UNdemocracy - General Assembly Session 53 meeting 20

Date	29 September 1998
Started	15:00
Ended	19:15

Links for full page

URL:

wiki:

Instructions

Click on the Link to this button beside the speech or paragraph to expand it to a useful panel containing:

The date of the speech
A link to the original page of the PDF document
A URL that can be used in most blogs
A structured Citation template suitable for use in a Wikipedia article.

Those last two rows ("URL" and "wiki") use textboxes to hide most of the text.

To access this text, right-click in the textbox with your mouse and choose "Select All", then right-click again and choose "Copy". Now you can right-click into another window and choose "Paste" to get the text.

A-53-PV.20 1998-09-29 15:00 29 September 1998 [[29 September]] [[1998]] /

The President: Mr. Opertti (Uruguay)

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

More on this topic

Agenda item 9 (continued)

General debate

The President

I call on the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Water Resources of Nepal, Her Excellency The Honourable Shailaja Acharya.

Ms. Acharya (Nepal)

I wish to recall the late B.P. Koirala, the legendary leader who became the symbol of democracy in Nepal because of his long years of imprisonment, self-sacrifice and struggle. As the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal, he stood at this podium 38 years ago to this very day and declared that the foreign policy of Nepal would be inspired by the purposes and principles of the United Nations. He said that Nepal looked upon the United Nations as an instrument for promoting peace and justice among nations. Those sentiments have always guided Nepal's international relations.

It is my pleasure to extend to you, Sir, the warm congratulations of my delegation on your election as President of the General Assembly. It is a tribute to your great country's contribution to the work of the United Nations and a recognition of your own personal qualifications. Please be assured of the cooperation of my delegation in your work. I would also like to place on record our appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Udovenko, for the wisdom and deftness of touch with which he guided the previous session.

I would also like to express, on behalf of the Government and the people of Nepal, our deep sympathy and condolences to the Governments and the peoples of Bangladesh and China on the massive loss of life and property due to the recent devastating floods in those two friendly neighbouring countries. We also sympathize with the victims of hurricane Georges.

Mr. Semakula Kiwanuka (Uganda), Vice-President, took the Chair.

Ms. Acharya (Nepal)

It is heartening to note that this year we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While we are guided by lofty human rights goals in the international field, we are no less committed to attaining them at the national level. Our commitment to democracy, human rights and uplifting the quality of life of the people is unflinching, despite a low level of economic development and the innumerable constraints, including the problem of refugees. It is our firm belief that democracy and development should reinforce each other. Society can enjoy uninterrupted peace and progress only when the rule of law and the participation of an entire people in governance and development are ensured.

We are a small nation with a great heritage. Our tradition has been one of peace, compassion and brotherhood. We have always striven to promote understanding and goodwill among different nations, especially with our neighbours. While retaining our age-old cultural values, our people have struggled for years and have made great sacrifices to establish democratic institutions and to uphold the principles of human rights and dignity. In this endeavour we are conscious of the challenges that we have to face. But we are determined to make all possible efforts to fulfil the aspirations of our people and, in our limited way, to contribute to the achievement of the noble ideals of this great Organization, which provides us with a forum to express our views on the concerns of mankind.

I consider it a privilege and an opportunity to make an appeal to the developed nations to extend support and cooperation in our endeavour to preserve the dignity and honour of our people and the sovereignty of our nation. We are determined to face every eventuality to defend those ideals.

Centralized planning has failed to produce desired results even after many years. We believe that unless people are mobilized, from the grass roots to the policy level, the reality on the ground is unlikely to change. To realize this, institutional and legal changes are necessary. Administrative, financial and political systems have all to be decentralized. Real power has to be transferred to the people. We have taken certain steps in that direction. However, I admit that this is not enough.

We are committed to the empowerment of women. But changing gender hierarchies without changing social and economic hierarchies is not possible, as gender relations do not operate in a vacuum. It is a fact that gender relations are related to and influenced by social, economic and political systems. Nevertheless, as a prelude to the political empowerment of Nepali women, 20 per cent of the seats in local bodies have been reserved. As a result, 36,000 women are now in the political hierarchy at the grass-roots level. In my opinion, this is a significant breakthrough.

The list of problems facing us is endless. We live today in an unequal world, where global disparities in wealth and income are rising rapidly, widening the gap between the rich and the poor, increasingly dividing human societies into one of plenty, luxury and power, on the one hand, and one of poverty and hardship, on the other. The low level of economic development due to the lack of capital and technology, among other things, is hampering the progress and prosperity of developing countries. Similarly, the falling prices of primary commodities, the lack of access to international markets and the low level of resource flows and the unfavourable international economic environment have compounded the difficulties of the developing countries. The worldwide wave of liberalism in trade and services in the aftermath of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements has moved the international economy to greater competitiveness. However, the capacity of the developing countries to trade needs to be sufficiently enhanced to ensure a level playing field.

The current financial and economic crisis facing many countries is affecting even the advanced economies of the world, not to mention the vulnerable and weaker ones. This calls for much-needed reforms in the global financial system.

The developing world consists of 85 per cent of humanity, more than one third of them in the least developed countries. One third of the countries in this most vulnerable category are landlocked, and this structural deficiency is the greatest handicap to fair competition and development. All these countries have a vital stake in peace and development. In the shaping of a new global dispensation, each category of nations should have a voice and should receive fair and equal treatment.

Sustainable development is not only an economic or ecological phenomenon; it also involves participatory governance, empowerment of women and promotion of equity and justice. In a developing country such as Nepal, the role and participation of women in the development process are of great significance because of the multiple responsibilities of women. In this context, the role of the United Nations system in enhancing the participation of women in national development and in creating awareness of the issues relating to women is laudable.

On our march towards a democratic and just society, we face many challenges, such as pervasive poverty, mass illiteracy, environmental degradation, population explosion and, above all, gender inequality. We believe that many problems related to economic development can be more effectively tackled through regional and subregional cooperation among nations. Tremendous opportunities are available for subregional cooperation in our part of the world among the countries in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin. These opportunities include water resources development, flood control, energy supply, forestry management and environmental protection, among other things. Development efforts in water resources, for example, would help irrigate the fertile fields in the plains of India, improve the waterways so vital for the transportation sector of Bangladesh and generate hydropower in Nepal to meet the energy needs of the region as a whole. Such a development strategy may be the key to the future prosperity of the region.

Nearly a quarter of the world's population continues to live in extreme poverty. This is largely because our approach to development, in which the State plays an overwhelming role, has given rise to inefficiency and corruption, and our reliance on unregulated market forces has led to an increase in inequality across the world. We believe there is a need for a third alternative in which the human being is at the centre, not the State or market forces; the human being with faith, values, emotions; the human being with dreams and aspirations as a citizen, as a member of family and as an economic being. This approach takes into account all the dimensions of the human being and society. Changing economic relationships and structure alone is not enough. The individual also has to change. We believe that this is what we should be pursuing in the twenty-first century.

I bring the greetings and good wishes of the Government and the people of Nepal to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan. In a comparatively short period of time, he has proved his dedication to the task of modernizing our Organization and his great diplomatic talent and statesmanship in defusing situations posing a real threat to international peace and security. In the process of reform which he has started with his far-reaching package of proposals, he can count on Nepal's support.

Reform by its very nature is a continuing process. The United Nations and its principal organs, such as the Security Council, must adapt to the dynamics of change. However, we, the Member States, have so far failed to arrive at a general agreement to improve the composition and functioning of the Security Council to better reflect the reality of a vastly expanded membership of the Organization. The recently concluded summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in South Africa reaffirmed the collective position of non-aligned countries in this regard.

No scheme of reform, however, should undermine the power and authority of the General Assembly, which is the nearest thing to a world parliament. All the leaders of Nepal who have addressed the Assembly have underscored the role and authority of this most democratic and representative organ where each of us has a voice and vote equal to that of a great Power, on any questions or any matters within the scope of the Charter of the Organization.

Sound and secure financing is the basis for good management of the Organization. We believe that all Member States must fulfil their obligations to make full and timely payment of their dues.

In its primary role in the maintenance of international peace and security, peacekeeping has been and will remain one of the indispensable tools of the United Nations. As a troop-contributing country, we are happy to commemorate 50 years of United Nations peacekeeping. Over these years, Nepal has contributed more than 32,000 troops and military and civilian police monitors to various peacekeeping missions of the United Nations around the globe. Many of them have lost lives or limbs in the cause of peace. Nepal has signed a stand-by system agreement with the United Nations. We are committed to deploying up to 2,000 troops, including medical and engineering units, military observers and headquarters staff, and 200 police monitors available to be called at any time by the United Nations, even on short notice.

The recent nuclear tests in South Asia, which came as a disturbing development, have nevertheless reinforced our commitment to speeding up the time-bound nuclear disarmament process. We welcome the declarations made by the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in this Hall last week to facilitate the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

My delegation is happy to note that the Secretary-General has recognized that the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, known as the Kathmandu Centre, has provided a valuable forum for meetings on regional confidence and security-building measures. As host to the Centre, Nepal would urge Member States of the Asia-Pacific region to increasingly avail themselves of the services of the Centre.

Problems related to drug abuse and terrorism defy territorial barriers. As the Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala, stated at the Durban summit at the beginning of this month, they add to the intricacies of complex regional and global relations. The terrorist bombings in Kenya and Tanzania deserve universal condemnation. These bombings and the subsequent missile strikes came as a shock, reinforcing our belief that concerted international efforts are essential in this regard.

Let me conclude by briefly mentioning the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), consisting of seven countries of the region representing one fifth of humanity. We are united in a common effort to improve the quality of life of all our peoples. The recent Colombo summit agreed to draw up a SAARC social charter to give further dimension to regional cooperation. The seven SAARC countries also finalized a text of a regional convention on combatting the crime of trafficking in women and children for prostitution. The convention will be signed in Kathmandu at the next SAARC summit. This will be another landmark in regional cooperation in South Asia.

The Acting President

I now call on the Chairman of the delegation of Samoa, His Excellency Mr. Tuiloma Neroni Slade.

Mr. Slade (Samoa)

May I congratulate Mr. Opertti most warmly on his well-acclaimed election and express to him, on behalf of my Government, our full confidence and support for his presidency.

We want also to pay tribute to Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine for his commitment and determined leadership during the fifty-second session.

At this stage of my statement, I am honoured to speak as Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and to do so on behalf of 32 AOSIS States that are Members of the United Nations.

I take the opportunity from the outset to declare our heartfelt concerns and deepest feelings for the people and communities of the Caribbean and those bordering the Caribbean and in the southern parts of the United States who have lost families and properties or have been left homeless by hurricane Georges. We join in the call for the most generous assistance to them all. Several of the countries suffering severe damage and devastation -- such as Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Virgin Islands -- are AOSIS members, and we have them especially in our thoughts at this time.

For our small island States, these climate-related events are occurring with alarming force and regularity. We have it from the experts that powerful hurricanes like Georges could be linked to the "cold event" of La Niña, the contrasting weather phenomenon to El Niño, and that La Niña may be setting conditions favourable to more frequent and dangerous Caribbean hurricanes like Georges. These were the same events described by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea in his address to this Assembly last week, when he spoke of the damaging effects of El Niño, and by the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji earlier today. They are events and disasters which demonstrate and underscore the extreme exposure and vulnerability of our island communities.

AOSIS welcomed the action authorized by this Assembly last year towards early understanding of the El Niño phenomenon and its impacts, and we fully support the United Nations system-wide strategy now being developed. We welcome in particular the proposals initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to reduce the impact of environmental emergencies through early warning and preparedness, especially in the case of El Niño/Southern Oscillation. We note in this connection the importance of practical support for such initiatives, especially the generous financial donation from the Ted Turner Foundation.

In Barbados in 1994, at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, the international community recognized their special characteristics and needs and adopted a specific Programme of Action to address these needs. The United Nations Agenda for Development, adopted last year, reinforced the acknowledgement of special circumstances and stressed the need for international support to help island communities with their development efforts.

The months ahead will be a critical time for our countries as we work towards the first five-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action next year at the two-day special session of the General Assembly. The review will be carried out against the background of the appraisal of Agenda 21 and the assessment arrived at by the world's political leadership then that the overall trends with respect to sustainable development are worse today than they were in 1992.

The conclusions of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) at its sixth session earlier this year, which reviewed several chapters of the Barbados Programme of Action, highlighted the continued vulnerability of small island developing States, particularly to climate change, and the critical need for capacity-building in such areas as the management of wastes; freshwater biological resources; and science and technology. Placing priority on human resource development and the transfer of appropriate environmentally sound technologies are essential. Our national institutions and administrative capacities have been hampered by a severe lack of financial and technical skills, and the use of regional institutions and mechanisms for coordination needs to be strengthened or supplemented.

We look forward to engaging the international community in detailed dialogue on these aspects at the donors' conference next February and during the other review preparatory processes next year. In doing so, let there be no doubt about our own determination in the matter, for the primary responsibility for the success of the Barbados Programme of Action lies with the small island developing States, first and foremost. We will not be sidetracked from the ultimate prize of self-reliance, but we must be assured of the vital support of the international community.

The AOSIS countries continue to set high priority on the development of the vulnerability index and will follow with close attention the quantitative and analytical work which we believe must continue on the index. Recognition within the Barbados Programme of Action that small island developing States are a special case is further supported by the work of the ad hoc expert group on vulnerability indices, which reported to the Economic and Social Council earlier in the year. AOSIS takes particular note of the conclusion of the experts that, as a group, small island States are more vulnerable than other groups of developing countries.

Looking to 1999 and the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, we warmly welcome the election of the Minister of Environment of New Zealand, The Honourable Simon Upton, as Chairman of the CSD at its seventh session and look forward to a successful year of consultations under his leadership.

The agenda for the Commission's seventh session is full and an extremely important one: oceans, our heritage; sustainable tourism, so important to our future; and patterns of consumption and production, for we know all too well the need to change if our children are to have adequate and right choices for their own future. We hope that all States will take full advantage of the continued constructive dialogue that we have had in the past and which we expect during the Commission's seventh session and the preparations for the review of the Barbados Programme of Action. The special session next year will provide an excellent opportunity to agree on the next steps to implement the Programme of Action, and to explore in a focused way the many difficulties which remain.

It is no accident that the first chapter of the Barbados Programme of Action deals with climate change and that it leads off with a clear statement that small island developing States are particularly vulnerable to climate change, climate variability and sea-level rise. Indeed, the assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is that small island States are the least able to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

We remain at the front line of this issue, an issue not of our making, and one that calls for urgent and concerted international action. With the passing of each season, small island States experience ever more serious impacts, and practical steps must now be taken to assist them, especially with the adaptation options that are available. The impacts of climate change put at risk habitats and fresh-water reserves, the very life force of our islands and communities, and thus the need for AOSIS to restate once again our profound concerns.

As the globe suffers what is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, it is essential that the international community as a whole be formally and unequivocally reminded that neither the efforts made thus far in implementing the Framework Convention on Climate Change nor the emissions reduction targets, on average 5.2 per cent, adopted in Kyoto last year, represent an adequate effort to stabilize greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere at safe levels. We know from the IPCC reports that we need to do much more, and to do it immediately, by cuts of emissions of up to 60 per cent and more.

There is emerging scientific evidence, supported by experience in almost every part of the world, that climate change is indeed taking effect, with devastating impacts, from the forest fires of South-East Asia to the extra severe and unprecedented flooding in China and Bangladesh, to the blistering heat of the American summer. These events, backed by science, must continue to drive the development of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.

Developed country parties have an acknowledged historical role and remain primarily responsible for the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and they must be the first to accept the responsibility to redress the situation. They possess the skills and the capacity effectively to do so now.

It is not sufficient per se to point to the new mechanisms created by the Kyoto Protocol, for there are numerous uncertainties concerning the new mechanisms. They are supplemental to domestic actions and they need rules for governance and compliance. Nor is it sufficient to say that developed country actions are conditional on developing country commitments. In the judgement of the AOSIS countries, such commitments must be allowed to evolve over time and in line with a common but differentiated principle, as well as the other fundamental principles of the Convention.

There cannot be any doubt as to the major importance of the first steps taken in Kyoto, and of the quantum improvements brought about by the provisions of the Protocol. Notwithstanding the uncertainties I have referred to, we see a clear obligation on all parties to make every genuine effort towards early entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of its provisions. The size and the urgency of the problem require this of us all. It is the intent of the AOSIS countries to apply themselves in every positive and constructive way to help clarify such uncertainties. In this manner, we have submitted our suggestions and proposals in respect of several agenda items and in connection with the preparations for the fourth conference of the parties in Buenos Aires.

We would need to acknowledge that the science on climate change is imperfect and incomplete. But the fact that we do not know everything is not a reason for ignoring the evidence which does exist. In this connection, we are concerned by the actions of certain industry interests which seem yet again to be determined on undermining the existing credible and universally acknowledged scientific findings, findings of the IPCC and others on this matter, and so to work in a negative way to influence public opinion. Climate change is far too serious and too urgent a concern for all humanity to be the subject of such manipulation.

May I now turn briefly to address some additional issues which are of particular importance to my country, Samoa. First, we are deeply grateful to Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, for his leadership and for the reform process he has initiated. Samoa fully supports the ongoing efforts to strengthen and revitalize our Organization to better position it for the challenges of the new era. We need to say, though, that it does not accord with any real sense of commitment to look to the Secretary-General for performance, while denying him and the Organization the means to do so. We, like so many other Governments, must repeat the call for all arrears to be made good, and for all contributions to be paid in full, on time and without qualification.

We are especially concerned about the failure, thus far, in reform measures for the Security Council and measures to deal with its current composition. Membership of the Council must be enlarged in both categories to reflect the realities of the present time and to enhance the Council's effectiveness and legitimacy. We think the situation of Japan and Germany deserves special consideration.

We believe very deeply in the sustaining power of international law in support of the Charter principles. The United Nations has been a necessary and a cohesive force in the elaboration of international law and rules for international cooperation, which now regulate a phenomenal range of human activity. An important and often overlooked fact is the comparatively high rate of State party adherence to international instruments and the acceptance of a wide range of obligations, whether on the environment, social development, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons or in so many other areas. The latest example would appear to be the Ottawa anti-personnel mines Convention, an unprecedented global achievement, which my own country has ratified, and which, by action of the international community, is soon to come into force. It is essential that all countries, large and small, take part in the creation of these rules for international conduct and behaviour. For small States, they constitute, ultimately, the most effective measure of protection.

Samoa was able to play a role in the Rome negotiations for the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and is a signatory of its Statute. We believe that the Court will contribute significantly to the international legal order and security, for it offers, for the first time, effective responses to serious crimes of international concern: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The challenge now is to bring the Statute into force and to implement its provisions. We all have a duty to see to this, at the earliest moment. As the Secretary General has said, it is an opportunity to take a monumental step in the name of human rights and the rule of law. Let me note here our welcome for the recent and very important findings and decision of the International Tribunal for Rwanda in respect of the offences of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Our Pacific region is one of peace, and we treasure our peace. But our security and environment have been put under threat by explosions and the testing of far too many nuclear weapons. We will continue with our quest for a total ban through the development and the implementation of the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty, the second oldest of the international regional arrangements, and we call for the active participation and support of all nuclear-weapon States for the Treaty and its protocols. In like manner, we will give solid backing to all international efforts towards the final elimination of these weapons, in particular, the resolutions of this House on the landmark Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice concerning the obligation to pursue in good faith and to bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects.

Samoa condemns all testing of nuclear weapons, as we did the underground testing in the South Asia region earlier in the year. However, we have heard in this Hall encouraging statements by India and Pakistan, and we join others in urging that they commit to a lasting moratorium by becoming parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and that they adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Let me say also that we applaud Brazil's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We welcome these positive developments most warmly.

The United Nations remains a significant part of the modern development and progress of my country. It is with complete faith that we renew our commitment to the Charter. We do so as a small country and with abiding trust in the principles of the Charter and the most supportive concern for the welfare of the Organization.

The Acting President

I give the floor next to His Excellency Mr. Nizar O. Madani, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Madani (Saudi Arabia)

I am pleased to express my sincere congratulations to Mr. Didier Opertti on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. As much as his election reflects the esteem in which he personally is held, it is also reflects our appreciation of the positive role played by his country, Uruguay, in the international arena. I am confident that his presidency will be an effective factor in achieving the objectives to which the international community today aspires.

I would like to take this opportunity to convey to His Excellency Mr. Hennadiy Y. Udovenko, President of the Assembly at its fifty-second session, our appreciation and esteem for having conducted the Assembly's work effectively, wisely and objectively.

I am also pleased to express my appreciation and esteem to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, who is managing the affairs of the international Organization with high competence and experience, and who is making continuous efforts and persistent endeavours to achieve peace and security in today's world, which continues to face many kinds of conflicts and various forms of crises and challenges.

A hundred years ago this year, the late King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud began the initial stages of rebuilding and uniting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the principles of tolerant Islamic beliefs. In that process of unification, the late King Abdul Aziz was also laying the groundwork of a modern State which combines, on the one hand, adherence to Islam as a belief, a system and a way of life and, on the other hand, advanced forms of development and modernization. Since then, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which adheres to the religion of Islam, has played a significant international role, because it follows a foreign policy which conforms to the fundamental principles of the United Nations and with the noble objectives for which the Charter was formulated. These are in accordance with Islamic law in matters pertaining to the conduct of relations between States. The eternal message of Islam unites and does not divide, establishes justice and does not inflict injustice, promotes equality and does not discriminate. It urges everyone to work and cooperate to propagate these sublime principles and to achieve security, peace and prosperity for all humanity.

Abiding by these principles, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, since its establishment, has continued to believe in constructive dialogue and peaceful coexistence among nations and peoples. It endeavours to cooperate and to respect the principles of international law and international legitimacy, it rejects violence and terrorism in any shape or form, and it does not interfere in the affairs of others or allow others to interfere in its own affairs.

On the basis of the same principle, the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, is intent on performing its role in the international arena in such a way as to assist in creating the most favourable conditions for realizing the aspirations of the international community to security, peace, stability and prosperity.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud that it was one of the original signatories of the San Francisco Charter, which founded the United Nations, and it is proud also that it constantly adheres to the principles and purposes of that Charter. It also consistently endeavours to put these principles and purposes into practice. On the basis of those considerations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms that it earnestly supports the United Nations and its specialized agencies, for it views the Organization as a viable framework for cooperation among nations and peoples, an important forum for dialogue and understanding, and an effective means to settle disputes and defuse crises.

My Government wishes to emphasize a basic fact: the ability of the Organization to play all its roles and to carry out all those tasks depends on the political will to put those Charter principles and provisions into practical effect.

In this regard, my Government is well aware of the importance of modernizing the United Nations agencies to enable them to play their required role, and on a level that enables them to deal with the new developments in modern international relations. The Security Council, which bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, remains the focus of the various reform proposals that have been put forward. In this regard, my country's point of view has been based on a deep conviction that any restructuring of the Security Council must be aimed at improving the Council's ability to perform its role effectively, in accordance with the Charter, and at making more active in implementing its resolutions and in dealing with international crises. The Council must also cooperate with the General Assembly in a manner that achieves the required harmony and the desired objectivity.

As we seek greater cooperation, we have to look to the lessons of history to identify the obstacles which the United Nations has faced and which have hindered it from enhancing the cooperation that has become a requirement for peace, stability and growth. We have to hold the countries which base their international relations on principles that contradict the Charter basically responsible for creating those obstacles, and to make use of the means contained in the Charter to oppose such practices. Insistence on violating the principles of the Charter and refusal to comply with the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council signal a blatant challenge to the Charter, which we must firmly confront in a manner that is consistent with its provisions and purposes.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in line with its objective of achieving peace, security and stability in the Middle East, has supported the peace process from the very beginning and participated as an observer in the Madrid Conference. It has also participated actively in the multilateral negotiations, and will continue to support the peace process in its international activities and contacts.

In addition, the Arab countries, in conformity with the conclusions of the Arab Summit held in Cairo in June 1996, have unanimously adopted a firm position stipulating that peace is a strategic Arab option. This affirms that there has been no Arab retreat from that firm position.

What is regrettable, and a cause of grave concern, is that, after a glimmer of hope for peace in the region and after the optimistic feelings that peace was possible, the peace process -- which started in Madrid on the basis of the principles of international legitimacy, United Nations resolutions and the principle of land for peace -- has suffered repeated setbacks at the hands of the present Israeli Government. This Government has endeavoured to pursue policies that are based on retreating from the principles of the peace process endorsed by the Madrid Conference, as well as from the agreements signed with the Palestinian National Authority, and it continues to refuse to resume negotiations with Syria at the point that had been reached previously.

In striving to destroy the peace process, the Israeli Government has continued to build settlements on Palestinian lands in order to alter their character and create new realities. It is also adopting a policy of Judaizing Holy Jerusalem by planting more settlements in and around it, as well as annexing areas with Jewish settlers and emptying Jerusalem of its Arab residents. It also enacted a law to enlarge the municipality of Holy Jerusalem to include neighbouring settlements so as to preempt the negotiations on the final status of Holy Jerusalem.

These Israeli practices have resulted in aborting the efforts of the international community to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and on the land-for-peace principle. Such practices have led the peace process down a dead-end road. What we perceive of the behaviour of the present Israeli Government does not make us optimistic about the possibility of achieving the peace which the peoples of the region aspire to unless these practices are met by firm measures to compel Israel to completely implement its agreements with the Palestinians, respect the principles on which the peace process was founded and enter into serious negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, with Syria and with Lebanon. We urge the international community, and the United States of America in particular, to continue making all possible efforts to save the peace process and to act resolutely to stop Israeli tampering with the most sensitive issue in the peace process -- Jerusalem, which should be dealt with on the basis of its being the most important case in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Adhering to the rules of international legitimacy and fulfilling commitments is the best way to achieve peace and security.

If the present Israeli Government is serious in its efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinian side, all it has to do is to affirm its adherence to the provisions of the signed agreements and resume the negotiations on the unresolved issues. If the Israeli Government intends to achieve a state of mutual security with its neighbour, Syria, the Syrian Government has spared no effort in declaring its readiness to resume negotiations with Israel from the point at which such negotiations had stopped. As for tension and the cycle of violence in southern Lebanon, its end is contingent upon immediate Israeli withdrawal from that part of Lebanon and the western Bekaa valley in accordance with Security Council resolution 425 (1978).

The position of the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques towards Iraq has two fundamental bases: first, guaranteeing the comprehensive, total, indivisible and non-selective compliance by the Iraqi Government with the resolutions of international legitimacy; and secondly, insuring the preservation of the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq, as well as alleviating the sufferings of the Iraqi people.

Our feelings of pain and sorrow for the sufferings of the brotherly Iraqi people, because of the hard conditions which they endure, contribute to our insistence on Iraqi compliance with all relevant international resolutions in order to get the sanctions lifted. In this context, it is with deep sadness that we received the news of the Iraqi Government's decision not to cooperate with the United Nations Special Commission established by the Security Council. This will result in the continuation of sanctions on Iraq. We call upon the Iraqi Government to annul that decision, and we stress that the quickest means for lifting the sanctions is faithful and meticulous responsiveness, in letter and spirit, to the requirements of the Security Council resolutions. The Iraqi Government should stop the policies of prevarication and delay aiming at impeding the implementation of these resolutions, especially those concerning the release of prisoners and detainees, the return of property, commitment to a modality for compensation and full cooperation with the efforts of the United Nations Special Commission to eliminate weapons of mass destruction.

Saudi Arabia and its sisters, the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, place great importance on the bettering of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. We have been particularly pleased at the recent positive indicators from the Iranian Government which could have a positive impact on Iranian-Gulf relations and on the climate of peace and stability in the region. In this connection, we welcome the positive implications -- regarding both Gulf-Iranian relations and the issue of armaments in the statement by President Mohammad Khatami before the General Assembly last week. We look forward to resolving the outstanding problems between the two sides -- foremost among which is the issue of the three United Arab Emirates islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa -- by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of international law, including the option of referring the matter to the International Court of Justice.

We also express our concern regarding the current tension between Iran and Afghanistan. We call upon these two countries to exercise restraint and resolve their dispute by peaceful means.

The continuing fighting in Afghanistan during all these years is a cause of sadness and sorrow. Saudi Arabia has done all it could since the beginning of the fighting to stop the bloodshed and to restore peace and security to Afghanistan. We support the efforts of the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to stop the fighting. At the same time, we strongly deplore the manipulation of the present situation of Afghanistan to make it a haven for the sheltering and training of terrorists, which destabilizes security and brings further suffering to the Afghani people.

Shortly after the Serbs terminated their aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they ignited the flames of a new war, aiming this time at our brothers in Kosovo. The Serb forces are daily committing in Kosovo the same inhuman practices which they perpetrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including ethnic cleansing, coerced deportation, terror and oppression in full view of the whole world. It would be truly tragic if silence in the face of these appalling actions was to continue over this long duration. Therefore we call upon the international community to shoulder its responsibilities by promptly taking all requisite measures to put an end to these practices.

Terrorism, which is striking every corner of the world mercilessly and indiscriminately, has become a very serious international phenomenon and requires an international effort to combat it. The Government of Saudi Arabia has regularly condemned terrorism and has joined its efforts to other international efforts to confront it with all possible effectiveness. We stress in particular that terrorism and violence are universal phenomena rather than the characteristics of a certain people, race or religion. Precisely because of the comprehensiveness and universality of terrorism, the only way to combat it is through unified international action within the framework of the United Nations, with a view to ensuring an end to terrorism, saving the lives of the innocent and preserving the independence and sovereignty of States. But combating terrorism would also require international cooperation against sheltering terrorist elements and groups and preventing them from exploiting the territories and laws of the States in whose territories they live in order to practice their destructive activities, regardless of any pretexts.

The conflict in Jammu and Kashmir remains a threat to peace and security in South Asia. We call for finding a peaceful solution to this problem in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and for allowing the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise directly their legitimate right to self-determination.

The Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques pays maximum attention to the ongoing efforts to eliminate weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, including the Arabian Gulf region. This is undertaken through its support of the efforts of the League of Arab States in accordance with the resolution adopted by the League's Council during its 101st session which called for making this sensitive part of the world a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, chemical and biological.

We are greatly concerned by Israel's refusal to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Israel thus keeps its nuclear programmes outside the ambit of international inspection, which constitutes a serious threat to the region's security and stability. While we completely reject the international community's double standard that allows Israel an exception from nuclear disarmament efforts and thus encourages the arms race, we also express our concern at the nuclear tests carried out in South Asia, begun by India and followed by Pakistan, in view of the dangers these tests present to the security and peace of the region.

While believing there is urgent need to increase the effectiveness of the NPT through the activation and universalization of the system of guarantees of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), we also consider it of the utmost importance to establish controls and criteria that would assist in achieving the desired progress in all fields of disarming weapons of mass destruction, in conformity with General Assembly resolution 1 (I) of 1946. In this context, we urge all States that have not yet done so to take the necessary steps as early as possible to accede to the NPT and place their nuclear installations under the international safeguards regime, thereby contributing to international peace and security.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia considers environmental issues and environmental protection of key importance, to the degree that it has assigned to them a prominent place in our domestic and foreign policies. We believe that a decent life for mankind is directly connected with environmental and climatic conditions. Therefore, the Kingdom has effectively participated in all relevant conferences, forums and international organizations concerned with environmental protection. In addition, we have become a party to several regional and international agreements relevant to this issue.

We only hope that international efforts relating to the problems of the environment will be characterized by the necessary degree of balance and of objectivity, as based on serious and rational studies and buttressed by scientific facts that take into account the needs of development in the developing world. In this regard, we call upon all States to abide by Agenda 21. We also urge the industrial States in particular to live up to their obligations regarding the transfer of environmental technology to developing countries.

The emerging forces of globalization and their seemingly rampant nature which cause geographic, political and sovereignty barriers to recede, force upon us the need to tame and channel these energies. Therefore, we are now called upon more than at any other time before not to confront this phenomenon, but to act cohesively in its formulation, in conformity with our religious beliefs, our cultural and civilizational values, and in the interests of our peoples. This should also be accomplished in a manner that would accord with the diversity and pluralism of social and political systems that have prevailed after the bipolarism of the cold war. The objective would be to build a balanced world based on mutual interest, reciprocity of advantages and equality of opportunity to live free from fear, secure from hunger and poverty. It would be a world in which principles of justice, prosperity and peace predominate.

It is important to stress, in this regard, that the principles of free world economies and open markets are not an end in themselves. They are but a means to growing the economies through the increase and expansion of exports. The developing countries cannot attain these objectives without greater flexibility in the varying opportunities afforded to them in the form of human resources, infrastructure, and financial, administrative and procedural regulations. Consequently, the developing countries are required more than ever before to intensify their internal development efforts in order to be integrated in the international economy. This calls for closer cooperation in international fora in order to deal with the issues of development and to draft a considered and comprehensive agenda that fulfils the ambitions and aspirations of the peoples of developing countries within the framework of the new economic order.

In this context, we cannot ignore the important role that needs to be played by the developed countries, who must fulfil their international commitments to the developing and less developed countries either by direct or indirect aid as well as through cancellation and rescheduling of foreign debt. Developed countries must also allow free and easy access to their markets for the exports of developing countries and must refrain from adopting unjust trade measures that impede the flow of such exports to their markets.

In this regard, it must be noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been very keen on contributing, within the limits of its means, to the development of developing countries, whether at the bilateral or multilateral levels. Because of its desire to participate in the efforts to achieve a better future for the international economy, Saudi Arabia has applied for membership in the World Trade Organization. God willing, and with the support of friendly countries, we hope to finalize the accession procedures as soon as possible.

The issues just mentioned, with their political, economic, security and social dimensions, confirm the need for our Organization to assume its role in the maintenance of international peace and security and to realize the aspirations of all peoples to live in security and enjoy stability and prosperity. Our firm belief in the role that the United Nations can play in dealing with crises, as well as our efforts to avoid the horrors of war and to prepare for international cooperation, make us more determined than ever to support this Organization and emphasize its constructive role. The United Nations must have a larger role in dealing with crises before they occur by exercising preventive diplomacy in order to maintain stability and preserve international peace and security. We have great hopes that the Organization will continue its march towards these goals with strong steps and firm determination.

I cannot find more suitable words to end my statement than this verse from the Holy Quran:

"Work, soon Allah will observe your work, and His Messenger, and the Believers." (The Holy Quran, IX:105)

The Acting President

I now call on Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Mr. Khouna (Mauritania)

Allow me first of all, on behalf of my country's delegation, to convey to Mr. Opertti my warm congratulations on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. I am convinced that his wisdom and experience will ensure that we are successful in our work. I wish also to thank his predecessor, Mr. Udovenko, who guided the work of the last session so skilfully.

I wish also to extend our appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his constant and tireless efforts to strengthen the universality of the United Nations, to enhance its credibility and to strengthen its ability to discharge its responsibilities despite a difficult international situation.

On 16 July of last year, the Secretary-General presented to the Assembly his report entitled "Renewing the United Nations: a Programme for Reform" (A/51/950), which provides an overall scheme to modernize the working methods of the Organization in order to give it fresh impetus and enhance its efficiency so that it is better capable of responding optimally to the growing needs of the international community on the threshold of the third millennium.

In this regard, we are convinced that implementation of the measures to reform the Organization will assist it in achieving its aims and objectives, namely restoring peace and security to the world and strengthening international cooperation in such a way as to achieve the economic and social development of all nations and peoples. In line with this, the question of reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council has, for several years, been discussed. In this connection, we would like to reiterate our support for the proposals aiming at enlarging the representative base of that key body in accordance with the norms of democracy, transparency and justice and with equitable geographical distribution, enabling it to reflect the universal nature of our Organization pursuant to Article 24 of the Charter.

The threats facing today's world are not all political or military in nature. Some of them are economic or social and call for prompt and practical solution. The scourge of drugs and psychotropic substances and the ravages resulting from their consumption, marketing and distribution are among the most serious challenges facing us today. In this connection, I wish to express my delegation's satisfaction that awareness of the dangers inherent in this evil is steadily growing. This has been reflected in a very clear-cut fashion in the unanimous adoption, at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly held last June, of the Political Declaration and the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction.

There is no doubt that international peace and security on the one hand and economic growth, social development and the eradication of poverty on the other are organically bound up one with another. The United Nations and its specialized agencies have provided many measures to impress this reality on all of us. This approach has been manifested in the adoption of a large number of programmes and recommendations stemming from important international conferences and forums organized in the last few years under the auspices of the United Nations.

However, this enormous effort should be translated into concrete reality through a new mobilization based on partnership and solidarity. The first step should be to devote to these lofty objectives the tremendous resources allocated to the production, development and acquisition of all types of weapons of mass destruction.

On this basis, we must likewise enable the developing countries to speed up effectively their pace of growth. To this end, donor countries should augment their official development assistance, increase flows of investments, put an end to the continuous deterioration in terms of commercial trade, and give the products of developing countries free access to their markets without any hindrance.

Likewise, the debt problem, which constitutes a heavy burden for the economies of developing countries, should receive the attention that it deserves. The 1997 Human Development Report indicates that debt servicing on average absorbs a fifth of a developing country's export earnings, which is a significant drain on its modest foreign currency reserves and thus compromises its ability to take part in international trade on an equal footing.

In this context, we hope that the initiatives taken on the subject of the external debt of the poorest and most heavily indebted countries will make it possible to find a radical solution to this set of problems, which impedes these countries' development endeavours.

Despite the magnitude of the challenges of development and the wide range of priorities involved, and despite an unfavourable world economic situation, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, under the enlightened leadership of the President of the Republic, Mr. Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, has taken significant steps towards comprehensive development aimed at raising our citizens' standard of living and at consolidating democracy and the rule of law in a climate of tranquillity, security and stability.

On the political plane, therefore, pluralistic democracy in our country came to fruition with the holding on 12 December 1997 of pluralistic presidential elections, the second of their kind, in which several candidates participated in a spirit of healthy competition and a climate of political plurality and freedom of expression. Furthermore, the third municipal elections, scheduled for the end of this year, are being organized successfully.

Alongside this democratic process, which embodies our people's aspirations to fully exercise its rights, our country is engaged in a decisive struggle to eradicate poverty and to combat illiteracy and marginalization, for we are convinced that genuine enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms cannot be fully achieved except through a sustained effort aimed at enhancing citizens' socio-economic and cultural level.

We have created an agency to deal with human rights, poverty and integration. That agency is responsible for promoting the exercise of human rights and implementing the national strategy to combat poverty. The budgetary allocations earmarked for social expenditure are approximately 37 per cent of all public expenditure -- almost double the level recommended by the World Summit for Social Development.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is pursuing a foreign policy that is based on immutable principles aimed at fostering relations of good-neighbourliness, peaceful coexistence and strengthened regional and international cooperation. On the basis of these principles, my country attaches particular importance to the consolidation of stability and the containment of the large number of areas of tension around the world that are likely to threaten international peace and security and to jeopardize the development efforts of many nations and peoples.

While reaffirming its full support for the peace process in the Middle East, my country believes that no just and lasting peace can be achieved in that region until Israel has withdrawn from all the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan and the Lebanese territories, in conformity with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the principle of land for peace. Such a peace cannot be attained until the Palestinian people have been enabled to establish their independent state on their territory with Al-Quds as its capital.

In this respect, my country expresses its profound concern at the difficulties besetting the peace process and the negative developments that have taken place in the region. My country also calls for taking the measures necessary for restarting peace negotiations on all tracks, and urges the two sponsors of the peace process to make further efforts to preserve the chances for peace in that region.

With respect to the Gulf region, we hope that all regional and international efforts will combine to bring about a return to stability and concord in the area. In this respect my country, while reaffirming its attachment and commitment to international legitimacy and United Nations resolutions, reiterates its repudiation of anything that could undermine the independence of Kuwait and its territorial integrity.

It also reaffirms its consistent position of rejecting any measure likely to threaten the unity of Iraq and the integrity of its territory. At the same time, it calls for the lifting of the embargo imposed for seven years now on the Iraqi people. The Iraqis have been very hard hit by this embargo, whose impact has been first and foremost felt by women, children and the elderly.

With respect to the Arab Maghreb, my country is acting, together with its sister countries of the Arab Maghreb Union, to develop cooperation and consultation, to respond to the aspirations of the peoples of the Maghreb.

As to Western Sahara, my country expresses its satisfaction at the positive steps taken within the framework of the United Nations settlement plan and reiterates its readiness to do its utmost to facilitate its implementation.

We call for the lifting of the embargo imposed on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. We hope that the recent positive developments will lead to finding a formula for a prompt settlement of this question, which has harmed the interests of the Libyan people.

In many parts of Africa, the situation remains worrisome because of conflicts and civil wars, with the attendant torrent of human suffering and destruction. These crises, along with other crises around the world, should be given more sustained attention by the United Nations, since it is the international community that bears responsibility for containing them and for acting seriously and effectively to prevent their proliferation. My delegation welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict in Africa and on ways of promoting durable peace and sustainable development. We also welcome Security Council resolution 1170 (1998), adopted last May, which authorizes a number of mechanisms for the implementation of the recommendations contained in that report. We hope too that at its present session the General Assembly, when considering that report, will find ways and means of implementing the recommendations that fall within its purview.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania expresses its concern at the persistent conflict in Somalia and hopes that the Somalis will be able to find the path to constructive dialogue, in order to bring about a settlement that will secure concord and stability in that country.

In the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros, we hope that the efforts undertaken by the League of Arab States and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) will lead to a solution that will preserve that country's sovereignty and unity.

In Guinea-Bissau, my country welcomes the truce agreement signed last 26 August and supports all the efforts and initiatives aimed at restoring security and stability.

Similarly, my country urges Ethiopia and Eritrea to continue to comply with the ceasefire, in the hope that the efforts undertaken by the OAU will result in a fair settlement which will guarantee security and stability in the region.

With respect to the Great Lakes region and the serious developments taking place there, my country supports all endeavours to promote a return to stability and to bring about the reconstruction of everything that has been destroyed by war and conflict there.

Likewise, my country supports the regional and international endeavours to consolidate peace in Sierra Leone, so that that country may see the beginning of a new era of peace, stability, reconstruction and development.

It is regrettable that there are many other regions of the world where there is instability and conflict. In the Balkan region, the situation in Kosovo continues to worsen, compounding the suffering of the population and boding ill with regard to future humanitarian disasters comparable to those experienced in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This calls for decisive international intervention to prevent the situation from worsening further.

While war and conflict cause mass tragedies and mass destruction, the international community today is facing the phenomenon of terrorism, which cannot be contained within either time or place and which also threatens the peace and stability of all States and peoples. My country stresses its condemnation of terrorism in all of its forms, whatever its origins. We call for strengthening of cooperation and consultation at the international level in order to confront it resolutely and severely.

The world of today witnesses a gigantic leap in the increase of wealth, improvement of means of production, evolution of telecommunications and the informatics revolution. Although the developments offer conditions of comfort and well-being, they do, however, widen the chasm which separates the development and growth levels of the developed and the developing countries. This will exist as long as cooperation, solidarity and partnership do not prevail, until nations and peoples can together benefit from the advantages of globalization, and until the international community is able to give an impetus to international relations based on peace, democracy, justice and sustainable development.

The Acting President

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Kolawole Idji, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Benin.

Mr. Idji (Benin)

On behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Benin, allow me to express to Mr. Didier Opertti my warm congratulations upon his brilliant and unanimous election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. His human skills and vast experience in international affairs, as well as his dedication to the main causes of our Organization, augur well for the success of the important deliberations of this session. My delegation would like to assure him of its full cooperation.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, who so skilfully and devotedly presided over the last session of the General Assembly. Allow me to associate to this tribute Mr. Kofi Annan, our Secretary-General, whose dedication and great diplomatic skills have given greater nobility to our Organization and new reasons for hope to our world. I should like to welcome here the efforts of this great African for the international community.

My country, the Republic of Benin, could be perceived as just a dot on the world map and perhaps just as a jot on the map of Africa. In fact, the Republic of Benin is not manufacturing any atomic bombs, nor has it any intention of building or possessing them. But it is without any hesitation that I am speaking before the representatives of the international community and all the major Powers gathered here to express the profound concerns we have over the state of the world today, and to voice our hopes.

Benin may be only a small point on the world map, but it wants to be a point of convergence -- not only in Africa, but also for the entire international community. We want to commit ourselves to building peace rather than bombs, and to promote international cooperation -- and to promote it first at home.

The Government of Benin is committed to building peace by consistently cultivating tolerance and a spirit of sharing. There is no other explanation for the ever growing consolidation of democracy in Benin. Eschewing the words and customs of others, the people of Benin have boldly chosen a multi-party system after many years of curtailed political freedoms. In other words, they have chosen a politics of peace and tolerance. Today more than 100 political parties vie against each other, unite or clash, but they do so in peace and with respect for the Constitution and the law.

My delegation believes that there is no more urgent task today than replacing the culture of violence and war which has marked humanity since the dawn of history and which has so overwhelmed and gravely afflicted Africa and other regions of the world. That culture must be replaced by the culture of peace. We believe that the foremost duty of our Organization continues to be the promotion of peace and all its values and the behaviour that underpins and strengthens it.

We believe that the first of these values is the spirit of sharing. There can be no peace in the world if a small portion of humanity can surf the Internet and explore interstellar space while others flounder in quagmire, seeking a mere pittance or safe shelter in their flight from wars whose root cause is a desire to retain power -- the power to control land, gold, oil, diamonds and other natural resources solely for the benefit of arms dealers.

This apocalyptic picture is unfortunately typical of the sad situation in Africa. It is therefore important to unite all our efforts to halt all conflicts, not only in Africa, but also in Europe, the Balkans -- indeed, wherever they arise.

The spirit of tolerance and sharing has prompted my Government to develop the concept of a common social minimum. This means that all citizens of Benin, wherever they reside, must be able to feed, house, clothe, care for and educate themselves. It would be desirable for a common social minimum to be proclaimed as an essential objective on the global scale.

I should like to pause here to commend the efforts and great sacrifices made by various Governments and international organizations -- particularly the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and the United Nations itself -- to restore peace to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Whether in Africa or the Balkans, what lasting solution can possibly be imposed by force of arms today? Why do Mr. Savimbi and those who support him, either covertly or overtly, refuse to see that the time for peace has come for the martyred people of Angola?

With respect to all those conflicts in Africa, the Republic of Benin welcomes the report (A/52/871) presented by the Secretary-General at the request of the Security Council on the causes of conflict in Africa. The Secretary-General's appeal deserves to be heard and supported, not only by Africans but also by all those whose political, economic or financial decisions will influence the future of the continent.

If the spirit of peace, sharing and tolerance prevailed in the Middle East, the long-delayed peace would undoubtedly be established there. We have learned in recent days of the efforts which have been resumed so many times by the United States of America to end the stagnation of the peace process, for which Mr. Netanyahu's Government is principally responsible. Let us hope that peace will have a better chance this time.

One of the main items on our agenda is the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime and the banning of nuclear tests. In this connection, the Republic of Benin welcomes the decision by India and Pakistan to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We have no particular lesson for those two great countries, which are our friends. But it is clear to us that the possession of atomic bombs cannot offer either of them a lasting victory; only a prosperous country and people can confer that.

Humanity will continue to be under threat until the current stockpile of nuclear weapons is destroyed. The major nuclear Powers must today admit this self-evident truth.

While nuclear weapons pose a permanent danger to us all, small arms in my country sow permanent insecurity and hamper our economic development efforts. Last May a group of heavily armed gangsters attacked a bank in broad daylight right in the middle of Cotonou, killing security guards and making off with tens of millions of francs. If small arms were not available, such incidents and armed conflicts would certainly be less common, and outlaws would not be as terrifyingly effective as they are today in numerous countries where ill-equipped police and militias cannot resist them. The massacre must be stopped, first and foremost by dealing with those who are primarily responsible -- the producers and exporters of small arms.

That is why Benin supports the conclusions of the International Conference on the Proposed Moratorium for Small Arms Transfers in West Africa, which was held in Oslo, Norway, from 1 to 2 April 1998.

It has been said that a hungry man is not a free man.

I have spoken at length about arms, conflicts and wars because, basically, my delegation is hopeful that by banning the former we can more easily end or at least diminish the latter.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is important to emphasize that the affirmation of human rights must go hand in hand with the eradication of poverty. We cannot speak seriously about human rights, liberty or democracy in a country where the people have neither bread nor schools.

My country hopes that bold and vigorous measures will be taken, particularly by the richest countries, so that those whom globalization leaves inexorably by the wayside can be given a chance to enter the twenty-first century with a little more hope. The bold measures must relate in particular to the issues of debt and the allocation of additional resources for development.

Like many other countries in Africa, Asia and America, the Republic of Benin has taken control of its destiny by carrying out reforms that have often proved very difficult. Even if our development partners are standing beside us, these reforms and efforts express first and foremost the desire of our States and our peoples to take charge and to emerge from underdevelopment and poverty. And we have begun to obtain results. In my country, for example, economic growth has now surpassed demographic growth.

We must carry our burden even if we have to do so on our knees; we must not let it fall. I therefore call upon all those responsible for making economic decisions at the global level to support more vigorously the efforts of countries whose burden has brought them to their knees.

In this context, I should like to reaffirm the importance that the Government of Benin attaches to the operational development activities of the United Nations system, which, we are pleased to say, are aimed at enabling the recipient countries to take control of their own development. We believe that the decline in contributions to core resources for funds and programmes such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a dangerous handicap. The Government of Benin hopes that the donor countries will demonstrate greater solidarity by increasing the resources that they allocate to those institutions.

Nevertheless, I should like to thank all of the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations whose technical and financial support in the past five years has been decisive in enabling us to pursue programmes aimed at constructing a State based on the rule of law and building a prosperous nation in which all the citizens of Benin can have a minimum of their common social requirements met. I should also like to welcome all the initiatives of the United Nations system, which have long been working for the development of Africa, as well as the actions of all our development partners, in particular Japan, which have ranked the development and economic recovery of the continent among their priorities.

Although they may be positive and praiseworthy, initiatives to benefit Africa must henceforth meet the fundamental needs and priorities of the African countries. It is in this spirit that in several days' time Benin will be participating in the second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD II). Our hope, which many others share, is that that Conference will go beyond the declaration that will no doubt be adopted and lead to a programme of concrete action aimed at finding solutions to the problems of the continent at the close of the twentieth century.

At the beginning of my statement I referred to the spirit of tolerance and sharing. I believe that our Organization is the pre-eminent forum in which we can learn and refine this spirit. Despite all the criticism, the United Nations has, to date, proved irreplaceable. We must continue to try to refine it and to carry out reforms.

In conclusion, therefore, I would like to reaffirm that the reform of the United Nations, which was begun under the bold initiative of Mr. Kofi Annan, deserves to be supported and developed so as to guarantee the necessary conditions for the harmonious pursuit of the process of democratizing international relations at the dawn of the next millennium. If we want to begin the twenty-first century with self-confidence, and if we want the efforts and sacrifices that have been made thus far on the tortuous and rugged path to development not to have been in vain, we must do our utmost to focus greater attention on the principle of world partnership and the duty of solidarity, which is what the new international order necessarily implies.

The twenty-first century may become one in which a blind global economy using the most sophisticated science and technology at the same time enslaves three quarters of humanity. This must not happen. Let us act now so that the next century can become the century of civilization par excellence, the century of sharing and of solidarity, the century of culture and the century of peace. The Republic of Benin is ready to play its part in this necessary struggle.

The Acting President

The next speaker is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, His Excellency Mr. János Martonyi, on whom I now call.

Mr. Martonyi (Hungary)

Allow me to join previous speakers in congratulating Mr. Opertti on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. There is no doubt that his experience and wisdom will be very useful in effectively guiding our work. I should also like to pay tribute to his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, for his valuable contribution to the work of this Organization and its reform process.

After the euphoria following the end of the cold war, a period of frustration and disillusionment set in. It has therefore not always been easy to remain optimistic while experiencing everyday realities. Indeed, the profound changes that shook the world left it poorly prepared to deal with old or new challenges.

Recently, events that have shaken the world's security environment and the international economic environment have reminded us of the complexities of the post-bipolar period by highlighting the multiple and often detrimental effects of the inexorable process of globalization that is taking place in all parts of the world. If we are to be in a position to stem the damaging effects of this process, we must strengthen multilateralism and expand international cooperation so as to be able to resolve the various problems, often unprecedented in nature, that face humankind at the threshold of the twenty-first century.

In this undertaking, the United Nations will be neither a world government nor a passive spectator. It will continue to be a unique Organization with special responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security. It will continue to be a global negotiating forum whose purpose is to set consensus-based standards and rules in the most diverse spheres of human activity in order to help us adapt to the demands of a new age.

Today's world is marked by disquieting developments: bloody conflicts, terrorist acts, organized crime, the resurgence of ethnic hatred, attempts to circumvent or undermine non-proliferation regimes, human rights violations causing flows of refugees, problems associated with narcotic drugs, a worrisome gap between the levels of economic and social development of the various parts of the world, environmental degradation, population questions and many other issues and dilemmas that are truly global in nature. Despite the setbacks that it will probably encounter in the future fulfilment of its mission, the world Organization will continue to be the centre of worldwide mobilization of efforts to prepare the peoples of the United Nations to tackle the challenges that lie before them.

In order to ensure the success of this operation, we must all make serious and sustained efforts to give new impetus to the United Nations reform process and to maintain its dynamism. The difficulties encountered along the way should not discourage us from the quest to identify what is possible and feasible, while keeping in mind and striving to achieve what is desirable.

From this rostrum, we wish to reaffirm our commitment to promoting the revitalization of our Organization and the reform of the Security Council. As far as expanding the membership of the Council is concerned, our position has not changed. We continue to advocate expanding the Council in both categories, permanent and non-permanent, and the inclusion of Germany and Japan, among others, in the category of permanent members. On the subject of United Nations reform, I should like to add that organizational and structural measures must go hand in hand with efforts to establish financial stability for the Organization if they are to be effective.

Domestically the historic transition that has taken place in Hungary over the last decade has been a complex and difficult experience for the country's population. After living through this arduous period and in the light of the promising developments in the country, our country today needs to be reassured about its future. Our people wish to see moral and social renewal in the country and to benefit from it. Externally, the new Hungarian Government continues to base its policy on the same principles that its predecessors followed starting in 1990, when a democratic regime was established in Hungary. It is inspired by the national interests of the country and the values that it shares with its partners on both sides of the Atlantic. It intends to remain a factor for stability and security in the Central European region. Along with its future allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in the European Union, it stands ready to contribute to the endeavours of the community of nations to ensure respect for international obligations and, where necessary, to take effective measures to resist actions that are in defiance of its legitimate will.

Our efforts, which are aimed at having Hungary join the Euro-Atlantic consolidating structures, are motivated by our desire for security and economic prosperity, as well as by the emotional desire to see a historic reunion with the rest of Europe after a long, imposed separation. These aspirations are fully in keeping with the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Not only do they not conflict with them, but they complement and enrich in a very positive way our present activities in the world Organization. They will serve to strengthen our specific participation in various United Nations activities. Obviously, becoming a member of these consolidating structures will not change Hungary's place on the world map. It will not be transported to some other planet. It will remain an integral part of our world, sharing with other nations great and small, rich and poor, the bright as well as the gloomier aspects of globalization.

Problems such as international crime and terrorism, the proliferation of weapons, drug-trafficking and questions associated with migration or environmental pollution -- all these phenomena affect my country as they do others, and call for national, regional and international action. They may jeopardize the institutional structures of democracy and paralyse social and economic stability in a particular country and beyond its borders. The resurgence that we have seen in acts of terrorism should also bolster the international community's determination to establish international cooperation on the largest possible scale so as to combat this evil by the most efficient means. The centre of these operations should be the United Nations, which will give these endeavours coherence and real universality.

Hungary attaches great importance to developing and expanding regional and subregional cooperation with its neighbours. It has a vital interest in seeing stability and democracy flourish among its neighbours. It considers the various forms of regional and subregional cooperation to be invaluable and indispensable tools for achieving these objectives. It is ready to participate actively in this regard.

It should be noted that one of the driving forces for the implementation by the countries of the region of positive measures for socio-economic progress is precisely their shared wish to join the structures of Euro-Atlantic integration. Hungary has often spoken out in favour of these aspirations and will continue to support them.

In this regard, we feel that respect for the rule of law and institutional guarantees of the full enjoyment of human rights, including those of national minorities, are not simply key prerequisites to membership of these integration structures. They are also an indispensable and vital factor for the establishment of social peace within countries themselves.

In speaking of the eastern part of our continent, I would emphasize that, on the one hand, it is impossible to transform the region, with its turbulent history of age-old coexistence between various ethnic communities, into a zone of tranquillity and prosperity, and inconceivable to consider healing the deep wounds inflicted by aggressive nationalism without taking into account the legitimate aspirations of national minorities and their desire to remain intact as communities and keepers of a specific national heritage, in accordance with the standards adopted by the competent international organizations and the practice of the democratic States. On the other hand, we resolutely oppose the policy of "ethnic cleansing", forced separation and the creation of new kinds of ethnic or religious segregation in Europe at the dawn of a new century.

Hungary is deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Kosovo. It shares the view that, without a determined international commitment, this conflict is likely to spread, with unfathomable consequences for the region and Europe as a whole. We therefore support the efforts aimed at stopping this conflict as quickly as possible by peaceful and political means. We believe that Security Council resolution 1199 (1998) can serve to pave the way for this. Hungary hopes that substantive negotiations between the parties can begin without delay and that they will lead to a lasting settlement granting broad autonomy to Kosovo while preserving the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In this respect, Hungary stresses the primary responsibility borne by the Yugoslav authorities in the quest for peace and a democratic solution.

The Balkans have suffered too much for the international community to permit an escalation of violence, a return to terror and impunity for human rights violations. My country is prepared, to the extent of its abilities, to contribute to the international community's action to restore long-term stability and the rule of law in the region.

We have also followed with special attention the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our primary objective is the full implementation of the Dayton Agreement. However, we must accept the fact that, following years of bloodshed, savagery and intolerance, the process envisaged in the Agreement could be more precarious and protracted than we believed and that the ethnocentric and exclusionary attitudes there may prove to be more entrenched than we had thought. Having said this, we are participating actively in the international effort to assist that country in getting back on its feet and to ensure that the terrible years of aggression and horrendous war never return.

This year, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although the commemoration of the birth of that fundamental document is a fine occasion for festivities, it is also important that new measures be taken to implement the universal standards embodied in the Declaration so that the United Nations may, in all places and at all times, not only offer a ray of hope, but be an effective instrument in the service establishment of United Nations machinery for the international protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the international community's great achievements, emanating directly from the Universal Declaration. In this context, we welcome the existence of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the establishment, after much hard work, of the International Criminal Court.

Grave and large-scale human rights abuses continue to be committed throughout the world. We have witnessed assaults on the freedom of individuals and communities, and crude and more subtle discriminatory practices, including those based on national or religious origin. This prompts us to ask the fundamental question as to whether the international community did all it needed to do in good time to prevent these events and used all the means available to it. I am afraid that the answer to these questions is "no".

Linking peace to justice and reconciling political expediency and moral considerations have always been extremely difficult challenges. Nevertheless, if peace is to last and take firm root, it must be sustained and bolstered by democracy, the rule of law and a responsible and transparent system of government. That is why we support the introduction of the human rights dimension into all United Nations spheres of activity, including peacekeeping operations. That is why we insist that those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the various conflicts, from the Great Lakes to the former Yugoslavia, must be brought to justice. The measures taken in this regard deserve the support of all the Members of our Organization.

Mr. Chkheidze (Georgia), Vice-President, took the Chair.

Mr. Martonyi (Hungary)

We cannot allow our attention to be distracted from the grave ongoing situations in many regions of our world, where political upheaval, financial crisis and natural disaster render human existence extremely precarious and arduous. The United Nations cannot turn its back on these pressing problems. We welcome the attention rightly accorded to Africa by the Organization and to the search for solutions to its difficulties. Our world is shrinking every day. Therefore, a heightened awareness of worldwide concerns and human solidarity is vital. For what is at stake today is the future of our civilization and the quality of life of future generations on Earth. We must not miss the opportunity offered by the end of the century to decide how to improve the lot of the human race. The United Nations is the best place to tackle, without delay, the crucial questions facing mankind.

The Acting President

The next speaker is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Andorra, His Excellency Mr. Albert Pintat-Santolària.

Mr. Santolària (Andorra)

I would first like to congratulate the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, Mr. Didier Opertti, of Uruguay, and to give him Andorra's unconditional support during this year of reforms. I would also like to thank the outgoing President, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his important contribution to the debates of the fifty-second General Assembly.

We are now celebrating the fifth anniversary of the admission of Andorra into the United Nations. It is therefore fitting to begin my speech today with an assessment of what motivated Andorra's entry into the United Nations and the tasks that its Government has accomplished. Andorra wanted to become a part of the Organization in 1993, immediately following approval by the Andorran people of a modern Constitution that affirmed its sovereignty and brought to modern times thirteenth-century texts, texts which had guaranteed independence and neutrality for more than seven centuries. Andorra's international standing required it.

Nevertheless, neutrality has never signified for Andorra isolation or a lack of self-determination. To the contrary, during times of great European conflicts, and during the Spanish civil war, Andorra opened its doors to those who fled terror and violence.

Being a sanctuary of peace for so long has given Andorra certain international responsibilities, enumerated in the new Constitution of 1993, which says that the Andorran people shall persevere in the advancement of values such as justice, democracy and social progress, and keep and strengthen the harmonious relations of Andorra with the rest of the world, based on mutual respect, coexistence and peace in the desire to bring its strength and collaboration to all the common causes of mankind.

The entry of Andorra into the United Nations has been a most important step for our country, giving us the opportunity to make ourselves heard, to express ourselves and to be a part of the forum which includes all countries; we must respond with solidarity, aid and our best efforts to attain peace, liberty and full adhesion to the International Declaration of Human Rights.

I am speaking in Catalan, the language of Andorra. It is an old Latinate language, an important part of our cultural identity, and it is an honour to speak these words in this language to the Assembly today. It is also proof of one of the most difficult rights to assume: the right of difference.

In Andorra, protected by the Pyrénées mountains, we are proud of our 720 years of uninterrupted peace and self-government. We have a population of over 65,000, composed of more than 60 nationalities. We have acquired, with the passage of time, certain experience in conjugating the verb "to tolerate", because of the diversity of our population, of which "Andorrans" are a minority, the importance of immigration and the plurality of nationalities, cultures and languages. These are facts, which conform to modern societies.

Permit me to expand on certain aspects of our country in order to emphasize our desire to cooperate in shared projects and to struggle against aggression and repression, and for harmony between peoples, cultures and civilizations. The particular sentiment that our little country feels before this Assembly is appreciation of the difference between globalization and particularity, the paradox between material progress and world poverty.

Our confidence in this Assembly is absolute, and I shall give two reasons. First, we consider here the grand strategies we can adopt to pursue justice, democracy and the rule of law. Secondly, this Assembly is a common house, where all are equal under the law and all States can express their concerns to the world in an international assembly.

The politics of Andorra at the United Nations inspire me to make a general reflection within this institution. In the last few years, the directives of the Government of Andorra concerning United Nations reform have been very clear: absolute adherence to the reform projects of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who, since his election, has worked to achieve the restructuring of this Organization.

I am pleased to say that Mr. Annan is aided in seeking to attain his goals by the Deputy Secretary-General, who has helped him bring about his objectives, and I would like to congratulate Mrs. Louise Fréchette, who, in the months since she assumed her position, has helped immensely in the difficult task of reforming this institution, employing all the skills of a person of her diplomatic abilities.

With respect to the reform of the United Nations, Andorra has shown a desire for transparency and greater access for the General Assembly to the workings of the Security Council. We would also like to make clear our desire for an increase in the membership of the Security Council, to reflect the increasing membership of the United Nations. The Working Group on the reform of the Council will sponsor debates and present alternatives, and we will present our ideas.

The most important theme of my speech today is the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Andorra has strengthened its political structures in the light, always brilliant of that 1948 Declaration, which indeed, is given form in our Constitution. Article 5 of this document incorporates it into the judicial structure of the State in the phrase:

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is binding in Andorra."

This Declaration, shared by so many States, should not be seen as Utopian. The proliferation of publications and seminars concerning the analysis and investigation of human rights, understood more and more as a means of ensuring a proper relationship between the individual, the community and the environment, touch on the grand systems of classic thought.

The practice is deceptive. At the international level, none of us can ignore the paradox of great wealth contrasted with the abuse, the aggression and the most sinister forms of cruelty without limits. Today we know much of what happens in the world and very probably many of us know why. We cannot now return to ignorance, to lack of knowledge, to lies.

In a more immediate framework, we cannot argue that things are getting better. How can we respect the individual and his fundamental rights if the proliferation of armed conflicts, racism, xenophobia and the marginalization of others continues?

Tolerance and respect are not new terms, but they are key concepts, which must be reinvented or rediscovered, given a greater significance and a universal application. Too often tolerance is confused with condescension, and respect with bureaucratic formality.

The danger increases when we become blinded by absolute truths and dogmatic positions which, in one way or another, lead to authoritarianism and exclusion, which are precisely the opposite of toleration and pluralism.

This is written in the third book of the Pentateuch, Leviticus:

"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". (The Holy Bible, Leviticus 19:18)

These are old and perennial moral statements, which shape society, and which have always been universal values incorporated in all the great statements on human rights.

On 10 December we will celebrate the passing of