S/PV.2526 Security Council

I should like, at the outset, to express the sincere condolences of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan to the delegation of the Revolutionary People’s Republic of Guinea on the sad demise of President Ahmed Stkou Tour-e. As a staunch tighter for the cause of his nation’s independence from French colonialist rule, President Sekou Tour-e earned the respect and admiration not only of the people of Guinea but of the peoples all over Africa and the world. He will be long remembered. 32. May I, Sir, extend to you our warmest felicitations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. In view’of your outstanding diplomatic and human qualities,, we are certain that under your able guidance the Council will satisfactorily discharge its 33. It has now become a routine matter for the United States to appear in the Council as a defendant. It has become even more routine for the Council to consider complaints against two of the closest partners of the United States, namely the Zionist entity and the racist minority apartheid regime in South Africa. In the case of the United States, however, these complaints do not emanate from one region only: they come from*Asia, from Africa and from Latin America. 34. That fact is not just indicative of the hatred of peoples ail over the world towards the aggressive, interventionist and warmongering policies of United States imperialism; it is testimony to the determination of Member States to continue their struggle for the preservation of their independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, even if it means standing up against the most monstrous military might. It also vividly shows the confidence and trust which Member States place in the Security Council and their expectations of this supreme body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. 35. What they have achieved so far has been either futile debate with acrimonious polemics or, at best, a deliberately vague and excessively watered-down resolution. Even such resolutions have remained unimplemented, thanks to the defiance of some of the very members who voted in the affirmative. 36. But they still keep coming to the Council, for the obvious reason that there is no other place in the world with more appropriate responsibility and authority. They come because they feel threatened by those for whom they are no match. They come also because they believe in the peaceful settlement of disputes among nations. 37. This is not the first time that all those reasons have come together to prompt a decision by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to bring its legitimate case before the Council. Nor is it the first time that the United States has been responsible for the creation of a situation warranting the convening of the Council. 38. It should be recalled that, since the victory of the people’s revolution in Libya and the emancipation of the Libyan people from the bondage of United States neo-colonialism, a disproportionately large campaign of lies and defamation has accompanied an all-out United States economic, political and military blockade of and direct armed aggression and acts of provocation against Libya. Through the years, the devilish animosity of the United States towards Libya has developed a frightening, sadistic complexion that manifests itself now in one form and now in another. 40. Thus, a false and fundamentally distorted image is drawn of Libya and its foreign policy. The initial intention was to force some countries of the region into the American orbit by scaring them with an imaginary and hypothetical threat from Libya. This lie has been so often repeated that even the inventor of the lie, the United States, seems to believe it. 41. The present scenario is all too familiar. It reads as follows: “It is a bird. No, wait: it is a plane: It is a Soviet-made plane. It is a Soviet-made, Libyan-owned plane.” But the world observes, “Oh, no; it is an AWACS plane.” 45. Mr. President, I should like to conclude by thanking you and, through you, the Council for affording my delegation the opportunity to appear before the Council and to make this statement. 42. Little more than a year ago the United States was trumpeting, with full force, charges that Libya was massing its troops along the frontiers of a neighbouring State and was preparing to launch an act of aggression against that State. But long before the smoke-screen dispersed and the propaganda dust settled, little doubt remained in the mind of the international community about the real cause of the escalating tension in that region. The .Pentagon’s strategists had considered it imperative to deploy more detachments of their armada in the region, and, in order to justify that action, they desperately needed a pretext. The CIA cooked up a design which was carried out in large part by the imperialist disinformation and misinformation monopolies. Libya was to be accused of preparing to attack a neighbouring State. Provocative and slanderous statements were made against Libya, its people, its revolution and its leadership. The aircraft-carriers Nimitz and Eisenbower were dispatched to roar along the shores of Libya in a deliberate show of force. The “Bright Star” manoeuvres were conducted in the close proximity of Libyan territory with full participation by United States ground, naval and air forces. .In a stark act of aggression, United States fighter-planes belonging to the Sixth Fleet attacked Libyan planes which were on a reconnaissance flight over the territorial waters of Libya and shot down two of the Libyan aircraft. The Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, after examining the situation at the request of Libya, condemned the United States act of aggression. The Security Council, however, was paralysed in its meetings on the subject in February and August 1983, owing to the veto cast by the United States. Since then, many covert and overt 46. The PRESIDENT [interpretationfrom Russian]: ‘The next speaker is the representative of Czechoslovakia. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

It was with great sorrow that the Government and the people of Czechoslovakia received the news of the death of President Ahmed SCkou Tour6 of Guinea, a great son of Africa, who throughout his life strove for the liberation of the black continent in order to rid Africa of colonialism and neocolonialism and for the unity and solidarity of the African nation. We shall remember his contribution to the forming of the Organization of African Unity and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and to the constant growth of their progressive role; and we shall not forget his personal and political contribution to the development of friendship and co-operation between the Czechoslovak and Guinean peoples. On behalf of the Czechoslovak delegation, I should like to convey through you, Sir, our profound condolences to the people and the Government of Guinea and to President SCkou Tourt’s family. 48. I wish at the outset to thank you, Mr..President, and all the other members of the Council for the opportunity to address this forum, as the representative of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, on the issue on the agenda today. Let me also extend to you, the representative of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, my sincerest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the current 44. As Babrak Karma& General Secretary of the Central Committee of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan and President of the Revolutionary Council of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, said on the occasion of the Afghan new year, which begins on 20 March: “We consider it our main duty to defend peace and security in the international arena. Pursuing this policy, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan strongly condemns the strivings of the imperialists, headed by United States imperialism, directed towards the intensification of tension in the world and intervention in the internal affairs of independent countries, and its militaristic and warmongering policy.” 49. After a lapse of not much more than seven months, the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has again been compelled to turn to the Council in a situation where it is being subjected to hostile campaigns and provocations and its security increasingly threatened. The Council must again deal with acts directed against a sovereign Member State which are incompatible with the Charter and the principles of international conduct among States. And again the same forces in the United States are connected with these acts. 50. This time the pretext given for hostile anti-Libyan statements by leading representatives of the United States, for stepped-up provocative military measures and for fanning hostility among neighbouring Arab States against Libya is the alleged participation by Libya in the bombing of a Sudanese town. Belligerent measures by the United States followed with remarkable speed and purpose-very much like the armed aggression against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the pretext of the so-called Tonkin Gulf incident, which, as has been amply proved, was staged by the United States itself, and very much like the recent armed aggression against Grenada, on the equally artificially construed pretext of an alleged threat to the lives of United States citizens. 51. Hostile acts by the United States against Libya are neither new nor isolated. Almost immediately after the victory of the anti-imperialist and a&colonial revolution in Libya, that country has been the target of attacks and of military, political and economic pressure by the United States and other imperialist Powers. These acts must, at the same time, be seen within the context of the efforts by imperialist forces, headed by the United States, to regain supremacy over the nations of Africa, to limit those nations’ sovereignty and independence and to make them docile in keeping with neocolonialist behaviour. 52. The belligerent acts against Libya are not an isolated phenomenon in the foreign-policy strategy of the United States. The Washington Administration is stepping up armaments, carrying out a policy of blackmail and diktat and arbitrarily proclaiming so-called United States spheres of vital interests. It has become apparent that this Administration does not at all hesitate to use armed force to suppress revolutionary liberation movements, as attested to by the aggression against Grenada, the events in Lebanon and the situation with regard to Nicaragua. The deployment of new United States nuclear first-strike weapons on the territories of three Western European countries, pres- 53. The Czechoslovak Government and people are . gravely concerned at the escalating acts of pressure and provocation against the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, a sovereign independent State actively participating in the anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist and anti-racist struggle of the entire progressive mankind, a State whose extensive relations with my own country have been reflected in a treaty of friendship and cooperation and are being further developed on that basis to the benefit of the peoples of both countries. 54. The Government and the people of the Czecho- Slovak Socialist Republic resolutely condemn the hostile acts against Libya and its friendly people and against ‘Libyan sovereignty and independence-acts which, at the same time, constitute a threat to international peace and security. We are in complete solidarity with the Libyan people, which resolutely resists these provocations and this pressure. It is our expectation that the consideration of Libya’s legitimate complaint in the Council will result in the halting of these arbitrary acts. 55. The PRESIDENT [interpretufionfiom Russian]: The next speaker is the representative of Cuba. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. 56. Mr. ROA KOURI (Cuba) [interpretation from Spanish]: Mr. President, I would like first of all to convey to you our keen satisfaction at seeing you presiding over the meetings of the Council this month. Your recognized talent and diplomatic skill, as well as your commitment to principles, guarantee beforehand the success of our work. 57. As I thank the other members, through you, for giving me the opportunity to take part in today’s debate, I would like to say how pleased my delegation was over the impeccable way in which Mr. Javier Arias Stella, representative of Peru, conducted the work of the Council in March. 58. In the last few weeks we have witnessed a dangerous aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and the eastern portion of North Africa. 59. After the failure of reckless United States and Israeli meddling in Lebanon, where the patriotic forces prevented the consummation of a new betrayal of the Arab nation and the cause of the Palestinian people, 60. Whereas in the past the United States violated Libyan sovereignty and attacked aeroplanes of that non-aligned country over the Gulf of Sidra, acts that were condemned by the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, now it is devising the fable of a Libyan bombing of Omdurman in the neighbouring Sudan in order to increase its military aid to allies in the region and to send new AWACS spy planes to strengthen its activities against the revolutionary peoples and countries of Africa and the Middle East. 67. The threats now hovering over the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya are identical to those daily made against Nicaragua or against my country, against the patriots of the Poiisario Front, ,or the Salvadorian Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, against the People’s Republic of Angola or the Syrian Arab Republic, against the PLO, the African National Congress of South Africa or SWAPO. 61. This is not a new technique. Twenty-three years ago, in this same forum, ‘the then representative of the United States stated with characteristic impudence that Cuban Air Force aircraft flown by “rebel officers” were to blame for the bombing of the airports of Havana on 15 April 1961. However, everyone knows that those planes, in fact, belonged to the United States Air Force and had been dispatched by the CIA to guarantee control of the air for the mercenary forces which it sent a few days later against Playa Gir&, where imperialism suffered a historic defeat. 68. The revolutionary Government of Cuba-which holds as unswerving principles of its foreign policy solidarity with the peoples struggling for their liberation; the defence of peace and security of all States, large and small; the struggle to bring about intemational detente; the right of peoples to development and to a genuinely independent life; the establishment of a new international economic order; and the advent of a world free of wars, nuclear weapons and military blocs-firmly supports its Libyan brothers and their right to denounce the policy of aggression and pressure unleashed against the Jamahiriya by the United States Government. 62. Let us also recall the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the mining of Vietnamese ports which were a prelude to the dirty imperialist war against heroic Viet Nam. In the last few days, the sinister hand of the CIA has become evident yet again in Nicaragua with the mining of various ports of that fraternal country, an action that is a breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations and which cannot fail to acquire special meaning in the light of these precedents. 69. It is essential to bring to an end the political and military interference of imperialism in the-Middle East and neighbouring regions, as well as all acts of provocation and threats to the sovereignty of Libya. If the Council does not once and for all bridle the warhorse of imperialism, no one tomorrow will be able to halt the emergence of a new world conflict which could put an end to life on earth. 63. There can be no doubt at all that the community of nations, and in particular the Council, whose prime responsibility is the maintenance of international peace and security, have very good reason to be disturbed in the light of the dangerous turn taken by the intemational situation at the present time as a consequence of the warmongering adventurism that has been manifested by each of the acts of the current United States Administration. 70. We trust that sooner rather than later the conviction that such a monstrous destiny is possible will ensure that reason and justice prevail in international relations. 64. Old conflicts remain unresolved while new focal points of tension are in danger of assuming greater and more dangerous proportions. 71. The PRESIDENT [interpretation from Russian]: The next speaker is the representative of Hungary. I invite ,him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. 65. Genuine peace initiatives, such as the United Nations plan for Namibia, the Fez plan, the resolutions of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine and the peace-seeking efforts of the Contadora Group meet with undisguised hostility on the part of imperialism when they do not simply become bogged down in the dead end of mere formal support lacking a genuine and necessary political will to find just and lasting solutions to the conflicts. 72. Mr. Rk2Z (Hungary): Mr. President; at the very outset I should like sincerely to thank you and, through you, the other members of the Council for inviting my delegation to the deliberations of this body and for giving me the opportunity to express our view with regard to the item on the agenda. 74. It is a great honour and privilege for me to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of April. It is my pleasure to see in the Chair a representative of the neighbourly Ukrainian people, with which we have traditionally good, fraternal relations, and to express my confidence that your known diplomatic skill and wisdom will contribute greatly to the success of the Council’s work. I should also like to express our appreciation of the exemplary manner in which your predecessor, the representative of Peru, conducted the work of the Council last month. 75. The international community has become very sensitive to every kind of international tension-and rightly so, because in many parts of the world the dimensions of confrontation are growing to dangerous proportions. Today the Council is discussing an issue which has been in the forefront of attention for some time. This is not the first time that Libya has had to resort to requesting the calling of a meeting of the Council because its security has been threatened by the military presence of a Power alien to the region. The details of the past developments and those of the overall propaganda campaign to which Libya has for many years been subjected are too well known to all present. 76. The sending by the United States of two AWACS aircraft to the region to carry out spy missions against Libya is yet another manifestation of the anti-Libyan manoeuvres that constitute an act of provocation and amount to a military threat. More significant is that this step and the hysteria that accompanied it clearly demonstrate that some of the influential circles in international politics will stop at nothing to use any pretext for muscle-flexing. Those circles keep on stubbornly ignoring the genuine interests of mankind and the corresponding wish of all peoples to alleviate intemational tension and to promote the spirit of mutual understanding among nations. 77. As several speakers who have spoken before me in this debate have pointed out, the real aim of the United States Administration in North Africa, as it is in many other parts of the world, is to strengthen its position and to increase its military presence--even in faraway regions. In pursuing these goals a double 78. Hungary is in full solidarity with Libya and, with every nation struggling for the respect for, and full realization of, the aforementioned principles, for genuine independence and against external pressure. 79. The aim of the ongoing campaign against Libya is not only to try to intimidate that country, to discredit it among the African nations,. to sow the seeds of discord and conflict among peoples with common tradi-. tions and similar aspirations-a policy well known from colonial times-but also deliberately to poison the international atmosphere. This is a very dangerous course, because no one can lose sight of the possibility that provocations of this nature may lead to unpredictable consequences, jeopardize the stability of the region in question and threaten international peace and security as a whole. This is why we feel concern about any sign of an increase in the mood of confrontation and any developments that add to the strains of the already tense international situation. It is our firm conviction that in the long run only reason, self-restraint and mutual respect for one another’s interests can bring about the normalization and development of relations among all countries and peoples the world over. 80. The PRESIDENT [interpretationfrom Russian]: I now call on the Secretary of the People’s Committee of the People’s Bureau for Foreign Liaison of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. 81. Mr. TREK1 (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) [interpretation from Arabic]: I should like to extend to you, Sir, the congratulations of the delegation of the Jamahiriya on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for this month. I congratulate you not only because you represent a friendly country which is bound to my country by links of friendship and cooperation, but also because of your well-known ability and wisdom, which will ensure that the Council’s work for this month is crowned with success. 82. I also extend the thanks .and appreciation of my delegation for the constructive and outstanding manner in which your predecessor, Mr. Arias Stella, the representative of Peru, conducted the Council’s business last month. 83. The Council is meeting on the same day to discuss complaints from two small, peaceable, non-aligned countries about intervention and aggression by the United States Administration. I believe that it is rare in the Council’s history for it to witness such a situation, 89. Those who have been following developments in the United States election campaign can see the unfortunate extent of the penetration by this monstrous octopus, the movement known as Zionism. The candidates compete with one another as though they were candidates for an election in Israel, defending the Zionist entity. They argue over who would be the first to move the embassy to Jerusalem, despite the numerous resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. 85. We are willing to engage in dialogue, and to establish sound relations with all in accordance with principles and mutual respect. But we will not acquiesce, and we will not sell our independence, even for billions of dollars. We want problems among States to be solved peacefully through bilateral or regional channels. 84. As small, non-aligned countries we do not seek hostility for the sake of hostility, and we do not seek problems for the sake of problems. We want to live in peace. We want to be free in our countries, free to choose our socio-economic systems as we deem appropriate. Millions of human beings have been sacrificed in defence of our freedom, and we do not want to turn that freedom over to the United States. 86. The picture is becoming clearer every day. President Nimeiri announced today his discovery of a coup attempt in the Sudan. His declaration concerning that attempt clarifies the fabrications and the scenario and the real reason for what has happened. We do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of the Sudan, but we will not accept the exploitation of the fraternal Sudan by the enemies. of the Arab nation and the allies of Zionism to commit aggression against us and create problems between us and our brothers. 87. As members are aware, in recent days the delegations of many States-European, Latin American, African and Asian-have spoken before the Council. All have been unanimous in condemning the aggression. Indeed, members have probably noted that not a single one has defended the United States, in spite of its billions, its armadas, its Rapid Deployment Forces and manoeuvres. That fact holds the promise that the world is still all right-that neither force nor billions or dollars can buy the conscience of peoples. Still less can the aircraft-carrier policy force peoples to abandon their convictions. 88. The Council must shoulder its responsibilities and tell the United States to desist from violating the Char: ter and taking lightly. the Security Council and the 90. I would assure the Council that my delegation and our small, peaceable people are proud of the great support and all the backing and solidarity on the part of peaceand freedom-loving peoples. But even if the Council remains unable to adopt an appropriate resolution, owing to circumstances which are well known to its members, there will be an end to injustice. Even if they are small, peoples are able to make sacrifices. 91, The people of the Jamahiriya, which is committed to all international laws and instruments, affirms its full confidence in the Council and its full belief in the United Nations and its survival, although some would like to wave us a fond farewell; as has been said in the Council. The United Nations, its principles and its objectives will survive, and the aggressors will meet theirjust end. The history of peoples-most recently in Viet Namhas taught us that the forces of injustice will meet their end.

We, too, wish to extend to you, Sir, congratulations on your assuming the presidency for this month, and we trust you will discharge your heavy responsibilities with great distinction and impartiality. 93. I should just like to say that we cannot agree that the dreary litany-to which the Council has listened so patiently-by non-members of the Council, members not known for their independent voting record, and by the most aligned members of the non-aligned, means much of anything at all. The meeting rose at I p.m. HOW TO OBTAIN UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS United Nations publications may be obtained from bookstores and distributors throughout the world. Consult your bookstore or write to: United Nations. Sales Section. New York or Geneva. COMMENT SE PROCURER LES PUBLICATIONS DES NATIONS UNIES Les publications des Nations Unies sont en vente dans la librairies et les agences depositaims du monde entier. Informez-vous aupres de votre libraire ou adressez-vous a : Nations Unies. Section des vents. New York ou Geneve. EVI~HWR Opranwsaurtu C%-hennnenuats Hawdi ICJXHD xynwrb a KHHX~~IX Haraamtax H arenrcruax ao acex paRottax rdepa. Haeonwre CnpaaKR 06 H3AaHHIIX B aautess rornx~(~o*r ruaraanne nrrn ~HIUHT~ no anpecy: OpranHJaUHR 06%eAHHeHHblX Hatann. Cexunn no npoaawe noaannil. HbEO-MOpK HIIH )fCeHeBa. COMO CONSECUIR PUBLICACIONES DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS Las publicaciones de Ins Naciones Unidas es&r en venta en librerlas y casas distribuidoras en todas panes de1 mundo. Cons&e a su librero o ditijase a: Naciones Unidas. Sxcidn de Yentas. Nueva York o Ginebra. Litho in United Nations, New York 00300 90-61313-Jamy 1993-2.050