At the outset, allow me
to join the previous speakers in congratulating Mr. Opertti
most sincerely, on his election as President of the General
Assembly at its fifty-third session. His election is indeed
a recognition of his excellent qualities as an experienced
and seasoned diplomat committed to the ideals of peace.
As I congratulate him today, I am reminded of the
excellent role played by Uruguay in assisting
Mozambique to consolidate peace and stability. On behalf
of my Government, and on my own behalf, I wish to
seize this opportunity to express our heartfelt tribute to
those young men who lost their lives in the search for
peace in my country.
Let me also pay well-deserved tribute for the
excellent manner in which his predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy
Udovenko, discharged his duties as President of the
General Assembly at its last session.
I also wish to commend the Secretary-General for
his continued devotion to peace and development
worldwide. His recent initiatives in this regard deserve
my Government?s full support, and we look forward to
continuing to work closely with him.
In my last address to this body, one year ago, I
spoke of positive changes which had taken place in my
country. I am pleased to reconfirm today that the people
of Mozambique remain firm in their determination to
undertake bold steps aimed at ensuring and further
strengthening democracy, good governance and the rule
of law. Within this context, the first municipal elections
were held in June this year, thus consolidating the process
initiated with the holding of the general elections four
years ago. Preparations are currently under way for the
forthcoming general elections, scheduled for 1999.
The implementation of structural and economic
reforms under the most severe circumstances over the last
11 years should be seen within this perspective.
Mozambique is emerging step by step from the scourges
of war and is gradually proving that, with hard work and
31

adequate international assistance, the country can and will
be a valuable partner in the international market place.
We believe that by concentrating on economic
fundamentals — including low inflation rates, a stable
currency and a transparent exchange-rate policy, stimulating
private-sector growth and increasing foreign and domestic
investment flows — our economy can achieve the desired
results. These measures have enabled Mozambique to
achieve a growth of 14 per cent in its gross domestic
product last year, compared to a real average growth of
about 6.6 per cent from 1991 to 1996. In addition,
increased agricultural production, coupled with the
privatization of over 900 Government-owned companies
and the rehabilitation and restructuring of the main elements
of infrastructure — such as roads, ports and railways —
have significantly contributed to raising productivity and
have played a critical role in achieving these encouraging
economic results.
The report of the Secretary-General on assistance to
Mozambique, which I highly commend, provides a further
account of the state of the Mozambican economy today.
Moreover, the Governments of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region, in close
cooperation with the private sector, are taking aggressive
steps towards regional integration. These include, inter alia,
the launching of mega-projects, such as the Maputo
Development Corridor, a joint initiative by the
Governments of Mozambique and of South Africa; the $1.3
billion MOZAL aluminum smelter, recently announced by
the London Metals Exchange, a multi-partnership
investment; and the Libombo Spatial Development
Initiative, involving Mozambique, Swaziland and South
Africa.
Notwithstanding these positive developments, we are
still faced with acute problems whose solution is vital if the
country is to maintain the needed stability. The most critical
of these, without a doubt, is the debt burden, which
continues to be the single most significant impediment to
national development.
My Government welcomes the decision taken in April
this year by the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) with regard to the eligibility of Mozambique to
debt relief within the framework of Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative. We regard this Initiative
as a recognition by the international community of my
Government?s continued commitment to undertake sound
political and economic reforms, and also of the suffering
endured by our people throughout these years of the
implementation of such measures.
While representing a significant step in the right
direction, the Initiative in its present form is not yet a
definite solution to the debt problem. Further assistance
by the international community, and the creditor
community in particular, is required. We need to ensure
the irreversibility of the positive developments, especially
taking into account that even with current relief measures,
poor countries, particularly the least developed countries,
remain poor. We would therefore encourage the creditor
and donor communities to continue to review and
consider new relief measures, including the cancellation
of official bilateral debt, in order to ensure that the
affected countries can redirect their meagre resources to
social programmes.
As a matter of fact, the eleventh meeting of the
Consultative Group for Mozambique is taking place
tomorrow in Maputo. The holding of this meeting on
Mozambican soil for the first time symbolizes the
growing relationship between Mozambique and its
partners, and my Government will do its utmost to ensure
a successful outcome of the proceedings with the creditor
community.
Moreover, we are still confronted with the issue of
the prevailing threat of anti-personnel landmines, which
continue to disrupt the very existence of nations and
peoples. For this reason, my Government has signed and
ratified the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel
Mines and on Their Destruction. We did so as a
recognition of the imperative need to find durable
solutions to this issue. We warmly welcome the fortieth
ratification, by Burkina Faso, which will enable the
Convention to enter into force, and we hope other
countries will do the same as soon as possible.
In this regard, my Government offered to host in
Maputo next year the first meeting of States parties to the
Ottawa Convention, in accordance with article 11 of the
Convention. It is our hope that the meeting will result in
the adoption of meaningful recommendations to address
in a comprehensive manner the issue of anti-personnel
landmines, particularly international cooperation and
assistance and other relevant issues envisaged by this
important instrument of international humanitarian law.
We are eager to welcome all of you to Maputo.
32

Let me take this opportunity to express my
Government?s deep gratitude and appreciation to the
pioneering role of Canada on this issue. It is my hope that
all interested parties will take an active part in the
deliberations within the framework of the draft resolution
to be presented in the First Committee.
Last April, the Secretary-General presented his report
to the Security Council on the causes of conflict and the
promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in
Africa. We wish to commend him for his vision in
preparing that report. The Secretary-General?s report
represents a valuable contribution for a better understanding
of African problems and offers concrete recommendations
for durable solutions by the international community. All
efforts should be deployed to ensure that that report does
not follow the negative examples of other similarly
important reports prepared by the United Nations before.
I am particularly thankful for the recommendation that
economic sanctions should be better targeted in order to
prevent the unnecessary suffering of innocent people, as we
have been witnessing over the years.
The concept of peace-friendly structural adjustment
programmes should be fully implemented in order to
minimize the negative consequences of such programmes
for the well-being of peoples. As outlined in these
recommendations: conditionalities should not be antithetical
to peace processes; donors should not cut off funds from
weak governments which, in good faith, are making
popularly supported efforts to implement peace agreements;
aid should be focused on high-impact areas to reduce
dependence; donors should strive to ensure that at least 50
per cent of their aid to Africa is spent in Africa; and the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative
should be expanded to benefit more African countries.
These recommendations deserve our full support, and what
is now required of us is to find the best ways and means of
putting them into practice.
I would also agree with the Secretary-General when he
stresses that, without political will, Africa will remain
behind, with nothing to offer to future generations. For
these reasons, I wish to endorse the proposed holding of
Security Council meetings at ministerial level on a biennial
basis to assess efforts undertaken and actions needed in this
regard. Moreover, the convening of the Security Council at
summit level within five years to discuss the situation in
Africa could not be more timely. Indeed, it is high time for
the Council to devote the necessary attention to African
problems if the international community is to ensure a
better future for the African continent.
Today as yesterday, globalization is a matter of fact.
However, we cannot afford to leave vast segments of
nations and peoples unattended and still confronting basic
challenges such as famine, epidemic diseases and
inadequate water distribution, among other challenges. As
an African, I am certain that Africa is prepared to
shoulder its responsibilities in this regard, so that together
we will be able to work towards a common goal.
The crisis which initially begun as an isolated case
in the Asian economies has rapidly spread to virtually all
continents. Its consequences have demonstrated that no
country in this globalized economy is immune to the
suffering of other nations. Adequate solutions lie in
sustainable development based on partnership in
development cooperation. The persistence of extreme
poverty in developing countries, particularly in the least
developed ones, will continue to represent a threat to the
economies of developed countries. The new vision which
appears to emerge from the Bretton Woods institutions,
bringing together the United Nations and other partners in
the solution of social problems, will contribute to
addressing major challenges facing our countries today.
I would like to take this opportunity to praise the
two-day high-level meetings of the General Assembly
held a few days ago on renewal of the dialogue on
strengthening international cooperation for development
through partnership and on the social and economic
impact of globalization and interdependence and their
policy implications. The meetings demonstrated the need
to bring together governments, the private sector and
other relevant segments of civil society in the search for
solutions to global problems.
We therefore hope that the ongoing reform of the
United Nations will open new windows for the
Organization to strengthen its role and functions in the
promotion of international cooperation for the social and
economic development of developing countries. As has
been emphasized, the United Nations, by virtue of its
universal membership, is the most credible instrument for
performing development tasks.
Regional conflicts continue to be a major concern on
the agenda of the United Nations. Despite the recent
signing of understandings at Victoria Falls, the hostilities
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue
unabated. We are deeply concerned by the course of
33

events, which threatens not only the territorial integrity of
that country but also peace and stability in the Great Lakes
region as a whole. We believe that with good will there can
be a solution addressing the concerns of all parties involved
in this conflict. Neither Africa nor the international
community can afford to add a new chapter of conflicts of
regional proportions, especially taking into account that
virtually all other long-standing conflicts in that continent
continue to defy our collective imagination.
With respect to Angola, we are equally concerned with
continued procrastination by Mr. Savimbi in the
implementation of undertakings within the framework of the
Lusaka Protocol and of relevant Security Council
resolutions. It is, indeed, the failure of União Nacional para
a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA) to live up to its
obligations which is leading the peace process in Angola to
the brink of collapse. Both the international community and
the parties concerned have an obligation to rescue the
suffering people of Angola from the prospect of yet another
conflict of major proportions. The attainment of peace in
Angola would undoubtedly contribute to bringing about
needed stability in the region.
We are fully associated with the progress made by the
Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and by the
Economic Community of West African States in the search
for the peace which has eluded Guinea-Bissau since the
outbreak of hostilities in that country. These positive
developments underline the importance of political will by
the parties concerned, which should prevail in conflict
situations. My Government is also encouraged by the
developments concerning Western Sahara, and looks
forward to the holding of the referendum in that Territory.
It is our hope that wisdom and statesmanship will
prevail, and that peace and stability will ultimately become
a reality in Somalia, the Horn of Africa, the Sudan and
other troubled regions of the African continent and beyond.
We are encouraged by the recent developments
concerning East Timor, as illustrated by the outcome of the
most recent meeting, held in New York, between the
Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia and of Portugal
under the auspices of the Secretary-General. We wish to
encourage them to pursue further these efforts with a view
to finding a lasting and internationally acceptable solution
to this issue.
My Government has been following with keen interest
the latest developments in the Middle East. We have good
reason to be disappointed by the course of events since the
last session of the General Assembly. Without a
comprehensive and just solution to the question of
Palestine, which is the core of the conflict in the Middle
East, as well as respect for the legitimate interests of all
peoples of the region, the prospects for a lasting peace
remain in danger.
In addition, the latest developments concerning
nuclear proliferation in South Asia have added new
elements of destabilization to the already volatile
international security environment. The new arms race in
that region constitutes a major setback in the international
efforts aimed at ensuring peace, security and stability in
that region and in the world at large. Rather than
providing security guarantees for the countries concerned,
the new reality has in fact exacerbated the tensions in the
region.
This session of the General Assembly takes place at
an auspicious time for all the peoples of the world: 1998
will be recorded as the fiftieth anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Through concrete
actions the international community must honour those
who have lost their lives in defence of human dignity
during the 50 years of the existence of the Universal
Declaration. Through concrete actions we must ensure
that the horrors and uncertainties of the past and the
continued violations of fundamental human rights are not
repeated in the new millennium. We must devise
appropriate strategies and find ways and means which
will enable future generations to live in harmony, peace
and development, and which will prevent the recurrence
of the abuses of human dignity that have been witnessed
throughout human history.
It is only through such actions that we can ensure
that the motto of “all human rights for all” is fully
realized. As the Secretary-General once reminded us,
human rights belong to no Government and are limited to
no continent, for they are fundamental to humankind
itself.
We in Mozambique look forward to the celebrations
as a source of momentum in educating ourselves about
the scope and magnitude of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, taking into account that the
promotion and protection of these rights is essentially
everyone?s responsibility. However, we recognize the
primary responsibility of the State in ensuring the
enjoyment of human rights by our citizens. My
Government underscores the need to assert the integrated,
interdependent and indivisible nature of all categories of
rights, in which both political and civil rights, and
34

economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to
development, are treated equally. The programme we have
prepared, which will culminate in a major celebration on 10
December, is in conformity with these principles.
The establishment in Rome last July of the
International Criminal Court represents a remarkable
contribution by mankind to the protection and promotion of
human rights all over the world. In Rome we created an
unprecedented comprehensive legal framework to
safeguard human rights and bring to justice those
responsible for the most heinous crimes ever witnessed by
humanity, such as those committed in the recent cases of
Rwanda and of the former Yugoslavia.
Although we would have liked a Court with more
far-reaching powers, we understand that the present
statute adopted in Rome represents a very delicate and
difficult compromise achieved through very long and
painful negotiations. Efforts must be made to make
possible the early entry into force of the statute of the
Court. We must also explore all possible avenues offered
by the statute to improve the functioning and competence
of the Court. That course of action would undoubtedly
provide better acceptance of the statute of the Court and
would ultimately ensure its universality.
Our success in tackling the human rights issue,
sustainable development and conflict resolution as well as
in finding consensus on the major issues within the
framework of the ongoing process of reform of our
Organization will greatly depend on the manner in which
we can accommodate our individual and collective
interests. Let us work together to ensure the attainment of
these objectives, and to enable the United Nations to fulfil
its obligations as we enter the new millennium.


Omar Aguirre, of Bolivia; Lisa Malone, of
Australia; Pablo Gorga, of Uruguay; Luis Escoto, of Spain;
Pedro Ruz, of Chile; together with Guatemalans Rolando
Palacios and Celso Mart'nez, all of them United Nations
personnel stationed in Guatemala to collaborate in the
verification of the peace agreements, gave their lives in
carrying out their mission, when they died in a tragic air
accident, on 17 March 1998, as they were travelling to a
remote area to perform their duties. With the Assembly’s
permission, I would like to pay a sincere tribute to those
who, at a time of peace, generously gave their lives for
peace in Guatemala.
Equally moved by the destruction left by hurricane
Georges in its passage through the Dominican Republic,
Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, and other Caribbean territories and
the southern United States, I wish to express the solidarity
of the people and the Government of Guatemala with those
who suffered economic losses and the inconsolable pain
of the loss of human lives.
Guatemala feels honoured to welcome Mr. Opertti to
the roster of eminent persons who have had the privileged
responsibility of conducting the debates of this forum
throughout its existence. His election to the presidency of
the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, while
showing recognition of his great diplomatic talent, is the
natural result of the efforts that he and his country have
made in promoting understanding among the peoples and
the nations of the world.
We are fully convinced that our Organization will
benefit from his ample experience as one of the
supporters of the principles of the inter-American system.
This guarantees that the excellent work of his
predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, will be continued,
and we wish to express our appreciation for the excellent
manner in which he conducted the work of the General
Assembly during the year of his mandate.
This is the second time that Guatemala has
addressed the General Assembly since the signature of the
peace agreements that put an end to the fratricidal
struggle that senselessly tore our nation apart for almost
four decades. I must again acknowledge the solidarity the
international community showed throughout the process,
especially during the difficult and protracted task of
implementing the accords, which will lead us to the
reconstruction of our society and the fulfilment of our
highest aspirations for economic development, equity and
justice.
The United Nations and the Government and the
people of Guatemala have worked together in the
implementation of the peace agreements. Under the
United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala
(MINUGUA) we have gone forward with firm and sure
steps in complying with the accords, and it is with great
satisfaction that I can report to the Assembly that the
timetable of the accords is being met with sure progress.
That is why we welcome the recent report of the
Secretary-General on the status of verification of the
peace agreements in Guatemala (A/53/288), and we
strongly support his recommendation that the General
Assembly authorize the renewal of MINUGUA’s mandate
until 31 December 1999.
As a Member of an Organization whose main
objective is to preserve peace among nations, our own
15

experience of living in peace leads us to reaffirm our belief
in multilateralism as a genuine form of pooling efforts for
coexistence among the peoples of the world. To the
ordinary citizen of Guatemala, regional organizations, sister
nations and international commitments are no longer
regarded as abstractions, instead becoming elements of our
reality which, added to our political and cultural experience,
is producing a new synthesis of the local with the global.
That new synthesis in Guatemala means peace, which is
rooted in the happy conjunction of the ancestral pacifism of
our own ancient cultures with the universally accepted
ethical values promoted in the various centres of
multilateral convergence, both regionally and globally.
These positive results have also been factors in
accelerating our involvement in regional cooperation
initiatives, especially in the process of Central American
integration, in which Guatemala, determined to achieve it,
has made significant efforts, motivated by the view shared
by the other actors in the process that a united Central
America will be much more capable of facing the
challenges of globalization for the benefit of our peoples.
Believing also that the centres of multilateral
administration are fundamental to promoting peace and
development, we have been motivated to participate
actively in the tasks of consolidating the work of the
Association of Caribbean States, an organization of 25
member States sharing the Caribbean Sea as their common
heritage and having the most varied cultural and linguistic
traditions. This Association has decided to unite in order to
explore the regional potential for promoting conditions that
will improve the living standards of their citizens.
We do not have time to continue listing the various
regional integration initiatives. However, they exemplify the
importance that Guatemala attaches to multilateral bodies in
efforts to coexist under conditions of justice and equality
and in an environment which is increasingly interactive and
interdependent. The global condition of the contemporary
world is no longer expressed recurrently through periodic
events, but is rather a daily constant that, every minute,
concerns all individuals on the planet. It poses challenges
that may be regarded as either opportunities or threats and
that elicit a full spectrum of responses, from naive
enthusiasm to irrational fundamentalist resistance.
That is why multilateral administration requires
renewed, flexible and participatory institutions that respond
to the dynamic conditions derived from the development of
international relations in the post-cold-war era. Thus,
Guatemala has followed with interest modernization efforts
within this Organization. We have enthusiastically
assumed the responsibility of contributing to the
implementation of administrative reforms through a pilot
project.
We are pleased at the progress that has been made
in this area, and we would like to express once again our
appreciation for the support we have received from the
agencies of the United Nations system, which, under the
coordination of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), are helping us with the process of
peace and development and making system-wide reform
a reality in our country.
The work undertaken by Secretary-General Kofi
Annan in response to the concerns of Member States
regarding the modernization of our Organization deserves
our very special recognition. Last July, the Secretary-
General honoured us with a visit to Guatemala, and we
saw for ourselves the determination and commitment he
demands of himself in order to strengthen our
Organization and the clear vision of the future that guides
his efforts towards the new millennium.
Guatemala agrees with other Members on the need
to continue the deliberations on the reform of the Security
Council. We have studied with interest the various
proposals that have been presented, and we hope that
despite the differences in their current positions, Member
States will be able to reach the necessary level of
agreement and understanding in order to bring about a
reform that is equitable for all regions and that
demonstrates the democratic will that should prevail in
the Organization.
I must emphasize the important role that the United
Nations must play in the creation, codification and
application of the norms of international law. A greater
involvement by the Organization in this matter would
promote greater creativity on the part of Member States
in confronting shared problems and would eliminate legal
ambiguities that could enable national legislatures to
dictate international laws which would then be imposed
on less developed countries. We call upon the community
of nations to redouble its efforts in this area.
At the threshold of the new millennium, and in
response to an international society that is increasingly
interdependent, we call for a more equitable and just
order in the sphere of trade, with clear rules and equal
opportunities for all regions and States. This is the only
way to promote development in areas where there is an
16

imperative need to eliminate poverty and build more just
societies.
As the President of Colombia expressed very well in
this Assembly, development should take into account the
human side of our societies. We must keep striving to
accomplish more internal equity in the distribution of
resources and burdens. But it is increasingly difficult, under
present conditions, to comply with the demands of the
international institutions that finance development, without
sacrificing the lives of our people, who are already, for the
most part, mired in poverty. We are also greatly alarmed to
see an insecure and uncertain worldwide economic situation
in which dubious speculative practices continue to wreak
havoc in the absence of effective controls by those
responsible. The world is filling up with products that
populations and countries no longer have the means to
acquire, and there is no longer any place for our small
economies.
Now that the Central American countries are making
efforts on various fronts to accomplish our integration and
liberalize our economies, and as we strive to leave years of
armed confrontation behind us and adapt to the demands of
the world market, our products must have fair, non-
discriminatory access to world markets, and our potential as
a competitive destination for productive investment must be
recognized.
One of the most important subjects on the agenda of
the General Assembly is that of disarmament. Guatemala,
together with the other Central American countries,
condemns any type of nuclear testing. We expressed our
concern over the recent tests carried out in other continents.
Such activities do not contribute to the peace or the nuclear
disarmament that most of the Member States of this
Organization desire.
Guatemala was also among the first countries to sign
the Ottawa Convention prohibiting the manufacture and use
of anti-personnel mines. We ask those countries that have
not yet done so to become parties to this Convention.
We also note with great satisfaction that the concerns
of Member States relating to the subject of weapons are
growing in scope to include the proliferation, illegal traffic
and abuse of small arms. Guatemala is extremely interested
in the quest for a solution to this problem, and we believe
that the Oslo platform can generate satisfactory responses.
We are extremely concerned to see that although to a
large extent it has been possible to overcome internal
conflicts in most Member States, the international
community continues to be shocked by such horrendous
acts of international terrorism as those that recently
caused much bloodshed in Africa and Northern Ireland.
In addition to condemning and unanimously rejecting
these vile and cowardly actions that primarily affect
innocent human beings who have nothing to do with the
causes that are invoked, the international community must
observe the resolution of the Rome Conference on the
Statute of the International Criminal Court to the effect
that
“terrorist acts, by whomever and wherever
perpetrated and whatever their forms, methods or
motives, are serious crimes of concern to the
international community”. (A/Conf.183/10, annex I,
section E, second paragraph)
As is well known, Guatemala was one of the last
staging grounds of the cold war, where transnational
networks operated with impunity in support of the dirty
war taking place inside and outside of the country. We
wish to express once again our firm and emphatic
political resolve that never again will our territory be used
to prepare any type of aggression against any other
country.
As the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights draws near, Guatemala
reaffirms its resolute commitment to honouring the
principles contained in the Declaration. One of the most
important tasks of the Government of President Alvaro
Arzú has been to promote fulfilment of and respect for
human rights in all aspects of life in our country. The
human rights dimension has been integrated into all
spheres of civic life, and, although we still have much to
do in that area, we have certainly made great progress,
promoting the full blossoming of our rich ethnic,
multicultural and multilingual diversity.
The United Nations, founded in 1945 on the ideal of
keeping peace in the world and with the fundamental role
of ensuring that all nations can coexist on the basis of
mutual respect among States, is the highest expression of
representation by all peoples. However, 53 years after the
birth of the United Nations, there are still territories
whose citizens are not represented here. My country is
aware of the divisions that persist between brothers in the
Middle East, Asia and Africa. We hope that their
differences can be resolved through dialogue and in a
peaceful manner, so that, without any form of rejection or
17

discrimination, all the peoples of the world may be
represented in the United Nations.
I wish to mention in particular the situation of the 22
million citizens of the Republic of China on Taiwan, as
well as the importance and soundness of their economy
amid so much financial uncertainty in that region.
Our Organization must face great challenges as the
new century draws near. We hope that, with the goodwill
of all Member States, we can resolutely embark on it so as
to ensure the survival of the human race, as well as lives
lived in peace, the protection of our environment, economic
growth and sustainable development. Only in that way will
we achieve the dream of those who, full of ideals, founded
the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945.


First of all, I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your
election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-
third session, convinced as I am that under your leadership
and with your vast experience and profound knowledge of
international affairs the work of the session will be
successful. I would also like to take this opportunity to
salute your friendly country of Uruguay.
I would also like to express thanks to Mr. Hennadiy
Udovenko for his successful conduct of the work of our
previous session. I would like to extend, as well, our deep
thanks to Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of our
Organization, for the earnest determination and great
competence he has brought to bear on the matters entrusted
to him.
This fifty-third session of the General Assembly is
being held as we bid farewell to the current century and
prepare to usher in a new millennium. A large portion of
humanity is still facing international conditions that do not
come close to enabling them to achieve their ambition and
their hope to live in a world where peace, international
justice, economic development and life in dignity prevail.
Despite some signs of economic development in
certain third world countries, the general trend points to an
increasing gap between the advanced world and the
developing world. The developing world is facing major
changes over which it has no control, including a heavy
debt burden, dwindling prices for raw materials, difficulty
in gaining access to markets, financial speculation and low
foreign investments.
This situation demands that our Organization not
merely confine itself to preserving international peace and
security in the classical sense, but go beyond that and seek
to reduce the economic and social burden of developing
countries. This would contribute to the emergence of a new
world order based on consensus, consultation and
partnership among all countries.
Since its independence, Morocco has firmly believed
in the need to base its economic policy on the principle
of free enterprise and external openness as a means of
achieving the country?s economic progress and social
development.
Thus Morocco made an effective contribution to the
multilateral trade negotiations that resulted in the
founding of the World Trade Organization in Marrakech.
Morocco will also participate, with the same degree
of resolution, in the forthcoming negotiations with other
Member States to ensure that the international community
achieves equitable distribution of the dividends of the
international trade system, without overlooking the need
for proper coordination of monetary, financial and trade
policies, lest the financial crisis currently affecting certain
international markets have adverse effects on the
economies of other countries.
One of the world?s primary political trouble spots,
indeed one of the most complex problems threatening
world peace and security, is the problem of the Middle
East. The many resolutions of the United Nations aimed
at finding a solution to this problem have failed to enable
the Palestinian people to enjoy their inalienable and
legitimate rights or to compel Israel to withdraw from the
Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem — Al-Quds —
and the other occupied territories in the Golan Heights
and southern Lebanon. Those resolutions met only with
Israeli rejection and defiance.
In this respect, the reneging by the current Israeli
Government on the implementation of the agreements
signed as part of the peace process following the Madrid
conference and the Oslo meetings dashed the hopes that
had been pinned on those agreements and again plunged
the region into a spiral of despair and instability.
Israel?s reneging is quite obvious in its current
procrastination tactics as well as its attempts to impose a
policy of fait accompli through the building of further
settlements in the occupied territories, in violation of all
international norms and laws. Recently, Israel further
compounded the situation by implementing, in a
provocative way, a policy for the Judaization of
Jerusalem — Al-Quds — by changing its cultural and
demographic characteristics and surrounding it with
settlement colonies. The latest such measure was the
announcement by the Israeli Government last June of the
expansion of the municipal boundaries of Al-Quds, as
part of what is known as “Greater Jerusalem”.
32

The entire Islamic world, as it denounces and
condemns these practices, which affect the status of
Al-Quds as an integral part of the Palestinian territories
occupied in 1967, considers all these Israeli practices as
null and void. This was indeed confirmed by the meeting
of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference, under the chairmanship of His Majesty
King Hassan II, in Casablanca at the end of July.
Morocco believes that this problem can be solved only
through respect for the letter and spirit of the agreements
signed and through the implementation of the resolutions of
international legitimacy, especially the relevant Security
Council resolutions, in a way that will guarantee the right
of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the
establishment of their independent state, with Al-Quds as its
capital, and the return of the occupied Arab territories to
their legitimate owners.
Despite the tremendous potential and enormous
resources available in Africa, and despite the fact that most
African countries carry out appropriate economic policies,
the African continent is still suffering from serious political,
economic and social crises which have led to the
marginalization of our continent and the shrinkage of its
role in the international arena.
Some of these crises are clearly reflected in worsening
unemployment, increased debt burden, falling prices for
commodities exported by African countries, inadequate
foreign investment and declining foreign assistance, which
stands at barely 0.22 per cent of the gross national product
of developed countries, despite the fact that the amount
agreed upon is 0.7 per cent.
It is indeed regrettable that the deterioration of the
economic situation has contributed to a resurgence of
political instability and military confrontations in certain
African regions, as is the case at present in the Great Lakes
region, the Horn of Africa and Western Africa.
While expressing concern about this situation,
Morocco supports efforts aimed at containing these crises
and at guaranteeing the countries of those regions,
especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo, their
territorial integrity, stability and security. In this respect,
Morocco commends the efforts made by the States
members of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) to find a solution to the crises in Liberia
and Sierra Leone. We hope that the efforts being made to
overcome the crisis in Guinea-Bissau will soon be
successful.
In order to find a solution to African economic
problems and their political repercussions, we would like
to reaffirm the proposal made by His Majesty King
Hassan II during the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT) meeting in Marrakesh for adopting an
international plan similar to the Marshall Plan, with a
view to ensuring African economic revival.
We would like to thank the Secretary-General of our
Organization for the important report he prepared on
Africa at the request of the Security Council. We hope
that the international community will seek to give
concrete substance to its recommendations through the
settlement of conflicts and the strengthening of security
and stability in our continent so as to contribute to the
necessary conditions for its economic and social
development.
Morocco has consistently affirmed that its
membership in the Arab Maghreb Union is a free and
strategic option which is irreversible, dictated by its
historic and civilizational roots, as well as by its current
and future interests. Given the existence of this
membership, Morocco cannot but express its deep
concern over the continuing suffering of the brotherly
Libyan people as a result of the air embargo imposed on
them, which caused them a great deal of hardship.
We welcome the approval by the United States and
the United Kingdom of the Libyan proposal, which was
supported by the League of Arab States, the Organization
of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned
Movement, to try the two Libyan suspects in a neutral
country.
On the other hand, we deeply regret the suffering of
another Arab people — the Iraqi people — as a result of
the pernicious effects of the economic embargo imposed
on that country. We hope that the agreement reached
between the Iraqi Government and the Secretary-General,
Mr. Kofi Annan, will lead to a resumption of cooperation
between Iraq and the United Nations so that the embargo
can be lifted and the hardships of this brotherly people
can be ended. We also hope that the Secretary-General
will succeed in finding a definitive solution to this
protracted crisis.
As a Mediterranean State geographically located near
European States, Morocco has been taking a special
interest, as always, in efforts to consolidate Euro-
Mediterranean cooperation. However, Morocco cannot but
be concerned about the continuing status of the Moroccan
33

cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the neighbouring islands,
which are still under Spanish occupation, at a time when
the page of colonialism in most parts of the world has been
turned.
His Majesty King Hassan II proposed some time ago
the setting up of a Moroccan-Spanish panel to consider and
find a solution to this abnormal situation, in a way that
would guarantee Morocco?s sovereignty over its territory
while taking into account the economic interests of Spain.
Although the Spanish authorities have not yet reacted
to this fair proposal, Morocco remains convinced that the
depth of its historical and economic ties with neighbouring
Spain, coupled with the aspirations of the two peoples to
achieve greater rapprochement, cooperation and
participation in many fields, will be sufficient to enable the
two countries to reach a formula for a definitive solution to
this problem.
With regard to developments in the referendum
process in our southern provinces — the area known as
Western Sahara — we can only point out that it is still
experiencing some difficulties. The identification process
was stalled from the outset because the other party, without
justification, refused to take part in the identification of a
large number of candidates. Yet these candidates fulfilled
the agreed criteria and had been registered by the United
Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
Once again we are now faced with the refusal of the other
party to participate in the identification of these candidates,
who this time presented themselves in accordance with the
Houston agreements that the other party had, indeed, also
accepted.
Those agreements confirmed the right of candidates to
be identified and reasserted the validity of oral testimony.
Indeed, in accordance with those agreements, the two
parties had agreed to begin, as soon as possible, the
identification of any individual who may present himself or
herself for that purpose.
We can only express deep concern over these
developments, which will delay the referendum operation
which has been long awaited by Morocco and the Saharan
refugee brothers who have been yearning for more than 20
years to return to their homeland, Morocco, in order to
participate in their region?s ongoing development. This will
probably also have repercussions on the building of the
greater Maghreb to which the peoples of the region aspire.
The relentless determination to exclude a number of
Saharans from participation in the referendum casts still
more doubts on the will of the other party to ensure the
necessary conditions for the organization of a fair and
transparent referendum.
We hope that the tremendous progress the world is
currently witnessing will be a factor leading to the
emergence of solidarity among all peoples, solidarity that
will contribute to ensuring greater advancement towards
development, security, peace and the spread of tranquillity
and prosperity among all peoples of the world.


Allow me to congratulate
you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General
Assembly. With your experience and dedication to the
goals of this Organization, you will guide us wisely and
effectively in our work this year.
And important work it is, for as the century draws
to a close, our security is more precarious than ever. The
spectrum of threats is wide and growing. Traditional
dangers persist, including the proliferation of weapons.
But new threats — terrorism, crime and drugs — arise
from a world in which the face of conflict has changed.
Economic and social insecurity for the majority of our
global population is on the rise. Increasingly, it is the
well-being of individuals that is directly at stake.
(spoke in French)
There is an urgent need for solutions. The
interdependence of all of our lives is unprecedented. It is
essential for us to work together to confront these
challenges. This means working through a vibrant United
Nations. For Canada, the universal values set out in the
Charter have acted as our moral compass in setting our
global agenda. The United Nations system serves as the
instrument in achieving our goals.
(spoke in English)
At the same time we recognize that the United
Nations faces its own worries, and it, too, must change.
But a strong, reinvigorated United Nations is still the best
foundation for the future. As the contours of that future
emerge, there is reason for hope. While old realities of
power persist, a new system based on humanitarian
standards, practices and law based upon needs and human
security is beginning to show through.
Perhaps this new reality can best be seen in the
common effort to eliminate anti-personnel landmines. The
Secretary-General has hailed the adoption of the Ottawa
Convention as an unprecedented achievement — one
accomplished through a unique partnership of non-
governmental organizations, Member States and
international groups working together to eliminate a
weapons system that victimizes the innocent.
23

Last week, Burkina Faso deposited the fortieth
ratification of the treaty, thereby crossing the threshold
needed to bring the treaty into force. This treaty, which has
already attracted 130 signatories and 41 ratifications, will
become part of the international legal framework as of 1
March next year. We welcome the offer by Mozambique to
host the first meeting of the States parties to the
Convention. We continue to urge those who have not done
so to sign and ratify the Convention and join in this
international endeavour.
But entry into force is just the first important step in
bringing the treaty to life. Now we have to meet the
treaty?s goals. An effective coalition for action must work
together in this next phase to take the mines out of the
ground and to help the victims. The United Nations,
through its mine action service, will mobilize and
coordinate the efforts of the international community.
At the signing of the treaty on landmines in Ottawa
last December, countries pledged $0.5 billion for mine
action. My own Government has allocated $100 million as
Canada?s contribution to rid the world of these very cruel
weapons. We have already put the money to work in some
of the most severely affected States, with projects in
Mozambique, Cambodia, Bosnia and Central America. Now
we must put everyone?s resources to work.
Landmines are not the only weapons that take a tragic,
disproportionate toll on civilian populations. Small arms
and light military weapons — cheap and easy to transport,
smuggle or hide — have become the tools of choice for
smugglers, terrorists and criminals.
The challenges arising from the proliferation and
widespread abuse of small arms and light weapons are
complex. But the impact on all of us, especially the most
vulnerable, is direct and devastating. Eighty per cent of the
victims are women and children. There are no easy
solutions and no shortcuts. We cannot, however, afford to
shrink from facing such a pervasive threat to our security.
In Canada we pursue a three-pronged approach, dealing
with the legal trade, illicit trafficking and peace-building
challenges of small-arms proliferation. We hope, by
working with others in the United Nations, to see the use
of this terrible weapon come to an end.
Illegal drug-trafficking also threatens our peoples?
security. The drug trade affects governance, undermines
human rights and promotes cross-border conflicts. That is
why Canada has proposed a Foreign Ministers? dialogue
group in the Americas. We hope that this will be a forum
which can provide guidance and generate ideas to help us
curtail the collateral impact of the drug trade on
Governments and on society. These and other emerging
threats to our security, including terrorism, crime and
environmental degradation, affect every one of us but are
beyond the reach of any of us alone. They demand global,
integrated solutions, which the United Nations is best
suited to provide. The International Convention for the
Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, concluded last year,
ongoing work in developing a convention on transnational
organized crime and the Kyoto Protocol to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — all
show that we are capable of working together to enhance
our human security.
Moving the human security agenda forward also
requires that we redouble efforts to address the root
causes of conflict and risk. Peace and stability are
indispensable to security, but they are not, regrettably,
humanity?s birthright. They must be built. Two years ago,
we launched the Canadian Peace-building Initiative. Its
objective is to address the unique challenges of societies
recovering from conflict. Through this initiative, projects
have been undertaken in Guatemala to assist civil society
to implement the peace agreements, in Bosnia to promote
awareness of the peace accords, in Mozambique to
support a programme to exchange weapons for farming
tools, and in West Africa to support the initiative led by
Mali to promote a West African arms moratorium. These
are small steps, certainly, but constructive ones in
working locally to build peace.
Today, I am pleased to release a report entitled
“Peace in Progress”, which documents the results
obtained to date and the wide range of partners with
whom we have worked. As the title suggests, Canada
intends to carry on with its partners in empowering those
working to build peaceful and stable societies in their
own countries.
It has been a half-century since a distinguished
Canadian international civil servant, John Humphrey,
wrote the first draft of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. Since then over 60 international human
rights instruments have been adopted. Countries have
shown a new and welcome willingness to cooperate with
the international human rights system.
But we must build on that progress, and one of the
most important ways that the Assembly can make its
contribution this year is to support a strong United
Nations declaration on human rights defenders to protect
24

those who are protecting those whose human rights are
being abused.
(spoke in French)
The growing integration of human rights, including
women?s rights, into all other aspects of United Nations
activity is a recent and important breakthrough. On the
fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the conditions exist to achieve progress in attaining
the goals set out by its drafters. This is good news.
However, a review of the human rights situation around the
globe makes it painfully clear that we remain far short of
these goals.
We need to take advantage of the momentum that this
anniversary presents. The United Nations human rights
system must be assured of both the political support of the
membership and increased regular budget financing if it is
to do the job we have entrusted to it.
(spoke in English)
The growth of intra-State conflicts caused by
differences of religion, language, race or ethnicity has
reinforced the need to protect marginalized groups. To do
so, both Governments and civil society must have ready
access to information about human rights situations around
the world. To this end, Canada has launched for the record
an annual report drawn from United Nations sources, which
we are making available on the Internet to provide constant
updated information concerning human rights around the
globe.
Certainly, of those at risk from conflict, none are more
at risk than children. The targeting of children in
warfare — both as fighters and as victims — is intolerable.
The ground-breaking efforts of Graça Machel and the work
of the Secretary-General?s Special Representative for
Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, merit special
and ongoing support.
Enhancing human security also requires establishing
legal instruments. The agreement in Rome to establish the
International Criminal Court is a major fundamental step
towards that goal. This Court will help to deter some of the
most serious violations of international humanitarian law.
It will help give new meaning and global reach to
protecting the vulnerable and the innocent. By isolating and
stigmatizing those who commit war crimes or genocide and
removing them from the community, it will help end cycles
of impunity and retribution. Without justice there is no
reconciliation, and without reconciliation there can be no
peace.
We need to move forward urgently in making the
Court a reality. We should begin during this session of
the General Assembly to bring the Court into operation.
We who have supported the Court should ratify the
Statute as soon as possible. We must also work to
understand and address the concerns of those States that
remain hesitant about the Court — without diluting its
effectiveness. Ultimately, we must ensure that we have an
institution that will be credible, responsible and effective.
Respect for civil and political rights is necessary, but
in itself is not sufficient to create the conditions for stable
societies. Stability also requires economic and social well-
being.
Regrettably, statistics show that countries with the
lowest income are much more likely to fall victim to
violent conflict than others. The number of people whose
basic human needs are not being met remains
unacceptably and dangerously high. A quarter of the
world?s people live in severe poverty; more than 800
million face malnutrition; 180 million children under the
age of 14 work as child labourers. As the United Nations
human development index makes clear this year, the gap
between the haves and the have-nots continues to grow.
Countries overburdened by debt are less likely to be
developed and more likely to succumb to conflict.
Reducing the debt of the least developed nations allows
them to devote more resources to basic human needs.
That is why at the summit of the Organization of African
Unity (OAU) in Ouagadougou I announced a $20 million
contribution to the African Development Bank to support
the most heavily indebted African countries. That is also
why Canada has forgiven virtually all development-related
debt owed to us by the least developed countries —
almost $1 billion — and why we encourage others who
have not already done so to do likewise.
I think we all recognize that globalization presents
opportunities, but it also exposes all of us, especially the
most vulnerable, to greater economic and social
insecurity. The international financial turmoil of the past
months vividly demonstrates the impact these crises can
have on the daily lives of the least fortunate. It means
that we need to be sensitive to the social consequences of
financial volatility. And when crisis strikes, the United
Nations and its specialized agencies have a special
responsibility to assist those most severely affected.
25

There is no greater threat to our security than nuclear
proliferation. In 1945, Canada, despite the experience of the
most destructive war in history, decided to forgo the
nuclear option even though, as a participant in the
Manhattan Project, we had the technical capability and
material capacity to build our own nuclear weapons. In
1968, the Government of Canada confirmed that decision
and joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT). Every subsequent Canadian Government
has reaffirmed that commitment, and we have spent much
diplomatic effort to persuade others that nuclear weapons
are the problem, not the solution.
The non-proliferation regime has enhanced everyone?s
security. The credibility of that regime has been severely
tested over the years, but particularly over the past six
months. India?s and Pakistan?s nuclear tests put the entire
non-proliferation regime in jeopardy. Nuclear testing
undermines the basic goals and objectives of the Non-
Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-
Ban Treaty. Testing puts all of us, not least the people of
the testing countries themselves, at greater risk. Therefore,
there can be no condoning these actions.
And there must be no rewards. We must not legitimize
the claims of would-be nuclear Powers, or confer any new
status on proliferators. We listened carefully to the
presentations of the Presidents of India and of Pakistan this
week and we welcome the indications they gave that they
would sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
But it is important to reiterate that Security Council
resolution 1172 (1998) calls upon India and Pakistan to sign
the Treaty without conditions, to participate purposefully in
the negotiations on a cut-off treaty on fissile materials, to
stop the weaponization of their nuclear programmes, to
impose strict export controls on nuclear technology and to
embrace fully the non-proliferation regime. We urge them
to do so.
In that spirit, we welcome India?s and Pakistan?s
decision to relaunch their dialogue on Kashmir. We also
recognize that preventing horizontal proliferation, while
crucial, is no more important than preventing vertical
proliferation. Nuclear disarmament is the other half of the
nuclear bargain. That bargain is a balance of responsibilities
and obligations undertaken by nuclear-weapon and non-
nuclear-weapon States alike. Not all nuclear-weapon States
have begun to fulfil their obligations under Article VI of
the Non-proliferation Treaty, and we call upon them to
fulfil their responsibilities.
As we all recognize, this period of globalization
multiplies the challenges. It is Canada?s conviction that a
dynamic, responsive and flexible United Nations system
is the best way, perhaps the only way, to meet these
challenges.
(spoke in French)
To fulfil its leadership responsibilities, the United
Nations must be assured of reliable and adequate funding.
We cannot revitalize the United Nations so long as
Member States, particularly the most wealthy and
fortunate among them, contribute less to a system from
which they demand more. Renewal can be achieved only
if Member States pay their assessed dues, present and
past due, on time and without conditions.
(spoke in English)
Let me now speak of the Security Council. The
Security Council remains at the centre of what the United
Nations is all about: protecting against conflict and human
risk. However, the Council?s legitimacy is increasingly
being questioned. To remain credible, the Council must
re-examine traditional interpretations of its mandate. The
Council needs to broaden its horizons in addressing
emerging threats which impact on our security. Thematic
debates on these issues, in which all Member States can
participate, are a good step. The addition of peace-
building to the Council?s range of responses to threats to
peace and security is also welcome.
But the Council must also be more willing and more
consistent in both how and when it becomes involved.
The Council belongs to all Member States. It cannot be
allowed to focus on solving the problems of one region
and be indifferent to those of others.
The way the Council does its work must be more
open and more transparent. For example, Member States
involved in and affected by matters before the Council
must be allowed to exercise their Charter rights. Far from
constraining the Council?s efficiency, this will improve
the decisions it takes and render its actions more
effective. The trend for permanent members increasingly
to assume more control over the agenda, thereby
marginalizing elected members, runs counter to the
democratic principles which so inform our political
institutions at the close of the twentieth century. The
distinctions between permanent and elected members need
to be narrowed rather than widened.
26

In sum, the Council we need for the next century must
be more responsible, more accountable and less
impenetrable. We hope that members will support Canada
in advancing these aspirations.


It is a true pleasure for me to address the General
Assembly once more. I wish first of all to echo previous
speakers in congratulating you most warmly, Sir, on behalf
of my delegation, on your election to the presidency of the
General Assembly at its fifty-third session. I take this
opportunity also to express our gratitude to His Excellency
Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko for the excellent work carried out
under his presidency.
To the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, we
reaffirm our confidence in his outstanding endeavours to
preserve peace and to promote development.
To all participants in the fifty-third session, I wish the
greatest success in the interests of all our peoples.
Ten days ago hurricane Georges passed through the
Caribbean region, striking several of our countries with its
fury and leaving considerable damage in its wake. I wish to
express deepest sympathy, on behalf of Haiti, to our
brotherly Governments and peoples who, like us, were so
hard hit by this unavoidable disaster.
The provisional toll in Haiti is quite heavy: 150 dead
and dozens missing — more than 500,000 victims all told.
There was considerable material damage to agriculture and
to infrastructure: roads and bridges were destroyed and
crops devastated in several regions. The total cost of these
losses is estimated at approximately $200 million.
International solidarity was quickly displayed in the
wake of this disaster. I would therefore like to thank all the
friendly Governments, international institutions and non-
governmental organizations for the support they have given
us thus far.
While the present situation is serious, our concern for
the future is even greater. With over 60 per cent of our
agricultural production destroyed, the outlook is extremely
bleak. We fear that once emergency aid is no longer being
provided in the coming months there will be a severe
shortage of foodstuffs and basic goods. We therefore appeal
to the international community to extend considerable
assistance to our efforts to restore and rebuild the affected
zones and to support our measures to solve the public
health problems that will arise. In this regard, we invite
delegations to support draft resolution A/53/L.2/Rev.1,
which will soon be introduced to the General Assembly,
as a first step in this direction.
Profound changes have taken place in international
relations in the course of the last 10 years. The lessening
of ideological confrontation and the strengthening of
interdependence among nations have provided new
opportunities for closer cooperation among States. The
phenomenon of globalization, which is characterized by
unprecedented ties between human activities throughout
the world, has expanded further and has been propelled
by spectacular growth in communications.
Some had anticipated a more peaceful and united
world in the next century. Yet, less than 500 days away
from the year 2000, the international picture is frankly
disconcerting. New hotbeds of tension have arisen in
many regions of the world, while no substantial progress
has been made to resolve various age-old conflicts. That
is the case in the Middle East, where we hope that the
recent discussions held this week in Washington will
serve to permanently revive the peace process that has
been stalled for more than a year.
We deplore the armed conflicts that have brought
untold suffering on populations, be it in Kosovo, Angola,
Afghanistan, the Great Lakes region or elsewhere. The
Republic of Haiti invites the parties concerned to seek a
solution to their problems through dialogue. The
international community must also continue to carry out
efforts to restore peace to these regions.
International terrorism, of which we had hoped to
have seen the last, has re-emerged in a troubling fashion
with the terrible events that have taken place in Africa
and Northern Ireland. In condemning these acts, Haiti
calls on the international community to adopt effective
measures to combat this threat to international security.
Elsewhere, the world is facing a real challenge
whose consequences are incalculable on more than one
front. I am referring to drug-trafficking and its related
crimes — arms-trafficking, organized crime and money-
laundering.
The problem of drug-trafficking continues to threaten
the integrity of our territories, to weaken the foundations
of our societies and to undermine the health of our
peoples. Combating this scourge requires further
cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international
levels, as was highlighted at the special session of the
General Assembly devoted to the drugs problem. Haiti,
8

which has unfortunately been used as a transit country for
some of the drugs headed for markets in consumer
countries, has adopted a vigorous policy that has already
begun to bear fruit. This involves the drafting of legislative
measures against drug-trafficking and money-laundering;
the establishment of a body entrusted with combating
trafficking in narcotic drugs; the development of
cooperation with neighbouring countries; and accession to
international instruments in this area.
In speaking of the dangers threatening the future of
mankind, I must refer here to the existence of considerable
stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, in particular
nuclear weapons. The Republic of Haiti welcomes the
recent progress achieved in the reduction of these weapons.
It will continue to support wholeheartedly the efforts of the
international community for their complete elimination.
In this connection, Haiti deplored the nuclear tests
recently carried out by India and Pakistan, which have
contributed to increasing tensions in that part of the world.
It invites those countries to become parties to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to sign the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
The global economic situation at the end of this
century has also given rise to many concerns. The
phenomenon of globalization, which is characterized by a
liberalization of market forces, which, according to
numerous observers, should accelerate growth and promote
development, has above all been marked by greater
inequality and sluggish growth. The income gap between
North and South has continued to widen. In 1965 the
average per capita income in the G-7 countries was 20
times that of the world’s seven poorest countries; by 1995
that figure had almost doubled.
Today poverty continues to grow throughout the
world. Entire populations are victims of the serious
problems of malnutrition and abject poverty. Health care
and education are inaccessible to millions of people. There
has been further destruction of the environment throughout
the world, threatening the very survival of mankind. Even
more than the countries of the third world, which have been
battered by these global developments, the least developed
countries — including my country, Haiti — find themselves
ever more marginalized and must face a worsening of the
standard of living of their peoples. The feeling of despair
is increasingly spreading among younger generations facing
a seemingly gloomy future. All of this poses serious threats
to the very stability of our countries. This situation cries out
for the international community to redouble its efforts to
combat poverty. United and concerted long-term action
that mobilizes considerable resources is essential if we
wish to achieve satisfactory results.
The magnitude of current problems poses a major
challenge to the international community. The United
Nations, whose primary mission is to ensure world
security and to promote economic and social progress for
people, is the ideal forum to discuss these questions and
to search for solutions that take everyone’s interests into
account. It must be able to play the role that has been
entrusted to it in order to create a global situation of
peace, which will facilitate development through
cooperation for all peoples. It must respond to this
challenge by using its resources effectively and by
adapting itself to changes in international relations.
In this regard, the delegation of Haiti welcomes the
reform process initiated by Secretary-General Kofi Annan
to breathe new life into the Organization and to better
enable it to face the increasingly complex problems of
today’s world. The initial measures approved by the
General Assembly have enabled United Nations bodies to
work more coherently and consistently. We hope that
further measures to be considered at this session will
strengthen the capacities of the United Nations to carry
out its activities.
Reform in the Security Council, which has been
discussed for five years now, is of capital importance
given the role played by that organ in the maintenance of
international peace and security. Haiti continues to call for
greater openness in the functioning of the Council and for
greater participation in the decision-making process, so
that its decisions reflect the general opinion of the
international community as a whole and not only the
position of the members of the Council.
In this context, the envisaged increase in its
membership must take into account more systematically
the principle of equitable geographical distribution. Every
effort must be made to ensure that the universality of all
the planet’s inhabitants is reflected in the United Nations
system.
In this respect, we welcome the dialogue between
the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan. A positive
outcome to this dialogue will allow for progress in this
area.
This year we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary
of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human
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Rights. By enshrining the principle of the respect of
fundamental human rights and by ensuring their promotion,
the United Nations has made a considerable contribution to
the development of an international system to protect the
fundamental freedoms and ensure the emancipation of
peoples throughout the world.
Along these lines, my delegation welcomes the fact
that the international community has finally acknowledged
that the right to development is an intrinsic part of
fundamental human rights. But that acknowledgment is not
sufficient. We must work to ensure full respect for that
right by establishing programmes and by mobilizing
sufficient resources.
Today human rights are a reality that no Government
can ignore. In Haiti respect for human rights is guaranteed
in the Constitution, and the Government is committed to
ensuring the full enjoyment of those rights by all. In this
context, reform in the judicial machinery that will allow for
the consolidation of the state of law is now being
implemented. Regrettably, however, the very complex
situation resulting from a twofold electoral and
governmental problem has made it difficult for institutions
to function normally and to cooperate with the international
community. To overcome this handicap, the President of
the Republic, Mr. René Préval, is resolutely undertaking
every possible effort.
Democratic institutions necessarily have a role to play,
but given the regrettably slow process of democracy-
building, the hoped-for results have not yet been achieved
despite the numerous initiatives undertaken. It is
encouraging to note, however, that these expectations and
initiatives have been undertaken within the framework of
the provisions of the Constitution, which guarantees that a
viable solution will be found.
Similarly, the head of State has consulted all levels of
Haitian society in order to set up a new electoral council
that will be responsible for organizing, in accordance with
the Constitution and as soon as possible, free, fair and
democratic elections at the municipal and legislative levels.
He will do everything in his power to guarantee the
participation of all sectors in these elections, which, duly
carried out, will help us overcome the governmental crisis
that has arisen.
Despite the unfavourable circumstances that have
darkened the horizon at the dawning of the third
millennium, we must not lose hope in a better world. In
order to do that, we must further develop cooperation,
strengthen our partnerships and work together to improve
our peoples’ standard of living in a world where so many
natural disasters and environmental phenomena remind us
of our duty to solidarity. The United Nations is the ideal
framework for joining our efforts to achieve this common
goal.


Allow me first, Mr. President, to offer you my sincerest
congratulations on your appointment, and to express my
satisfaction that the work of the General Assembly at its
fifty-third session will be led by such a distinguished
representative of a country with which Spain has excellent
relations. I should also like to thank Minister Udovenko for
the efficiency with which he presided over the General
Assembly during the previous session.
The Foreign Minister of Austria has already set out
the main elements of the European Union?s position in the
United Nations. For my part, I should like to highlight
certain issues of particular interest to Spain.
It can generally be said that our Organization is today
in a stronger position than in previous years, which were
characterized by a predominant feeling of crisis. The major
reforms undertaken will enable the United Nations to
continue to be the main forum for international cooperation.
Dialogue, the promotion of respect for human rights and the
development of international life will continue under the
auspices of the United Nations. Furthermore, the
Organization has consolidated its primary function of
maintaining international peace and security.
An essential element of the strengthening process that
the United Nations is currently undergoing is greater
recognition of the limits that restrict its action. The process
of reforming the Organization, which the Secretary-General
has set in motion with decisiveness and determination, has
contributed significantly to a sense of getting the
Organization under control and of renewed confidence in its
possibilities. Spain will follow this process very closely so
as to support it and ensure that it is brought to a
successful conclusion.
The debate on enlarging the membership of the
Security Council deserves separate consideration. The
difficulties posed by enlarging the permanent membership
have been confirmed as negotiations have proceeded. We
must not attempt to force decisions that might create
divisions within certain regional groups. Reform must
reflect, as far as possible, general agreement between the
Members of the Organization, and in any case it must
respect the provisions of Article 108 of the Charter. We
must therefore acknowledge that at present there is no
realistic alternative to increasing only the number of non-
permanent members.
In order for our Organization to be able to perform
satisfactorily its indispensable work, it must be endowed
with sufficient funds. The Secretary-General is carrying
out a major reform designed to ensure, among other aims,
better use of the financial means made available to it by
States. However, the current financial situation is very
worrying, largely owing to the accumulation of arrears.
No State should forget that full and timely payment of its
contributions is a legally binding international obligation.
In 1999, my country will become the eighth largest
contributor to the Organization?s budget. We are fully
aware of the responsibility this entails and are ready to
assume it.
With the International Decade for the Eradication of
Colonialism about to end, I believe it is important to
recall that the historic work carried out by the
Organization in this field cannot be considered complete
as long as there remain colonial situations such as the one
which so painfully affects my country. I am referring, of
course, to the question of Gibraltar.
Every year the General Assembly renews its appeals
to Spain and the United Kingdom to continue their
negotiations with a view to putting an end to the colonial
situation of Gibraltar. The current negotiation process
stems from the so-called Brussels declaration of 1984, in
which the Governments of our two States undertook to
establish a negotiation process, to include sovereignty
issues, in order to settle all their differences. During the
1997 negotiating round I submitted a proposal that would
allow Spain to regain sovereignty over Gibraltar, while
maintaining for the inhabitants of the Territory all their
current benefits, granting them, in the framework of the
Spanish State, a greater degree of political autonomy than
they enjoy today, and agreeing, as an additional guarantee
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of Spain?s good faith, to share sovereignty with the United
Kingdom for a long transition period.
I believe that that proposal should be able to form the
basis of an agreement that would, once and for all, put an
end to an anachronistic situation originating from the
dynastic wars of the early eighteenth century.
Respect for human rights is essential in guaranteeing
the maintenance of international peace and security. Our
Organization also plays a prominent role in this field.
The commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the
adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
should provide a powerful incentive to continue to develop
international instruments for protecting human rights. The
adoption of the statute of the International Criminal Court
during the recent Rome Conference marked a very
significant step in that direction. Spain firmly supported the
adoption of the statute, signed it on the first day, and is
prepared to carry out any actions needed to ensure its
prompt entry into force.
Likewise, I wish to back the important work
performed by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, and to underline the importance that my
country attaches to the work of the Commission on Human
Rights, to which it has presented its candidature for the
period 2000 to 2002.
Terrorism constitutes a serious threat to domestic and
international security, to the development and functioning
of democratic institutions throughout the world and to the
exercise of human rights. Spain firmly believes in
strengthening the machinery of international cooperation,
for which the United Nations is a key forum. Spain, which
has ratified all conventions adopted on this issue, has
already signed the International Convention for the
Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and hopes that, as the
next step, a convention for the suppression of acts of
nuclear terrorism can be adopted.
Similarly, Spain gives high priority to the international
fight against drugs. This was evidenced by the Spanish
Prime Minister?s attendance at the special session of the
General Assembly in June, which was devoted to this
universal problem and which contributed substantially to
reaffirming our conviction that it is critical to consolidate
international coordination in seeking global solutions based
on the principles of shared responsibility, attention to
sustainable development and boosting regional and
interregional cooperation.
Multilateral development cooperation and poverty
eradication are crucial to the establishment of peaceful
international coexistence based on respect for human
rights. Spain is following with attention the
implementation of the reform measures proposed by the
Secretary-General. My Government praises the
momentum the Secretary-General is giving to the reform
of the environmental and human settlement sectors
directly linked to development. My country is
participating in studying new financing formulas to
provide sufficient resources for development cooperation.
In this regard, without losing sight of the unavoidable
debate on budgetary matters, Spain will consider a
possible gradual increase in its voluntary contributions
over the next few years.
On the subject of disarmament, Spain will shortly
ratify the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the
Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-
Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction; it is pleased
with the swift pace of ratification of the Convention. It is
likewise of the utmost importance that next year we
should succeed in concluding negotiations on a protocol
on verification of biological weapons.
As regards nuclear weapons, I cannot but express
once again my concern at the nuclear tests conducted by
India and Pakistan, which go against the international
community?s efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Nevertheless, we are optimistic about the forthcoming
commencement of negotiations on a treaty banning the
production of fissile materials for the manufacture of
nuclear weapons. Finally, we are confident that this
progress can be further enhanced by India?s and
Pakistan?s accession to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-
Ban Treaty.
The chief aim of our Organization continues to be
the maintenance of international peace and security. Here
the United Nations increasingly uses the means that
regional organizations or groups of States place at its
disposal. As a result, its response to various crises is
becoming more flexible and the legitimizing role of the
United Nations now carries more weight. Some good
examples, in addition to the Stabilization Force (SFOR)
and Operation Alba — to cite two cases in which Spain
respectively continues to play and played a particularly
prominent role — are initiatives such as the Stand-by
Forces High-Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG), which can
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speed up United Nations intervention considerably, and in
which Spain is also beginning to participate. Moreover, the
mediation capacity of the Secretary-General and his
representatives has been enhanced even further over the
past year.
In this connection, I wish to reaffirm my country?s
commitment to the maintenance of international peace and
security, in the service of which 2,000 Spaniards are
currently serving. Indeed, in addition to participating in
SFOR, the International Police Task Force (IPTF) and the
United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala
(MINUGUA), Spain this year sent a police contingent to
the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA).
Furthermore, Spain intends to sign soon a memorandum of
understanding with the Secretariat to define the modalities
for making stand-by forces available to the Organization.
Humanitarian assistance operations have come to play
an increasingly important role. Aid workers from many
countries, including Spain, have lost their lives in these
missions. For this reason, my country will continue to
promote all measures that can help improve the security
and safety of personnel providing humanitarian assistance.
The ongoing process of globalization does not mean
the disappearance of the diversity of civilizations and
cultures, which coexist with increasing closeness. To the
contrary, this diversity itself constitutes a value which must
be used to promote solidarity and cooperation among
nations. Indeed, serious crises — some of which I shall
mention in this statement — continue to afflict the
international community; unfortunately too, our ability to
take action is still often limited.
The situation in Africa is cause for serious concern,
and justifies the special consideration our Organization is
giving to African crises. Suffice it to mention the armed
conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the tragic
humanitarian crisis in Sudan — in the solution of which
Spain is making a special effort to cooperate, the precarious
situation of Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, and the
extremely serious exacerbation of tension in Angola, where
UNITA must respect the Lusaka agreements and where the
United Nations must continue to give its most valuable
support to the peace process.
In Western Sahara, the parties must continue to
demonstrate their good will so that the referendum on self-
determination envisaged in the Secretary-General?s
settlement plan can be held. The coming months will
undoubtedly be crucial. Spain will continue to back the
Secretary-General, his representatives and the United
Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
(MINURSO).
The situation in Kosovo is also extremely serious.
Spain backs the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia, but
President Milosevic´ and his Government must understand
that the international community will not remain
impassive in the face of an indiscriminate use of force
that is creating a very serious humanitarian problem. A
sincere negotiation process should be established as soon
as possible to enable Kosovo to regain the necessary
political autonomy in Yugoslavia.
In Latin America, the reconciliation process in
Guatemala continues to make good headway, despite
some tragic incidents, and is an inspiring example. We
are confident that the ongoing talks in Colombia will lead
to a process of national reconciliation, an objective to
which Spain has been giving its fullest support.
As regards the peace process in the Middle East,
Spain is deeply concerned about the current standstill and
actively backs the different initiatives presented,
particularly the European Union proposals, to safeguard
this process and implement the commitments already
made by the parties. There is an urgent need to put an
end to this conflict, which has already lasted too long; it
implies a threat to stability, fundamentally in the
Mediterranean, but with global repercussions. We must
find a solution to achieve a long-lasting reconciliation of
the Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures. Spain is, to a
great extent, an example of such reconciliation, and we
stand ready to make all necessary efforts to achieve this
goal.
Lastly, in Asia, Spain is following with great
concern the situation in Afghanistan. In another context,
it is confident that the parties will succeed in reaching an
agreement to form a Government in Cambodia after the
recent elections.
I firmly believe that, after a period of excessive and
unjustified hopes and consequent disappointments, now is
the time for the United Nations to forge determinedly
ahead in fostering an international coexistence based on
respect for human rights, justice and solidarity.
Nonetheless, this will only be possible if it has the full
support of all of us. Spain hereby reiterates its fullest
commitment to the United Nations.
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