamonds throughout southern Africa... Iron is perhaps the most promising~ while world reserves are being exhausted, there are enormous deposits in Gabon, Senegal, Guinea and Mauritania. For a world industry that is hungry for raw materials, Africa is the continent of the future." (Mr. Nguz a Kar 1 i Bond, Zaire) Completing the picture, the author adds: "Commodity pr ices today in real terms represent only 20 per cent of what they were in 1960. In 1985 international trade in manufactured goods increased by 6 per cent while trade in agricultural and mineral products droppea by 2.5 per cent. Increased competition, protectionism, monetary disorder, the high cost of energy ... Africa has been hit by them all." In a nutshell, that is the gloomy, negative and sharply contrasted picture of the international economic situation, particularly as regards relations between the industrialized countries of the northern hemisphere and the developing countries of the southern part of our planet. In this connection, it should be emphasized that the depth of the crisis disrupting the world economy requires concerted action rather than timid sectoral, superficial and inconsistent patching up. Against that background, relaunching a true and sincere dialogue between North and South with a view to establishing a new international economic order, in the interests of all peoples, would be very timely, for such a dialogue could bring about the dawning of a new economic order based on justice and collective resp.:.fl'3ibility towards mankind. It could provide solutions to the major economic problems of today, one of which, clearly, is the external debt of the developing countries. That burden, now amounting to several billion dollars, jeopardizes all prospects of developing our countries and undermines all possibility of growth. OUr countries' export earnings are diverted to the payment of external debts, instead of being used to finance development; our countr ies have become net exporters of capital and reservoirs of financial resources for countries that are already developed. Therefore, an agreed approach based on the principle of shared (Mr. Nguz a Rarl i Bond, Zaire) responsibility between debtors and creditors is necessary, for the imperatives of economic developuent and growth must be given precedence and be among the top pr iori ties. We should highlight the dichotomy between the speedy enr ichment of some and the equally speedy pauperization of others, although they are linked by relations of interdependence. My delegation believes that it is worth expressing the hope that the world will finally become aware of the situation and provide the necessary remedy before it is too late. My country, Zaire, attaches great importance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose fortieth anniversary the United Nations will celebrate on 10 December th is year. We are also happy to note that toda~·, 29 septembel" 1988, is the tenth anniversary of the adoption of security Council resolution 435 (1978), containing the plan for Namibia's independence, and is also the date chosen by the two super-Powers at their recent Moscow summit to draw up a s~edule for the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola. In accordance with resolution 41/129, which encourages all Member States to take appropriate steps for the establishment of national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights, a Department of the Rights and Freedorns of Citizens was set up in zaire in 1986. Its mandate includes in particular gathering and considering the complaints and grievances of any citizen whose rights and freedoms have been unjustly violated by the public authorities, by any decision Qf the courts or in any other way, when all other legally authorized remedies have been exhausted or found ineffective, and when the injustice has been declared to be flagr ant • (Mc. Nguz a Kar 1 i Bond, 1,~) Apart from Africa's physical and moral sUffering, some parts'of the continent also suffer from drought, desertification and the invasion of locusts, while the resulting famine strikes millions of human beings. The difficult issue of toxic and radioactive waste is a matter of major concern to third-world countries, and particularly to Africa, at the present time. It was therefore with geod reason that on 4 October 1973 Marshal Mobuto Sese Seko, President of the Republic of zaire, said from this very rostrum: "In Zaire we are flattered when we are considered as the champions of the protection of nature. But what is the use of this national effort if our effor ts are cancelled out by people thousands of kilometres away from us?" (A/PV.2140, p. 76) The true import of those words can indeed be felt today. (Mr. Nguz a Karl i Bond, Zaire) From 31 May to 26 June 1988 t.~e third special session of the General Assenbly devoted to disarmament was held here in New York. At that time the international community hoped that the new atmosphere of understanding that had developed between the two major nuclear Powers would extend to other Member States following the signing in Washington on 8 December 1987 and the ratification in Moscow on 1 June 1988, of the Treaty on the Elimination of Medium-Range and Shorter-Range Nuclear Missiles. The General Assent>ly at that time hoped that that joint action by the nuclear Powers would have a positive impact on other nuclear Powers. However disappointing the resolutions of the third special session devoted to disarmament may be, this cannot in any way weaken the resolve of the international community to follow the new path that has been traced out by the super-Powers with a view to general and complete disarmament under effective international control. A ari tish philosopher sai.d ~ dThose who do not act together cannot ·act fruitfully. Those who do not act in trust cannot act together. Those who are not bound by shared views, shared feelings and shared interests cannot act in trust. d Since the international community has shared interests it must act in trust so &s to act fruitfully to ensure the survival of the human race. As an African thinker said: dIt is at this price, and this price only, that we can avoid despairing of ourselves, for in this way we will have acted as men - men of peace, men of dialogue, men of magnanimity, men of a generation that has not lived for nothing and that, after exploring the Moon, having passed by the planets Mars and Saturn, touched on Venus, admired Orion, has come back to Earth, its head held high, to take charge of its own fate - the fate of mankind." Mr. FERNANDEZ ORooREz (Spain) (interpretation from Spanish): The election, as President of the General Assembly, of a dear friend and colleague has been for me a source of great satisfaction. I should like to congratulate you, Sir, and also to congratulate ourselves because I feel entirely confident that your professional ability and proven diplomatic skill will ensure that the discussions in this forum will have the posi tive resul ts for which we all hope. I also wish to express our gratitude for the work carried out by your predecessor as President, Mr. Peter Florin. Year after year, as we have debated the important issues on our agenda, we have observed wi~) a feeling of frustration that many conflicts have continued to stagnate just where we left them the year before, and·that nothing and nobody seemed capable of staying the sinister hand that wields the scourge of war. To this feeli.ng of impotence was added a feeling of frustration because of a rather widespreacl tendency on the part of the public to dismiss the Uni ted Nations, and rnultilate'calism in general, as an appropr iate means of solving the most di fficult and complex problems facing mankind. Tbday, however, there are reasonable grounds for optimism. The work of the United Nations over the past year has borne fruit in the area of the peaceful solution of international ·conflicts. The role of our Organization has been strengthened and has gained credibility in the eyes of the public. My Government has always believed in the need and usefulness of multilateral channels in today's world. Three years ago - on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Organization - Prime Minister Fe1ipe Gonzalez reaffirmed Spain's unqualified support for multilatera1ism, and for the United Nations in particular. A year later, this was also the chief message co' Jeyed by His Majesty King Juan Carlos I when he addressed this Asseni>ly. We have always thought that as 100g as there is the necessary political will on the part of the Menber States, and as long as we are capable of introducing the readjustments that are needed at any given moment, this Organization's potential should be practically unlimited. It is not only the goodwill of the Menber States and the new clil1'ate of dialogue among the great Powers - which has been reflected in the recent unity of action among the permanent meroers of the security Council - that have contributed to bringing about this encouraging situation; the patience, the tenacity and the skill of the Secretary-General have also been instrumental. His hard work, which is now, quite rightly, winning international acclaim, continues to enjoy the full support of my Gover.nment. we trust that we are wi tnessing the start of a successful per iod dur 1n9 which the United Na tions will be the forum in which everyone's efforts to implement the objectives and principles enunciated in the Char ter will converge. With regard to regional problems, I shall begin with the long and terrible war that has confronted Iran and Iraq. The uni ted action of the Security Council and its co-operation with the Secretary-General have started to bear fruit. With the adoption of resolution 598 (1987), the Security Council had already laid the founda tions for a just and lasting solution. with the full and unqualified acceptance of that resolution as a whole by both sides, a process of negotiation has formally begun under the auspices of the secretary-General and his special representative, Ambassador Eliasson, who, in spite of the many obstacles and difficulties to be overcome, is to secure not only a cease-fire but true peace for these two peoples, worn ou t by so much dea th and saed fiee. In the Afghanistan conflict, the beginning of a solution can also be glimpsed as a result of the signing of the Geneva Accords last April. The determination and tenacity of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, Mr. Cordovez, were also decisive in drawing them up. We must now trust that the different parties involved will abide scrupulously by the agreements, that the withdrawal of Soviet troops of occupation will proceed in accordance with the agreed timetable, and that the Afghan people will be able to exercise their right to self-determination and finally achieve true sovereignty and independence. The setting up of a widely representa tive Government, and the free and unhindered return of as many refugees as wish to go back to their homes, will oonsti tute the real proof of national reconciliation, to which the international community must contribute all possible aid for the urgent rebuilding of Afghanistan, through the Special Co-ordinator appointed by the secretary-General. In southern Africa, together with the hopeful progress towards the solution of the problems of Angola and Namibia, we observe that Sou th Africa's policy of destabilization of neighbouring countries is being maintained and that the hideous and iniquitous system of apartheid is still in force. The repressive measures of all kinds taken over the course of the past few months and the reimposition of martial law are clear signs of the unwillingness of the Government in Pretoria to eng~ge in dialogue, while it radioalizes the situation and makes the solution of the domestic problems more difficult. Once again we repeat our appeal for the immediate liberation of Nelson Mandela and the other political prisoners, as well as the legalization of all political organizations. We are determined to reinforce, together with our partners in the European Community, both the positive actions and the application of pressure necessary to promote paaceful change in South Africa, which would pave the way to a pluralistic, democratic and non-racist society. However, it appears that there are also signs of hope in the region. On the one hand, in the talks now under way among the Governments of Angola, Cuba and South Africa, with the positive mediation of the United States, we perceive a desire for flexibility and a general political will to overcome the last obstacles that still hinder the attainment of peace and stability in Angola. On ~~e other hand, the implementation of United Nations resolutions, and in particular Security Council resolution 435 (1978) - and, incidentally, today is the tenth anniversary of its adoption - appears to be drawing progressively nearer, after so many years of stagnation. The process of independence for Namibia will undoubtedly require Significant effort on the part of this Organization and its Member States. Spain is prepared to co-operate fully with the Secretary-General in this process and to provide, if so requested, support for the human and military infrastructure that may be needed in order to bring it to a successful conclusion. There are also better prospects for a solution to the problem of Kampuchea. For the first time in many years there is perhaps an opportunity for this unfortunate country, and the entire area of SOuth-East Asia, to enjoy peace, stability and an end to violence. We are encouraged by the dialogue that has begun among the various parties to the conflict and the countries concerned. We support the constructive efforts of the countries of the Association of south-East Asian Nations and believe that contacts between China and the Soviet Union on this issue can also be useful. Any lasting solution requires the withdrawal of foreign troops from Kampuchea and the setting up of a Government of national reconciliation, representing the different political parties, thus averting onco and for all the danger of a return to the immediate past, which we have all condemned. In the Maghreb, a region to which my country is linked by innumerable ties, we have also noted over the past few months a significant easing of tension. Spain welcomed with great satisfaction the renewing of diplomatic relations between two of our friends, Algeria and Morocco,. as well as the first steps towards progressive regional integration. In this new context, we observe that impor tant steps have been taken towards the solution of a conflict, that of the western Sahara, about which my country is understandably concerned. The secretary-General, guided by the resolutions of this Assembly, and in conjunction with ~e President of the Organization of African Unity, has done some very constructive work here. This consisted in the sending of a technical information miss ion to the area; the maintaining of constant contact with the parties to the conflict - Morocco and the POLISARIO Front - and the submitting of concrete proposals to both these parties last summer with a view to holding a referendum for self-dete~mination,duly organized and supervised by this Organization. We note with satisfaction that these proposals have received the initial agreement of the par ties. Reef''' tly, the security Council authorized the secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative, who has ahead of him a delicate task in order to conclude the peclce plan successfully. Spain is willing to provide all the technical co-operation the secretary-General may require in this process. Furthermore, we are confident that, through the free and unhindered' expression of the will of the Sahraoui peopl.." an end will be put to a painful conflict that impedes this future of progressive integration that the peoples of tno Maghreb desire. We also wish to express our satisfaction at the progress made on the question of c.yprus. The recent talks between the leaders of the two communi ties, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, are a good omen that perhaps a way has been found to solve another long-standing conflict. My country supports this direct dialogue and is confident that it will lead to a final settlement which will guarantee the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial inte1j 't'y 0f the Republic of Ojpr \lS in accordance wi th the resolutions of the Uni ted Na Hons, wh He at the same time makihg possible peaceful ooexistence between the two comnunities on the island. Unfortunately, in the case of other regional conflicts we cannot say that there has been significant progress in the past few months. Last year at this time I pointed out from this rostrum the ad'fisability of not delaying the convening of an international peace conference, under the auspices of the United Nations, to seek a just, global and lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East. A few months later, the Palestinian population of the occupied territories rose in protest, and this has attracted international attention both in connection with the deteriorating economic and social situation and the injustices being suffered by the Pclestinian people and in connection with the repressive measures taken by Israel with a view to stifling the national aspirations of that people. The deterioration of the situation in the occupied territories makes clear the dangers involved in a stagnation of the peace process My country trusts that, under the auspices of the United Nations, gradual and constructive initiatives will be introduced which will permit an agreement in principle among all the parties involved in the holding of a conference at which a final agreement could be reached. This agreement must guarantee respect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of self-determination, as well as the existence of all the countries in the region, including Israel, within secure and internationally recognized borders. Meanwhile, the recent decision by Jordan to break off legal and administra tive ties between the two banks of the river Jordan has left a void that requires, on the one hand, greater involvement and aid by the international community and, on the other, greater moderation, prudence and realism by all the parties directly involved in this conflict. Within the context of the Middle East, we see with great concern the recent aggravation of the political crisis that has been going on for so many years in Lebanon. Spain supports the wishes of the Lebanese people to put an end to the bloody confr~'tations that have taken so many lives in that country since 1975 and trusts that, through dialogue among all the communities, a strengthening of its constitutional institutions may be brought about which will make possible peaceful coexistence in a sovereign, independent and united Lebanon. My Government continues to support resolutely the process of the strengthening of democracy in Latin America, although, unfortunately, clear threats and resistance to the progress of freedom still persist. Democracy presupposes pluralism, ~espect for human rights, and also the right of peoples to determine, freely and without outside interference, their political, economic and social systems. We therefore welcomed the Acapulco compromise for peace, development and democracy, whioh was signed by the Presidents of eight Latin American countries in November last year, and we hope that Chile will soon return resolutely to its democratic traditions. with regard to the serious crisis in Central America, Spain greeted with hope the signing of the Esquipulas 11 agreements as a highly significant step towards the peace, reconciliation, and economic and social recovery of the countries of the region. It is true that since then other significant steps have been taken and that the will of the peoples concerned to find genuinely regional solutions to the problems of the area have remained unaltered~ however, in general terms, there is a disturbing stalemat~ which must be overoow~ as rapidly as possible. In this regard, the convening of the long-delayed summit of Central American Presidents, which has gained better prospects recently, can contribute to give a new impulse to the peace process. The national dialogue must continu~, respect for human rights must be strengthened and there must be strict observance by all the parties concerned of the commitments in the Esquipulas agreements. There are no alternatives to this peace process, to this peace framework. At the same time, an essential element for the consolidation of the IOOmentum towards peace is the implementation and developnent of the special plan for aid to Central ~erica, which my country will continue to support fUlly. As we have incessantly repec;t:ed, the grave problems of this region have their roots in underdevelopment and the persistence of unjust social and economic structures. This Assembly, which has acted as a true catalyst in the process of decolonization, has nevertheless been unable to eliminate certain pending issues from its agenda. wi th regard to East Timor, we trus' that the contacts between Portugal and Indonesia will be continued and that progress will be made towards a just and internationally acceptable solution. As for the Malvinas Islands, direct negotiations should be held between Argentina and the United Kingdom that will enable Argentinian territorial integrity to be restored while safeguarding the legitimate interests of the population. I cannot fail to mention another pending colonial issue that directly affects my country. The Spanish Government and people continue to remain firm in their determination to find a definitive solution to the problem of Gibraltar that will restore the Rock to our country while safeguarding the interests of the population. In this connection, we have continued the dialogue with the United Kingdom and we shall continue to do so in the future along the lines of the agreements contained in the 1984 Brussels Declaration and in accordance with the decision taken by both Governments in Geneva in 1985 to deal with and resolve all aspects of the problem, including the matter of sovereignty, through negotiation. During this past year significant progress has taken place in the talks on some technical problems, such as air facilities, and it is our firm intentj~n to continue along this path of negotiation, with the goal of being able to conclude the process of decolonization through the restoration of our territorial integrity, thus implementing the resolutions that were adopted by this Assenbly at the time. Recent positive developnents in some regional conflicts and the continued efforts of this Organization and its secretary-General to bring about a solution for others have brought the United Nations peace-keeping activities to the forefront. As has been mentioned, the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1988 is something we all welcome and in which we can take satisfaction• (Mr. Fernandez Ordofiez, Spain) The resolute action by the security Council in this field is a particularly encouraging factor. The growing commitment to the concept and the practice of peace-keeping operations among MenDer States and, above all, the political will to co-operate in their implementation on the part of those who have shown most reserve in the past provide a solid basis for developing them more thoroughly at a favourable time su.ch as the present. We feel that the time has come to draw up general regulations on the financial arrangements and the supply of facilities, services and personnel by Member States. My delegation considers that it would be most advisable to revitalize and strengthen the activities of the Special Commi_~~e on Peace-keeping Operations, whose recent meetings a few months ago, after five years without being convened, strengthen out' optimism about its possible future role in this important sphere of the work of the Organization. The new trend towards peace on the international scene prompted me to ie~l first wi th regioni:ll conflicts. But obviously the task of this Organizatic.:.• does not end with the solution of regional conflicts. There are many other areas in which the United Nations, with less spectacular but nevertheless tenacious and continuous efforts, has been demonstrating for years its capacity for dealing with the major problems facing the international community. I have in mind three areas in which the importance of multilateralism can hardly be denied and in which the Organization's efforts have been especially significant: disarmament, co-operation for development, and the protection and promotion of human rights. Some three months ago, at the third special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmamant, I gave a detailed outline of my Government's views on the many items of the agenda related to this important issue. At the start of this forty-third session, I should like to make some remarks of a more general nature. (Mr. Fernandez Ordoftez, Spain) OVer the course of this year several developments have pointed to the possibility of developing a new pattern of East-West relationships, which had focused on confrontation, with scarcely any margin for dialogue and co-operation. The Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles - INF Treaty - the slow but sure progress in the strategic arms limitation talks, the advances towards the limitation and ultimate banning of nuclear testing; these are all stages in a new bilateral dialogue between the United States and the Soviet Union .aimed for the first time at reversing the arms race on Earth and preventing its extension to outer space. However, their significance is not limited to the field of arms control and disarmament, nor to t;le strict framework of bilateral relations between the super-Powers. The satisfactory implementation of the intrusive verification procedures provided for under the INF Treaty is a confidence-building element which will affect other areas. Thus, in the field of arms control and disarmament, a new impulse could be given and new initiatives could also be introduced in international fOlums. The fact that it was not possible to agree on a final document at the third special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament is something that we regret, but that has not undermined our confidence in multilateralism. In our opin ion q the document - which never saw the light of day although it had obtained broad consensus on most points - contained many elements which deserve more thorough treatment in the immediate future and which could provide an excellent working basis for the debates during the present session. The issue of conventional stability is especially important within the European cegional framework. In this connection, within the context of the Conference on security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), it is necessary to (Mr. Fernandez Otdoftez, Spain) proceed without delay to a reduction of the existing imbalances in the conventional field, which will make possible enhanced security wi th lower levels of forces. At the same time, Spelin is in favour of the adoption of new confidence-building measures that will complement and reinforce those adopted at the Stockholm Conference. Progress in the field of security must be accompanied by substantial advances in other areas of the CSCE process, particularly with regard to human rights and fundamental freedoms. We are following with growing interest the process of greater openness in Eastern Europe, which we hope will have a positive effect at the Vienna meeting. Spain is confident that a substantial and balanced final document will be agreed upon promptly at that meeting, so t."lat negotiations in the area of security can begin as soon as possible. However, there is a matter of serious concern that I should like to stress. The renewed use of chemical weapons, together with the prolife,ation of ballistic missiles, gives new urgency to the need to achieve decisive progress in concluding an agreement for the complete ~nd effective elimination of the whole category of chemical weapons. Economic development is another major issue facing the international community. It is perhaps the major question facing it. The recent economic recovery in the industrialized countries has served to enlarge the gap between them and the developing countries and to m~ke the ~erty of the latter more visible. Commodi ty pr ices have been another disruptive factor in the past few year s. Protection ism is directly rela ted to economic power. Six years of external debt have condemned the majority of those countries to a pathetic and hopeless effort, especially in Latin America, where they are beginning to speak of a lost decade . (Mr. Fernandez Ordoftez, Spain) We are seriously concerned about the grievous situation in Latin America, where the burden of debt servicing and the unpredictability of financial flows for development have turned the countries of the region into net exporters of capital, which is an unprecedented phenomenon in international economic relations. While addressing the subject of the debt of these middle-income countries, I should like to recall the words of the Spanish Prime ~nister a few days ago, when he addressed the Governors of the Central Banks of Latin America and the Phi! ippines: ftFacts show that the present strategy to solve the debt crisis unable to provide for a timely solution of the outstanding problems.· Let us face the truth. We need to reconsider the strategy, now that public opinion and the banking situation a~e favourable. (Mr. Fernandez Ordoftez, Spain) The problem must be dealt with multilaterally within the framework of the international financial institutions, the International Monetary Fund and the WOrld Bank, a consensus being reached with regard to interest capitalization and the reduction of the debt burden. The resulting financial margins could be used in support of the necessary adjustment policies that must ccntinue to be implemented. With regard to the least-developed countries, we shall carefully study the proposals of the Toronto summit meeting. We are also ready to participate actively in the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Paris in 1990, at which financial issues will undoubtedly be of special relevance. I have previously mentioned the link between the external debt of developing countries and the evolution of commodity prices. Despite the recovery of some commodity markets, the majority of commodity prices are still below 1980 levels. Here, the foreseeable entry into force of the Common Funa for Commodities could give rise to hope. In the face of the protectionist pressures that have surfaced in international trade, the progress made in the present Round of multilateral trade negotiations, launched by the Punta del Este declaration in 1986, is also an encouraging sign. Despite present difficulties, we cannot afford to let this Round end in failure. We hope that, with the necessary political will, the review of progress achieved, scheduled to take place at the ministerial meeting next December in Montreal will be a valuable and positive contribution to the ultimate success of the Uruguay Round. (Mr. Fernandez Ordoftez, Spai~) Finally, the efforts and determination of the United Nations to alleviate the most urgent problems have been outstanding. In this connection the funds and specific programmes are especially relevant, among them the United Nations Development Programme, which continues to work effectively in assisting developing countries. Spain is determined to continue to increase its voluntary contributions to the funds for and programmes of operational activities for development. As we all know, the African continent is now facing one of the most difficult and agonizing development problems in the world. This General Assembly session marks an important turning point in the assessment of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990. The nucleus of the Programme of Action contains the twofold commitment made by both the African countries and the international community. On the one hand Africa must lay the foundations for stable development and sustained growth through structural adjustments and improvements in its economic policies, and on the other the international community must sUbstantially increase its assistance and adopt initiatives in support of the African efforts. Although it is true that in the short term neither commitment has had any visible results, it is also true that with a medium-term programme such as this there must be enough time for it to become properly established. Spain will continue to assist African countries, both multilaterally through its participation in the conventions and programmes of the European Economic Community, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the United Nations agencies, and bilaterally through co-operation agreements with individual African countries. When speaking of development it would be inexcusable not to mention the dangers inherent in ecological imbalances. It is urgently nececessary for all of us, but most especially the industrialized countries, to do everything (Mr. Fernandez Ordoftez, Spain) possible to preserve the environment, with a view to ensuring a more habitable world for ftiture generations. The Brundtland report and the measures subsequently taken have been fundamental in this connection. One of the fields in which the work of the United Nations has been most innovative and successful is the promotion and protection of human rights. Thanks to this Organization's efforts, the international community now has a large number of legal instruments in waich basic human rights are defined and the necessary mechanisms established for their control and defence. The initial corner-stone of this imposing edifice is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the fortieth anniversary of which we shall be celebrating in December. Its few brief articles comprise a resounding reaffirmation of faith in the value and dignity of every human being, and of the principle laid down in the Charter that universal respect for human r.ights is the concern of all peoples and Governments. The best proof of the great moral and legal value of the Declaration is the way it has influenced many constitutions and national legislations, as well as the international legal system that it has been drawing up over the past few decades, from the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, SOcial and Cultural Rights to the recent Convention against torture, which my country ratified in October last year. The Spanish Governw~nt is convinced that we must continue to advance resolutely along this path. The situation in many count~ies shows, regrettably, that we are still a long way from being able to feel satisfied. We believe that from now on our efforts, without forgetting the drawing up of new legal instruments aimed at perfecting the 'Jrrent internationul system and filling its possible gapsr should be directed above all towards the application and development of (Mr •.Fernandez Ordof'lez, Spain) existing ones and the effective monitoring of their observance. A good way of making progress is through the world information campaign on human rights, which the secretary-General has proposed should be launched on the anniversary of ~~e adoption of the Declaration. Three years ago the Assembly took an important step when it condemned unanimously and unequivocally all acts, methods and practices of terrorism wheresoever and by whomsoever committed. The bodies and agencie~ of this Organization must now continue to advance along the path opened up at that time and design a strategy for combating terrorism in their respective fields of action. The initiatives aimed at reinforcing international protection for civil aviation and promoting security at sea have our whole-hearted support. The terrorist threat has acquired universal proportions and the efforts to eradicate it must also be universal. The Organization's work in the social field also deserves to be mentioned. The process of drawing up an international convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs will no doubt be concluded in December. Its entry into force will enable the international community to deal effectively with a problem of universal dimensions whose repercussions, given the ramifications which link the illicit traffic in narcotics to acl~vities such as arms traffic and terrorism, and whose solution depends on close and resolute international co-operation. The speed and determination with which work is proceeding towards the conclusion of the convention shows the international community's awareness of this issue. At the beginning of my statement I said that this was a particularly promising time for the United Nations. However, there is a shadow threatening the work of the Organization - that of the financial crisis which for three years now has been hovering over its daily work as a result of the unjustifiable failure of some Member States to fulfil their obligations under the Charter. During that time, significant efforts have been made to make better use of existing resources. Progress has been made also with regard to substantive issues, such as the decision-making process in budgetary matters and the beginning of a review of the necessary, although complex, restructuring of the economic and social sectors. I should like to call on all the countries represented here to do their utmost to meet their financial obligations to our Organization and to co-operate in introducing, at this particularly felicitous time~ the adjustments needed to speed up and rationalize its operation and make it more flexible. Year after year, as autumn comes to New York, we meet in this Assembly in a long-established ritual in which speeches are delivered, meetings are held and agreements are negotiated. This time we all have the impression that this exercise, which goes on quietly throughout the year, can be, and is, successful. We know very well from experience that what is happening is not the result of ineluctable fate, but that, rather, we are facing issues created by men, now or in the past, and that those issues must be solved by men, now or in the future. In any event, we are more responsible than ever before because we are better informed and have more resources than ever before. Ancient Stoic wisdom consisted in knowing what depends on us and what does not depend on us. Now nearly everything depends on us, both the problems and their solutions. We are finding the solutions, and we shall continue to find them, not with less dialogue but with more dialogue, not with less justice but with more justic~ and not with less freedom but with more freedomJ and, starting with this Assembly, which has now become so encouraging, we shall do so not with less hope but with more hope. me, at the beginning of my statement, to congratulate Mr. Dante Caputo on his election as President of the General Assembly at its forty-thirc session. My country's delegation is confident that the deliberations of the Assembly at this session will be crowned with success and, owing to his consummate skill~ know-how and sagacity, will achieve the desired results. I also take this opportunity ~~o commend his predecessor, Mr. Peter Florin, Deputy Minister fer Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic, who presided over the work of the previous session with distinction and skill. We have no doubt that Mr. Caputo will prove a. wor thy successor. A short time ago, the world lost one of its outstanding leaders, General MOhammad Zia-uI-Haq, the late President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Although the loss of President Zia ul-Haq is a very great misfortune, we are confident that the new Pakistani leadership will play an important political role, in keeping with the high standing of the people of Pakistan at the regional and international levels. At the present session, the Sultanate of oman would like once again to reaffirm its faith and confidence in the noble principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and to assert its conviction that the organs and institutions of the Organization have a constructive role to play in devising solutions to the problems and crises afflicting mankind. That conviction stems from its belief that dialogue and understanding among nations achieved within the fold of the United Nations is the best way of overcoming such problems and crises. The Nobel Peace Prize given to the peace-keeping forces of the United Nations this year is an expression of the world's recognition of the role of the United Nations in the context of peace and security. The award is a historic recognition of the role of the United Nations, and a sign of the international desire to emphasize the impetus towards world peace. We are truly overjoyed by this event, and congratulate everybody in the united Nations, but especially the officials who are working throughout the world to preserve peace and security. Among the purposes of the Charter are the establishment and maintenance of a climate of confidence and mutual understanding within the international community, the creation of normal, just and equitable relations among Governments, nations and peoples on the basis of dialogue and non-recourse to war as a means of resolving conflicts, and compliance with the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of others. The united Nations has the capacity and the means to achieve the purposes and give effect to the principles set out in the Charter. As members know, at the beginning of each of the last seven sessions of the General Assembly, in presenting ourselves here to participate in the work of the Assembly and to speak from this rostrum of the problems that beset international peace and security, we have begun our remarks by referring to the Iraq-Iran war as the regional problem that poses the greatest danger thereto. At the present session, from this rostrum, we extend our warmest congratulations to Iraq and Iran on the agreement they have reached for the implementation of security Council resolution 598 (1987) and to congratulate the international community on the success of its efforts to quell the flames of the longest and most dangerous regional conflict the world has witnessed since the Second World War. In this context, we can only express our overwhelming sense of relief and satisfaction at tha t outcome. We see it as our duty, moreover, to extend particular congratulations to the Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, on the positive and constructive role he has played, his tireless patience and his endurance under the psychological and moral burden of this problem until he was able to bring it to the threshold of peace. A success rarely matched in the history of the United Nations will thus be put on record to the credit of the secretary-General. The role of the United Nations has undergone a diminution that has aroused the concern of all nations and people& for the future of peace and security. What has been achieved in the Perez de Cuellar era, however, has r.estored confidence in the United Nations an~ in its peace-keeping ro~.e in the maintenance of security and stability. It has also added a new dimension to the credibility of the United Nations as a guaroian of peace that allows all nations great a",d small to come together under its auspices and engage in dialogue with a view to achieving through its good offices, stability, reassurance and peace, in accordance with the Charter. Accordingly, we call for greater self-sacrifice in maintaining the new momentum in Uuited Nations endeavours, for action to reinforce those endeavours and for support for the role of the Secretary-General and co-operation with him in his efforts to solve other regional problems. He has our gratitude and our support for the efforts he is making to bring about a more tranquil and peaceful world. The agreement reached on the implementation of Security Council resolution 598 (1987) in the Gulf region marks the beginning of a future brimming with hope, peace and prosperity. That would not have been possible without the courageous and judicious roles played by the leadership of both Iraq and Iran. The achievement brought about by resolution 598 (1987) will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most illuminating examples of the momentous acts that characterize great peoples and nations. We are hopeful that the agreement between Iraq and Iran will mark the conclusion of one era and the beginning of a long and all-embracing new era of peace and co-operation. (Mr. Abdullah, oman) The key elements of Omani policy include the alleviation of tensions in the region, promotion of f~ters conducive to security and stability and encouragement of all parties to build mutual trust, with a view to ending disputes and achieving peace based on gOod-neighbourliness and mutual respect for the interests of the peoples of the region. The steps already taken by Iraq and Iran give us confidence that their readiness to take positive steps towards the implementation of resolution 598 (1987) will endure. We gratefully salute the two countries for th~ pati~noe and diligence they have shown, and pin our hopes on the flexibility and co-operation that they are demonstrating in the ongoing talks, which will help in the achievement of peace and security in the near future. Among the most important benefits of a lasting peace between those two countries are the reconstruction and .development they will be able to achieve. The international community must therefore do everything in its power to support their efforts to rebuild and to restore an understanding that will have far-reaching effects in assuaging the bitterness left behind by the war between those two peoples. It Must help them achieve the development and prosperity that will prQllide a firm foundation for a lasting peslce. As one of the two states bordering on the Strait of Bormuz, my country has a special interest in the regulation of navigation in the Strait; we continue as in the past to play our role in regulating shipping in that important international waterway in conformity with provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the rules laid down by the International Maritime Organization. The Sultanate of Oman reaffirms its determination to continue to perform that role in a way that will enable shipping in the strait to carry on unhindered and in peace in accordance wi th the relevant international regulations. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the sea and International Maritime Organi~ation regulations accord equal rights to all coastal and land-locked States in the use of maritime straits, inclUding the Strait of Hormuz, so long as that use is harmless and poses no threat to peace and security. Following the lessons relating to Gulf shipping that have been learnt from the Iraq-Iran war, and following the negative developments that accompanied that war, the United Nations should ensure that peace agreements in the Gulf include an appeal for respect for free~om of international navigation and for non-interference with shipping both in international and in regional waters, including in ports, harbours and maritime installations, in time of peace or in time of war, in accordance with international law and recognized norms and within a framework of collective action for international legitimacy. SUch action would ensure that the treatment accorded to shipping in the Gulf dur ing the war does not become an acceptable precedent in international law that could be applied in other regions. No discussion of navigation in the Gulf would be complete without reference to the foreign presence in the area. With respect to the growing dispute concerning the foreign naval presence, we should like to stress the importance of international co-operation in a framework of peace with a view to ~~king the Gulf region a zone free of international conflicts. We also stress how important it is that all States should refrain from using the Gulf in ways that would increase tension or be prejudi~ial to the interests of any State bordering on the Gulf. We look forward to the day when we can speak here on the question of Palestine with a heart full of joy at the Palestinian people having achieved its aspirations: a day we hope is not far off. At this session, however, we are obliged to express our deep concern at Israel's continuing occupation of Arab and Palestinian territory and at its failure to respond positively to international peace offers that would enable the Palestinian people to exercise its rights and the Arab States to enjoy security and peace. Israel has rejected all international political initiatives aimed at achieving peaceful coexistence between it and its neighbours, and insists on perpetuating the state of belligerency in the region, just as it persists in its illegal occupation of Arab territories and its abasement of the Palestinian people by denying it the rights set out in the United Nations Charter and in hundreds of resolutions of the General Assembly and other United Nations bodies, first and foremos~ the Security Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is time for Israel to wake up to the fact that, if it genuinely wants peace with its neighbours and coexistence with the Arab peoples, it must immediately abandon its present policy and cease its belligerent and oppressive methods. Peace depends primarily on coexistence with the Palestinian people; Israel must therefore becow~ sensitive to the true nature of that people's peaceful uprising in the occupied Arab territories and. respond to it by agreeing to the convening of an international peace conference on the Middle East rather than by using force and oppression against the peaceable Palestinian people. Never in history has an occupying authority meted out such harassment as that faced by the Palestinian people in its peaceful legitimate struggle against Israeli occupation. Despite the international community's inability to play a role in keeping with the scale of the suffering of the Palestinian people and with the peaceful nature of its uprising, that people continues to hope fervently that it will be accorded justice and fairness by the international community, as reprr~ented by the united Nations, in the realization of its aspirations and of its legitimate right to the establishment of an independent State. The measures announced on 31 July 1988 by His Majesty King Russein bin-Talal of the Rashemite Kingdom of Jordan severing the legal and administrative ties between Jordan and the occupied west Bank will unquestionably advance the Arab approach to peace. Moreover, they ~ill facilitate arrangements for convening the international peace conference on the Middle East, thereby highlighting Jordan's important positive role in achieving peace, a role indispensable to the Middle East peace process. These positive developments have created historic new opportunities fot achieving a just and permanent peace in the Middle East guaranteeing the rights of all parties concerned. If these opportunities are not seized now, similar ones may not arise in the future, and this issue could continue to threaten international peace and security. There are indications that solutions are at hand to certain (Mr. Abdu11ah, oman) regional issues that until recently clouded international peace and security; solutions that should provide the best of motives for placing the question of the Middle East atop the list of regional issues demanding speedy solution. The Government of the Sultanate of oman is satisfied at the developments regarding the issue of Af9hanistan, and particularly at the signing on 14 April 1988 of the Geneva Agr~lIents. In that connection, it endorses the agreement that was reached and collU'llends the efforts made by the United Nations on that issue, undertaken by the 5ecretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, and his representative, Mr. Diego Cordovez. We express our complete satisfaction with the steps taken with respect to the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, and with the latitude accorded the Afghan people to choose the system it desires without outside interference. The Sultanate ';..~ oman further calls fOl: the speedy solution of all issues relating to the implementation of the agreements, including the question of the composition of the future Government of Afghanistan. We urge the international community and all peace-loving States to make greater efforts to assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan in order that it may overcome the devastating impact of the war that has afflicted it • (Mr. Abdullah,~) The Government. of my (,.:"untry is hopeful that the international situation, which is brimming wjth optimism, will help in the solution of the worsening Kampuchean problem. In this connection, we should like to commend the sustained efforts being made by countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (MEAN) to solve the problem, and we also applaud in particular the efforts made by Indonesia on behalf of MEAN. We regard the resul ts achieved by the informal meeting of the Kampuchean parties held at Djakarta in July this year as particularly auspicious, Gnd we hope that, God willing, the meeting will mark an opportune beginning for the resolution of the crisis. We wish success to all the effor ts made to solve the Kampuchean problem, so that the Kampuchean people will be able to live in Peace and choose for itself, of its own accord, whatever system it pleases. Since it became a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian O::ean, my country, together with the other members of the Committee, has made nodest efforts towards implementation of the Declaration of the Indian O::ean as a ZOne of Peace, adopted by the General Assembly in 1971 in its resolution 2832 (XXVI). Its implementation would preserve equilibrium in the region and insulate it from the ef fects of great-Power rivalry. Despite the fact that patience is all but exhausted by the deadlock that has stifled the work of the Committee in recent years, we are pleased to note that appreciable success was achieved in the COlllllittee's preparatory work this year. We hope that this success, together w1 th recent posi tive developments in the region, will ptovide a fitting impetus for the convening of the conference in question at Colorrbo in 1990, as a first step towards the implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a ZOne of Peace. (Mr. Abdullah, oman) We feel a sense of gratification at the sustained endeavour by the States of Central Amer ica to implement the agreement on arrangements for the inauguration of a firmly established and permanent peace in the region, which was signed by the Heads of State of the region on 8 August 1987. This agreement promises a future of peace and prosperity, not only for the region of Central America but also for the e~tire Latin American and Catibbean region. We take this opportunity to express the support of the Sultanate of oman for all efforts made to bring peace to Central America, particularly thos" of the Contadora Group, which has continued to make exhaustive efforts to implement the letter and spirit of the August 1987 agreement. The building of a world in which security, goodwill and harmony prevail requires that we eliminate those inhuman manifestations which.the international conmunity continues to endure, such as racial 'discrimination. The vile policy of racial discrimination pursued by the Government of south Africa against the black majority brings with it only increased destruction and bloodshed. While condemning that policy, we are hopefUl that the international community will spare no effort to realize the aspirations of the oppressed peoples of SOuth Africa for freedom and stability. In that connection, the Sultanate of Qnan welcomes the progress achieved thus far in the rounds of talks taking place .. under the auspices of the United States of /l..merica, between Angola and Cuba on the one hand, and South Africa on the other. We hope that the results of these efforts will advance the interests of the peoples of South Afr ica and restore secur ity and peace to that important region of the world. The world is at present witnessing a unique gathering that exemplifies peace in its noble.. t sense the Olympic Games hosted by Seoul .. the capital of South Korea. The Sultanate of oman hopes that the spirit of peacp. represented (Mr. Abdullah, oman) by the Games will promote confidence and stability in the Korean peninsula. In this connection, my country would welcome any international move to admit either of the Korean States to membership of the United Nations, and we particularly welcome the sincere interest shown by the Republic of South Korea in addressing the C-eneral Assembly, especially since it announced, through the declaration made by its President on 7 July 1988, an end to the state of diplomatic enmity character ized by its rivalry and confrontation with the North. SUch a move would strengthen the principle of universality which is the corner-stone of this Organization. It is encouraging to see today that the process of dialogue and negotiation between the two great Powers has entered on a new course and has begun to develop. The positive results of that process have begun to show an appreciable impact in the easing of international tension, and they represent a sound basis for a more peaceful world and presage prospects for a dialogue of broad enough scope to include agreement on the solution of an increasing number of international issues. The entry into fOlce of the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles is an important historic event. T.he Treaty, as well as being the first of its kind, has highlighted an important fact: that regardless of how great the destructive military power of a State might be, it cannot be assured of peace and tranquillity, and that the only way to achieve security and stability is to engage in dialogue and to respect the interests of others on the basis of justice for all nations, great and small alike. That Treaty, al.l.l)ough important, affects only a small nurrber of the nuclear weapons on the face of the planet. We have nevertheless taken one step towards the world envisaged by the Charter, despite the statistics available on military (Mr. Abdullah, oman) expendi tutes. It is enough to recall, by way of example, that the world spends Sl.3 million each minute for military purposes while in some of the developing countries l.undreds of children are dying of malnutrition and dis~ase, to say nothing of the 570 million human beings who are suffering from hunger, the 1,500 million in need of health services, the 800 million who remain under the shadow of illiteracy, and the 300 million unemployed. These and other relevant facts make it incunbent on us to take urgent steps to break the deadlock that beset the disarmament process at the third special session of the General Ass~J1'bly devoted to disarmament. The disarmament issue is not the unique concern of one State or one group of States, but a universal issue that involves all peoples because none will survive a nuclear catastrophe. Since we believe that nuclear war will eradicate the human heritage and human progress on this planet, there is no alternative to collective action to prevent its occurrence. This will of course only come about if every State assumes its responsibility with zeal and sacrifice in preparing for a concerted effort of universal scope to formulate a full and COl! 1rehensive programme for disarmament. The structural changes experienced by the world economy during the 1980s raise questions and cause concern in view of the sharp decline that has taken place. The changes that resulted from technological and scientific progress, as well as from the overall economic policies of the large industrialized countries, have had a negative impact on growth and development in the world in general and in the Jeveloping countries in particular. (Mr. Abdullah, Oman) The worsening situation of the world economy is due to the interaction of a number of factors, including the fall-off in the prices of those commodities on which the economies of the developing countries depend; instability in the exchange rates of the major currencies; the protectionist measures adopted by the industrially advanced countries; the debt burdens of the developing countries; the deterioration in the terw~ of trade to their detriment, and the reduction in financial flows to those countries. This has led to an aggravation of the economic problems from which the countries in question suffer, perhaps the best indication of which is the decline in their average per capita income. The uncontrolled persistence of such an abnormal situation will compound the SUffering of even more of the inhabitants of third world countries. If such policies on the part of the wealthy countr ies are allowed to continue, it will mean that the de.veloping countries will also continue to suffer from backwardness and poverty and that their economies will not have the opportunity to achieve increased rates of growth and recovery. Although the beginning of a new approach on the part of the industrialized countries towards alleviating the burden of third world indebtedness, extending repayment schedules and lowering interest rates was apparent at the recent Toronto summit meeting, that approach is not universal and we hope that it will not be an interim phenomenon. We call for more constructive co-operation from the industrially advanced countries in order to increase growth rates in the developing countries and alleviate their debt burdens, just as we call on those countries to show more flexibility and greater seriousness in negotiations on that matter. The solution of many of the problems faced by the international community depends on improvement of the world economy as a whole and on ensuring equitable and fair growth for all countries. This naturally requires the countries concerned (Mr. Abdullah, oman) We belie'lJe that the present session will prO\1ide an excellent opportunity to bolster the optimism that arose as a result of the resumption of the dialogue between producers and consumers. We have a duty to co-operate closely in order to create the conditions necessary to bring about a world economy that will be of bene fit in a fa ir and balanced manner to indus tr ial ized and developing countri es alike. The United Nations has played a pioneer role in solving world problems and in promoting international peace and security. The Organization has demonstrated its ability and aptitude in devising solutions to many problems that had appeared to be insoluble, just as it has succeeded in breaking the deadlock in issues that had seemed to have reached an impasse. The United Nations will remain the hope of mankind in its search for peace and security. In conformity wi th its policies directed towards the establ ishment of friendly and peaceful relations with surrounding countries and with the rest of the world, the Sultanate of Oman will continue to support all efforts to strengthen the role of the United Nations as the major collective instrument capable of solving the intractable problems facing mankind. Mr. GOEBBELS (Luxembourg) (interpr eta tion from French): This Gener al Assembly is meeting at a very auspicious time indeed. While last year we were talking about some improvement in international relations, we have to note that the movement begun, in particular by the United States and the USSR, is now opening up new prospects for peace in many conflicts and hotbeds of tension throughout the world. Actions by the United Nations and, above all, by the Secretary-General, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, have been exemplary. The tireless work of our Secretary-General and of the distinguished colleagues surrounding him have given (Mr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) Since the founding of the United Nations we have seldom found so many reasor..s to celebrate the events that have occurred in the <:ourse of the year. In disarmament the agreement on medium-range nuclear missiles is, for the first time, leading us towards the destruction of an entire category of weapons and in its wake the negotiations between the two super-Powers are continuing with a view to reducing strategic weapons by 50 per cent. The~e are now new prospects for a whole series of conflicts that are too often described as regional: in Afghanistan, between Iraq and Iran, in southern Africa, in cyprus, in the Western Sahara and in Cambodia. In other zones of conflict or tension, the time is now one of detente or of rapprochement of parties which only yesterday were pitted one against the other. This is what is happening in the Horn of Africa, in the Maghreb and in Korea. In general terms these achieve~~nts and this progress have been the concrete manifestation of a substantial improvement in international relations. Every day we see new signs of a greater community of interests and of a growing convergence of views. But let us beware of euphoria. Let us make sure first of all that the agreements signed are respe~ted and implemented in good faith. An agreement in principle, even a signature, does not always lead us to peace. For example, in Central America the Esquipulas 11 agreement, although signed, has ne yet put an end to tension in the region. In the Middle East and in South Africa the situation has worsened. Other armed and bloody conflicts - and, alas, too little is said of them - are also continuing. There is still a long and difficult road to travel as regards disarmament. Terrorism continues to wreak havoc and threatens the lives of innocent civilians. Unemr toyment~ failure to respect minor lUes, the emergence of new inequalities, intolerance in the most varied £orms 3 violations of human rights all daily feed tension, frustration and violence. The world economic and social situation also remains a disturbing one. Ecological challenges are increasingly disturbing also. As Europeans, we follow wi th partict!lar interest d~velopments now ~'.~er way within the Soviet Union and in other cour-t.r-::.es in easterr' :]urope. The changes that have been announced should lead to a thorough reform in those States through democratization of political bodies based on true transparency in public affairs and decentralization of the economic structures. The new soviet foreign policy is characterized by a less dogmatic, more realistic and more pragmatic asaessment of international events. There is no doubt that this developwent in the Soviet Union has contributed to a substantial im~rovement in relations between the Soviet Union and the uni ted States. A perception of limits~ even for super-Powers, in the field of military power and in the field of COillJnitments to weapons abroad has prol1Oted this change. The constraints o~ internal economic development and grt1Wing interdependence in a multipolar world no longer allows one State to dictate its will to another. And so it turns cut that a solution to problems can more reliably be found through peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation and co-operation. Who could fail to hail the rarprochement between the two super-Powe4f:i confirmed by the ~iashington and Moscow summit meetings? This logic has been applied also in Europe, where a new phase of detente and co-operation has begun. Recognition of the European Community by various countries in Eastern Europe has now been achieved. Following the a9reement signed at Luxembourg between our Community and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance «)tEA), negotiations are now under way with the countries of Eastern Europe with a view to the conclusion of agreements that can strengthen economic co-operation. At the follow-up Conference in Vienna, the 35 signator ies of the Helsinki Final Act are about to agree on new orientations which deal, in particular, with respect for human rights and human contacts among all European citizens. I trust tha~ its work will finish soon and that this will be followed by the opening of negotiations on conventional stability in Europe. The goal sought is twofold: first, to establish, through asymmetrical reductions, a stable, secure and verifiable balance of conventional forces in Europe at a lower level; and, secondly, to find new measures that can also help to consolidate trust and security in the wake of the Stockholm agreement. On the question of Afghanistan, the Government of Luxembourg supports respect for the Geneva Agreements by all the parties. We expect, inter alia, that the SOviet Union will soon conclude the complete withdrawal of its forces in accordance with the schedu~ed timetable. Unfortunately, however, we must note that fighting continues in that country, which prolongs the SUffering of the Afghan people and delays the return of some 5 million refugees. It is only the establishment in Kabul of a truly independent and representative Government within the framework of a genuine process of self-determination - in other words, with the participation of all Afghans, including the resistance forces - that can make true peace possible, along with the .. reconstruction of the country, which has been d2vastated by eight years of occupation. ~J Government is willing to participate in the efforts based on intecnational solidarity in support,f the Afghan people. The world pUblic welcomed with relief and tremendous satisfaction the halting of the murderous war between Iran and Iraq. That conflict lasted eight ye~rs, causing the death of more than 1 million young soldiers and civilians, the mutilation of hundreds of thousands of others and the destruction of entire towns. What senseless and absurd sacrifices at the altc:ll' of the delusions of grandeur of States, religious fanaticism and unbridled nationalism: We unreservedly support the efforts of the secretary-General in the negotiations under way to bring about a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement in accordance with resolution 598 (1987). The systematic mining of the international waters of the Pe~".'.tn Gulf and the repeated acts of violence deliberately u••leashed by the two belligerents against the ships of third countries sailing in the region elicitea unanimous condemnation in my country. Similarly, we deplore the destruction of an Iranian air bUS, with the death of 300 civilians. We trust that the situation in the Gulf is now returning to normal and that freedom of navigation can b~ ensured in accordance with international law. In ~iprus, the representatives of the two communities of the island agreed a few days ago to resume negotiations in Nicosia under the auspices of the Secretary-General. I hope most sincerely that this will happen within the scheduled time-frame. An overall settlement of the conflict must lead to the wi thdrawal of the Turkish troops occupying part of the Republic of Cyprus and to reconciliation between the two communities, so that 14 years of division can be ended. In the Western Sahara conflict, the conditions for the implementation of the peace plan accepted by the two parties seem to have been met in pxinciple. The proclamation of a cease-fire and the organization of a referendum, under the auspices of this Organ zation, should enable the Sahraoui people to exercise their right to self-determination freely and without constraint. I also welcome the significant progress made by south Korea towards democratization. The youth of the entire world is now meeting in that country to participate in the Olympic Games. Is it not by virtue of that same principle of universality that we should now consider. admitting the Republic of Korea to membership of the United Nations? On the question of Cambodia, we have followed with interest and hope the various diplomatic initiatives that have been undertaken in the last few months. They demonstrate for the first time since the conflict erupted a growing political will on the part of all the parties concerned to arrive at a negotiated solution. At the informal meeting in Jakarta, which for the first time brought together the different political forces in Cambodia, Viet Ham and the countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), var ious peace proposals were put forward and discussed and a working procedure was agreea upon. As the General Assembly has clearly reaffirmed year after year, the complete withdrawal of Vietnamese troops is the central element of any settlement, which must enable the Cambodian people to decide freely on thei!: own future. Any possibil ity of returning to the atrocities committed under the Pol Pot regime must be compleLely avoided. The United Nations and the international community could well find themselves entrusted with a decisive responsibility for the implementation of such a settlement. Will our Organization soon be able to welcome Namibia as the l60th Member, which would be the successful crowning of the actions taken by the United Nations almost since the beginning to end an illegal occupation and complete the historic task of decolonization? The question would seem to be justified in view of the (Mr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) results achieved so far during the negotiations that have been going on for some years now between South Afr ica, Cuba and Angola, thanks to the mediation of Mr. Chester Crocker, the United states Deputy secret.ary for African Affairs. Those countries have reached agreement on a set of principles for a political settlement of the conflict. We hope that the negotiations will provide without further delay a precise time-frame for the wi thdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola. Hostilities have already ceased. SOuth Afr lean troops have left Angola. The parties to the conflict have agreed to propose to .the secretary-General the date of 1 November next for the implementation of resolution 435 (1978), which was adopted 10 years ago by the security Council. That resolution provides for the withdrawal of SOuth Africa's illegal administration from Namibia, the transfer of power to the Namibian people and preparations for the accession to independence of Namibia through free elections under the supervision and monitoring of the United Nations. The situation in SOuth Africa is still a matter. of serious concern. No progress towards the abolition of the intolerable system of apartheid has been achieved; quite the contrary. Instead of entering into a national dialogue, the South African Government has prolonged and renewed the state of emergency and the accompanying legislati~~. It has made the system of repression even harsher and increased censorship. Nelson Mandela has just had his seventieth 9irthday in prison. A symbol for millions of oppressed people inside and outside South Africa, Mandela represent~ the unquenchable hope for a united, democratic SOuth Africa free of racial discrimination. I repeat once again the appeal made by my Government, as by many others, for his release and for the release of other political prisoners and of the many children and adolescents Who have been unjustly imprisoned. We feel directly concerned and involved in the fate of the condemned Sharpeville Six. (Mr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) The Government of South Africa has recognized the merits of a negotiated settlement in the case of Namibia. I venture to hope that it will reach the conclusion that the time has come to find a negotiated solution that will eliminate apartheid once and for all. In the meantime, my Government will remain faithful to the decisions taken by the European Community, under the presidency of Luxembourg, whether it be a question of sanctions or of positive measures of support for the victims of apartheid and for the front-line States. Luxembourg will also continue its action at the national level, p5rticularly in the financial sphere, in support of the organizations struggling peacefully against apartheid. I turn now to Central America. The tremendous hopes raised a year ago by the Esquipulas 11 agreement have been dashed. The negotiations have become dangerously bogged down. While military activities seem to have dropped off, the process of national· reconciliation has not led to results in any of the c~untries concerned. Injustices in the social and economic structures - the fundamental cause of the upheavals in the region - have not been remedied so far. I appeal to the Governments concerned to relaunch the peace process and cou~ageously shoulder the obligations arising from the Esquipulas 11 agreement. Peace in the region results from the establishment in each of these countries of true democratic pluralism, respect for human rights and the promotion of social justice. It is incumbent on us, in turn, to respect the principles of international law, and in particular the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of any of the countries. In the Middle East, the uprising by the Palestinians in the occupied territories has demonstrated, by its spontaneous and lasting nature, the extent of the frustration and disappointment of those who, despite their precarious living conditions, refuse to accept the humiliating situation of a people deprived of its legitimate rights. My country has always defended Israel's right to exist as a State, and we shall continue to do so. We therefore regret all the more that Israel has in the past few months had recourse to measures of repression that have often been brutal. Far from solving the problem, such measuzoes have or?ly increased the Palestinians' distrust and their determination to refuse to accept occupation. Through his tireless, constant contacts, the United States seeretary of State, Mr. Shultz, has tried to achieve a renewal of the dialogue and the beginning of a peace process on the basis of a consistent and comprehensive plane Events in the past few months have demonstrated that the status quo is unacceptable. They have emphasized the urgent need for a negotiated solution. A growing majority of Member States already accept the idea of an international conference u1der the auspices of the United Nations. Such a conference could serve as a framework for direct negotiations between the parties concerned. It would also be called upon to define the transitional measures and the security guarantees requir~. It is for us - each and everyone of us - to encourage this process of negotiation and to ask the Secretary-General to continue his consultations. Any comprehensive, just and lasting settlement must be based on security Council resolutions 242 {1967) and 338 (1973)0 on recognition of the State of Israel within secure and recognized borders, and on recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination. The decision by the King of Jordan to break the legal and administrative ties between his country and the West Bank is an act of great significance. It should lead the Palestinians to shoulder new responsibilities, and it opens new prospects. Forty years ago, on 10 Decem<~r 1948, the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That was indeed an event of historic significance • (IIlr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) Despite some progress made since then, we have to say that throughout the world violations of human rights continue at an alarming rate. Tortul:':e is still a quasi-institutionali~ed praotice in many States. Racial discrimination and xenophobia persist and reappear with new faces - inclUding in Europe. New forms of violence threaten individual security and safety. A large part of mankind that lives in intolerable conditions is still deprived of the most elementary rights. Let us take advantage of the opportunities offered by the present atmosphere to give a new dimension to international action in this area, in co-operation with the non-governmental organizations. Less selective criticism of violations of human rights, a merciless struggle against torture and all forms of racism, new attention to the protection of the rights of minorities, of women and children~ those would seem to me to be the area~ for pr ior ity action. I feel also that the establishment of an office of a high commissioner for human rights - something which has long been advocated - could considerably strengthen our means of action and the Organization's authority. The third special session devoted to disarmament, held last June, ended without a consensus. I hope that the Assembly will be able to consolidate and finalize the rapprochements that were nevertheless achteved at that session on a number of important questions. I shall confine myself to recalling that, in my Government's opinion, a solution to the problem of the trading in arms should have priority. Since tlne second World War, SUCh. trading has provided weapons for 150 regional conflicts and wars, killed about 20 million human beings and consumed vast sums. The shocking use of chemical weapons was noted on several occasions <Juring the war between Iraq and Iran, and has been noted more recently against the Kurdish minori ty in the northern part of Iraq. My Government strolg1., condemns the use of such terrifying weapons, which must be banned once and for all. In that regard, (Hr. Goebbels, LuxembourJl.) President Reagan proposed from this very r.ostrum the convening of an international conference to consider this important problem. My Government supports that proposal. The international community is indeed called upon urgently to define measures an~ effective sanctions to prevent any future use of such weapons. The peace and security of peoples do not depend only on doing away with conflicts and threats of a military nature. The economic, social and ecological balance of the world determines equally, if not more, the stability and well-being of mankind. The var ious ways in which the environment is being degraded have reached alarming proportions. There is a riSk that the ecosystems will undergo irreversible changes. Acid rain is attacking and destroying our forests. Tropical forests are being destroyed at a disturbing rate. The area that is deforested each year is equal to that of a country as large as Austria. only about one tenth of that area has been reforested. Significant climatic changes have resulted from that. Soil erosion is taking on tragic proportions. There is a risk that it will increase natural disasters, as happened recently in Bangladesh. It disrupts the water flow and reduces agricultural output. The misuse of pesticides is a major cause of the pollution of the soil and the agricultural imbalance. The rapid consumption of fossil fuels is changing the composition of the atmosphere and affecting the climate. It may be one of the causes of the warming of the planet. In Africa desertification is progressing swiftly. It is now recognized as a major obstacle ~ development. (Hr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) A solution is also urgently required to the problem of the disposal, processing and export of toxic industrial waste. One thing is quite clear: environmental problems cannot be handled by States individually. The problems are often global, requiring collective solutions. The.Chernoby1 disaster showed that nuclear pollution goes beyond national borders, that nuclear power plants do not offer a oomplete answer to energy problems and that their safety is not the concern only of the producing countries. The climate, the atmosphere and the seas are the property of all mankind. The rapid population growth in the countries of the SOuth is ;l9gravatin9 social tensions and harming the environment. In 1987 the world's population reached 5 billion, double what it was in 1950. By the end of the century it could be more than 6 billion. Therefore, family planning programmes are necessary, however unpleasant that may be to those who defend the right to life, who too often forget the wretched existence of millions of children who are abandoned and have no future. Faced with all those. problems of concern to mankind as a whole, the United Nations, the only truly universal forum, must shoulder a new responsibility in the global village in which we all live together. In 1987 the international community signed a protocol."in Montreal, a protocol that my country h&s since ratified, designed to protect the ozone layer. So far that way of dealing wi th problems has been the exception. It must become the rule. There must be growing awareness at the national and international levels. When considering the report of the Brundtland Commission last year, our Assembly recognized that present needs must be met without jeopardizing the satisfaction of the needs of future generations, and that the planet's resources and ecosystems must be managed prudently, that areas that have already been degraded or destroyed (Mr. Goebbel SI, Lu >cembourg) The state of the world's economy is still a matter of grave concern, even if there is a slight difference from the early 1980s. The whole decade has been marked globally by slower growth. Admittedly, remarkable progress has been made in Asia - particularly in China and the newly industrialized countries - but stagnation and even ser ious reverses have occurred in Africa and La tin America. The gap between the richest and the poorest countries has become wider. The debt problem is still at the heart of the difficulties of the developing countries. Servicing the debt paralyses their economies by absorbing an excessive portion of export earnings. Those earnings in turn are affected by the drastic reduction in the price of many raw materials. Finally, international capital flows to those countries have lessened since 1982. The solutions proposed by the recent Toronto summit, particularly for the least well-off countries, must now be implemented urgently. Policies for restructur ing and adjustment often entail tremendous sacr ifices. In many countries food crises, the exodus from the countryside and uncontrolled urbanization are getting worse. Poverty, malnutrition and sickness are increasing instead of decreasing. In Africa, as elsewhere, it is fundamentally important that economic growth Mbegin again. National Governments must courageously shoulder the primary responsibility for their own development and follow policies of essential lie, restructuring and adaptation. As the participants in the Khartoum Conference emphasized, economic and social strategies must give equal attention to the human factors of development, they ffiliSt strengthen education and make it more widely available, promote health, increase ot . ,~employment, encourage greater participation by citizens and seek a more just ,i:distr ibution of income, so as to ensure a better quality of environment and Life. (Mr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) I would add that a stricter and more open management of public affairs would help to combat corruption and increase people's trust. Increasing growth rates must go hand in hand with an improvement in the living conditions of the majority, not a worsening of those conditions. I trust that all the international institutions will give their support to such policies with a human face. It is also essential that the multilateral trade negotiations of the Uruguay Round, aimed at further liberalizing trade in goods and services, arrive at initial results that give a new impetus to worla trade. Special attention should be given to agriculture and the specific conditions in which it is developing in both the North and the South. We cannot overlook the fact that the price of agricultural products largely determines the export earnings of many developing countries. Greater stability in such prices would help to promote food security in each country and improve the world balance of agricultural output. We must arm ourselves against the uncertainty which is a characteristic of the world economic climate, with a view to strengthening the confidence of those who make economic decisions and promoting the necessary productive investments. In this context, special importance attaches to the regional economic organizations that are springing up, of which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a good example. The European Economic Community, of which my country was a founding member, has more than 30 years' experience of this valuable integration. Military conflict between the 12 member countries is no longer conceivable, although for centuries they wel:e regularly caugtt up in terrible confrontations. Today the Community is working to complete the creation of its great domestic market by 1992. Significant progress has already been made. That market of 320 million citizens and consumers offers new prospects of growth and employment (Mr. Goebbels, Luxembourg) within it. That will open up possibilities of increased exports to its trading par tner s. We are only a few years from the end of the twentieth century, which has been rent by so many upheavals. As we near the end of the cen tury we have new prospects in an atmosphere of detente, realism and co-operation. Our Organization is at the centre of this development. Often trea ted wi th indifference, sometimes even wi th contempt, it is now in an era full of promise. For the first time in its history the united Nations is recognized by all as a special and effective instrument for the resolution of conflicts. My Government, which has always attached great importance to the United Nations, views this progress with great satisfaction. We extend to our Secretary-General, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, our gratitude for his work in support of peace, at the head of our Organization. Luxembourg's devotion to peace, non-violence and respect for human rights will be evidenced tomorrow by the unveiling at the Delegates Entrance of a work of art that is powerfully symbolic. United Nations peace-keeping forces, which have been honoured today, are to be found throughout the wor ld : today in the Middle East r in Lebanon and Cypr us, in Afghanistan, in Iran and Irag, and tomorrow perhaps in Namibia, western Sahara and elsewhere. (~Goebbels, Luxembourg) This tremendous task in the service of the peace that is in the interests of every Member State has major financial implications. Accordingly, the Government of Luxembourg will support any proposal to guarantee the financing of the peace-keeping forces. It is intolerable that the smooth functioning of our Organization should be hampered by inadequa.te resources at a time when, incid~ntally, major reforms and real savings have been achieved to enhance its effectiveness. The recent achievements of the United Nations are due to one decisive factor: entente and the great Powers' will to co-operate. Thus we find ourselves in the conditions that existed when the Organization was founded. It was that consensus that inspired the drafting of the Charter. It must lead now to the reinforcement of the primacy of law and its universal application. Let us act together to make this development irreversible. !he PRESIDENT: I call now on representatives who wish to speak in exercise of the right of reply. May I remind members that, in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, statements in exercise of the right of reply are limited to 10 minutes for the first intervention and to five minutes for the second and should be made by delegations from their seats. Mr. RONDON (United States of America): This session of the General Assembly opened in a spirit of renewed hope and co-operation. My delegation deeply regrets that the Cuban representative took a very differ·ent and much less productive tack in his intemperate and inaccurate remarks earlier this afternoon. I reject his offensive and unacceptable statements concerning the President of the United States, as well as his baseless charges against my country. It is clear that what the representative of Cuba is seeking to do, not by any means for the first time, is to deflect attention from the failures of the Cuban ••• (Mr. Rondon, United States) revolution, the disasters that the Government of Cuba has brought to the Cuban people, and Cuba's systematic and flagrant violation of the human rights of its own citizens. The evidence is indisputable. The continuing flood of Cuban refugees is stark and moving testament to the Cuban Government's blatant violation of basic civil and political rights and to the inefficiency, cruelty and lack of productivity of the Cuban economy. Since 1959 Cuba has shown complete disregard of the principles of the United Nations and it~ Charter. Cuba has been a major exporter of aggression and destabilization in many regions of the world. Pious statements and unfounded accusations against others cannot hide these facts. Cuba insists on ignoring the General Assemblyes acknowledgement, in 1953, that Puerto Rico had achieved self-determination. Repeated efforts by Cuba to re-inscribe the question of Puerto Rico on the General Assembly's agenda have been turned down. More telling than my words will be the Puerto Rican elections scheduled tu be held in a few weeks' time. Puerto Ricans exercise their votes freely and enjoy genuine choice of candidates. No such statement can be made of Cuba, whose people have been denied freedom of choice since 1959. Mr. NUQEZ MOSQUERA (Cuba) (interpretation from Spanish): When representatives of a Government at the United Nations depart from the heritage of its heroes it is because something is wrong. I believe that it was Abraham Lincoln who said that you can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. But that is exactly what the United States delegation has been trying to do. For some years now the Uni ted States deleg8tion has been trying to fool the Assembly. We know, too, that for the forty-third session it has distributed a document - its traditional document of objectives - that is filleQ with inexactitudes and falsehoods. (Mr. Nuftez Mosquera, Cuba) The representative of the United States says that my Foreign Minister attacked his country and his President. Nothing could b3 further from the truth. The United States has insisted vigorously, and has repeated frequently, that a country should not be named~ that it is against so-called name-calling. But the first to resort to name-calling in the Assembly was President Reagan, on the first day of this debate. He spoke ill of many countries, and dignity does not permit us to maintain silence or to allow infamy to gain ground here. The tirade we have just heard from the representative of the United States did not tell us anything new. I can deal with all that he said in far less than the 10 minutes allowed to me. With regard to economic disaster, I think that the eKample of Cuba, 90 miles from imperialism, its achievements in the sphere of health, education, the economy and human rights are sufficient testimony to give the Asaembly a true picture of the Cuban reality. This reality of my country has been recognized by the international comnunity. The only people to question it are spokesmen of the United States Government, who cannot forgive Cubans, who ha',e carried through a socialist revolution and have a Government and a country that are masters of their own destiny only 90 miles from the most aggressive imperialism in the world. Human rights are the banner of the Cuban Government. We have said this on many occasions. We are proud of the way in which human rights are respected in Cuba: the right to work, to health, to education, to security, to decent housing. In Cuba, when so~~one is sick and goes to hospital he is attended to free of charge. If he ne~ds a vital organ transplant it is done free of charge. No one asks him if he is for or against the revolution, whether he has religious beliefs, whether he is white or black. It does not matter. In the United States the reality is quite different, and we all know that. The best demonstration of respect for human rights in my country is the fact that millions of men and women have weapons in the factories to defend the 5chievements of the revolution, because of the constant threats from United States imperialism. What Government that did not respect human rights could give arms to the people? I invite the United States representative to 1:ecommend to his Government that it give arms to the illiterates and the thousands of despairing people in that country to see whether it is true that human rights are respected. The representative of the united States speaks about the flood of refugees from Cuba since 1959. I believe that the truth is completely different. After the triumph of the Cuban revolution, the united States offered its hospitality to all of the murderers and torturers from the Batista Government. Afterwards it encouraged the exodus of Cubans. When people would apply for a visa to come to this country, they were turned downJ nevertheless, when a person would arrive here endangering the lives of other citizens - by highjacking an aeroplane or a boat - he was received as a hero. The same United States closed its borders to economic integration - the same united States that is trying to turn the so-called exodus of refugees into a , political football, when everybody knows how it has been during the past 30 years of the Cuban revolution. Lastly, he spoke about Puerto Rico. The situation there is a colonial one. When, 100 years ago, Jose Marti established the Cuban Revolutionary Party, he did so in order to fight for Cuban independence and to promote the independence of Puetto Rico. The situation in Puerto Rico is one that has been discussed every year in the Committee on decolonization, as the United States representative ought to know. But Cuba is not the only one that is saying this. The Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Countries was held recently in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Let me read out the paragraph on Puerto Rico in the statement issued by the ministers for foreign affairs of the Non-aligned countries. It would be well if the representative of the United States listened to it attentively. (Mr. Nuftez Mosquera, CUba) "The Ministers reaffirmed that Puerto Rico was an integral part of Latin America and the Caribbean, by virtue of its historical, cultural and geographical ties. They rei tera ted their support for the inalienable right of the Puerto Rican people to self-determination and independence in conformity with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and took note of the resolution adopted on 16 August 1988 by the United Nations Special Committee on decolonization. They also reiterated their concern about allegations relating to the imprisonment of Puerto Rican patriots by the United States Government, both in that country and in Puerto Rico, and they called for respect for the political and civil rights of all Puerto Rican patriots." Much more could be said about Puerto Rico and the presence and existence of nuclear weapons on that island, in violation of the obligations assumed by the United States under the Treaty of Tlatelolco. President Reagan has already bade us farewell, and there will soon be elections in this country: perhaps we will soon have an opportunity to tell the most recalcitrant, the spokesmen of Reaganism, enemies No. 1 of multilateralism: (spoke in English) "Best wishes and go home". Mr. RONDON (United States of America): It is late, I should just like to read out two sentences spoken this afternoon by the Foreign Minister of Cuba. He said - and I agree: "Democr~cy has progressed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dictator ial regimes al'e more ieolated than ever, rejected by both their own peoples and the Latin American and Caribbean community." (supra, p. 82) Yes, that is a true s~A~ement. sadly, Cuba is an exception. Mr. NUAEz MOSQUERA (Cuba) (interpretation from Spanish): That is another example of the dis!nformation perpetrated by advocates of Reaganism. In my vi~w, Cuba's ever growing presence and integration into Latin America and the Caribbean, in the Latin American Palliament and in the Latin American Economic System belie everything that has just been said by the United States representative. They want to wed us to the lie in order to force us to live with it, but they cannot do so. The meeting rose at 8.35 p,m.