A/45/PV.8 General Assembly

9.  GENERAL DEBATE ;be PRESIDENt: I sho~ld like to ramind repre~entatives that, in accordance with tha decision taken by ~e General Assembly at its 3rd plenary meeting, congratulations should not be expressed in the General Assembly Hall after a statement has been delivered. In this co~ection, may I also remind representatives that, in accordance with another decision taken by the Assembly at the same meeting, speakers in the general debate, after delivering their statements, should leave the Assembly Hall through Room GA-200 at the rear of the podium before raturning to their places. Mr. GENSCRlR (Federal Republic of Germany) (spoke i~ Genaan; English text furnished by the delegation): I wish fi~st of all to offer you, Mr. President, my werm congratulations on your election to your high office. You are guiding the foreign policy of a country with which ve have close, friendly relations. We are partners with Malta in developing security and co-operation in Europe. With you as its President this session of the General Assembly is in good hands. I wish as well to express ~ thanks to your predecessor, Ambassador Joseph Garba, for the way in which he conducted his presidency. Our special thanks and appreciation go to the Secretary-General. We are dot~~~ined to continue to support his courageous and far-sighted initiatives. You, Mr. Secretary-General, have opened up new ways in which the Unit"d Nations can successfully perform its peac8~keeping ro~e• I take great pleasure in the fact that Liechtenstein, a neighbour with whom we have a close relationship, has become the youngest member of this family of nations. I extend a cordial welcome in this Assembly to the representative of Namibia, a country with which we are closely associated by virtue of our history, our friendship and our joint efforts to secure its independence. We warmly congratulate our friends the people of Yemen on having achieved unity. We sincerely hope that the Korean Dation, too, will soon be able to overcome its division. I welcome the statement of fundamental siqnificance made by my Italian colleague, Mr. De Michelis, on behalf of the European Community. He spoke in our name as well. Over the past year the situation in Europe, and with it the situation in Germany, has undergone fundamental change. Never has it been more obvious how closely Germany's fate is linked with that of Europe. The unity of Germany is a step towards the unity of Europe. The third of October 1990 will be the day of German unity. To us Ge~ans, this will be a day of rejoicing, gratitude and reflection. Our long-cherished desire to unite in peace and freedom will be fulfilled. This is a source of great pleasure for us. The world is following the unification of Germany with good will, sympathy and friendship. For this ¥e are deeply grateful. In this historic phase, the Germans are filled with a sense of history and responsibility; they are not being carried away with nationalistic exuberance. We will not forget the endless suffering that was brought upon the nations of Europe and the world in the name of Germany. We cOl1lnemorate all the victims of war and tyranny. We recall, especially, the untold SUffering inflicted upon the Jewish people. We are aware of our responsibility and we accept it. To the General Aaseuly of the United Rations I address this message: We Germans are united in the determinatioD that none of this Must ever be allowed to happen again. Our nation will live united again in one democratic State. That State, our cOlllllOn State, '11111 be founded on respect for inalienable human rights. Only peace will emanate from German sotl. For all time, the principles enshrined in our Constit1lltion, hUlUll rights and human dignity, democracy and the rule of law, social justice and respect for creation, peace and qo04-neighbourly relations will govern our thou9ht~ and our actions. Aa an equal partner in a united Burope, we are r~solved to serve world peace. Thi. commitment, whir~ i. embodied in the pr.ambl~ to our Basic Law, determines our policy. It il a re'ection of power politics, it implies a policy based on rel!llponBibility. Ever aince it joined the UlQited Rations, the Federal Republic of Germany has demanded in this world forum the unification of our indivisible nation. Every year lince 1914, I myself have 4eclared in the General Assembly our determination to work for a state of peace in Burope in which the German nation would recover its unity in free self-dete~inatioD. On every luch occasion, I allo had in min4 the Germans living in the region I perlonally come from, the Gs~8D Democratic Republic. I knew they lon~ed for Geman unity just a. lIuch as we in the Feelel'ol R0public of Germany, but they were Dot able too ezpr.s. their feeUng. and vie..,. here in this Asaembly of the United Rations. Row, howver* they ha". dlllOn.trated their cOlllllitment to freedom and J I unity. Together with tb.., .. now rejoice in Gemu unity. We know that it will bring unity for Europe, too. So today, united in hlart od in wUl, VI greet th\1 nations of the world. This occasion fills me with deep gratitude, gratitude which I also extend to my colleagues James Baker, Rolond Dumas. Douglas Hurd and Eduard Shevardnad2e who, .specially in recent months, have done so much to help us achieve this objective. The recollectioD of last year's sessioD of the General Assembly indicates the probl.ms we hac.'l to "olve. At that time, we were still involved in laborious negotiations to open the door to freec.'lom for the thousands of Germans confined in our embassy in Prague. My thanks goes out also to the courageous Hungarian !leople, who were the fint to lift the iron curtain. We Germans realisec.'l all along that only peace anc.'l the finc.'ling of Europe's c.'livisloD could lead to the unification of our country. We seizec.'l the opportunities for co-operation. We renounced the use or t~reat of force anc.'l have k.pt that pledge. We banked OD the peace-inspiring strength of human rights and fundamental fr.edoms. We established a political orc.'ler based on freedom in the Fec.'leral Republic of Germany. With the support of our friends and partners, we regained the confidence of the nations of the vorlc.'l. and thus establlshec.'l one of the foundations for German unity. Milestones along the road are the Fec.'leral Republic's membership in the Council of Europe, the W.stern Alliance anc.'l the European Community. By taking tho•• steps, we returned to the community of democracies. Through the treaties of Moscow anc.'l Warsaw anc.'l the treaty with Czechoslovakia, the fQunc.'lations were laid for a new relationship with our Eastern n~ighbours. And the basic treaty with the German Democratic Republic created a modus vivendi between the two German States for the time the nation remained divided. (Mr. Genscher g federal Republic of GermaD,y) nat German treaty policy also o~ned the way to the Helsinki Final Act. The momentum of the proce.8 of the Committee on Security and Co-operation in Europe and the radical reforms in the Soviet Union under the leadership of MiJchail Gorbachev ultimately made it possible to end Europe's and hence Germany's division. The peoples of Central and Eastern Europe cho~e the path of peaceful revolution leading to freedom and democrftcy. Each of their decisions was a decision in favour of Europe. 'lhrouqh their peaceful revolution the Germans now uniting ~ith us have demonstrated to the whole world their balief in freedom, in unity and democracy, and hence in Europe. We thank our friends and allies in the West. They have stood by our side in good and in difficult times. To the American people in particular I wish to say: we shall never forget the airlift to Berlin. On the eve of German unification we convey our thanks to President Bush, Pre.ident Mitt,rrend and Prime Mini.ter Thatcher for their support, their statesmanly far-sightedness and their understanding of our nation's longing for unity. We thank our friends in the European COl1l1\unit1" headed by the President of the Commission, Jacques Delors, and we th~k our friends all over the world. We are grateful to President Gorbach,v. Ris courageous policy has opened Burope'. way to a new future and given Germany the chance to recov~r its unity in freedom. This also means a great deal for the future of German~Soviet relations. We Oemus want nothing oth0r than to live in freedom and democracy, in unity and peace with all our neighbours. In the Treaty on the Final Settlement with respect to Germany, which we signed in Moscow on 12 September, with France, the (HI. GeDDgher, Federal Republic of Gerr,lDDY) Sovi.t UDioD, the Unit.et Stat•• of Alledca aDd the UDit.d K1D94011, we Gemus r.affi~4 the unit.d Ge~y" r"poD.ibility for peac•• With our policy we a1ll to ••t a good .zupl.. we rctaffb. our r'DunciatloD of the -.nufactur. of, po•••••ioD of and cODtrol over nucl.ar, biological and ch••ical weapoDS. We r'D'. our co..l~nt to the right. aDd obligatioD' arisiDg era. the Tr.aty OD the ROD-Prolif.ration of Rucl.ar .-apon.. Our decisioD to reduce the paraoDD.l .tr.agth of the armed forc•• of the unit.d G'~8DY to 310,000 i. a significant Geraan cODtribution to ••t.D.iv. 4i.8rmaalnt in Europe. The united Germany ha. no territorial clat.. whatsoev.r against other States ud w111 not a•••rt any in the futur.. Tbe inviolabUity of Dati~nal border&!! 1a a corn.r-.toD. of Europe', peac.ful 011'4.11'. Th. uiteld Geflluy wUl cODUm the existing Gel1lu-Polilh border in a tr.at.y that ia binding un4er interDational law. Our r.lationship "ith Polud i. a special D&Dif.atatioD of our European calling. w. th.refore int'Dd to e.tBhllah in aD additioDal, compreheDsive treaty the b••ia for an." chapt.r of «ioed-n.ighbourly r.latioD' betwe.n G'l'IIlan. and Pol... Germany r,cOCJDi... and acc.pt. It. re,poDsibility to help build a tett.r future for Europe. W. vant, not a German Europe, but a European Gel'llluy. We belODg to the European COllllunlty. OD 1 January 1993 the connon Buropean iDt.rnal aark.t ,,111 have beeD completed. It ,,111 be an OpeD market and thus gen.rat. fre,h impul.e. for the world .conomy. W. "ant the Buropean COllllUDity to bo aD ecoDomic and monetary Wllion and a political union. Aa the European Community'. identity gro". 01:1 the way to Buropean un10a, .. 40 not want the Atlantic to grow "ider. A transatlantic decla~atioD by the European Community and the North American democracies "ill ad4 a D'W ~uality to our community ba••~ on common value. and a common fate. (Hr. Qe»,AA.f, bd.ral IImlle of Ge.......) The ~r. quickly we achi.~ Burope~ union the ~r. .. fOlter the unification of the who1. of Europe. On the path to EuropelUl uniori the European Co_unity 18 alread,. _cOIling iacr••eingly attractive to the "hol, of Europe. 'rh. nucleus of thla uniqu. link betwe.n the EuropelUl a.mocracies 18 the clos. Franco-German fri.ndship. Ife pl.49. ouraelv.s to that fri.ndship aa one of the p8manent foun4ationl of all Ger:1lan foreigra policy. On 3 October 1990 all Germans will be bound up in the European Co.-unity and. in the Franco-German friitndahip. The sov.reign, democratic Bd free Gemany "ill be cOlll'llitted to unity, stability and progress in the "hole of Europe. '%he united Gemuy "ill carry greater weight. Kith it "e shall not atrive for more po.,r but shall ~ conscious of the gr.ater ~esponsibllity such a6ditional weight implies. W, shall accept thia responsibilit7 in Europe and around the world. We shall place our weight on lurope's scales in such a way that it "ill benefit all natioDS oa our continent and hence the "hole of mankind. In this way "e shall help Burope meet its responsibility in shaping the emerging new world order. Our conduct "ill bear out all those who confidently support the process of Ge~an unification. A new concept of the coexistence of natio~s is taking shape. It is based on the awarenellB of the global challenge. and of global interdependence. It takes into account the world's responsibility for future generations. It is the concept of equal rights for 1argl and ..all nations, of limiting national powers through the transfer of sovereign rights to community institutions, of the interlocking of economic interests, of region&l solidarity and interdependence. This concept and Dot yesterday's policy ba.ed on hegeMOnie aspirations and equilibrium is the model for stability and prosperity in the Burope ant! in the world of tomorrow. (MrA GlPlch.r, red.ral Ilpybllc; of GlIJ'A'U') tfeOeraaa. are contributiog our regained .overeignt.y to that CODcept. 1'0 Europe thl. _mul that the ideolO9ic81 cau.e. of tendon. IIU.t not be lupplute4 by n•• ollle. r,sult:l89 frOll dUCeront .tendords of U.v1n9' How that the .all ha. ccme down aDd the iroD curtain has beln lifted we 40 Dot want nl. divisions to take tholr plDce, ,Uvialon. arising froll poverty, locial injustice or the dlaparate treatment ~f ~lture. (Hr. GtDlcblr, r.deral "public oC Gtmau) Tba.whole continent .Ult be c~itted to parli...nta~ de.ocracy, r.spect for huaaa rights, the principlos of social ..rk~t econ~; .ocial justice, protection of the natural ,ourc., of 11fe end the peaceful coexistence of nations. Only in this way can the on. Burope e_rg•• ever 40 years of division have left scars in Gemr'1? and Burope, the heaUnq of those ,cars will require great political and economic efforts. We regard our contribution to the reconstruction of Europ6 as an investment in the future of our own nation as vell as in that of Europe. In this we perceive our Buropeu calling - the European calling of us Gemans. The unification of Germany wiU not cause us to forget the alii of unifying the whole of Burope. OUr aiM ls a Europe based on solidarity and partnership which wlll fulfil the ezpectatlons of all Buropean people.. Solidarity and partnership must prevail, not rivalry and hegemony. The establishment of a sound political, economic, social and ecological framework for the process of transformation in Central and Bastern Buropa is the ..in objective of a stability-oriented European policy in which the military factors increasingly lose their significance. Our economic and political weight and our position at the centre of Burope plac. a special responsibility on us Germans in this respect and .e are facing up to this responsibilit7' In this cODDecti~~~ we have always been aware that the Soviet Union belongs to Europe. Without the Soviet Union there can be no united Europe. Wlth the German-Soviet Treaty on Good-Neighbourly Relations, Partn~rshi~ and Co-operation, which was initialed in Moscow recently, the two countries intend to shape their future together. N. want to be able to trust one another ia every re.pect. ~e Treaty affords the basis for this. Oth.r ~r. of the BuropcaD Co.-unity al.o are negotiatiDg co-operation ACJl"eJHnta "ith the Sovi.t Union. Through such clos. co-oporation with tho Ml!lben of the B~ropau Ca-unity, the Soviet Union is tyill9' itlll future to that of Europe. Th. intdrnatlonal economic and finaDcial inllltitutions ,,111 a180 have to take thb n.w 4.v.loplllnt into account. !tow thiuing i. call.d for .vorywbera. W. are a180 •••king close co-operation with all our neighboura in C.ntral and South-.ast.rn Burope, "ith which we have many traditioDR and int.rests in coaaoll. The .nd1ng of the E.st-WfJlBt confrontation and the dev.lopment of a n.w r.lation.hip betwe.n the member Stat.s of th. two a~~~2Dc,s open tb. way for a n.w system of co-operation in Europe in the fie14 of s.curity as well. Th. changing lforth Atlantic d.f.nce alliance and the European COllllllUDity, to which the Wllited G'~aDY too "ill belong, os well as the Confer.nc~ OD Security and Co-operation in Burop. (CSCB) wUl be pillara of thlll De" system. They "ill be pillars of a Dew d.v.lo~Dt in which military s.curity "ill be complem.nted by a broad.r and more solid foundation for co-operation aim,d at saf.guarding peac.. Th...mb.~s of both alliances no lODger r.gard .ach other .s adversaries, nor as a thr.at. Fifte.n years ag~ the 35 .ignetori.s of the CSCB H.lsinki Final Act pledged thems.lves to fr••dom, d.mocracy androlp4ct for human rights. Devo1opments since then have borne out that bold decision of 1915.T.be summit confer'Dce due to be h.ld in Paris on 19 Nov.mber "ill rais. the CSeB process to a n.w 1.ve1 and cr.ct. the first common institutions of the n.w, the one, Europe. Regular me.tings of Reads of State and Government Bnd of For.ign Ministers, a centre for conflict p~.ventlon ~4 a secretariat will provide the first, solid foundations for a lasting p.aceful order throughout Europe based on co-operatioD. A .... 9I'ud per.pectlve 18 opeDIDg up for Suope. Aa. couatry .ltute« ID the C.Dtr. Of lul'ope the w:a1te4 GttnlUJ'. "'1'8 of it. paa-hI'opeaa r••poulbUlty. v111 do .verytblDg po••ibl. to ...ur. that thla perapectl". bee.... r.allty for all Buro,._. The csa ill SUl'ope 1. 4."10plll9••t.p bJ' .t.p. with our active partlclpatloD, IDto a .}fat. of Suropeu eo-operatloD, ••cudty IUl4 .tablllty. fte .orth AllericaD d88Ocraol•• &1'8 IDvolved iD till. proc..... Datural aDd ~rtaat partaer.. Tb. t fact th&t the CSCl CODfer.ac8 of For.lga M!Dlat.r. 1. to plac. ber.. OD ~rlcaa Db.m_Dt aD4 the cr.atloD of co-operative ••curity r_1D tile key to the CO-.oD Buropeaa house. T.b. 41.a~at D8g0tlatio•• au,t keep pac. vith the 4yDa.ic political dev.lo,..Dt.. The pea41ag cODclu.ioD of the Vi.DD. negotiatioD' OD CODV.Dtiollal dlaal'll...at vUl have to be foUovec1 a. .0011 aa po••ible by ll8gotiatio.. at.ed at .11Mlllatiag .hort-raDg. Iluclear IIl••11e.. Furth.r .tep. to reduce forcG. al'. ..c•••ary. ~ urg. the ~".rdu. cODcluato. of a cODveDtloD provldlK!g for a global baa OD che.lcal ...poas. fte•• barbadc __• of de.tructioD au.t be eU..iGat.d vorlclwide. By 1'.4ucil19 their Ducl.ar ..apoD', tJw .uper-Power. al'...etiug the!r obligatio.. to aaaklD4. Ybe UIl!v~r.al validity of . the DOD-proliferatioD Tr>Jaty_st be a.sured for the .ake of IIIUI" .urvival. Co-ordiDated iDternatloaal .ffort. al'. De.ded to pr.veDt the ell••e.1D.tioD of delivery .yste•• for Duclear, biol03ical au4 che.ical weapoa•• But di.ar....Dt ....ur•• do Dot autoaatlcally r-.ove C~llt factori••• 8coDoMle ezpedieDcy au.t D.v.r be acc.pt.d 8. ju.tifiaatioD for the aaaufacture of weapon. which thr.at.D peace iD eth.r part. of tbe 1101'1(1. The third world lIuet DO lODger be the urtet for a.......Dt. which 4laanl8M8Dt aqr....nt. ia Burope have ·&de (HP:.a..JJttD'c;Jw'· ' '.1 IIqgbllc pC _ 'r) ,.et' Jdu~. Co ~l:r. f.~u. 4Sl.a~at 1l9I'....ta ...14 bbct eo.~rac~lD9 par~l.. to avrplvs e8pacl~I.8 for peacef.l p.rpo•••• ror feu, • bave bua ea1llD9 for •••ter ~rau"lI:'.aq vJ.tIa reglU'4 to npor~5 of .epoa.. .ow thi. ..~ter 18 ICCJ1Ildrag fJI'.8t.1' .rgeDq uc1 r.ce1.,1119 .UftOi'~. I _le.. ror.l98 MiDI.ter IIMIval'4D&4a.'. lD1~le~i". ia thi8 r••pect.. '!be ce-pul,oQ' rct91.tr:.~I~aof ainU eJrPOrt. vltb tJut Va1tecS _BUOD. .bould H ID~r04uc:ecJ ~l.t.l:r aDd 811 v!olatioDa of this I'equlr...at abould be ••".rely pualabecJ. ~ cODv.raloll of .~Dt~ factorI.. to tba produe~loa of elvl11aa goo4a i. a global ~..k ID the eau•• of pe8e.. Me ue pl'.pare4 to co-operate with u1' DatiOD la tlala DeW aDd ~rtaDt fl.ld of ID~.I'D&~loD81 ••curlty. Me obs.rve tbe .lgaa of a Dew age DO~ oD1r ID a.rope but 81.0 ID tha .ffort. to .01". regloDal cODfllct. - fre- CaDtr.l America to AfghaDlataD. fre- C~a to In the N!4dl~ Bast, the right of self-d6te~inationof the PalGstinian peoplo ba. to be r.concil~d with Is~aGl's right to exist end itft s&curity. ID the aepublic of South Africa t!l. a1ll is to overcOllNt iuWlu APartheid. We hope th. dia10CJUe between the representatives of the black majodty 8d those of the "hite minority, with the aa of cQIIP1.t,!1' r'&IOving Mlrthlid. 'tdll quickly prove succecsful. Member of the United "ations, ltuvait. The co_unity of nations cam:.ot tolerate the invasion nd aDDlxatioD of a country. Tb&- han rights of imaoclnt ~~\ople of 1JJ1l nations have been violat.d. There is no justification and no excuse for such conduct. Aggre.sion ~ust be treated .s aggre.sion, blackQail a. blackaail, and the viclati~~ of huaan rights must be treated as the violation of hUJIaD ri9h~. if the world' s s.nse of right and wrong is not to be injured. Aa alway., it la the poorest of all who sufflr most as a r,sult of thi. kind of conflict. 011 prices are r1sing. Thos. first to feel the effects are the «ev.lopiq countries which have no sources of .nerw. Yearll of hare! work are being undon.. Never befol'e in it. history ha. the Unit.d Nations taken such a united and det.~in.4 stand against aD 8ggr.s.or. Never before hall aD aggr••sor had less chuc. of splitting an int.rnational c~UDity acting as on•• 1'1.. does not work for Saddlllll Bussein. Only the thr.e routes charted by the Security Council will 1ea4 Iraq out of its self-imposed isolationI the complete and unconditional withdrawal frOIl KuwaitI the restoration of that country's full so~reigntYI and the 1mMediate releas. of all hostages. The refusal of the Iraqi leadei:ship to .et these de..uds is a challenge to the whole c~UIllty of nations. Ne give our UDqualified support to the implementation of these resolutions of the United Nations. Aggre.don C8l'1Dot be, IIUSt nevar be, rewarded. The detominatioll an4 joint action of the Members of the UX!ited Nationll can Dark the begilmiDg of a ne. peaclI-keeping role for the world Organisation. All Menbers must recogui8e ~d live up to ~.ir responsibility. M' desire peace for tho nations of that region" and we desire the unity of "he Arab world" .hich has been destroyed by Irag'e aggression. The opportunities for doveloping a Dev world order 11e in solidarity and joint action. They lIuat be taten. The family of nations acted wiaely when" after the terrible experience 0: two world wars, it placed the r,.po08ibll1~y for safeguardb.g world peace 1n the hrmde of the United Nationa. There ill a good chance DOW - as there nlver waa i~ the paat - of th. noble aims enahrin.d !D the United HationliJ Charter beinl) cOIilpreheDsively achieved. Th~ ellding of the Baat-west conflict has helped make thia possib1e~ Ideological barrlere are f&11i09. T.be settlement of conflicts by .Ultary _ans le bccosililCJ increaalnqly out.lawed. Rule of law is aCCJ1lidn~ greater s1pificlmco. And thus attention focus.s on the 9rg&Dlaatlon whos. task it is to r.so1ve differences IUIOIUJ Dations by paaceful ..ana. This ia the historic hour of thft United NlP-tioDa. The peace-keeping potential of the ChlP-rter muat bo full:r exhauated. The ccftluity of DIP-tlons cust throw ita wholo weight behind the Secretary-Oenera1'. efforts to .aintain world peace. The termination of the Bast-West conflict vil1 release conaiderab1e material~ spiritual and political energies with which to overcome the global challeugea confrontiDg us I tho alilli!l&tiol1 of faminG" poverty and Wld.rdeVf)lopllllnt in the third vcrld; the overcoming of the debt problem; and the protection of th~ natural sourcea of life. The United Rations can now, at long last, play its propar role in shcpillg an interdependent world, a world which must be governed by 4 senne of ~utual responaibllity rath8r than by power politics. We 011 kn~w that thtt challenges facing mankind as a whole no longer leave any country free fr~ rl.ponsibility. The one vorl~ in whi~h we have been placed requires new, 'oint efforts on the part of Bast and west, North and South, new systems of co-operation and of securing peace, both global and r8gional. A single Sta\.~e, however great ana pouerful it lIay be, la in ever-increasing areas incapable of coping with those challengos alonl. The one world calls for joint action, globally and regionally, on account of its vulnerability, which is assUlling threat.nin~ proportions, but alao on account of the many unused opportunities for its devalopment. Intordependence and co-operation al'l the factors governing the new age ve are entering. A new ethical standard is required for the one world. It must be a standard of shared responsibility for the world as a whole, for the common environment, and for our common posterity. Thus a ne. community of mutual responsibility should emerge as the. basis of a De. world order - a global order embracing the diversity of Dations, their cultures, traditioDB and religions1 an order in which all retain their identity in mutual respect ad in which all can live together, reconciled with each other. A globe1 order of place and co-operatioll, of freedom and human righte, de~ands, ahove all, social justice. True peace exists only where all human rights are respected. The two United Nations Covenants protecting political aa well as economic and social rights must be viewecl together. Rowhere must they be simply empty postulations1 their practical application to all is needed. A decent hu.an .xi.tenc. al.o pr••uppo••s aD UDha~ .nv!roa.snt. It presuppo.e. the pr•••rvation of aaa'. nmtural .ource. of life. ~••afeguaf4ing of global peace 4.aaa4. Dot only the .a41119 of lUll'. war againlt aaa, but alao the enCling of econo.ic .~loltation. It alao deaanCl. the ending of lID'. war again.t Dature~ Ther••hould be a third United Ration. human right. cov.nant to prot.ct the natural .ourc•• of 11f•• legal cy.telll further in or4er to .nllure lIankilllcl'••urvival. .."'1' Hfor. hall it Thti ta.t of the United Ration. 1n thi. 4.c~de i. to develop the international been mere ~rtaut to conteMPlate the con.equenc•• for po.terity of the political, .ecurity, econoMic, t.chDological and enviroDll8Dtal 4eci.ionl we tat. today. Never " before has a generation'. r••9Gnlibility for·the future be.n gr.ater. But D.ver before have there be.n .uch opportunities for new tbiDkiDg and new action. We Ge~ans iDtend to devote our talents, our experience and our economic re.ource. to the common .ffort to accompli.h. this hug. t~.k. ne reorgan1::latlon of illldu.try i8 the new feeleral IItat.. which al'. about to become a p.rt oCour country an~ our a••iltance for the r.forM' being unO.rtaten in Central and Bast.m Burope confront UI with hug. probl.... Ron& the 1•••, we ahall make eveD great.r effort. to ...t our r••ponllbilAty towardD the third-world countries. Our contribution to their development through the transf.r of know-how, technology and c.pital will increa••, not d.cr••••• Solld&rlty with Central and Eastern Europe does not imply that we are turning away froa the third world. The group of countries capable of using and willing to u3e their aateria1 resources to create a better world will on the whole grow larger. The eco~v~ic reforms in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Soviet Union, will ~ot only open up new opportunities for the countries concerned but third world nations, too, will derive benefit from the larger markets, from the -ere intensive international division of labour and from the more efficient use of scarce natural resources. In this way German and European unification will produce its peace dividend for all reglons of the world. Rew tbinkAug and new action are possible only if all concerned recognize their own _i.takes. Only then vill North and South find solutions to the problems of the future. Only thus shall we all be able to meet our special responsibility in the quest for a global civilization capable of survival. The deve10pmsnt of a market- and ecologically-oriented civilization which is both pluralistic and yet collective and capable of coping with the problems of tomorrow is the real challange at the end of this century. S~onomic freedom must not become self-destructive. Technological advancement has made it possible for us to give the world a more humane countenance. But if we fail we shall destroy the sources of life not only for ourselves but for future generations. A strategy for ensuring mankind's survival must assume the place in our thoughts and in our actions which has up to now been reserved for the preservation of national interests, often enough through power politics and the weight of our arms policy. This above all else is the global conversion of thought and action which we must all achieve both ae States and as individuals. We must together embark on solutions which will open up to a world population numbering over 6 billion at the end of this millennium a tangible common perspective for life in decent human (~Genscher! federAl Republic of Germany) conditions. A number of important conferences lie &head. They must be used for this purpose. The report submitted by the South Commission chaired by Julius Nyerere shows that a new language has been found" a language in vhich "own Q ' mistakes too are admitted. This report sbows that the third vorld is meeting its responsibility in the one world and for the one world. The industrial countries must respond to this signal. Hev thinking and Dew action Is called for on both sideB. The opportunities for a Dew beginning in the dialogue between North and South based on fairness and partnership sud vith each side prepared to learn from the other have n9vor been better than at this moment. The termination of the Bast-West confrontation has freed that dialogue from ideological ballast. This makes it easier to concentrate on the real problems of development. An open dialogue between North and South is the major political taak of the present time. Ne must face up to this task and ve must do so now. The indebtedness of the developing countries and its paralynin9 effects on economic grovth and development continue to increase. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates it viII rlse by 7 per cent to over 11.3 trillion by the end of 1991. Despite progress vith the implementation of the extended debt strategy" no breakthrough has been achieved. On the contrary: in view of higher oil prices and interest rates" prospects for the debtor countries have clearly deteriorated. The international financial organizations must do even more to meet their responsibility for development in the third world. 'The Uruguay Round must end successfullyg especially for the sake of the developing countries. Their groving integration into the world economy must also be reflected in the shaping of general economic conditions. The qreatest (Mr. Genscher. Fedoral Republic of Germagy} 4eveloplteDt rlsourcl i. the people in the d.voloplng' countrl.ath.lI.alvos. These people au.t be C)iven a hope, .ust !Ht given pro.pect. for the future, for themselves and for th.ir chll~rell. The World SWllllit for: Children this cominq woekend wUl provide important stt.ulu•• The key probl.. in t.m. of global ecology i. the rapid growth of the world population. OD1y by _AD. of a global lCJ1IalisatioD of burden. in which natlonsl econe-Ie policl•• set nlv prioriti•• in or4.r to l5vel off the ••treme disparities in liviag conditions will it be po••ible to chang~ gln.ral .oclal, economie and eultural conditione in the third world to .uch an ,.tent that large families will no longer luted chUdr.D •• a ..u. of lIuppletMnting the f.11y income or as old-Age ill.urance. reaily plODDing .ch.... alone will not have any l ••ting .ff.ct on birth .ecurity, gradually to rectify the unju.t distribution of ince-e and to improve educational opportunities in .any countri••• Ho one can want the ezce••ive consu.ption rat.a for e~diti.. and energy to continue to incEea.e in the indu.trial countrios, or that thi. tr,nd sbould be continuod by ov.r , b11110n people at the .nd of this decad.. That would sp.ll ecological diSAster. All of u. in the indu8trial cOUDtries must change our way of 11fe. GoverDllent. can h.lp ~y offering .ark.t incentive., by regulation and by r.di.tributing taz burdea.. The environment-friendly uso of r.source. and the recycling of .at.dals aust be _de worth whU. for companies, but not the sCJUandering of energy aDd other resources. Another :tey probl.. is the changing of the world cUmate through the greenhouse effect and th' depletion of the OBone layer. Bach of the Earth's many (Mr. G'DlghO[, r,doral 'ePublie pf Gemlny) .nviroa.enta1 prob10.. will be ezacerbate4 if the.e two central prob1e.. are Dot solved. Air pollution, the extinction of specie. and ero.ion, w111 increa•• 4r_tic.l1y an4 r.duca tho chanc•• of .urviva1 of future generations. 'rhe re4.ral ••public of o.tIlUy, being a siCJllatory of the H.gue Declaration of the apriDg of lla" regard. the «eci.ion. t.k.n at the Parls .cono.ic SUMMit in July Iga, a. the political baai. for an int.rnationa1 convention to protect the Barth's atmo.pher.. That convention .hould be sign.d aa a framework agr....nt at the world Conf.r.nc. on BnviroDRent and Dev.lopment to be h.ld In Brasil ia 1992. Supportive -easur.s UDder the aegis of tho United Bat1une are indispensable if chaDg.s in pre••nt en.rgy polici.. are to re4uc. e.issioDS of carbon dioxide and trac. g••••• Yh. good-ez.-pl. policy ftS regard. enviroDaenta1 prot.ction will be continued aft.r the unification of the two Ge~an Stat.s. A pollcy for ••f4gUerdlDg the .nviro...nt i. a1ao a policy for aafewuar41ag world peace. .e.pon8ibility for protectlag -.nkind'. natural aDd cultural h.ritage i. ono of the ela••le re.ponsibi1ities of the United _ation. a. it •••k. to .aintaiD world psace. Thi. was t.pr•••lve1y confi~d by the WOrld Charter for Ratur. which the Gen.ral Aaaeably adopted ia October 1'82. Me all have the choice of either definitively and irrevocably a••troying the Barth within a few d.cade. or adoptiag a re.pon.ible attitude and beginning to use satur.'. re.ourco. aDd energy a.naibly OD the batl. of partner.hip an4 in a genuinely enviroDMent-frlea41y .aDDer. (Hr, Genlcher« Federal Republig of QeDlau) ~la MUll ~ au.t fir.t. .oberly tak. atoct of tb. situatioD, takiDg iDtO accout tb. cOD.equ.nc.. for the 'DviroDlleDt of aberrations rlUlgiDg frolll 'Dergy ~sting to the pr'.'Dt clt.aticolly 4aaaglDg .zploitation of tropical rain for.sts, to n.- Gllly two of the au1' global .cological probllll'. But it impU••, above all, adai~t.1D9 our c.d••ioDa, our car.l.a.D••a, our thoughtl,s'D"S ADd our 4tl1btrat. bUD4Il... to approaching 41aa.t.rl. Let u. be ••riou. about the priDcipl. of r,.poDsibility. we sll r.all.. that. we or. cODfroDted by global chall'Dgla that aff.ct .".rye_e••urvival. Tb! ••fl9U8rd1ag of peac., .colllOlllc d.v.loplleDt, aoclal 'uat.ic., 41.a~Dt aDd the protectloa of lif.'s Datural r.sourc•• or. tho•• global daall'Dg'.. no t.a.t of copiDg with th.. l'lCJUir•• all our tilutrgi••, ld.al aac1 .fforts. Ybe 41vi.1QD of ~ country ADd of .urope ADd the la.t-we.t confroDtatioD have beta a beaV7 bur4t1l OD u. all. Ideological cODfroDtotioD, power poUtlcl ADd th' .trivia; for .uPl~iority oVlr other. forc.d 118 all Into AD a~. rac.. Th.y 41vide4 IlOW atag rll.aled. we CM uae it tOCJlther iD ...tiDg 0111' global rGllpoDs1billty for • peac.-ke.piD9 task OD a Ical. unpr.cl4eDts4 ID the history of mankiDd, that la, for the OD' wor14. OD the .VI of ita unification GerllAlly declar'l to tb. f81111y of natiorllll W• •hall ...t. our r.apoD.ibility in Europe ADd iD the wor141 we eball me.t our r.spon.ibility for Europe aD4 for the world. Wh,D OD the Bight of 2-3 October 1990, we Genius UDlt., our 11004 wUl .b. OD' of gratitude AIl4 joy, of r.flectioD ad r,spoDsibility. It ,,111 u1te ua "ith the (Mr. Gtplch,r, Fad'ral '.»bUg of G.muy) ho~., .iahea aDd objective. of the nationl of Buropa aDd of the ~:r14o ne UIlit4ld Geraany viII reader it. contribution to peace aPd to fr.edom in Burope end throughout the whole world. Mr. IIJJID (United KiDgdO!l) I Mal' I start by cODgratulatiDg you IIOlt ..~y, Sir, on your electioB to the pr.aldeDcy of the Oeneral Alaeabll' and ~ pal'ill9 tribute to your predece.sor, Mr. Jo.eph Garba. we are alrea4y accustOlled to the ca~ aDd authoritative way in which you co~duct our discuaaloDs. I ahould lik. abo to pay a very tram tribute to the Secretary-General. Ne have beD.fited greatly frOll his v1ldOll aDd eDerv duriDg thia laat year, od, as he bon, we w111 rely OD th.. perhapa eveD ~r. eDthusiastically in the tt.e ahead. What a CODtrast there 11 Ht.en the General Asaembly today and that of a year DCJO. III 1~ lIOatha • have seea the paaslag of aD old aDd UDIIOurllld order. The end of lalt year, 1ge9, waa a tlM of great e.cite_nt. If. were lucky to vitneaa that rare happening: a peacefUl revolution. Usually, I luppoae, in world affaira lurpria•• are ua~lcOll8. But last year'a surprise. were a~st all go04 D'''. Leaa thu. a year ago, Pr.sident Gorbachev told the Goverlllll8nt of the Gemaa DellOcratic .epublic th&t tlM would Dot forgive thole who C81118 too late. One lIOath later the Berlin "all vaa torn cJOWD• • ow, on 3 October, the Genuua peepl. vill reWllite it} peace aDd 4eIIocracy. "e have iuat heard aD eloquent analyais aDd ~o..ltmeDt froa the Foreign MiDiater of the rederal .epublic of Gel'llaDl" ME. BaDI Dletdch Glnacher, on that subiect. I would ahlply add OD behalf of the United KIDg40J1 that Oil that day, 3 October, we ahall ahare wholeheartedly the ha.pplness of the German people.. It "ill be a big day, of coura., for Gel'llaDYI a big day and a welcome day for Burop. _4 for the reat of the world. AI oae of the four wartime allies, we are proud of our part in h.lping forwa~d that proc.... !h.r. was an t.Nens. amount to do when the 2 plus 4 prOCQ•• ~s fir.t dr•••t of in Ottawa iD F.bruary, but we work.d swiftly, thoroughly and as partn.r. aDd the 2 plus 4 Agr....nt .igned this month in MOscow ... a fir.t ""01' achi.vement of the DeW world ord.r. Last autunm the Foreign MiniDt.r of Poland, Mr.Skuhia••wski q who is h.re today, became the fir.t repre••ntativ. of a democratic Govarnment in Bast.rn Burope to addr... the General u ...l!'. That wa. an eztraQrdinary chanqs. Nobotly then pr.dicted that almost all the eth.r countries in Bastern Europe would ov.r so short a tiMe begin by qu••tioning and .nd by r.'.~tiD9 cQmmunism before this, the nest ••••ion of the General Assembly. Th. change of courme ha. not been confin.d to Burope. In South Africa the State Pr.sld.nt, a whit. politician .l.cted 801ely by a white minority, the leader of a party dedicated traditionally to apartheid. first released Mr. Nelson Mendela froa pri80n and then .at down in friendly and determined DegotiatioDs with him. We .Ulllt .z.rt ours.lv•• to help fonard tho•• two Mn and, more important, the peace proce•• that they are now undertaking. But we should not be ..S..d8.d by the.. happy changes. Ke must now knuckle dOVA to the 1lUD4ue ta.k of uJdllg these chuges a part of everyday Uf., of our habit. of thought and our in.tinctive ••DS. of reality. Ke cannot yet be sure of the permanonc~ er the full conlil8CJUeDCes of the "v.lvet" revolutions aroune! the world. we D••4 to r.....r that the 91'eat Chin••• atat••man ChQU Bn-lei, wh.n a.k.d what he thought of thG Fr.Dch Revolution, replied, "It is too SOQD to tell". I ea not IJu9gesting that we n••d 200 years fer r.flection, but I &11 sur. we would be .i.e to proc.ed with caution and with caution, renewed d.termination. Certainly th.re has been great .nthusiasm and great achievement; that is bc!tyond gaiDsayiDg. But it dQell not ..u that the new order ill saf.ly or completely (Mr. Byrd, Unitod KingdQm) in plac. or universally accepted. On the ~19ht of 2 August, P~e8i4ont Sad4. BUIIII.in rellind.d us of reality. By invading and mm.zinq Kuwait.. he brought instant lIob.rne.. to a vodd that wall perhaps in IIOM dagllr of beli.ving that the lIill.nnium hlld ardv.cS 10 years ahead of tille. Of ~ounet, the aggres.10n against Ituv&it was not the first act of un'ustifi'd viol.nc. with which the United RatioDII ha. had to d.a1. Of course th.re bave ~.n lIany act. of 8ggr'lIsion and in'ulltice aiuc. 1945# end SOIll of th~, we llIluat r..llber.. re..ain partly or wholly uncorrer-ted. But there was sOMIthiDg about the siapl. brutality of the attack OD Kuwait that put it in a category by it».lf. (Mr. Rurd. Vgited Klagdom) flouted. ODly ~mo .o.t d••ultory atte.pt at aD OZCU.. wa. brought forward aDd theD eveD that ozeu.. ... t..dl!\toly abu.40De4. fto Charter of th. UDitod ~atiou - our .soC.-Dt - wa. beld iD cQlIi>leto 'COllt.-pt. It i. for tho.o roa.083 that aD oztraor4inary .!US unlCJUe coalitioD of tho iDternationl cc.aUDity ha. forM4 Iraq'. aggrossion 4ominato. our thought. about tho MIddl. East, but we mast DOt 10.. .ight of othor i.sues in the l.'egiOD. Wo _st Dot 10.. 'Jight above all of the -.d for a 'u.t aolutioD, at la.t, to the Pal••tiDi_ probl_. ... have DC IntoDtioD of forgott!Dg that pieco ~f ~filli.h.4 bu.iD.... But aDy solutioD to that probl_ "ill have to r.at OD r••pect for iDtornatioDal law aD4 ro.pect for eagag_Dta oDtorod iDtO. That i. why beforo that problem CaD be .01..d .....t 40al with tho ca•• of Iraq aD4 IrllfJ'. 8991'6'1.1110.. n. chaDco. of a 1101'0 ••curo world 01'001' 4opeD4 4iroctly OD the .ucco.. of tho iDtornation! coalitioD which I havo "DtioDe4 iD r.v~r.iD9 the occupatioD of Kuwait. ~. t.at 18 fo~i4abl., thor8 can be DO doubt about that. But tho te.t CUIlot be evac104. ni8 i. a 4efiaiDg IIOMDt. Row 'WO act DO¥ will 4eflDO, wUl .hape" the uat doca4e. So it .e.s to .. that .. CIID be eDthudutie about th& real prOCJr••• which has beeD ..de iD the world, provide4 that we are Dober about tbe ta.t. atill to be aecc.pUshoO. I would like to look very briefy at the .yat_ of iDtoraatioDal rolatioD. iD which wo au.t work. Tho bade unit. iD the .y.tOll, tho ba.ic unit iD this Ball, the basic _it iD our Organisation will cODtiDue to be the DatioD .tate - thi. natioD-stato syste. which e.rge4, I suppose, lD its 1I04ern fo&'1l iD Europe iD the Di.eto.Dth ceDtury, an4 iD the twentieth ceDtury the coloDial -.piros, firet ID BastorD Europe, theD ID Africa ad Asia, _re transforlMtO into _11er DatioD etat.s. It is DOt a perfect syata, DO ODe here wou14 clam that. (Hr. brA, Voit." 11pq&w) But it bu proved elldudag aD! it hu Mall auppl8Mllte4 by r8CJloul grouplDp• • tate.. ney bdDlJ together by choice the .fforte of Maaber Sf? ~e. for a parti'.:lll1ar purpo••, act X Mlie.e that that "Ul alldure. I would like to foeu. for a 91llute or two aa a Burope~ 011 the three princlpal group. of thi. kid in Buropez the 20rth A.tlantlc Troaty Or9anl.~t1oD (RAm), the Buropean C~ty, and the Coafer.llce OD Security aDd Co-operatloD III Burope (CSCB). _ATO held a ....it ill July la LoIl4l)i!l ..d that .\.~lt took t1f!O fUD4nteDta1 deal.ioll.. W. decided that .ArO abo~ld r...in ~. a defen.ive alliance with aD illtegrate4 ca-and which pl'o.14e. a fr_work for tho .tatlouDCJ ofOllite4 States AMrleu pre••nc. lD Burope. It ".a a IIlI.take after the PiE'at Nodd War that ABerlc8ll~ ..nt hOMe - a .letake which we all regretted aDd repeated. But the .eco84 deci.lon of the BA70 ...it in July was to oat.Dd In a new waJ' aDd with a ... .-phaal. the haD4 of fdend.hip ad co-operatioll frOll IIATO to the ~t' couatria. of the Waraaw Pact, iuclu41ag of cour.e the Soviet Ollion. A. a re.ult of the LoD40D lIu.1it, .ATO "Ul r...la but 8UO "ill c:haIlge. ne a.coad k.y body In Burope i. the Buropen Cc.lUI\lty. Since 1'85 thll wlcier u4 a.eper. It .bou14 be wider Mcau.. I wou14 expect that _WllcatioD fro. a n.-ber of other European Itat.m for fMll MMlbnrehlp w111 be accepted .fore the .1&4 of the coatulY. Aa you bow, Mr. Pre.l4eDt, two er. already to hu4. SOIlIIt application. Day be frea ..MbeI'll of the Buropean Pre. Trade As.ociatioll (BFrA)1 aOM l18y COM fr_ the MWly 441110cratic State. of Central ue1 B••tern lIurope .. they coaplete tlwlr ~ruaforilatloD to fre.-IIaI'ket ecoll_le.. It ••.., to _ inconceivable that the Europe of Twelv. which we have today could or vculd wish inA.finit.ly to ahut th' door of ..mbership against fully qualified European d.JIlOcracies which al" anxious to :join, whether they are DOW members of EFTA or wheth.r they are in the centre or the south or the east of Europe. W. al" also de.pening the Co.-unity by completing the single internal market ':.0 c'uDllUUe barri.rs to trade in goods and services and to movement of people. We al" pr.paring two intergoverumental conferences, both of which wl1l begin under the Italian presidency at the .nd of this year. In one we shall seek to improve the working of our institutions, in the other we shall considol' ~lans for economic and mon.tary union. The steady British arCJWllnt, repeated in meeting after meeting, irJ for a li~~al, open, evolut!~nary approach in all theee discussions. The third European structure is the CSeB. Here we are working to establish more firmly a common system of values, common standards for Intern&tional behaviour among European States. 'lbat all sounds very high-minded. What does it mean in practi.)? I think it means some very specific things in practice. It means we need to underscore the protection of human ~ighte. We need to guarantee the rule of law. W. need to guarantee free elections. We need to work in general towards a common understanding of the fundamental freedom of individuals and the Autles of qoverDJllDt. Much of thb was sketched out in the Helsinki Final Act 15 years ago. I remember that at the time some of us looked a little warily at the high-sounding promis.s of that Final Act in Helsinki. But there are many brave individuals in the world today ~ho can testify from their own experience that out of those ~romises of 1975, eut of those unAertakings came effective pressure and eventual action to give them their liberty and their rights. How, a treaty on conventional armed forces in Europe (CFB) is a prerequisite - an indispensable prerequisite - for the cseE summit, which we hope will be held in Pari. in November, and for the en: treaty hard, urgent 'WOrk now U.e. ahead for those of us who are concerned. If we succeed in D&gotiatlnq that crE treaty in Vienna, we will have brought about a rough. military balance OD the European continentI ve will have removed the ability of all signatories to launch a surprise attack or to start large-scale offensive action. For the first time, th~ mDin instruments of physical force will be subject to detailed international lew. Arms ,- control and arms reduction, which have been a dimtanc aspiration - the mubject of many speeches over 40 years in this Hall - are now becoming a reality in Europe. Once the CFE treaty Is signed, the sunrnit in Paris can consider, and will consider, further ideas, inclUding our own - about a new centre for reducing rists, about building confidence, about preventing conflict in Europe. Of course neither a centre nor a treaty will make conflict impossible. But I believe that every move we can make towards greater openness and honesty between nations makes it harder to envisage the kind of misunderstanding that cou14 lead again to conflict in Europe. CFE, therefore, will be the stable footing on which the new European security structures can rest. Perhaps these structures are particularly important to Eastern Europe. Communism did not solve the old disputes in that part of our continent, but it put them to sleep. Now the imposed communist rule 111 disappearing an~ with it the anaesthetic which communist rule applied. We can hear again the murmur of some of those ancient disputes. Of couree in Western Europa we also used to have such disputes. French and Germans have fought each other three times in the last 120 years. Many of us were drawn in. No one would suppose that conceivable DOW. It 111 not that the nation states have disappearedl it is rather that new structures, like the European Community, are in placel it is rather that by statesmanship the poison of old dispute. has been drained away. The friendship of France and Germany - of which Hans-Dietrich Gensch.r remind.d us a few minutes ago - i. an accomplish.d and ..lca.. fact. Conflict ov.~ who should po••••• Alsac.-Lorraine, for exaap1e, i. now impossible. W. need to create that same certainty that conflict is impo.sib1e as regard. all the other diBputes which still persist to some eztent in Burope. (Mr, Bur4, Upited Kipgdom) ADd not just in lI:urope. This i.not just a European 811bition. Once the Iraqi. have beeD withdrawn froa ~uvait, we wUl need to consider how lasting peacft can be brought to the Middle last. And perhaps it is not too early to 2ltart thinking about how that long-term security can be achieved. Mr. Gium! De Micha1b, speakiag of behalf of the members of the European Community, put forward so... thoughts on that subject, which I should like to echo. There is a need for a new and serious atte~~ to resolve tho complsz of M1a~le last disputes, including, aB I have already mentioned, Palestine. There .ill also need to be a new security structure. Thi3 is 1990. It will be fo~ the States in the region to decide how this should be done. It v11l be for them to take the initiative. No one .il1 attempt to impose a system on them. But I believe the slow but eteady progress of the process of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in lurope (CSCE) may be useful to them. The CSCE process allows political 4ialO9\le and has establiahed common principles ranging from respect for borders to human rights. There is transparency through confi4ence- and security-building measures. All of thi. gradaally coming together in Europe has meant, and will mean I hope in the future, that States can increasingly trust each other and feel secure. This search for lIecurity 1s world wide. The United Rations was tormed to create and maintain such stability. Although the Charter of the UnitGd Nations was signed in San Francisco 45 years ago, the security mechanisms did not have the chance to uork as intended. They were almost immediately fro.en by the chill ef the cold war. But :Just as the security mechanisms of the Us:.ltsd Rations vere early casualties of the cold war, so they have already proved to be one of the first beneficiaries of the thaw. After many years in which political divisions among the permanent members weakened the force of Security Council resolutions, the new unity of purpose which 'Ve sett, and which vs saw again yesterday" has given the Council unprecedented vigour. I wo!:'!:ed here for four years as a junior member of my country's dele9ation in the 1950s and spent many hours in this RaIl, some of them weary hours, some of them hours which, at the time, I must confess I thought ~re fairly pointless. I never expected to see such a healthy change in this building as a result of the developments of the last year. And I am not thinking only of the Security Council resolutions over Kuwait, although for the reasons I have given, they are crucial. There are other examples. In Namibia, which under the auspices of the United Nations was able last year to achieve peaceful independence and free elections. In Cambodia, the five permanent members have co-operated closely. Discussions were tough at times. They will be on such occasions, but agreement was reached at the end of August on a framework for a comprehensive political settlement. And on 9 and 10 Septe~er the I Cambodian parties themselves endorsed this framework. I am well aware that a great d.al of hard work and argument remain on the Cambodian question, but there is now a hope, a flickering hope, where ODce despair seemed total. The Secretary-Generales mission of good offices in Cyprus continues, and it continues with our full support. It seems to us vital that all the parties should help him to reach a final settlement for that island. The United Nations must tackle the massive human problems which nation States and even regional groups cannot handle effectivaly by themllelvelll~ There illl the menace of drugs, where th' sit~ation goes up and down, but OD balance I believe continues to deteriorate. The work of the United Nations drugs units has been increasing to meet those demands, but more resources are required. Reform of the United Nations drug abuse control structure is essential. We believe the three existing drugs units should be unified into one streamlined structure under one senior full-time head, and I hope that at this session the General Assembly will be abl~to take a decision along those lines. Then there are the hugely varied problems of our enviroDmlnt, the osone layer, global warming, and many others. These are problems which have to be tackled, and quickly. But they can be tackled only if the world colllftunity acts toqother, and undoubtedly the United Nations and its agenciea offer the heat way of pooling these efforts. We make, and will continue to make, a serious contribution. It was yesterday in London that my Government published a White Paper outlining environmental policies for the 19908, inclUding the pledge to peg CO2 emissions by 2005 at 1990 levels. We must not forget, becauDe of these relatively new problems, the battle against poverty. Britain has announced in the last week important new proposcls on debt relief for the poorest countries, building OD the earlier British initiative which led to the agreement of the "Toronto terms" in 1988. We have proposed that the Paris Club should improve its existing concessions by cancelling two thirds of a country's entire bilateral official debt. Repayment of the remainder would be tailored to match each country's improving debt service capacity over 25 years. To provide additional breathing space, there would be no payments during the first five years of this period. The conditions for qualifying for this relief would remain broadly the same as for the Toronto scheme. But it seems to me that, when all these other problems are considered and our energies devoted to them, it remains true that war is still the chief scourge of mankind, and following in the wake of war, the tragedies of famine and of refugees. Because that is so, peace-making and peace-keeping will stay at the heart of worthwhile international activity. They are the core of our work here. I hope that the Unitad Nations benefits will be extended to all the people in the world who seek membership, and here I am thinking in particular of the people of Korea. I have tried briefly to sketch some of our own approaches end attitudes to these tasks in Britain. We try to bring practical realism to the tasks which I have outlined this morni~g. We know that past achievement does not guarantee future progress. It is far too soon to sit back and relax to the sound of our own self-congratulation. There is a huge amount to he done, and all of it is complicated, and much of it is daunting. But I am more hopeful than before that the international community, thr~ugh the United Nations, is equal to the tasks. Firet, as I have said and for the reasons I have given, the new order must eucceed in getting Iraq out of Kuwait, otherwise it will be stillborn and no one will take it seriously. But once that is done - and that will happen - I believe the nev order, in its different shapes and different guises, viII grow. I beli~ve it vill flourish, and I believe it will consolidate, so that the last decade of ",111i8 century, the decade which we are now entering, may well turn out to be the safest and the most successful. ADDRESS BY MR. ANIBAL CAVACO SILVA, PRIME MINISTER OF THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC DO! PRESIDENT: The Assembly will now hear. an address by the Prime·· Minister of the Portuguese Republic. Mr. ARibal Cavaco Silya, Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, VII egCorted to the rogtrum.