A/43/PV.20 General Assembly

The Assenbly will first hear an address by the President of the Republic of Cyprus. Mr. George Vassiliou, President of the Republic of Cyprus, was escorted into the General Assembl~ Hall.

On behalf of the General Assenbly, I have the honour to welcome to the Uni ted Nations the President of the Republic of Cyprus, His Elccellency Mr. George Vassil iou, and to invite him to address the Assembly. President VASSILIOU: Mr. President, I should like to join the previous speakers in congratulating you on your well-deserved election to the presidency of the forty-third session of the General Assenbly. The confidence shown in you by this body is a tribute of the international community to your vast experience, as well as to Argentina, a friendly fellow non-aligned country. I also wish to congratulate your predecessor, Mr. Peter Florin, Deputy Foreign Minister of the German Democratic Republic, for the impeccable manner in which he discharged his tasks. I should also like to express our esteem for and admiration of the secretary~General for the way he has been conducting the .affa irs of the .United ( Nations. We have read his latest report with gr.eat interest. It isa masterly exposi tion of present predicaments and the ways to resolve them. It highlights all the international moral imperatives of our time and it provides all the main signposts for our future course. The {J~ited Nations is steadi.lY becoming the universal oonscience of mankind and is serving .as the framework and, at ti~es, the referee for settling (President Vassiliou) international disPltes. On the solid basis of the principles enshr ined in its Charter the United Nations prOl7ides the foundation and the dire.ction for solving or forestalling international crises. small States are particularly gratified by the growing achievements of the Q\ited, Nations as they regard their participation in the collective security system anvisaged under the Charter to be of vital importance to them. The list of problems addressed by the Uni ted NIl tions and its special ized agencies is loog and impressive and extends beyond the realm of peace-keeping and Peace-making. Its contributions in the fields of decolonization, human rights, respect for international law, the protection of the environment, the rights of women and children, the care of refugees, the fight against disease, hunger or drug abuse, economic and technical assistance, the preservation of cultural her itage, and so on, cunsti tute important steps forward in the history of our times. Speaking for Cyprus, t should like to make special mention of the continuing c<Xltr!bution of the organization, and of the secretary-General in particular, to the search for ~ solution to the Cyprus problem. I also gratefully acknowledge the valour and sacrifice of the United Natic~s Peace-keeping' Porce in O/prus for over 20 years. We are delighted at the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations peace-keeping forces. We con~ider it a well deserved tribute to 'their cent! !bution to war ld peace. The rise in the prestige and effectiveneso of the United Nations is not fortuitous~"" If has been built on the work and dedication of a gr.t!)'lu~er of .' ./. /:' - . " people. It: has also been the natural and inevitable consequence of 'the,9iowin~ tl,r' .. (-! , ' " " ' , . . interdependence and glOb,alizationof prClble., the inability of individual ; . ,', .'; . .~.' 'T :..' -,:"{ ~.' - ,i . CX)1,U\t(ies~ solve them and ther!e~a,tivecontraction of the world as a re'ui.t:/O~ . the techno~oC';J~c:al and 'inforl18ticn r~olutions. I / . (President Vassiliou) .~ , The existence of a strong, generally respected and more effective United Nations is an imperative of our time. This is dictated not only by idealism but also by the enlightened self-interest of each State. The choice before us is simple. Either we support and strengthen the United Nations and its institutions and extend the domin of international law or we opt for international anarchY· In view of ~e imprOl7ed international lX)litical climate the current session of the General Assenbly acquires added significance. We hope that the spirit of compromise and flexibility observed in the last session will prevail dur ing our current deliberations. Hister ic changes have indeed taken place since the last session of the General Assenbly. In the first place, the rapprochement between the Uni t,ed States and the Soviet Union, the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-range and Shorter-range Missiles - the INF Treaty - and their ccmtinuing dialogue have greatly imprOl7ed the international lX)litical climate. The Geneva ltccords on Afghanistan would have been unthinkable without this new climate of co-operation and flexibility. we earnestly hope that they will be fully implemented. We welcome with relief the cease..,fire agreement of 20 August 1988 between Iran and Iraq, secured in the context of the implementa tion of security Council resolution 598 (1987). We are confident that the direct negotiations initiated under the auspices of the 5ecretary-Ge.,eral will lead to a eanprehensive, just, honourable and durable rfisolution of this tragic conflict, whatever the ,temporary setbacks. The wind of change blows throughout the war ld from SOuth-East Asia to southern Africa, Western Sahara and Ch~d, bringing with it promises of hope for peace and security. We look forward to the moment when we can e11brace .within our menbership (President Vassiliou) The world is replete with conventional and nuclear weapons. Mlclear tests are still being conducted, the prohibition of chemical and biological weapons still eludes us whilst the demilitar ization of outer space is still hotly contested. In SOUth Africa, the rePJgnant structures of apartheid have not yet been dismantled and the front-line States live under the constant fear of destabilization. Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners have not yet been ,£reed. The Palestinian people are denied their inalienable national rights and are still· subjected to unceasing oppression in the occupied areaso In Central America the hopes generated by the Glatemala agreements have not mater ialized and tile simation remains unstable. A un! ted response is most urgently needed for a just and durable resolution of all these problems. The non-aligned countries, at their Ministerial Conference held last month in Nicosia, expressed their determination to work together with the United Nations in order to meet these challenges. The Conference wichwas, by general agreement, a remar.kable success, helped cement the unity and cohesion of the non-aligned countries. .The steps taken for increasing the effectiveness and relevance of tile Non-Aligned f.bvem~nt in today·s world will be of great benefit to the international community as a whole, since there is a close r elationship between the concer ns and .the challenges facing the mm-aligned countr ies and the United Nations. (President Vassilio~) I should like, in this connection, to highlight: the adoption of the Nicosia Declaration and the decision to establish a Ministerial COllll1ittee in order t:o examine the structural, organizational and procedural aspects of the Movement. In this, the fortieth anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Hums;, Rights 11 I should like to re-emphasize the dedication of the Government and people of Cyprus to the lrinciples of the Declaration and our determination to Gee them applied to the whole of our country and to the benefit of all its inhabitants. In their 100g struggle for independence and unity the people of (.)'&>ru8 have been looking to the United Nations for support and vindication. 'ri'~ ::esumed dialogue initiated by the secretary-General, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, between m¥self and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Rauf Denktash, creBltes new opportunities for our country. The target is to achieve a just and lasting solution of th"': Cyprus problem by June 1989. Doubts have been expressed as to whether it is possible to achieve a 80~.ution by that date. I am convinced that all the Nin elements of the Cyprus prohlem oould easily be solved by that date pr'Nided that the necessary politic..~l. will and good faith were exhibited on all sides. we, f~ our par.t, are determined to work hard and with constructive goodwill towar.ds this objective despite any obstacles or disappointments on the way. To facilitate the earliest possible solution, I have repeated in the past, and I reiterate now, our proposal for the demilitarization of the Rltp.1blic of Ci'prus. We propose to dismaRtle tho military forces of the nepublic if all Turkish troops and 8ettlfrru withdraw and; f the 41rJDed elements they have fostered are disbar.de:': .. '.the proposal includes the establishment of an international r9CS force wdlEl£' the IJIdapices of the United Nations, the colllpOsition and terllS ofE reference of wh!C".h would be agreed upon Md endonle(2 by the Sec:urity Council. (President Vassiliou) Demilitarization would a:-eata the conditions for resolving the CypruB problem and would provide the answer to any secur1ty concern on the p&rt of the Turkish Qlpriots. Thel:e would beedditional benefita to them in another way. We undertake to use the funds which will be saved through demilitarization for the developaont of areal!l of Qiprus which have. fallell bt'hind economically and primarily for projects which will benefit maL,ly the Turkish Cypriots. Part of the savings could also be used f.or financing the international peace force to be established. A juat and lasting solution of the C"Jprus ptoblli!m is not only in th'" interest of the whole populAtion of Cyprus, it would also contribute to the strengthening of peace in the Mediterranelail.. Progress on a just solution of the problem of Cyprus is a key to the continuation of the dialogue betwee~ Greece and Turkey. The solution of the Cyprus pcoblem is clearly outlined in the resolutions of the General Asselllbly and the security Council. &lch a solution implies that all foreign troops and settlers are withdrawn from the island, th&t basic hWIIQn rights are respected, that no country has a unilater~l right of intervantion in our affairs and that the independence, sovereignty" territorial i~tegi:'ity and non-alignment of Cyprus are safeguarded. We believe that, in the future federal Republic of Cyprus that we envision, all Cypriots, whether Greek or Turkish, should enjoy equality of opportunity and fu.,dame.,tal freedollS, including the right to develop their distinctive cultural heritages. In this new and delicate pbase of the QrpruB problem the increased interest and support of the international <XI_unity will greatly enhance the prospects for its early solution. Thout"l the international political climate has been iIIprOV'ing, tile global economic outlook re.ins uncertain.. MoIIt developing countries still suffer from the burden of underdeve1.o~ent" while ita the least developed countr ies basic needs (President Vassiliou) Th~ develupment prospeots for moot developing countries are aggravated by minimal, and in same cases negative, rates of economic growth, trade imbalances, low CCIIIlD)dity prices, the external debt problem and the associate"] net flow of resources to the develoPf.ld countries. The situation is made worse by the deterioration of the level of international economic co-operation, the stagnation of Official develo(ftent aid, the obstacles to access to the markets of develo~d countries and a series of natural disasters. In the overall efforts for a fairer dElvelopment of the international economy the comprehensive psckage of econcmie measures incorporated in the Nicosia I))cument of the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers' Conference should be the object of serious negotiations with the developed countries" within the spirit of understanding and m-operation that haa become more evid9nt in recent months. 1 should like to draw attentlon to the enormity and the dlsruptive effects of the problem of the external debt owed by developing countries. The burden of external debt servicing and the reluctance of commercial banks to provide new credit are factors severely retarding the development efforts of low-income countries. It is imp~ative that the external debt problem become a focal point of an international develoP1lent strategy. Within this oontext~ we welcome the greater understanding of the debt problem shown recently by developed countries. Notable pro~, ess has been achieved through the case-by-e:ase approadl, the greater use of debt conversion and the increasing 'use of secondary debt aukets. One of the interesting aspects of the adjus~ent process in international financial narketa has been the acceptance by bankers of secondary market prices aa 101 as 50 cents per dollar of debtG This suggests that the time is ripe for agreement on substantial debt wri te-offs. (President Vaesiliou) There have also been some positive developments within the United Nations system and through intergovernmental agreements. I refer in particular to the results of the Toronto Western Economic Summit Meeting Md the decisions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMP') to proceed with the general capital increase and the enhanced structural adjustment facility respectively. The emphasis given to the need to solve the international debt problem at the recent Berlin meetings of the World Bank and IMF is another welcome development. The French Government's decision for a 30 per cent debt write-off is a move in the right direction. The same can be said about the r~cent willingness 01\ the part of Japan to recycle its payment surpluses in favour of developing countr iea. (President Vassiliou) A few months ago, from this very rostrum, I presented a proposal to the third special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, with the objective C?f ameliorating the external debt problem of developing countries. My proposal envis&ged tl)at a considerable part of the savings arising from reduction in military eXPenditute by developed creditor countries should be used to establish a national fund to bUy at the present disp:)unted market rates the outstanding loans ?Wed to the commercial banks. The idea of utilizing the savings from disarmament measures to reduce the debt burden of developing countr ies is still Valid. The debt problem, however, is urgent. It threatens every o&y the welfare arld the future prospects of the wor ld's poor, and its solution cannot wait for progress on disarmament. I therefore propose that a practical and realistic aAlroach for tackling the debt problem, would be to take a cue from the international financial markets and to devise solutions which utilize the present more favourable trends. In line with my' previous proposal, I would suggest that the debt problem could be tackled by the. urgent establishment by each developed creditor nation of a national fund for the purpose of. buying back the debts owed to commercial banks and other lending agencies at disoounted market rates. The cost of these national debt relief programmes would be minilllCll if they were coupled wi th an imagina t!Vl! use of tax credits. It is implied that the fund would bUy the debt with tax credits offered to the creditor banks oyer a n1,ll'llber of years. Another major and related challenge facing the world is the eradication of hunger and malnutrition, "'loh a'ffects 500 million people around the world. The ar\n1,lal death toll from hunger is ostillated at SO millione Tragically, more than 15 million of these deaths are of innocent dlUdren. Hunger in the midst of plenty and a time of unprecedented ted1nologic~l " ... ¥, .. '- progress is an unacceptable state of affairs. We are gratified that the name of ., Qlprus has been asaocia ted wi th efforts to alleviate this problem. The cyprus Initiative Against Hunger in the tbrld, which was adopted at the ministerial meeting of the World Food Council held in Nic09ia in May this year, provides for an urgent review of the efforts made to date and for effective new measures. 'rhe underlying motive of the Initiative is the idea that the fight against hunger cannot be waged by means of food relief aid alone. It can be waged more effectively by helping the countries Ca1cerned to develop their agriCUlture and produce more food in order to feed their poi?Ulations. The \>brld Food Ccuncil is pJ:esently consulting {.:. '\ GoI1ernments and intu 18tional agencies wi th a vi.ew to presenting an action-oriented report 00 the Cyprus initiative to its next: ministerial meeting in Cairo next year. We hope that this important initiative will receive the support it deserves from all nations. Few of the problems of our time are entirely local. The universal interconnection of problems demands oonoerted wet ld-wide action if global catastrophes are to be averted. The problem Of the protection of the environment is a good case in point. The threats posed by selfish, short-sighted or simply i9"orant environmental policies are legion. The catalogue is daunting. pollution of the seas, rivers and soil, deforestation, desertification, the widening gap in the ozClle layer, the greenhouse effect, climatic changes, depletion of irreplaceable natural resources, dumping of toxic wastes, and acid rain are some of the modern s~urges that have to be addressed before they become unmanageable and before their destructive consequences become irreversible. Particular mention should be made of the fact that some underdeve:J,.oped Q)untries are being used as dumping grounds for the todc wastes of industrialized <:ountri... This \l\acceptable practice lIhould not be allowed to cmtinue. The unsightly spectacle of ships trying to discharge their deleter ious cargo on the high seas or by the mores of unsuspecting co\l\tries mould galvanize us all into action for the perRneft£ p'~Clhlbition of such Clbsoene practices. "'at can we do in the €ace of such ~angers? Echoing the S!lcretilry-General's warning., we would sUCJCJ~st putting the ecological prable. high on the agenda of the tllited Nations. The idea of convening an internatianal cenference on elWironment needs to be given priority. Such a oonferenClll!l, apart frOll raising public awareness on ecological dangers, could help devise new and practical lIeasures for addressing all related issun. It could also point to the need for elaborating the necessary laws that could ~oc. the basis fOt' llOCe reIJponaible international attitudes in this field and the possible creation of a world ecological 03uncil. The pc'eeervation and upgrading of the envuonent 18 in the interest of the whole wol'ld and it .h~~d therefor,e inv~lve an equitable &baring of the attendant , 1 coets. Per this reason we SU99ut that the internatianal COIlIlIl\l\ity ruke mm more substantial CIOntr !butions to the eXisting Br\vircnMntal PUnd, so that it filay be able to adlieve the coapelling ai_ that prCllpted its establi8hllent.. It mould be notad that ecnu ibuting to this IUnd should not be taken as another fOfll of aid to the developing countries. The wofldco_unity is b.et with' prcbleu old and new. OUr mst fundamental task ID, o~ course, the extension of the frontiers of ~ce, security and justice in the wor id. Un i,verA1 peaet and justlce ..y be unattainable ideale, bU1: a woi'ld without blatant injUlltt~.s should be within our reach. .at is 1lO8t needed for this to ••teriaU•• ia a clearer percept'ion of the danger. inherent in division and ,std fe, a better undetatanding of the global nature of uny of our Foble. ,an extenallion of ,lInd greater reiSpect fOI: lna.r:national law and a determned llIOVe ffOlft local to global lKXality. The best vehicle for such a vi tal lIOVe is the Q\ited Nations. The future of ..ankind, the very possibUity of life Of\ earth, depend on such a dlttterained liove en the part of us all. The PR!Sm!NT (interIXetation frO. Spanish), On behalf of the Goneral As.emly, I wish to thank the President of, the Republic of ctIXus for the illportant stateaent be bas just aade. Kt. George VassUiou, Presidlttnt of the Replblic of 91J!us, was escorted from ...!:!.'e General A88ellbly Hall.* * Hr. M-Shakat (Bahrain), Vice-President, tIOoIc the Cbair.