UN General Assembly
1993

I should like first of all to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you, Mr. President, who also serve as Guyana’s Ambassador to Japan, on your election last week to the presidency of this session of the General Assembly. Let me also express my deep appreciation to the previous President, Mr. Ganev, for his achievements during the past year, particularly in pursuing General Assembly reforms. I want to take this opportunity to commend Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali for his selfless devotion to the cause of global peace and for his bold efforts towards United Nations reform. Finally, I warmly welcome the representatives of the six new Member States that have joined the United Nations over the past year. In Japan, the reins of government recently changed hands for the first time in 38 years. The coalition government that emerged has appointed me Prime Minister. Political changes in Japan are part of the dramatic changes in the international community since the end of the East-West confrontation. The post-cold-war era has opened, not just a new page, but a whole new chapter in Japanese