At the outset, I wish to
convey the apologies of President Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni, who was supposed to address the Assembly. He
is unable to come to New York because of other pressing
State duties.
Allow me, on behalf of my delegation, to convey
our warm congratulations to you, Sir, on your election to
the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third
session. Let me pay a special tribute to your predecessor,
Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, for the excellent
manner in which he presided over the work of the fifty-
second session of the General Assembly. I wish also to
thank the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for all the
endeavours he is undertaking in shaping our Organization
to enable it to effectively meet the challenges of the next
millennium.
The United Nations has been at the forefront of
efforts to tackle problems of international peace and
security and social and economic development. It has
helped many communities around the world attain peace,
greater security and higher standards of living. Africa
faces a number of challenges which must be urgently
addressed. It is a volatile region in which a multiplicity of
conflicts have combined to create a very explosive
atmosphere. Refugee populations have multiplied to
provide a further recipe for future instability. The
situation has been further complicated by large numbers
of internally displaced people. Indeed, a large political
and humanitarian tragedy is taking place in the region.
There is therefore an urgent need for the international
community to support Africa?s efforts to address the
fundamental causes of the conflict.
It has been alleged that ethnic differences are the
prime causes of conflict in the region. My delegation does
not share this view. We believe that poor leadership,
poverty and low levels of economic development in the
region are the main underlying causes. The leadership in
our region must correctly define and analyse the root
causes of the problems and establish clear priorities. It is
also imperative that, for a permanent and durable peace
to prevail in the region, a comprehensive programme of
economic recovery and development be implemented in
Africa. Concerted efforts must therefore be made to
reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty in the world.
In this regard, Uganda had the honour of hosting a
leaders? forum in Kampala in January this year at which
the heads of State and Government of countries in the
eastern, southern and central regions of Africa met and
held discussions with the President of the World Bank.
That meeting, which in many ways was unique and
inspiring, opened a new chapter in Africa?s relations with
18

the Bank. It ushered in a genuine spirit of partnership
between Africa and the Bank. Two of the significant
outcomes of the meeting were, first, the decision that Africa
would be considered a priority development region by the
World Bank and, secondly, a commitment to depoliticize
foreign aid. It was also agreed at the meeting that African
countries must set their own priorities for development. It
is the hope of my delegation that the agreements reached at
the Kampala leaders? forum will be translated into concrete
action by the international community in the near future.
We believe that similar initiatives could be undertaken
together with other organs of the United Nations system.
For too long, international efforts have been expended
on short-term humanitarian programmes, ignoring the long-
term requirements for sustainable peace and development.
Past experience has shown that this approach cannot ensure
durable peace and development. Indeed, as the Secretary-
General noted in his report on the causes of conflict and the
promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in
Africa,
“Preventing such wars is no longer a matter of
defending States or protecting allies. It is a matter of
defending humanity”. (A/52/871, para. 3)
Conflict prevention, including post-conflict peace-
building, requires a sustained effort to infuse funds into the
region. In this regard, we urge serious consideration and
expeditious implementation of the recommendations
contained in the Secretary-General?s report.
The massive cuts in social spending and public
investments, with the attendant high levels of
unemployment, create new centres of discontent and thus
further fuel the embers of conflict. Attempts to impose
conditionalities which are antithetical to the peace process
and the cutting off of aid from weak Governments making
sincere efforts to pursue reconciliation or implement peace
agreements have been counterproductive. My delegation
would wish to argue for “peace-friendly” structural
adjustment programmes, if durable peace and sustainable
development are to be achieved in Africa and elsewhere.
A number of delegations have expressed their views
on the situation in the Great Lakes region with specific
reference to the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo. My country was specifically accused of
involvement in the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. The facts of the situation in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo are not clear to some member States
of this Assembly. Since, many speakers have raised this
issue, we would like to make the following clarifications.
Uganda?s interest in the situation in the Great Lakes
region has always been and is still based on the
following: the need to ensure total security in all parts of
Uganda and the protection of the lives and property of the
people of Uganda; and the desire to ensure maximum
stability in the Great Lakes region, because instability in
any neighbouring country directly affects our security and
economy.
These concerns are legitimate. Our position on this
crisis therefore reflects our efforts to pursue those
interests. Before the fall of former President Mobutu, it
was not possible for Uganda to get cooperation from the
then Government in Zaire to ensure that Zairian territory
was not used by terrorist organizations to create insecurity
along the Uganda-Zaire border and inside Uganda.
When President Laurent Kabila came to power it
was mutually agreed between Uganda and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo that our two armies would jointly
operate in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of
the Congo to contain and eventually remove the bandits
who were using the bases they had in the area to
destabilize Uganda. Pursuant to that understanding,
Uganda has since maintained a military presence in the
eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in
accordance with the provision of the bilateral agreement
between our two countries. The situation in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo today necessitates that
Uganda must maintain that military presence, which is
crucial for the security of our country and our people.
Let me make it clear to all and sundry that Uganda
has no territorial designs on the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. It is not the primary responsibility of Uganda
to dictate the political arrangements of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. However, any internal
arrangement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
which does not take into account the legitimate security
concerns of its neighbours is our concern. We would like
to say that unilateral military intervention by individual
countries or sectional intervention by groups of countries
is unacceptable. These actions are likely to escalate the
problem. If there are good reasons for an intervention, it
should be regional, carried out, for example, through the
Southern African Development Community (SADC), the
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA), the Organization of African Unity (OAU) or
19

even the United Nations, and in the context of the peace
initiatives that are already in place.
We would therefore like to stress that there are serious
regional efforts to address the situation in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. We believe these efforts should be
supported by the entire membership of this Organization
and by all parties that are interested in the conflict and have
a vested interest in peace and security in the Great Lakes
region.
Uganda?s commitment to the full respect for and
universal enjoyment of human rights is well known.
However, we regret that crimes are now being committed
on a daily basis against the people of Uganda by surrogate
forces of the so-called Lord?s Resistance Army (LRA) with
the full knowledge and assistance of their sponsors, who do
not believe in freedom and respect for human rights.
Innocent children are abducted daily, subjected to forced
labour and military service and made victims of other,
similar crimes, with the support of the sponsors of these
terrorist groups. The world awoke to this horrendous crime
at the fifty-fourth session of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights, when it adopted draft
resolution E/CN.4/1998/L.40, which calls upon the LRA
and its sponsors to release all the abducted children
immediately and unconditionally.
My delegation believes that without external support
the Lord?s Resistance Army would not be in a position to
commit these atrocities and defy international public
opinion on this extremely important matter. We call upon
the international community to intensify pressure on the
countries involved to stop backing these terrorists. On the
other hand, we wish to thank the United Nations bodies,
non-governmental organizations and all others who have
been involved in seeking the freedom of these children. We
hope their efforts will not be in vain.
The United Nations is a vibrant institution for many
reasons, among them its unwavering support for actions
aimed at advancing freedom, peace and security. Today,
terrorism poses a serious threat to these values. Individuals
and organizations whose stock in trade is the violation of
these values roam the globe with impunity. Recent attacks
in East Africa came at a time when we thought the world
had learned the futility of such senseless, wanton murder
and destruction. It is the firm belief of my delegation that
the international community should collectively take action
to deny sanctuary to these savages. Countries known to
harbour such elements should be isolated and punished
severely so that human freedom can be protected. My
delegation further believes that this is an opportune
moment to convene an international conference on
terrorism which must map out strategies to deal with this
escalating problem.
Last year the world had only five declared nuclear
States; today we have seven; next year we may have
more. In essence, such non-proliferation agreements as the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
(NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
(CTBT) have not deterred the emergence of new nuclear
States.
The philosophy of dependence on nuclear weapons
for security is, in a creeping and disturbing fashion,
becoming universal. This situation is creating new dangers
for the survival of mankind. My delegation believes that
a new universal security doctrine needs to evolve. All
nuclear weapons should be eliminated. In line with this
belief, my delegation calls for the adoption of an action
plan for the elimination of all nuclear weapons within a
time-bound framework. Such an approach should be
universal, and not regional or discriminatory, if it is to
achieve the desired goals.
Since the last session of the General Assembly,
several developments have taken place in the international
arena, some of which have offered hope and
encouragement, while others have led to destruction and
despair.
The issue of Western Sahara is of concern to my
delegation. We are concerned by the slow progress
towards the holding of a United Nations-supervised
referendum on the self-determination of the people of that
territory. We appeal to the parties to overcome their
differences and allow a just and impartial referendum to
take place.
On the Lockerbie incident, Uganda welcomes the
initial moves taken in a bid to solve the problem between
the United States of America and the United Kingdom on
the one hand and Libya on the other. We encourage the
Secretary-General to work out comprehensive and clear
arrangements, acceptable to all concerned parties, so that
the matter can finally be resolved.
Today we live in a globalized world. Globalization
has created new opportunities as well as grave risks and
challenges. Its impact has strengthened the developed
countries and weakened the developing countries. Such a
situation does not augur well for international peace and
20

security. There is an urgent need for deliberate policies to
reorient international trade and finance. The crisis in South-
East Asia should serve as a warning to the world of the
catastrophe that inaction will breed. The ever widening gap
between the developed and the developing countries and
among countries in the South could also become a source
of future instability. There should be no delay in addressing
these problems. My delegation calls upon the developed
countries to honour their obligations and increase the
transfer of resources to the developing countries for the
transformation of their economies, so that they may become
equal partners in the global economy.
In the recent past, despite drastic limitations in both
human and financial resources, the United Nations has
responded admirably to the challenges of the era, including
peacekeeping, emergency operations and development. It
has a commendable record which should serve to strengthen
our confidence in the Organization.
As we inch our way into the twenty-first century, we
should translate this confidence into the necessary political
will to strengthen the Organization. We should demonstrate
our faith and dedication to the United Nations and its
component parts by providing it with the resources
necessary to fulfil its immense mandate. Our challenge is
to bequeath to succeeding generations a strong United
Nations, able to guarantee the principles enshrined in the
preamble of its Charter.


I take particular pleasure in
extending to Mr. Didier Opertti and to his country,
Uruguay, my congratulations on his election to preside over
the work of this session of the General Assembly. His
eminent qualities, as well as his diplomatic experience,
will undoubtedly ensure the success of our work.
I also express my deep appreciation for the wise
leadership his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko,
imprinted on the work of the fifty-second session, thus
contributing to the positive results achieved.
My country appreciates highly the creativity and the
intellectual energy brought to United Nations affairs by
Secretary-General Kofi Annan since he took over, and we
particularly appreciate his efforts to streamline United
Nations structures.
My Government fully supported the United Nations
programme of reforms aimed at conferring more
coherence and efficiency on the activities of the United
Nations. We have no doubt that the streamlining of the
United Nations administration will have a positive impact
on the way the Organization handles the various and
complex issues confronting the international community.
The efforts made over recent years by the
international community, the Organization of African
Unity (OAU), the African subregional organizations and
by States individually to deal with the conflicts in the
African continent have produced some positive results,
some of them remarkable. This has contributed to the
restoration of peace and the return to normalcy in several
of the affected countries. However, the resurgence of new
conflicts and the reappearance of other conflicts which we
believed had already been resolved raise serious concerns,
particularly because of the threat they pose to peace and
stability even beyond national borders. This situation
raises the spectre of disastrous consequences for the
populations? well-being and security and casts a shadow
over the much-needed economic and social development
of the affected countries.
A strong commitment is required on the part of the
international community to find ways and means to deal
effectively with the armed conflicts in the African
continent. In Africa, as in any other region of the world,
internal conflicts arise whenever individuals or groups of
people have no channels through which they can funnel
their legitimate claims through peacefully and
democratically. In the end, the non-existence of dialogue,
the practice of intolerance and the absence of reliable
judicial means to deal with divergences are the shortest
path to armed conflict.
14

In his recent report to the Security Council on this
matter, the Secretary-General made a substantial
contribution to the understanding of the causes of conflict
in our continent and their relationship to development, good
governance, democracy and human rights.
Maintaining peace in fact becomes a difficult task
when we witness the deepening of social gaps; while the
overwhelming majority of the population has difficulty
obtaining the essentials; when fundamental rights of
populations or parts of them, including the right to
participate in the governance of their country, are not
recognized or respected; or when citizens or groups of
citizens are discriminated against on the basis of ethnic,
cultural, religious or political considerations.
This situation is compounded by the temptation of
outside interference aimed at imposing policies or exerting
influence on Governments — most of the time causing or
aggravating conflict situations.
The virus of violence and conflicts that plagues
African regions and countries thrives in the precarious
living conditions of millions of Africans and the non-
recognition in practice of the most fundamental rights of
citizenship. Whenever one faces rampant famine, illiteracy,
ignorance, illness and oppression, whenever human dignity
is not secured by the lofty ideals of full-fledged democracy,
or whenever the respect for human rights is not widely
upheld, then peace, stability and progress are in question.
It is evident that if one wants to reduce the occurrence
of armed conflicts it is imperative to uphold respect for the
fundamental rights of citizenship, tolerance and social
justice and to support the creation of better living
conditions that comes with economic development.
The United Nations, as the main guarantor of peace in
the world, has a major role to play in the mobilization of
the resources and political will needed to confront African
countries? colossal needs and overcome the prevalent
situation of underdevelopment and intolerance, which in the
end favour the occurrence or persistence of armed conflicts.
However, it must be recognized that it is up to African
States, their leaders — especially those that hold the reins
of power — and their respective civil societies to assume
courageously their responsibilities, particularly in respect of
the promotion of the sound and fair management of their
resources, the consolidation of democratic institutions, the
observation of and respect for the rights of citizenship and
the creation of a climate of tolerance and respect for the
dignity and liberty of the human person.
The sisterly country of Guinea-Bissau has gone
through a difficult period in her history over the last two
months, as it has been faced with an internal armed
conflict. My country, which together with the other
Portuguese-speaking countries shares with Guinea-Bissau
a long common history, has been following with
particular attention the situation unfolding in that sisterly
country and has not spared any effort in contributing to
the search for a political and negotiated solution to the
crisis.
In the framework of the Community of Portuguese-
Speaking Countries (CPLP) Contact Group, which we
have the honour to be coordinating, we will continue to
give our best efforts to support a peaceful resolution of
the crisis, and we hope that the joint mediation initiative
of the CPLP and the Economic Community of West
African States will come to play an efficient and decisive
role in the ongoing peace process.
We hope that the parties to the conflict will continue
to strictly observe the ceasefire agreement signed at Praia
on 25 August and will also continue to show tolerance to
enable Guinea-Bissau society to be reconciled soon.
The difficult situation prevailing in Angola, a
country to which we are bound by profound brotherly ties
and a long common history, demands a strong and
decisive commitment on the part of the international
community in order to restore as soon as possible
compliance with the obligations entered into in the
framework of the Lusaka Protocol, while bearing in mind
the relevant Security Council resolutions. Of particular
concern to my country is the spectre of new armed
confrontations in Angola, raised by UNITA?s regrettable
defiance. The brotherly people of Angola, who for many
years have been victimized by the prevailing situation of
war, have the right to peace, political stability and a
much-needed national reconciliation.
The current international financial crisis that recently
shook the economies of many countries, especially in
Asia, seems to raise increasing concerns for all of us. It
raises doubts about prospects for continuing the global
prosperity which, fuelled by economic growth, once
seemed so long-lasting. The former optimistic outlook has
lately been called into question, especially in respect to
developing nations, by a series of financial setbacks that
15

pose a threat to social stability, cohesion and peace in the
affected countries.
The rapid degradation of economies considered to be
healthy and in full expansion only months ago has been the
object of the special attention and concern of many that
have spoken from this rostrum in the last few days. The
fear and apprehensions that the stability of many States
may be affected negatively by the fallout resulting from the
dynamics of globalization raise justifiable concern,
particularly about the speculative attacks against the
economies of certain developing nations or the maintenance
of not so transparent management practices.
At question is the equilibrium of the world economy,
the disturbance of which may have disastrous
consequences — economic and otherwise — for all of us.
The ongoing democratization process taking place at
different rhythms in different countries could fall prey to
this situation. It could also lead to social and political
instability and give rise to risks to peace and security. It is
illusory to believe that the negative impact of such an
economic situation could be contained within the
boundaries of developing nations, since the phenomenon of
globalization seems to have created its own dynamics and
knows no boundaries.
The destinies of our countries, large and small alike,
industrialized or developing, are increasingly interlinked.
Therefore, it is imperative that collectively we find effective
solutions that facilitate the end of the crisis, promote
growth on a global scale and secure a sustainable rhythm of
social and economic development.
As a country severely affected by drought and
desertification, Cape Verde pays special attention to the
environment.
The environmental issues confronting mankind, as well
as of the relationship between man and nature, make it
incumbent upon us to act in a swift, efficient and global
manner so as to guarantee the preservation of the basic
conditions that make life possible on Earth. Our primary
task should be to find a global strategy that will maintain
the balance of our ecosystems and at the same time secure
the betterment of living conditions for the world?s
population.
However, this is easier said than done. Cape Verde
shares the view that, in order for us to confront the problem
of environmental degradation, we should take a new
approach to the dynamics of economic and social
development, an approach that focuses on the eradication
of poverty. Until this is done, not much can be achieved
in this regard, at least not in the developing countries.
Against this background, my Government has been
enacting various pieces of legislation to bring the issue of
the environment into its legal mainstream. However,
whatever legislative measures we and other developing
countries may enact, in order to reap the expected
environmental benefits, resources should be made
available by the international community to allow
developing nations to build their capacity to implement
their own environmental programmes in a sustained
manner.
The end of the cold war seemed to have created a
new dynamic for the issue of poverty through the Agenda
for Development. Awareness of this issue seems to have
been strengthened, since we cannot remain indifferent to
the extreme poverty that severely afflicts more than a
quarter of the planet?s inhabitants. The spirit of solidarity
that guided the Copenhagen Summit must today be
reflected in a gamut of concrete actions aimed at
supporting the huge efforts of developing countries in
their struggle against poverty, the creation of conditions
for sustainable development and, consequently, the
general improvement of people?s living conditions.
Cape Verde, within the framework of the
engagement undertaken at that Summit, has been adopting
the necessary measures to combat poverty in the country.
Nevertheless, like other developing nations, especially
those on the list of least developed countries, we find that
our internal efforts will not produce the expected results
without additional measures on the part of the
international community. We believe that the special
follow-up meeting to take place in the year 2000 should
be the occasion for a thorough assessment of the situation
and for the launching of concrete action targeted at the
effective implementation of the engagements undertaken
at the Copenhagen Conference.
By the same token, I cannot but emphasize the issue
of small island States, which, as is known, have special
challenges and vulnerabilities, a global assessment of
which will be made next year, in keeping with the
Barbados Programme of Action. It is expected that the
international community will commit itself to concrete
measures with a view to implementing the engagements
undertaken under that Programme, which is of particular
importance for the sustained development of the small
island States.
16

As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international
community should seize the occasion to make a detailed
assessment of the global performance in protecting and
realizing all the rights of the human person. To this end, an
assessment of the implementation of the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action over the last five years would
contribute much.
It should be borne in mind that the protection and
promotion of all human rights constitutes a major challenge
to mankind as we approach the next millennium.
Regrettably, throughout the world, political, ethnic or
religious intolerance, as well as armed conflicts, have
brought untold misery to millions of people whose
fundamental rights have been violated, including the
fundamental right to life. Special emphasis, in this regard,
should be put on the right to development, a fundamental
human right which, by its very nature, conditions the degree
and the modus of realization of the other human rights —
political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights.
Much talk has been heard on the issue of human
rights. It is not enough, however, to proclaim such rights or
to brag about them without at the same time ensuring the
conditions, including the economic conditions, for their
effective implementation, a task that especially requires
action on the part of the United Nations system and the
international community in general.
The people of East Timor are still deprived of their
fundamental rights, especially the inalienable right to
dispose of their own destiny. Cape Verde, in keeping with
the United Nations principles it has always upheld, once
again emphasizes the need for the observance of and
respect for the right of self-determination of the East
Timorese people, and encourages the efforts undertaken by
the international community, under the authority of the
Secretary-General, with a view to protecting and promoting
human rights in that territory, and finding a lasting solution
that is acceptable.
As we approach the next millennium, our countries are
faced with daunting challenges, and the Organization, which
has unequivocally scored some successes, should be capable
of coping with a rejuvenated role, one which should be
increasingly more humane and reflecting more solidarity,
aimed at the effective implementation of the lofty ideals
that are its foundation.


On
behalf of the delegation of the United Republic of
Tanzania, and on my own behalf, allow me to extend to
Mr. Didier Opertti our sincere congratulations on his
unanimous election as President of the General Assembly
at its fifty-third session. To his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy
Udovenko, I should like to convey our deep appreciation
for the exemplary manner in which he presided over the
last session.
My delegation also wishes to take this opportunity to
commend the Secretary-General for the dedication he has
demonstrated in guiding our Organization through one of its
most challenging periods, as we seek to reform and
revitalize it and to restore its focus on the economic, social
and development agenda — the very heart of its mission.
The reform of the United Nations is a course we have
set for ourselves. Indeed, the reform we desire cannot be an
end in itself; rather, it is a means to better enable our
Organization to carry out its mission efficiently and more
effectively. Therefore, our efforts must be directed not only
at placing the development problems we face on the global
agenda, but also at strengthening the concrete contribution
of the United Nations in the development field and resisting
any attempts at withdrawal in this area. For it is in the area
of development that the challenge to the United Nations is
most critical, and it is for this reason that we believe the
Organization should continue to be involved, and its role be
strengthened.
My delegation strongly shares the general desire of
Member States to strengthen the role of the Security
Council, as well as to review its composition. We also
share disappointment about the degree of progress we have
been able to achieve so far. However, progress on this
matter can only be made after we reach agreement on the
fundamental principles involved and how we can move
together in the direction of implementing that agreement.
Tanzania, and indeed Africa, has made its position
clear: that we desire an expanded, representative and
democratized Security Council in which each Member is
given a rightful role to play. Africa, as the largest group,
demands and deserves no fewer than two permanent seats
in an appropriately expanded Council. At the moment, we
must place the emphasis on reaching agreement on the
principle and extent of expanding the Council, and not
elsewhere.
An effective United Nations is a matter of as much
great concern to my country as it is to all Member States.
The effectiveness of our Organization depends, to a
considerable extent, on its being financially stable. It is
sad that the financial situation of our Organization has
become increasingly precarious. Cash balances continue
to be dangerously low, the timing and amount of inflows
continue to be unpredictable, and the Organization is
unable to meet its commitments on time. In other words,
a bad financial situation has persisted and become
increasingly rigid. We are all aware of the fact that this
difficult financial situation has been brought about and is
being exacerbated by the non-payment of outstanding
assessed contributions on the part of some Member
States, especially the major contributor, for reasons of
political expediency. We urge them to pay on time, in full
and without qualification.
On 7 August this year, the American embassy in my
country was the target of a terrorist bombing deliberately
planned and callously executed to cause maximum
damage. The attack in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, claimed
the lives of 10 innocent and unsuspecting Tanzanians,
injured over 70 people and caused extensive damage to
property. A similar and almost simultaneous bombing of
the American embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, brought about
far greater loss of life and destruction of property.
In the wake of the attack, many friends here sent us
messages of condolence and solidarity. Some of them
extended financial and material support to help us meet
the requirements of treating the victims of the bombing,
as well as to help with the investigations. I would like to
reiterate the gratitude of the people and Government of
Tanzania to all those Governments, organizations and
individuals who have expressed solidarity with us or
extended material support following that tragic terrorist
bombing. Of particular mention here are the people and
Government of the United States of America, who
extended medical support and assisted in the
investigations through the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI).
Terrorism is a heinous crime against humanity. It is
cruel, indiscriminate and, above all, wanton and senseless.
Whatever cause may have prompted the perpetrators to
resort to it, we do not believe that it is any way
justifiable. It is the most rational way neither of
4

expressing one’s indignation, nor of dealing with one’s socalled enemy. Instead, from the moral and political
standpoint, acts of terrorism lead to the alienation of the
perpetrators, incite hatred and so, deservedly, earn them
outrage and condemnation. Invariably, terrorism reduces the
number of sympathizers and adds to the list of opponents.
It is a worthless recourse — indeed, a misadventure which
common sense demands to be abandoned now.
The bombings brought home a number of realities,
namely, that terrorism is a global problem and that no
country is safe from its menace. It also reminded us that,
just as terrorism has a global reach, so must the fight
against it be concerted and global. The world must
therefore make it quite clear to the perpetrators of these
heinous crimes that terrorism will be answered with swift
and decisive action to bring those responsible to justice and
that they will find no solace or refuge anywhere.
Thanks to international cooperation and partnership,
the investigations into those terrorist bombings are on
course and arrests have been made. In fact, two people
have already appeared in court in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania,
charged with committing acts of terrorism and murder,
thanks to cooperation between Tanzanian investigators, the
FBI and several other countries and organizations. We need
to strengthen that cooperation in order to bring all of those
responsible to justice and ensure that terrorism is
comprehensively dealt with. In this regard, we should
strengthen international legal regimes against terrorism.
Three months ago in June, world leaders met here in
New York and addressed the world drug problem, another
international criminal question which deserves global
action. The objective was to commit themselves to fighting
the demand for illicit drugs, the manufacture of
psychotropic substances and the diversion of precursors
within precise time-frames. The Political Declaration and
the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand
Reduction that world leaders adopted at the end of the
special session were the first agreements ever aimed
exclusively at examining individual and collective problems
arising from drug abuse. Just like terrorism, drugs are an
international menace which must be dealt with through
global cooperation and partnership.
On 12 December this year, we shall be celebrating the
fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights, which was adopted by the General Assembly on 10
December 1948. The celebration of the fiftieth anniversary
is a fitting occasion for all of us to look critically at our
record in the protection and promotion of human rights.
This is the time for us to ask ourselves whether our
adherence to human rights agreements has made any
difference to the way we observe human rights. This is
the time for us to renew our commitment to all
international instruments to which we are party by
implementing the provisions of those agreements.
I wish I could preface my remarks on the Great
Lakes region on a more positive note than I did last year.
The situation in Burundi remains precarious,
notwithstanding the holding of the negotiating process
within the framework of the Arusha peace talks. We
continue to receive refugees from Burundi, as the security
situation inside the country has not improved appreciably.
Yet, we are encouraged that the parties to the conflict
continue to demonstrate the disposition to a pacific
settlement and persist in dialogue. In a couple of weeks,
a further round of negotiations will convene in Arusha,
under the facilitation of Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, to
thrash out the details of a settlement and strengthen the
undertakings already entered into during the last round of
talks.
We will continue to urge the parties to the conflict
in Burundi along the path of dialogue in the full
knowledge that Tanzania and, indeed, the region can only
help. The onus of delivering peace and sustaining it rests
squarely and solely on the people that country.
The situation in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo is very worrisome indeed. The conflict there, in
both its internal and external contexts, threatens to throw
that country and the region into prolonged anarchy and
war unless it is arrested now. The region, particularly
within the framework of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and the Organization
of African Unity (OAU), has expended efforts aimed at
securing a ceasefire in order to initiate a political process
to bring the conflict to a peaceful end. This was the spirit
of the Victoria Falls and Pretoria summits, as well as of
the SADC summit in Mauritius only a couple of weeks
ago. We are also appreciative of the efforts deployed by
Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the Non-Aligned
summit in Durban, South Africa, in the search for a
speedy end to the hostilities and the beginning of a
process of dialogue and negotiation.
My Government believes that anarchy and war in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo are not inevitable.
They can be avoided provided all the parties demonstrate
a sense of realism and a willingness to work on a
comprehensive settlement based on scrupulous respect for
5

the sovereignty and territorial integrity of that country; the
principle of a peaceful settlement of the conflict; full
respect for the rights of all the citizens of that country; and
the consideration of the legitimate security concerns of the
neighbouring countries.
My country will therefore continue, within this
framework and in the context of the mandate given to it by
the SADC summit meeting which took place in Mauritius
recently, to urge all the parties involved to bring an
immediate end to the hostilities and to facilitate the
commencement of negotiations aimed at securing an
understanding on the ceasefire and its monitoring, troop
withdrawals and the internal dialogue, which is so critical
to the long-term security, peace, stability and unity of that
country. I urge the international community to support the
regional efforts now under way to avert catastrophe in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
My delegation is equally concerned about the EritreaEthiopia border conflict, which has brought these two sister
republics and fraternal peoples into a war which has already
claimed many lives and huge damage to property. We
continue to urge the two countries to exercise restraint and
consider initiatives, particularly those of the OAU, aimed at
diffusing tension and finding a peaceful solution to the
border conflict.
These two countries, which have endured decades of
conflict, know the destruction and pain which war can
engender, and they owe it to themselves and to peace in
Africa to ensure that nothing is done to aggravate the
situation and reignite military confrontation. We also urge
them to give mediation a chance. After all, it is in dialogue
that both sides of the argument can be heard, and it is in
dialogue that mechanisms for enduring peace can be
negotiated and put in place.
The instability in the Great Lakes area continues to be
the source of refugees in the region. Tanzania has hosted
thousands of them, and it seems we will continue to do so
because of the deterioration of the political situation in
some countries. The exercise to repatriate refugees from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo began in October last
year and was proceeding well. By June this year, 48,658
Congolese refugees had been repatriated. There were
47,857 remaining, but the repatriation programme was
going well.
However, with the outbreak of civil strife in the
Congo, the exercise has stalled and new refugees are once
again streaming into Tanzania. In the two months of the
new conflict in that country, we have already received
about 10,000 new refugees. As part of the international
community and a responsible member of the United
Nations, Tanzania will continue to meet its international
obligation of hosting these refugees, and about 200,000
refugees more from Burundi. But we must confess that
because of various circumstances, our perseverance is
wearing out and our hospitality should not be considered
open-ended.
While appealing for increased support and assistance
for our country for hosting refugees, we call upon the
international community to exert great efforts to deal with
the root cause of the refugee problem. Many times before
in this Assembly and other forums, the international
community has spoken of and committed itself to helping
the refugee-producing countries address the root cause of
the displacements. I regret that this has remained an
unfulfilled intention. I always wonder why there has been
so much talk about it and little is being achieved.
Today, we see latent reluctance to engage those
countries in sustained political dialogue requiring them to
take responsibility for their refugee-generating policies.
We see greater preparedness to rationalize their actions in
the name of humanitarianism. At times the host country
has been the object of undue pressure to make more
concessions or even of unjustified blame and accusations.
It is very frustrating indeed. This is not the way to assist
refugee-producing countries to come to terms with their
internal problems and spare others the unending burden of
hosting refugees. We need to emphasize the closure of
those factories which produce refugees, as we do meeting
the needs of those innocent refugees who are the
products.
It is in this light that I ask the Assembly and the
international community to encourage the countries of the
Great Lakes to resolve the underlying political conflicts
of the region and to call for mechanisms for greater
burden-sharing in a way that will ease strain on the
resources of the countries which have borne the brunt of
hosting refugees.
The peace process in Angola is, to our utmost regret,
moving dangerously towards collapse. While the Lusaka
Protocol may still be salvaged, we strongly condemn
UNITA for its blatant violations of both the agreement
and relevant Security Council resolutions. The people of
Angola need and deserve the peace they have been
waiting for for so long. The international community must
hold UNITA and its leadership responsible for their
6

failure to fully implement their obligations under the Peace
Accords, thus frustrating the successful outcome of the
peace process. Tanzania will support any efforts by this
Assembly which will ensure that peace obtains in Angola.
The search for a peaceful settlement in Somalia has
not borne fruit yet. The country remains divided into
sectors, each held by a warlord. We support the efforts of
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
within the terms of the Sodore agreement, as well as those
of the OAU Chairman and Secretary-General, in searching
for a solution in Somalia. We support the efforts to hold a
consultative meeting to bring together various groups of
people, including individuals, businessmen and community
groups, in order to get views and proposals in addition to
those of political parties.
Another long-standing issue is the question of Western
Sahara. We hope that the referendum will go ahead as
planned on 7 December of this year. Tanzania calls on the
United Nations to ensure that the preparations are well
executed so that justice will prevail, especially in deciding
who should vote in the referendum.
We regret that the situation in the Middle East
continues to be characterized by tension and continued
denial to the Palestinian people of their right to full selfdetermination and to a homeland of their own, due to the
refusal by Israel to honour its obligations towards the peace
process. The Israeli policy of territorial expansion, in utter
violation of the letter and spirit of those commitments,
stands to undermine the prospects for the permanent status
negotiations leading to agreement for peace in the area. We
call upon the Israeli Government to abandon its
obstructionist policies and to resume dialogue. In this
regard, my Government is encouraged by the high-level
consultations which are currently taking place between the
leaders of Palestine and Israel. We hope they will lead to
overcoming the present impasse in the peace process.
My delegation has welcomed the recent breakthrough
in the long-standing conflict between the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya on the one hand, and the United States and the
United Kingdom on the other, over the Lockerbie incident,
which culminated in the adoption of Security Council
resolution 1192 (1998). It remains our fervent hope that
agreement will be reached soon on the trial arrangements so
that the sanctions imposed upon Libya can be quickly
lifted.
The Korean Peninsula remains an area of tension and
unpredictability. We continue to believe that durable peace
and eventual unification can be attained only through
dialogue. We therefore urge the parties and the
international community to support this course.
We welcome the agreement reached between the
Governments of Portugal and Indonesia to address the
question of East Timor. We urge the two Governments to
expand the dialogue they have initiated so that the wishes
of the East Timorese people can be fulfilled.
Africa is faced by a number of devastating conflicts.
It accepts the primary responsibility for bringing them to
an end and for elaborating mechanisms for enduring
peace in the continent. It is in fulfilment of that
responsibility that the OAU has taken a leading role in
searching for solutions. This the organization has done in
partnership with its subregional groups of countries and
organizations, as was the case with Liberia, Sierra Leone
and now in Burundi, Somalia, the Comoros and Lesotho,
among others. My Government continues to believe in the
centrality of the OAU in the search for solutions to
African problems. At the same time, we also believe that
where necessary, the OAU and the African continent
deserve the support of the international community and of
the United Nations in particular.
In this regard, once again wish to pay tribute to the
Security Council for the initiative it took a year ago in
having a regular ministerial debate on Africa, the result of
which was the report of the Secretary-General on the
causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and
sustainable development in Africa. We applauded the
Secretary-General for that report and we do so again
today. We could not agree more with his observation that
“it is the persistence of poverty that is impeding the
full promise of peace for all of Africa’s peoples. The
alleviation of poverty must be the first aim of our
efforts. Only then — only when prosperity and
opportunity become real — will every citizen, young
or old, man or woman, have a genuine and lasting
stake in a peaceful future for Africa — politically,
economically and socially.”
Indeed, our illustrious Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi
Annan, has underscored two important facts here. One,
that a poor man, a hungry man, has no peace. Two, only
when prosperity and opportunity become real will Africa
take its rightful place in the global economy. Africans,
more than anyone else, recognize that they bear the
responsibility to move towards that noble objective. They
need the support of the international community.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda,
which my country is privileged to host, has been working
under challenging circumstances. During the past 12 months
it has made commendable progress. Regrettably, more
attention has been attracted by the difficulties it has had to
confront than what it has achieved. My Government
remains strongly committed to supporting the Tribunal. We
are also keenly aware that, just as we have to play our part,
the international community must also lend its firm support
to the Tribunal to enable it to discharge its mandate and
assist, as quickly as it should, in the healing process in
Rwanda. The recent judgements by the Tribunal constitute
a milestone towards that end. They are a landmark we
should welcome and build on.
The adoption in Rome of the Statute for the
International Criminal Court is a welcome step towards
bridging a critical gap in both international criminal law
and international humanitarian and human rights law. My
delegation believes that the establishment of the Court will
be a concrete assurance of our profound concern about
respect for and protection of the humanity we all share. It
represents an important assurance that individuals, whether
as leaders or otherwise, will be accountable and therefore
that impunity will not go unpunished. Indeed, the
establishment of the Court will be a legacy of our
commitment to the pursuit of justice, and could well go
down as one of the most momentous decisions of the
twentieth century.
It is in the context of the pursuit of justice that we
must, however, mention what in our view is the most
serious failure of the Rome Conference. At a time when
some financial institutions are making, albeit belatedly,
some form of reparation to the victims of the Nazi
Holocaust, it is to be regretted that the attribution of some
form of criminal responsibility to legal persons is a notion
conspicuously absent from the Statute. To the extent that
this was driven by considerations of corporate interest, it
speaks about our lack of real commitment to justice,
notwithstanding any measure of concern and grief we may
pretend to extend to victims.
Disarmament continues to be an important issue for
my country. The Treaty of Pelindaba establishing a nuclearweapon-free zone in Africa is testament to the resolve of
Africa to pursue the cause of nuclear disarmament. While
it is easy to take exception to the recent events in South
Asia, we are keenly aware that international responses
remain the sole alternative in determining a preferable
course of action. We remain convinced that the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a
valuable international instrument for nuclear disarmament.
In the end, the only viable alternative for international
peace continues to be a commitment by all States to a
total and comprehensive nuclear disarmament.
The Assembly is meeting against the background of
a deteriorating international economic situation brought
about by the persistence of old problems and the
emergence of new ones. The situation has been
compounded by the challenges of adjusting to a rapidly
liberalizing and globalizing world economy.
The majority of humankind resides in developing
countries, and Africa is the least developed of the
continents. It is in this regard that my delegation is
concerned that after a three-year period of positive
economic growth, Africa’s economic performance
slackened last year, thus demonstrating once again the
fragility of the recovery process in our region. A
combination of factors, including unpredictable weather
conditions, lack of financial resources and poor
infrastructure and technology, continue to adversely affect
production performances and therefore pose a major
constraint on efforts towards recovery, growth and
sustainable development.
Trade plays a crucial role in the economic
development of any country. Despite the slowdown in
production by African countries, the volume of their
exports has increased over time. In 1997, for example,
Africa’s volume of trade increased by 8 per cent, thereby
raising the continent’s total revenue from trade by 5.9 per
cent. However, it is sad to point out that despite all its
efforts, Africa’s contribution to world trade remains very
small and is actually decreasing. Limited access to
markets, high tariffs, low commodity prices and low
output deny African countries the benefits of the twin
process of globalization and trade liberalization. This is
unjust, because many of these countries are painfully
undertaking major reforms aimed at diversifying their
economies. There is therefore an urgent need to address
this problem if African countries are to be assisted to
increase their participation in global trade. Failure to do
so would mean that Africa will continue to be
marginalized and will stand to benefit little from the
recent years’ economic growth and global integration.
Tanzania calls for the establishment of an equitable,
secure, non-discriminatory and predictable multilateral
trading system that would enhance the trade development
8

possibilities of African countries, and especially of the least
developed among us.
The question of sustainable development of African
countries also continues to be seriously affected by the
heavy debt burden these countries endure. Tanzania is
among such affected countries, and is currently spending
almost one third of its revenue to pay its external debt,
which has now reached a disproportionate rate. My country
is currently implementing various debt management
programmes to reduce the effects of the debt on
Government operations. Despite the resource constraint, my
Government has set as a top priority the repayment of its
foreign debt, while continuing to negotiate with our
creditors on the possibility of rescheduling and/or cancelling
some of its debt.
Tanzania believes that the establishment by the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund of the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries Initiative is a step in the right
direction in this endeavour. However, as we have had
occasion to state in the past, we are concerned about the
conditionalities associated with this initiative. A way out
has to be found to ensure that the criteria are made more
objective so that as many least developed countries as
possible benefit from this otherwise important initiative.
What could be a more objective criterion for eligibility
under the Initiative than poverty itself? In the same manner,
we support the call for the holding of an international
conference on money and finance.
On the eve of the new millennium, Tanzania notes
with regret that poverty levels remain very high, despite the
observance of the International Year for the Eradication of
Poverty two years ago. This is unacceptable, and it is not
sustainable in the long run.
While those who have more can decide to turn a blind
eye or ignore our calls to look for a solution to this human
tragedy, it cannot be overemphasized that poverty is the
root cause of many problems that cut across the boundaries
between rich and poor. The interconnectedness of the world
leaves no country insulated from the problems of others.
Indeed, even if not in the same sense, the recent financial
crisis in Asia and its global ramifications serves to illustrate
this fact.
It has been argued that foreign direct investment is
more effective in bringing about development than official
development assistance. This could be so, but my
delegation is concerned that private capital flows are going
only to a few selected countries. This leaves the majority of
the poor developing countries little hope of extricating
themselves from the poverty trap.
Official development assistance is still an important
factor in assisting developing countries in their efforts to
upgrade infrastructure, which is necessary to attract direct
foreign investment. It is unrealistic, therefore, to expect
this enormous cost to be met by private capital or
domestic savings alone. We therefore urge the developed
countries to arrest the trend of diminishing official
development assistance and fulfil the official development
assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product.
We would like to thank those partners that have reached
the official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent
of gross national product. Others should emulate the
example they have set.
Tanzania attaches great importance to South-South
cooperation as a means of attaining collective self-reliance
and complementing international development
cooperation. In this regard, my country will continue to
work very closely with other developing countries for the
realization of this goal, for we believe that this is the best
way for countries of the South to integrate themselves
into the global economy.
My delegation urges the international donor
community to extend its support to the South-South
cooperation arrangements initiated by the developing
countries. In particular, countries of the South wish to be
assisted in developing capacities in science and
technology that are suitable for local conditions.
We call on the United Nations system to continue
assisting countries of the South, and in particular the least
developed ones, to mobilize the necessary resources to
enable them to enter the twenty-first century of science
and technology with confidence.
Before concluding my statement, I would like to
extend our condolences and sympathy to the Government
and people of the many Caribbean island nations, as well
as the United States, who have been and continue to be
devastated by Hurricane Georges. Our hearts go out
particularly to the people of Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico, who have suffered the
most devastation.
In conclusion, I wish to reiterate our strong belief in
and commitment to the United Nations and its aspirations
and the principles of the Charter. However, we are
conscious of the fact that the strength, or otherwise, of the
9

United Nations will stem from the moral and material
support rendered by its Members. This is the challenge we
all have to pursue ceaselessly in the interests of
international peace and security and for the equitable
development of humanity.


I would like, before
beginning my statement, to express my solidarity with the
peoples of the Caribbean nations who during the past few
days have been victims of hurricane Georges.
As well as warmly greeting all representatives, I
would like to express my very cordial congratulations to
Mr. Opertti on his election as President of the General
Assembly for its fifty-third session. This eminent position
not only represents well-deserved recognition of his
capability and experience, but is also a significant
distinction for Latin America.
Allow me also to express my appreciation to the
Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his vision and
efforts to promote deep reforms of the United Nations
system. Nicaragua gives its total support to these
important initiatives, which are aimed at strengthening
and promoting the Organization?s role in international
cooperation for sustainable development.
With regard to the Security Council, there are
grounds for concern over the postponements and absence
of concrete proposals from the Open-ended Working
Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on
and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council
and Other Matters Related to the Security Council. My
country shares the opinion that resolutions involving
amendments to the Charter must be approved by two
thirds of the members of the General Assembly.
The globalization of all spheres of life and
liberalization of the economy constitute a new challenge.
In this connection, we share the view of the Secretary-
General, expressed in his annual report, about the need to
reorient actions and efforts with a new vision that will
help countries carry out a satisfactory transition to the
globalized economy, which involves complex and
sensitive processes.
At the end of the twentieth century, the world is
facing profound changes that require innovative solutions
in order for humanity to move in such a direction that
science and technology can have a positive effect on the
development of countries. The historic transformation we
are living through has frequently increased the inequalities
between countries; we must therefore plan how to reduce
these negative effects.
In commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we reaffirm our
9

commitment to continue to work with all the means at our
disposal to promote and protect human rights. In Nicaragua
we are moving ahead with the consolidation of peace and
democracy based on full respect for human rights,
establishment of the rule of law, respect for the separation
of powers and the guarantee of individual liberties. At the
same time, we have taken important steps in order to reach
higher levels of economic development with social equity.
My Government is convinced that in order to reap
fruits we must plant seeds, human capital being one of the
best investments for integrated and sustainable
development. We have therefore made it a priority to raise
levels of education and extend its reach to all sectors.
Likewise, we are redirecting our efforts and resources to
maintain and improve social programmes for the protection
of individuals and families in great poverty. This, together
with dealing with unemployment, is our priority.
The Government?s social policies require healthy and
effective economic policies that ensure continuity along
with the necessary impetus for development. In this
connection, the Government?s general objective is to make
it possible for the private sector to create products and jobs
within a climate of stability, promoted by establishing clear,
reliable and transparent rules that apply equally to
everyone, as well as through dialogue and agreement, which
are the cornerstones of governability and harmony. In this
context, strengthening the integrated system for procuring
and administering justice is essential. This includes the
sensitive area of security for individuals and their property.
The macroeconomic transformations that we have
undertaken include significant reforms in the taxation and
financial system, as well as important measures to protect
the environment, creating an awareness of the need to
utilize rationally our natural wealth. These initiatives have
been supported by the international community, and in this
connection it is appropriate to recognize the assistance
received from the United Nations Development Programme
for many endeavours — especially its support, in
coordination with civil society and non-governmental
organizations, for the National Commission for Sustainable
Development.
Nicaragua hopes that at the next Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, to be held in Buenos Aires in November
this year, there will be recognition of the environmental
protection work done by the developing countries in
designating important expanses of their territories as
protected areas. Likewise, we hope that mechanisms for
clean development to facilitate the reduction of
greenhouse gases will be adopted.
At the end of this millennium the battle against the
production, trafficking in and use of drugs continues to be
one of the greatest challenges to humanity. My country
expresses its satisfaction at the results achieved during the
special session of the General Assembly devoted to this
important subject. Similarly, we are participating actively
in the negotiation and signing of the Inter-American
Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and
Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and
Other Related Materials, approved on 13 November 1997
by the Organization of American States.
We consider international terrorism and other forms
of organized crime to be terrible scourges of our societies.
We condemn all terrorist acts and reassert our conviction
that they require firm and severe responses. We are in
solidarity with the victims of these actions and support
every initiative to increase international cooperation in
confronting these inhuman, cruel and unlawful activities
that affect the security of our States.
We repeat that the role of my Government is that of
facilitator and promoter. We are firm believers in the free
market economy, with a humanistic sensibility and social
justice. We believe with the same pragmatic conviction in
globalization and in the broadest and most active
international relations, without exception.
Globalization is not a panacea per se, although it is
an exceptional opportunity if prudent and realistic
measures are envisaged and taken. These must also be
imaginative and audacious, without neglecting the
palliatives that mitigate and cushion the rigours of the
first phases of adjustment and opening up.
There is no doubt that globalization will promote
unity at the international level. Nevertheless, we should
not underestimate the whirlwind forces that could cause
irreparable internal ruptures should the less-favoured
majority sectors — which are precisely those that demand
our priority attention to their urgent vital needs — be
sacrificed to gain time and avoid difficulties. Moreover,
the vulnerability to which smaller economies are exposed
in the face of crisis — such as that of the financial
markets currently casting a shadow over the world
economy — cannot be avoided.

In the first 18 months of my Administration, we have
had the highest rate of economic growth in Central
America: 5 per cent in 1997 and an estimated rate of
slightly over 6 per cent for the current year. Within these
indicators, the increase in the agricultural sector is 60 per
cent. At the same time, we have created 170,000 new
productive jobs, with a goal of 500,000 contemplated for
the five-year term of 1997-2001 for which I was elected
President. In 1997, we brought inflation down to an annual
level of 7 per cent.
Our economic policy has received the backing of the
international community, represented by over 40 countries
and multilateral organizations. After Nicaragua reached an
agreement with the International Monetary Fund, in
Geneva, Switzerland, in April of this year, on a new
programme for an enhanced structural adjustment facility
(ESAF), these supporters won us $1.8 billion over the next
three years. Furthermore, upon the completion of the ESAF
programme, we would be forgiven up to 80 per cent of the
large external debt inherited from the past, within the
concessionary programme of the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries Debt Initiative. These signs appear to indicate
that, given the steps we are taking and the enormous
sacrifices we are making, the time-frame for our becoming
creditors to these facilities could be shortened.
We have turned to the international community,
calling on it from its highest forum to continue to support
us in our daily and difficult battle to get ahead, leaving
behind a dark past of destruction and violence which we
have been slowly overcoming with the combined efforts of
all, guided by a sincere spirit of reconciliation based on
forgiveness and forgetting. The exhausting legacy of that
past is the burden of a gigantic foreign debt of
approximately $12.5 billion and a devastated economy,
which, within the space of a few years, was set back
dramatically by more than 50 years. We seek understanding
and help to achieve forgiveness of our stifling external debt
as soon as possible.
We must bear in mind that the United Nations, as a
supranational body that coordinates and harmonizes the
world?s efforts in many areas, is the most important and
pluralistic forum in which the opinions of all States are
freely expressed and the most important decisions taken
within the framework of world politics. Nevertheless, we
note once again, with great sadness, the absence of the
sister Republic of China, which, as we all know, was a
founding Member of the United Nations in 1945.
The international community is aware that the
Republic of China respects the principles that govern the
United Nations Charter, particularly its mission of peace
and broad and generous international cooperation. The
denial of the right of a people to be recognized and
accorded full and effective participation misrepresents and
contradicts the noble spirit of the universal mission of this
Organization and constitutes a painful collective violation
of the human rights of more than 21 million people.
We therefore call once again on the nations of the
world to reconsider resolution 2758 (XXVI), which so
unjustly excludes the Republic of China, with a view to
restoring its right to participate in all the activities of the
United Nations.
We are certain, Sir, that under your enlightened
guidance, we will achieve concrete results on the delicate
points on our agenda that will undoubtedly help our
peoples and Governments in a very positive and tangible
way to achieve the widest and most satisfactory shared
benefits.


On behalf of the
people and the Government of Papua New Guinea, I wish
to join previous speakers in congratulating you,
Mr. President, on your election to your important post.
Your unanimous election as President of the General
Assembly shows the esteem in which the international
community holds both you, personally, and your country,
Uruguay. The Papua New Guinea delegation is confident
that you will guide this fifty-third session of the General
Assembly to a successful conclusion.
May I also take this opportunity, through you, to
express my delegationâs sincere appreciation to your
predecessor, the former Foreign Minister of Ukraine,
Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his outstanding stewardship
in facilitating the work of the fifty-second session of the
General Assembly.
We would also like to place on record our
appreciation to the Secretary-General and the Secretariat
staff for the care they put into the planning of the affairs
of our Organization.
This is the first occasion on which I have addressed
the General Assembly. The year since I was elected
Prime Minister has been a year of great challenge in
which my Government has been confronted with
problems associated with natural disasters and those that
have resulted from many years of neglect.
The realities of life in the rapidly shrinking world
mean that a partnership must, in practice, be turned into
something practical and viewed in a much broader global
perspective as an element of a worldwide partnership in
managing and, where possible, directing change.
The point is brought home by a series of natural
disasters which have affected Papua New Guinea over the
past year. First came the drought caused by the El NiÃ±o
effect, and then followed frosts, which led to severe food
shortages in many different parts of the country. Then
came the tsunami which completely destroyed villages in
the Aitape area of the Sandaun province on the north
coast of the mainland, killing more than 2,100 people,
mainly children and women, and injuring many more. In
between came floods and landslides, which caused death
and destruction in several places. Meanwhile, people
11

around Rabaul continue to cope with the effects and try to
rebuild in the aftermath of the 1994 volcanic eruptions.
The drought, in particular, showed that people and
States throughout the world have to be partners in dealing
with the causes of disasters arising from climatic or other
forms of environmental change. The prompt and generous
response to the series of natural disasters by our neighbours
and friends in many different countries showed that they
are truly our partners in dealing with the effects of such
changes.
Like other developing countries, Papua New Guinea
faces the challenge of providing its people with
opportunities to improve both the material standard of
living and the quality of life. My Government has had to
address these multiple changes while dealing with natural
disasters and carrying out a comprehensive programme of
structural adjustment.
In doing so, we are working hard to make sure that
private initiative contributes to public welfare and national
development, as it can and should, by focusing on trimming
the public sector so that State resources are used where
they can be most effective.
The result has been a stable economy with continuing
economic growth. It has been achieved and is being
maintained despite the negative impact on trade and
investment prospects arising from the economic crisis
affecting so many of our East Asian neighbours.
The lesson we draw from the experience is that the
world is truly becoming a global community. The challenge
we face is to develop a global partnership â€” strong,
focused, and determined enough to manage and, where
possible, to direct change. The lesson has obvious
implications for a world in which some countries
experience â€œaid fatigueâ€, while increasing numbers of
people elsewhere fall and remain below the poverty line,
where survival itself is the most pressing issue.
I know that with its small, open economy, my
countryâs development is directly influenced by
developments in world markets for our products. Currently,
my country is suffering from the economic crisis
experienced by our major trading partners, in which we are
forced to undertake significant reform programmes to
protect our economy and our people.
In this regard, we turn our attention to international
financial institutions to help us restructure our economy.
Unfortunately, we have had mixed reactions from them.
Some of them, including the International Monetary Fund
and the Asian Development Bank, have been very
positive in their discussions with us, while others appear
to be slow in responding. This leads me to think that
sometimes some of these organizations are insensitive and
do not appreciate the difficulties and hardships faced by
our people without their help.
This year, despite the El NiÃ±o drought and other
natural disasters that devastated my country, Papua New
Guinea, we have continued to become more vigilant to
these challenges and to take remedial measures.
Notwithstanding the hardship our economy is
experiencing because of the international economic crisis,
the value of our currency has consistently been
recovering. For Papua New Guinea to realize and sustain
its current reform programmes, it has to secure external
financial support.
The challenge is to forge a new global partnership
for change â€” a partnership in which both developed and
developing countries join together to address the issues
that the global community will face in the twenty-first
century. This partnership will be necessary if the shared
hopes of humanity for peace, justice and a better way of
life are to progress.
I see my Governmentâs foreign policy of partnership
in the Asia-Pacific as a building block for the global
partnership on which the future depends. For developing
countries in particular, there is really no alternative way.
In facing the challenge of improving both the
material standards of living and the quality of life of our
people, we are carrying out comprehensive programmes
of structural adjustment and changing our focus so that
both private and State resources can be directed to social
welfare and national development. Despite the negative
effects of the current global crisis, we are achieving a
stable economy, stabilizing our currency and attracting
investments.
When my Government came into office in July
1997, my priority was the resolution of the nine-year-old
Bougainville conflict, which had caused terrible suffering
and the loss of lives and property. Three factors â€” the
desire of the men and especially the women of
Bougainville to end the fighting, my desire for a
consensus resolution and the moral and practical support
of Australia and New Zealand â€” led to a meeting in
12

Burnham, New Zealand, in October 1997 where a truce was
signed.
As an integral part of the truce, my Government
approached our friends in the region to form an unarmed
and neutral regional Truce Monitoring Group. The
Government of the Solomon Islands â€” which played a
very constructive role in the processes â€” New Zealand,
Australia, Fiji and Vanuatu provided personnel to the Truce
Monitoring Group, and its presence helped mutual
confidence-building and made people feel safe.
The peace monitoring group that took over on 1 May
this year continues to provide a positive role in maintaining
and consolidating peace. In March this year, I met in
Lincoln, New Zealand, with the main Bougainvillean parties
involved in the conflict, and we agreed that a permanent
and irrevocable ceasefire should take effect from 30 April
1998. Proceeding on a bipartisan-national basis and in close
consultation with all of the major Bougainville parties, I
agreed that the State would approach the Security Council
to endorse the Lincoln Agreement on Peace, Security and
Development on Bougainville. I also requested that the
Council send a small observer mission to monitor and
report on developments.
As the internationally recognized representatives of all
of the people of Papua New Guinea and being proud of
Papua New Guineaâs independence and sovereignty, we
made these requests with mixed feelings, but with
determination made strong by our faith in the cause of
peace.
I am pleased to report that the Security Council
responded positively to our request, and, through the efforts
of other South Pacific Forum missions in New York and
others in close cooperation with the Secretary-General, the
Observer Mission is now on Bougainville, operating side by
side with the personnel of the peacekeeping mission.
As I speak, my Government is making arrangements
for a Bougainville restoration Government to take office
within the framework of our Constitution before the end of
this year. At the same time, the people and leaders of
Bougainville are performing the traditional ceremonies of
reconciliation.
Our partners from Australia, New Zealand, the
European Union, Japan and the United Nations
Development Programme are providing resources for
restoration and development. A number of non-
governmental organizations, including churches, the Red
Cross and Doctors Without Frontiers are also active. My
Government is taking practical steps to strengthen civil
authority by training Bougainvillean policemen to work in
Bougainville.
Having begun the processes of peace in
Bougainville, we must now do everything we can to make
peace work through peaceful means. While the peace
process on Bougainville is still fragile, my Government is
confident that with the support of all Papua New
Guineans and of our neighbours and friends in the
international community, it will continue to gain strength.
As it gains strength, we expect direct international
involvement to become of less importance, decreasing by
agreement as mutual confidence and trust consolidates.
The Bougainville peace process has shown in a practical
and constructive manner how people can seek
reconciliation and forgiveness.
The Security Council, together with the Secretary-
General, have given both moral, and through the Observer
Mission, visible and practical support.
On a separate though broadly related matter, Papua
New Guinea commends the United Nations on 50 years
of cooperation in international peacekeeping and reaffirms
its commitment to these processes. Papua New Guinea
makes a resolute commitment to the principles and
purposes of the United Nations Charter. In doing so, we
recognize that like any other institution, the United
Nations has limitations. Consistent with our view of the
United Nations as a means of promoting global
cooperation and partnership to meet the challenges of
change in the twenty-first century, Papua New Guinea
continues in its strong belief that its moral values and
organizations offer hope to humanity.
Consistent with our commitment to the United
Nations, my Government is actively engaged in bringing
our national laws, policies and practices into line with the
important declarations and plans of action produced by
the United Nations. We give priority to implementing
United Nations declarations and plans of action to
advance the rights of women and the elimination of child
abuse.
In common with the other Member countries, we
believe that it is timely to bring the United Nations
Charter into line with contemporary reality by eliminating
references to â€œenemy Statesâ€. Papua New Guinea strongly
supports calls for a new Security Council for the new
millennium.
13

As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, we
endorse the Declaration issued by its thirteenth Summit,
held in Durban, South Africa.
The Security Council should be reformed and
expanded. An effective Security Council should be of a size
and composition which matches the enhanced role that the
world expects it to play in coordinating global approaches
and actions directed to deal with the issues we will all face
in the twenty-first century. Consistent with the mutual
respect and equity on which partnership must be based,
Papua New Guinea believes that all permanent members of
the Security Council should have similar privileges and
rights.
Changing the world from a system of relations
between imperial Powers to a partnership between
sovereign States through decolonization is among the
United Nations greatest achievements. The process will not
be completed, as it must be, until the remaining 17
dependent territories have exercised their inalienable right
to self-determination. Neither small size nor remoteness
should be allowed to qualify or limit their rights. The
recently concluded South Pacific Forum, held in Pohnpei in
the Federated States of Micronesia, has confirmed its
support for that right.
As one of the States which has always taken a close
interest in the situation and in the rights of the indigenous
Kanaks of New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea is pleased
to note the progress made in implementing the Matignon
Accords, culminating in the recent Agreement to the
Noumea Accord.
The Noumea Accord will, we believe, provide a sound
basis for the future fulfilment of all legitimate political
aspirations. We urge all parties to honour both its letter and
its spirit. The United Nations should continue to monitor
developments in New Caledonia until implementation is
complete and self-determination has been achieved.
More than 80 per cent of Papua New Guineans live in
rural villages, where they depend directly on the land,
rivers, lakes and sea for their livelihood. Our national
Constitution commits us to use and develop the rich variety
of the countryâs natural resources for the common good and
the benefit of future generations. In doing so, it upholds the
most up-to-date principles of international environmental
law. The same provisions also provide a sound basis for
domestic policy and law-making.
Papua New Guinea has spoken out strongly and
worked actively on a wide range of environmental issues.
Consistent with our record and ongoing commitment, my
Government will shortly be signing and then ratifying the
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. In line with the
importance we attach to such matters, Papua New Guinea
is party to conventions arising out of the Rio Summit on
environment and development and Agenda 21. My
Government will continue to follow and support the
future work of the Commission, including efforts to
translate and integrate internationally agreed objectives
and standards into domestic laws and programmes of
action.
Like other members of the South Pacific Forum,
Papua New Guinea is firmly committed to the Barbados
Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island States. We strongly urge its full
implementation. Together with other States in the region,
we have joined as partners with distant-water-fishing
nations to develop a programme to manage the
sustainable use of tuna stocks in the western and central
Pacific.
The worldâs leading scientists have concluded that
the rise in global temperatures poses serious threats, such
as sea-level rise and an increase in natural catastrophes,
such as the El NiÃ±o phenomenon.
Papua New Guinea, together with the small island
States in the Pacific, will continue to stress the urgency
for developed countries to take a strong lead in the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Kyoto Protocol has paved the way for annex I
countries to fulfil their commitments under the
Convention on Climate Change and the Protocol itself.
We urge those parties to translate their legally binding
targets for the reduction of their emissions into concrete
action. While it is our firm conviction that there must be
a global approach, we cannot support shifting the burden
to developing countries as a precondition for the
ratification of the Protocol.
At the recent South Pacific Forum meeting, our
Government, together with other heads of the South
Pacific region, confirmed our support for the South
Pacific Environmental Programme and the Forum
Fisheries Agency (FFA) as a key sector. The FFA
programme will ensure the maintenance of sustainable
fisheries in the region as well as enhance the economic
14

security of coastal States, particularly those economies
which are highly dependent on this one resource.
This is the International Year of the Ocean. Papua
New Guinea will work actively with other South Pacific
Missions in New York to commemorate this Year, with
particular emphasis on the sustainable use of resources
derived from the oceans.
With its recent share of national disasters, some of
which have taken the ultimate human toll, Papua New
Guinea is concerned about climate change, rising sea levels
and the urgent need to reduce carbon and other emissions
in the atmosphere. Having experienced natural disasters at
first hand, I would say that the greatest challenge for the
United Nations is to strengthen the global communityâs
capacity to respond promptly and effectively to natural
disasters. I am sure that my friends from China and
Bangladesh, where large areas have recently been
devastated by floods, would agree. Papua New Guinea
strongly supports the renewal of the International Decade
for Natural Disaster Reduction and preparedness and the
Yokohama Strategy adopted in 1993.
Consistent with our shared commitment to a stable,
peaceful and environmentally safe world, my Government
supports the objectives of the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We support efforts to ban
transboundary movements of radioactive and other
hazardous wastes in and through our region and to ensure
that damage arising from nuclear explosions is adequately
compensated.
Together with our partners in the South Pacific Forum,
we recently reaffirmed our determination to maintain the
South Pacific as a nuclear-free zone. We also expressed our
support for the other regional nuclear-free zones, in Africa,
South-East Asia and the Latin American and Caribbean
region, and the proposed new initiative in Central and
South Asia. Like people and Governments throughout the
world, we in the South Pacific were seriously concerned
about the series of nuclear weapons tests conducted by
India and Pakistan. The best course of action would be not
only to stop testing now but also to destroy all nuclear
weapons. Papua New Guinea believes that the same should
apply to all weapons of mass destruction in other parts of
the world.
Encouraged at the positive signs of progress towards
resolving conflicts and securing peace in several areas of
tension and concern in Asia and Africa, Papua New Guinea
nonetheless remains anxious over recent developments
affecting Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Eritrea and Ethiopia. We are heartened by the
efforts made by the Organization of African Unity to
restore peace and stability in the Great Lakes region.
Also, we support the initiative of President Nelson
Mandela of South Africa to revive a common vision for
peace in Africa.
Consistent with our commitment to peaceful
dialogue between nations, Papua New Guinea condemns
those who employ terrorism against innocent people,
including women and children. Diplomacy is the means
by which States join together as partners and cooperate in
bringing about changes to promote peace, development
and justice for people both in principle and, even more
importantly, in practice. It is therefore vital that diplomats
be able to live and work safely, free from the threat of
terrorism, such as that practised against American
diplomats in Africa.
In this connection, following recent events on our
common border with Indonesia, my Government would
like to make clear its strong and consistent recognition of
the sovereignty of Indonesia, including Irian Jaya, and the
continuing mutual respect in all aspects of our
relationship.
In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm Papua New
Guineaâs commitments to the United Nations Charter; to
the inalienable rights of the independent territories to self-
determination, noting the Matignon and Noumea accords
for the Kanak people of New Caledonia; the declaration
to advance the rights of women and eliminate child abuse;
to our determination to maintain global natural disaster
preparedness; to work actively in commemorating the
Year of the Ocean; to the ratification of the Kyoto
Protocol on global warming; and to the Barbados
Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island States.
Partnership in promoting change is the key to
addressing the challenges that the world will face in the
twenty-first century. I believe the challenge for the
Member States is to join together to change this
Organization for the better so that it will serve as an
effective basis for partnership, to address and resolve the
issues that lie ahead.