S/PV.2778 Security Council

I should like to inform members of the Council that I have received a letter from the representative Of Angola, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I proposer with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the r&Want provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional.rules Of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation of the President, Mr. De Figueiredo (Angola) took a place at the Council table.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting today in response to a request contained in a letter dated 22 December 1987 from the representatives of the Congo, Ghana and Zambia addressed to the President of the Security Council, document S/19377. Members of the-council have before them the report of the Secretary-General in pursuance of Security Council resolution 602'(1987), document s/19359. Members of the Council also have before them document S/19379, which contains i the text of a draft resolution submitted by Argentina, the Congo, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates and Zambia. The first speaker is the representative of Angola, on whom I call. I&DE FIGJEIREDO (Angola): Sir, it gives my delegation great pleasure to welcome in the Chair as President of the Security Council a distinguished comrade from a fraternal socialist State, one of the staunchest defenders of independence and self-determinatia! and one of the most implacable foes of imperialism, colonialism and racism. On behalf of my Goveernment I would like ti express my delegation's appreciation to the members of the Security Council for their hard work and consideration of the question of South African aggression against the People’s Republic of Angola, since at least 1975. I have also been directed to place on / record our appreciation to all members of the Council, and in particular the five permanent members, for the unanimous adoption of Security Council j resolution 602 (1987) last month. The unanimous adoption of a resolution condenming the racist South African regime and demanding that it unconditionally . withdraw all its *forces occupying Angolan territory was a triumph for the will of L the Council and an indication of its importance as the peace-keeping organ of the United Nations. MY Government is also deeply grateful to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his close involvement in the. issue before the Council. We also wish to commend the team that, as a result of the mandate given the Secretary-General, recently visited Angola to prepare the report we have before us today. Though I may have grown tired of calling the racists "liars", they shaw no signs of fatigue at telling lies, lies that span the full spectrum, from evasions and bluff to outright falsehood and deceit. At the time the racists announced they were withdrawing troops from Angola, they were in fact reinforcing their positions. When the racist chief of the South African Defence Force states that those troops whose tour of duty is to be completed in December will definitely be home for Christmas, he neglects to add that that applies to a fairly small number, 1 *. tiat those troops have been or are being replaced and that the number of racist troops illegally occupying Angolan territory has not decreased. Talk of terminological inexacti tide ! The magical stability of the number .of racist troops , and even their increase, brings to mind the Biblical story of the loaves and the fishes, except that in the Biblical instance it .was a case of social justice, and in the instance of the racist troops it is a cse of cynicism and brutality. When the racist chief states that no specific details can be provided on the withdrawal because the troops are being withdrawn under operational conditions, his contempt for international law and for the mandatory nature of the Security Council resolution is clearly revealed. When the racist rdgime, the outcast of the international community, refuses to provide a satisfactory response to the Secretary-General, then the Council should take note of this flouting of the United Nations Charter and of its own authority. I will not repeat here the military details that were provided to the MiSSiOn in Angola; they are set forth in the report. suffice it to say that, if the : racist withdrawal had really even begun in earnest , surely we would be the first to know. I would add that’ the racist withdrawal has been taking place, according to the apartheid regime, since 1981, the year when the racists invaded and stayed. Th is withdrawal must indeed be metaphysical, since it is surely not physical. I would _. also venture to add, though it may sound cynical, taht the racists who have SO fasr wi&lraWn from Angola are those killed in battle. The Council has before it a draft resolution that requests the Secretary-General to continue vonitoting the withdrawal of the racist forces from Angolan territory. !4y Government, as chief claimant in this case, fully endorses. that request,. which is to be implemented’with a view to obtaining from Pretoria a (Mr. Ue Figueiredo, Angola) time frame for withdrawai, as well as a confirmation of its completion. I would add that the withdrawal referred to is a ~tal, complete withdrawal of all South African troops and other presence fromAngolan territory. It is indeed an irony that, of 12 years of Angolan independence, six have seen parts of Angolan territory occupied by foreign racist forces. And it is a shame that the regime whose forces are in illegal occupation of parts of Angola pretends to represent a country that was a Founding Member of the United Nations. It is a pity that the majority inhabitants of South Afri&, to whom the country rightly and proudly belongs, have the misfortune to be ruled by a regime which has succeeded in getting kicked out of the General Assetily. No other regime anywhera in the world, no matter‘ how nefarious, has so far earned that dubious distinction. However, since we are all neighbours $n this planet, an~d since the United Nations is the only truly international forum we have at our disposal, we continue to believe that the Security Council and its mandatory resolutions are our best chance for a peaceful solutim t0 the problem of the illegal presence of racist troops in my country. I Cur cause is just and our courage is qreat. with a unanimous Council, we cannot fail. As Benjamin Franklin said, .There never was a good war or a bad peace." ( .; ', A luta continua; a vitoria e certa.

I thank the representative of Angola for the kind words he addressed to me and to my country. Since there are no further speakers on my list, it is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. : First, I wish to draw the Council18 attentim to the fact that the sponsors of the draft resolution have made two small oral revisions. The first is m delete the words %ince 1981" in operative paragraph 1. The secard is to add the word 'total" before "withdrawal" in the first line of operative paragraph 2. As no member of the Council wishes to speak before the voting, I prOpOSe.nw, if there is no objection, to.put to the vote the draft resolution contained in document S/19379, as orally revised. There being no objection, it is so decided. A vote was taken by show of hands. In favour: Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Congo, France, Republic of, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Dhion of Republics, United Arab Rnirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Iteland,.Dnited States of Anierica,. Venezuela, Za*ia The PEESIDl2?T (interpretation from Ibussian)t There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resoiution, as orally tevised, has therefore been adopted unanimously as resolution 606 (1987). As no member has asked to speak after the vote, I call again dn the representative of Angola. Wr. DE FIGUEXREDO (Angola): I wish to speak very briefly, Mr. President, to thank all those who have worked so hard cm the issue'before us and c& the resolution just adopted by the Counkl. "I also wish to thank you personally and on behalf of my Government and delegation for having presided over the debate and for your most able handling of it. MY delegation continues to have full confidence in the ability and political will of the Council to see this issue through to a satisfactory SalUtio% Our confidence in the Council has been renewed and justified by recent developments. . . .*,. ._ _- Germany, Federal Swiet Socialist __ We sincerely hope that the Secretary-General will at the earliest date report to the Council on a timetable for the withdrawal of all the racist troops from our country and obtain confirmation of the completion of full withdrawal/so that all Angolan territory is free of the-racist troops , and southern Africa can turn to other pressing tasks.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda. STATEMENTBYTRE PRESIDaST The PPESIDaJT (interpretation from Russian): Before adjourning the meeting, which may well he the last official meeting of the Security Council for this year, I should like, on behalf of the Council and personally, to take this opportunity to bid farewell'to those members who will be leaving the Council at the end of this year. I am sure that each of us will long remember the genuinely great contributions made to the Council's work and its pursuance of the aims of our Organization by Ambassador Tsvetkov of Bulgaria , Ambassador Adouki of the Congo, Ambassador Gbeho of Ghana, Ambassador Al-Shaali of the united Arab Emirates and Ambassador Aguflar of Venezuela and their delegations. On behalf of the Council, I express to them our deepest and cordial gratitude and appreciation for the Spirit of co-operation that they have unfailingly shcwn for two years during their term in the Security Council ineverything relating to the Council's discharge of the lofty and responsible duties entrusted to it by the Charter. I appreciate personally the spirit of collegiality unfailingly displayed in the Couucil's work and in their dealings with Presidents of the Council, including me, by A&assador& Tsvetkov, Adouki, Gbeho, Al-Shaali and Aguilar. I thank them warmly for the assistance I have received from them as President of the Council - this is the second time I have been President - and from the delegations they head. I am sure we shall all miss them when we meet once again in this Chamber to consider the urgent-and important items which regularly have to be dealt with here in the Security Council. Nevertheless, I am surer as are the other members of the Council, that we shall unfailingly be working closely with those representatives - at sessions Of the General Assembly and at meetings of other United Nations organs. I am sure they will continue to display the spirit of co-operation for the Sake of the lofty goals of our Organization. I also take this cpportunity to express my deep and sincere gratitude to Our Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, for his tireless efforts in support of'the Council*s work, and to the staff of the Secretariat he heads for it6 valuable co-operati.on in our work. In conclusion, I wish everyone around this table and the staff of the Secretariat who are present, and their ,families, the very .best for the holidays and for peace in the New Year, 1988; the best of .good health, happiness and prosperity to every one of you and your families. .The meeting rose at 5 p.m. .-