Mr. President, allow me first to congratulate you on your election to the presidency of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly. Your election is a well-deserved tribute to your great qualities as an international statesman.
2.	The admission of Mozambique, Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe to membership in the United Nations is yet another result of the persistent and successful process of decolonization and yet another important step towards full universality of membership. The Danish Government looks forward to continuing in this Organization the fruitful co-operation which already exists among our peoples.
3.	We share with others the belief that all States should be Members of the world Organization. All countries should be allowed to reap the benefits of full participation in the work of the United Nations, while being subject to the obligations of the Charter. Irrespective of the sympathy or antipathy we may harbor for any system or policy, we oppose any attempt contrary to the Charter to expel or suspend any Member State from the United Nations itself, its organs or affiliated organizations, or any attempt to limit the rights of a Member State. Peace and progress towards a more orderly world require contacts and dialog in an organized forum. Exclusions or restrictions will serve only to eliminate useful contacts and, in turn, to lessen the possibility of exerting influence.
4.	The thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations offers a very welcome opportunity to evaluate the present state of the Organization and to try to look into the future. In recent years it has often been said that the United Nations is in a state of crisis and irrelevancy. Rather than go into a general but ultimately fruitless discussion of this, I would prefer to take as my point of departure the remarks made by the Secretary-General in the introduction to his report on the
work of the Organization [Al100011Add.!] when he underlines the fact that two great questions concerning the future remain unanswered. First, can the sovereign nations of our interdependent world, in the new circumstances in which we live, reach a sufficient consensus and generate the necessary collective will to give real and lasting effect to the original idea of the United Nations as an effective instrument for keeping the peace? Secondly, can they develop the capacity of the Organization to deal with the global problems which now face all nations and which certainly cannot be dealt with in isolation by one nation or group of nations alone? Those two are essential questions.
5.	We can give a positive reply only if certain important pre-conditions are fulfilled. The first is strict adherence by all Members to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respect for the letter of that instrument. At the twenty-fifth session a foreign minister concluded his statement at this rostrum with what he called the most modest and the least original of proposals: "Let us use our Organization and let us apply the Charter." On this occasion I take the liberty of repeating that proposal,
6.	In this connexion it is important that the division of competence between the Security Council and the General Assembly laid down in the Charter be strictly observed.
7.	It is of paramount importance that we preserve the basic principles of the Charter. At the same time we must realize that the proper functioning of our Organization in an ever-changing world depends on continuous and constructive adaptation to new challenges. We must strive together to proceed by dialog, negotiation and co-operation and we must avoid bitter confrontation. The proceedings and outcome of the seventh special session testify to that.
8.	There must be a convergence of opinions into compromises that all countries can live with. That is true not least in questions where viable solutions can be found only through the participation of the world community as a whole.
9.	We are eager to co-operate, but we are also determined to insist on orderly procedures and adherence to the Charter. The United Nations was never intended to be an organization of like-minded States; it is rather an arena in which to harmonize and accommodate different policies and different interests. That does not mean that this Organization should not reflect deep-rooted divisions and existing, but unacceptable, inequalities. Without an open airing of justified grievances the Organization would lose its life. But we should endeavor to understand our respective back-grounds and motives and ultimately to seek solutions through joint efforts, not arbitrary action.
10.	In particular, in the specialized agencies excessive politicization should be avoided. In spite of the
many burning and unsolved questions, we are convinced that these organizations derive their strength and their significance from the very fact that they are able to deal with their separate tasks in an objective atmosphere.
11.	If the pre-conditions which I have just mentioned are fulfilled we should be on the road to making this Organization a truly universal tool of co-operation among nations.
12.	The primary task of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security. The record shows both success and failure. There have been local wars; yet there have been no global wars. More than once, conflicts which might have escalated have been contained through the efforts, or at least within the framework, of the United Nations. The confrontation which marked East-West relations in the postwar period has been increasingly replaced by various forms of co-operation. Here and elsewhere our aim must be, through the development of international co-operation in breadth and in depth, to create a net-work of common interests by which to make the process of detente irreversible.
13.	The second interim agreement between Egypt and Israel must be viewed as a significant step towards a just and lasting peace. The momentum must be preserved, however, so that through negotiation new and substantial progress can be made on the road to a global peace settlement in accordance with the well- known principles laid down in Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). In this respect may I also recall our adherence to the declaration of the nine members of the European Economic Community [EEC] adopted on 6 November 1973.
14.	In Cyprus the United Nations has endeavored for many years to help bring about conditions for a peaceful solution based on the consent of the two national communities. The Danish Government highly appreciates the current efforts of the Secretary- General to promote negotiation between the representatives of the Cypriot communities. We shall continue to support those efforts. We appeal to the parties to act with prudence, with realism and with flexibility.
15.	When we consider the search for just and lasting settlements in the Middle East and Cyprus we should not overlook the essential role also played by United Nations peace-keeping forces in these areas. Peacekeeping operations cannot in themselves solve political problems. That goes without saying. But they can help to reduce tension between conflicting parties and thereby create an atmosphere conducive to realistic negotiations between them. Peace-keeping is an indispensable prerequisite to peace-making. The peace-keeping operations of the United Nations have in fact proved to be one of the most constructive and imaginative accomplishments of this Organization.
16.	After a decade of slow development the process of decolonization has regained its impetus. The United Nations has played an essential role in the developments which have taken place in southern Africa and which in the last few years have brought out particularly gratifying results in the efforts to achieve independence for the former Portuguese Territories.
17.	But many Africans are still under the yoke of oppression. This is true not least of Namibia. The Republic of South Africa continues to uphold its illegal regime and to prevent the population from exercising its right of self-determination and independence. In this respect, the United Nations has quite a special responsibility which we must all do our utmost to live up to. The pressure on South Africa must not be weakened; on the contrary, it must be enhanced and so must the pressure on the illegal regime in Southern Rhodesia by strict implementation of the sanctions of the United Nations. In spite of the persistent denunciation by the international community, the illegal regime continues to exercise its repressive policies against the African majority of Zimbabwe and to deprive those people of their rights as equal citizens.
18.	The United Nations is rapidly acquiring a new and important role in the management of the world economy. This is in keeping with the universal character of the Organization.
19.	The existing gaps between rich and poor countries, between countries favored by nature and countries less endowed, constitute the stark reality on the basis of which our common endeavors in the United Nations must proceed. It is the duty of all nations to take an active part in efforts to eliminate unfair inequalities and outdated privileges among the peoples of the world. Only by helping the less fortunate peoples to regain their dignity and to occupy a proper place in the human community can we hope to create a just world,
20.	In the promotion of this goal, the Danish Government is firmly committed to the official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product set out in the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade [resolution 2626 (XXV)]. According to our national plan, the target envisaged in the resolution adopted last week at the seventh special session [resolution 3362 (S-VII)] will be reached by the end of this decade.
21.	It is a distinctive feature of Danish development assistance that about half of it is channeled through international organizations. Through our contributions, first and foremost, to the United Nations Development Program, we have supported efforts to enable the United Nations to play an important role in international development co-operation.
22.	Although we can truthfully claim that considerable and encouraging results have been accomplished through past and ongoing development Programs, we have to admit that those Programs have been insufficient to achieve the goal of narrowing the gap in standards of living of developing and developed countries.
23.	We have accepted this challenge. The response by the member countries of EEC to the proposals presented by the Group of 77, including the signing of the 1975 Lome Convention, bear out our earnest desire for a constructive dialog.
24.	It would be idle to expect rapid and spectacular results. The process of adjusting to new conditions and of accepting the necessary sacrifices has its own rhythm and is conditioned by our democratic decision- making processes. Patient negotiations are needed, not only among nations but, equally importantly, within nations where conflicting interests have to be reconciled. The general economic climate is another significant factor in determining the ability of developed countries to meet the requirements for changes in the economic order and, in turn, the capacity of developing countries to enjoy the benefits thereof.
25.	The seventh special session was an event of major importance. Member States succeeded in reaching agreement on guidelines for a broad and realistic Program of measures designed to increase the capacity of the developing countries to pursue their development. The outcome was significant because it was achieved through true negotiations involving give-and-take on both sides. It is an encouraging sign that a new and realistic approach has been found. It holds a real promise for the success of the detailed negotiations which must now be conducted to give substance to the resolution.
26.	Another area of international co-operation under the auspices of the United Nations is the drafting now under way of a convention for a new law of the sea. Such a convention will only acquire the intended value if it receives nearly universal adherence. It is therefore essential that reasonable account should be taken of all legitimate interests in the elaboration of solutions to the concrete problems.
27.	A continuing concern of our Organization is to promote and encourage respect for human rights. Throughout the existence of the United Nations we have had to witness persecution on ideological, political or religious grounds, torture and other flagrant violations of fundamental human rights in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, present-day practices in our various continents bring fresh and tragic evidence of such violations. It remains one of the central duties of the world community to react with determination to such practices wherever they occur.
28.	In conclusion, I would like to touch briefly upon a very important aspect of our work. The United Nations was established by the peoples of the world. An organization created by man to work for man can only succeed if it is backed by public understanding, by respect and by support from the people. We must admit that a flow of rhetoric, inaction, disrespect for the Charter, and national narrow-mindedness have often weakened public faith in this Organization.
29.	Public understanding and support must be regained. We must develop an atmosphere of moderation and conciliation conducive to a genuine dialog: that is, a dialog based on respect for differing national interests. We must all show greater willingness to co-operate constructively in the search for common answers to the global problems confronting us.
30.	The Danish Government does not underestimate the magnitude of this task. But if we all have the wisdom, the courage and the political will to cooperate we may be able together to develop a strong United Nations. It is an immediate challenge to all 141 Members to make this Organization a more effective instrument for the strengthening of international peace and security and for international economic and social co-operation. If we fail, it will be our common responsibility.


78.	 Mr. President, allow me on behalf of the Government and the people of Malaysia, to congratulate you on your election to the high office of President of this session. Your admirable qualities, tact and understanding will serve you well as you lead us through our deliberations in the months ahead. In welcoming your appointment, I should like also to pay a tribute to your illustrious predecessor, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Foreign Minister of Algeria, President of the twenty- ninth session and seventh special session, for his leadership during those sessions.
79.	Allow me, on behalf of my Government, to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to our new friends, the People's Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe on their achievement of independence and on their new status as sovereign nations, taking their rightful place in the United Nations. We should also like to congratulate Papua New Guinea in anticipation of its admission into the United Nations soon. As we see it, the presence of these countries among us represents not only the inevitable triumphs of peoples struggling against colonialism but also another big step towards complete universality in the United Nations.
80.	This year is a momentous one for the United Nations, as it celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. As our Organization stands on the threshold of another decade, we feel that it is relevant for us to ponder upon the path it has taken in the last 30 years and the direction which we hope it will take in the years to come. This is surely the time for frank assessment, for the searching of minds and, most of all, for a fearless look at reality.
81.	We are all aware that the United Nations, with its limitations and weaknesses, is far from being a perfect Organization. This is understandable especially when one considers that the world in which the Organization was fashioned was different from the one we have today. It was created then by a small minority to ensure that mankind would be spared the scourge and devastation of another world-wide conflagration. The high ideals and principles upon which the Organization was founded have not found expression in our desire to have an effective instrument for maintaining peace and security and for economic and social justice.
82.	The challenge before us as we stand on the threshold of the next decade is whether or not we shall be able to rise above narrow selfish interests and perceive the world in a larger context and in its human and often vulnerable entirety. Are we going to remain indifferent to the cries of the majority of mankind, which still lives ill-fed, ill-clothed and ill-housed, and are we going to be helpless in the face of the great gulf that separates the well-to-do minority from the poor, the deprived and the disadvantaged majority? To allow the situation to drift as we have been doing is hardly conducive to a stable, secure and peaceful world. The onus is therefore on us as to whether we leave a legacy of peace, equality and prosperity or chaos, devastation and grief.
83.	There are those who are sceptical or cynical about the worth or the achievements of this Organization. Yet, if the past 30 years have taught us anything, it is that the United Nations is a durable and living Organization and that the principles and purposes for which it was founded are as relevant today as they were when the Charter was drawn up in 1945. That we should look to the United Nations to solve the problems of disarmament, decolonization and development, of food and population, of trade and industrialization, of the environment and the seabed, of human rights and the plight of women is indication enough of the importance we attach to the Organization. These problems are global in nature and they require global solutions. The United Nations provides us with the best means to discuss these problems and search for acceptable solutions. If the solutions have fallen short of our aspirations and this has often been the case it is not the fault of the United Nations itself, but our own. The ability of the United Nations to grapple with these problems depends very much on us. It is only our political will that can make the United Nations succeed as an instrument of peace and a catalyst for change. It is, therefore, the common responsibility of all of us, especially the big Powers, to fulfill our obligations in accordance with the provisions of the Charter. In this respect we think that it is opportune to look into the restructuring of our Organization and to review the Charter so that the United Nations can be an effective force in the resolution of the problems that we face.
84.	We are, of course, not blind to political realities. We are aware that we can only do so much in calling for a more constructive and sane world order. What is essential is still the co-operation and concurrence of the big Powers. However, at the moment this is not yet forthcoming. While we initially welcomed the super-Power detente as offering brighter prospects of peace, we viewed it with some caution. Our caution seems to be justified, for what we have seen so far is a mutual accommodation of big-Power interests. For detente to have real meaning, there must be a perceptible movement towards meeting the aspirations of all countries, especially the developing countries, for a more just and equitable economic and social order, and towards solving some of the intractable problems that continue to bedevil us. Therefore, detente should not merely be a convenient formula for mutual consultations in the continuing game of big-Power politics. We in Malaysia, however, are still hopeful that in our generation we shall live to see a radical change in the policies of the big Powers so that these Powers will direct their energies towards more constructive and beneficial ends.
85. We can make a fresh start here at this session by seriously devoting our attention and our efforts to those problems that have continually appeared on the agenda since the first session of the Assembly.
Problems relating to disarmament, apartheid, the search for a peaceful and just solution in the Middle East, the Korean question, and the problems of economic advancement, trade and aid, are in urgent need of attention and solution. If we can at this session display the willingness and ability to consider them seriously without having the sterile debates and recriminations of the past, then we shall have achieved something we can be proud of. What is needed is a fresh start and a fresh look at these problems. There are signs that the international community is ready to enter into an earnest dialog in the search for a consensus on these issues.
86.	One of the first problems that need our attention is that of disarmament. The Secretary-General, indeed almost all the speakers before me, have rightly emphasized at various times the seriousness and the danger inherent in the escalation of the arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Some nations now have the capability to inflict far greater and more irreversible damage than militarists ever dreamed of in the last war. The arms race, both in conventional and nuclear weapons, has continued unabated. What is even more disturbing is the fact that the arms- supplying countries are using their hardware as a political weapon of "divide and rule" among nations. The global expenditure on armaments in a year has amounted to $300,000 million. The increase in the level of armaments, both quantitative and qualitative, not only poses a constant threat to our survival, but is also as senseless as it is wasteful. Only a fraction of the amount spent on the arms build-up would be needed, for example, to stabilize the prices of primary commodities of export interest to developing countries. This would have a great regenerating effect on our economies and benefit both developed and developing countries. Our sense of security is not going to be enhanced by a rise in the arms build-up, nor can any edifice for peace last if this trade in the merchandise of death is not halted. The United Nations should do all it can to mobilize world public opinion and bring its moral weight to bear on this issue.
87.	We reiterate our position that lasting peace can be achieved only through general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control, and not through a mutually agreed balance of armaments. We affirm our support once again for the convening of a world disarmament conference under the auspices of the United Nations. This session should also seriously consider the recommendation of the Lima Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries for the convening of a special session devoted to disarmament matters [iff A/10217 and Corr.l, annex, para. 114]. We are most concerned that midway through the Disarmament Decade we have barely begun to touch upon the vital issues. The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that was held in May this year in Geneva ended with no commitments from the nuclear Powers that vertical or horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons would be stopped, that all forms of nuclear weapon-testing in all environments would be banned, or that the world disarmament conference would be convened. At the same time, the non-nuclear- weapon States parties to the Treaty have had no firm assurance that their security would be guaranteed in case of the use, or threat of the use, of nuclear weapons, or that the benefits from the peaceful application of nuclear energy would be made available to them. We hope that these issues will be discussed at this session in a true spirit of co-operation and constructive debate.
88.	On the Middle East question, Malaysia's position is clear. We note that some tension has been removed as a result of the latest negotiations. However, the problem will remain unresolved as long as Israel occupies Arab lands and refuses to comply with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). We deplore the acquisition of territories by the use of force and the changing of the geographical and demographic aspects of the occupied territories. Another aspect of the Middle East conflict is the question of Jerusalem and Israeli acts of desecration in transforming the religious and historical character of the city and the Holy Places. Malaysia has joined the Islamic countries in calling for the withdrawal of Israel from Jerusalem and has condemned its acts of desecration. The solving of the Palestinian problem is also indispensable to peace in the Middle East. The people of Palestine must be granted their inalienable right to self-determination and their right to return to their homeland. Malaysia recognizes the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and we fully support the PLO in its struggle to realize the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
89.	Another of the problems I mentioned earlier is that of apartheid, which has been on our agenda in one form or another since 1946. Together with this is the general situation with regard to southern Africa. The General Assembly cannot allow both the Pretoria regime and the illegal racist-minority regime in Salisbury to continue ignoring and flouting United Nations resolutions with impunity. The Pretoria regime must end its illegal occupation of Namibia. The people of Namibia must be given the opportunity to determine their own future. The people of Zimbabwe must also be granted their inalienable rights to self- determination and independence. These oppressed peoples should no longer be subjected to any uncertainty regarding their prospects for freedom and independence. The United Nations should give full support to the people and the leaders of the liberation movements in their just and legitimate struggle.
90.	One of the major achievements of this Organization has been in the field of decolonization. As the records will show, Malaysia has always given its unqualified support to peoples struggling to free themselves from colonial subjugation and domination. More than ever before, the time appears appropriate for peoples to be really free to exercise sovereignty over their own country and to shape their own destiny. A residue of colonial presence under any guise detracts from the real significance of independence. That is why we are concerned at the pockets of colonialism that still exist in many parts of the world, including our own. Consistent with our firm policy, Malaysia fully shares and supports the desires and aspirations of all subject peoples to attain self-determination and independence.
91.	In Cyprus we face a complex and a dangerous situation that we cannot ignore. The problem is just as serious as the ones I have mentioned and requires a speedy solution. Since the main parties to the conflict are the Greek and the Turkish Cypriot communities, they should be encouraged to seek a peaceful and amicable settlement through negotiations. It is our view that, to succeed, these negotiations must give expression to the rights, the interests and the concerns of both communities. There must be a spirit of accommodation. We would like to congratulate the Secretary- General for his role in the talks that have been held between the two communities both in Vienna and in New York. His task is by no means an easy one and he has our best wishes as he continues with his efforts.
92.	The question of Korea is another one of those issues that has been before us for a long time and is of special concern to us. We feel that every effort should be made to encourage the two Governments to continue the dialog between them and undertake confidence- building measures so that, under an improved climate, more substantive discussions can be held. The main problem, as we all know, is one of peaceful reunification of the two parts of Korea. In this respect, we feel that we should take a realistic view and promote a solution that will be acceptable to both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.
93.	I now turn to our part of the world where significant changes have taken place since we last met. I refer to the events in Indo-China. We are happy indeed to see the end of the cruel and protracted war and the return of peace in the area. We look forward to working closely with the countries of Indo-China in a spirit of friendship and mutual co-operation. We deeply regret that the applications of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of South Viet Nam for full membership in the United Nations were rejected in the Security Council. We express the hope that this time the Council will take into account the overwhelming support the two applications received from this Assembly and reconsider the applications favorably.
94.	The Governments and people of the National Union of Laos, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, and the Republic of South Viet Nam face a formidable task in their efforts to rehabilitate and reconstruct their countries. In this they deserve all the support and assistance we can give. The United Nations, through the Economic and Social Council, has made an urgent appeal for aid and relief assistance to these countries. At the same time, the Lima Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non- Aligned Countries established a solidarity fund in aid of these countries. It is imperative that these measures be implemented quickly. I renew the pledge I made in Lima that Malaysia stands ready to extend all assist-ance to the people of Indo-China. We offer this in a gesture of friendship and neighborly concern. Malaysia has always underscored the importance ot regional co-operation, harmony, and solidarity. Together with the countries in the region, we hope to build a strong, stable and neutral South-East Asia, free from outside interference.
95 Malaysia, together with her neighbors and partners in the Association of South-East Asian Nations [ASEAN] namely, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand-are now actively pursuing the objective of establishing in South-East Asia a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality. This proposal, as reflected in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of 1971,1 seeks to protect the region of South-East Asia from being an arena for big-Power conflict. This Declaration also seeks to ensure that the countries in the region will be able to proceed with their national development in a climate of regional harmony and co-operation, free from disruptive elements engendered by foreign designs. It is our hope that the other countries of South East-Asia will come in time to see the merits of the neutralization proposal and join with the ASEAN countries in a common endeavor to make the region a safe and better place for the peoples in the region to live in. We are optimistic that the big Powers will come to realize that this order that we seek is really to their advantage as well. Indeed, a neutral South-East Asia would eliminate the prospect of expending energies on power play which often leaves no room for mutually beneficial activities.
96.	It is heartening to see that more and more countries appear to find the idea of neutralization a commendable one. We are encouraged by the creation of nuclear-free zones and zones of peace on both land and sea. Malaysia firmly supports moves in this direction. We strongly feel that for such proposals to succeed they need to have the prior and unqualified support of the countries in the regions concerned. At the same time, we hope the nuclear Powers will respond to the call made by the Secretary-General and cooperate to ensure the success of these zones.
97.	If the economic events and the debate of the last few years have revealed anything about the international economic order, it is surely the need for changes to be made to it. Our debates and negotiations, as the Secretary-General of the United Nations stated so succinctly in his closing address to the seventh special session, "... is about change; it is not about a smoother management of the status quo'".2 The reasons for changes to be made have been rehearsed so often, most notably at the sixth special session of the General Assembly, and I need not repeat them here. The kind of changes that need to be made have been fully articulated for many years by the developing countries and are fairly contained in the Declaration and the Program of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order [resolution 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VJ)] and the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States [resolution 328/ (XXIX)]. These documents and the cry for a new economic order are not slogans. They embody the directions and the measures that the developing countries believe the community of nations must take if the development of the developing countries is to be accelerated, and a more just and rational world economic and social order is to be realized.
98.	The deliberations and conclusions of the seventh special session have pinpointed the issues and directions that the international community must take up in the days ahead. The importance of implementing the decisions that have been agreed upon regarding these issues cannot, I believe, be overemphasized; nor, for that matter, the importance of maintaining the momentum towards finding solutions and arriving at decisions on those issues that have not been agreed upon. Let me take this opportunity to state yet again some of those issues upon which we believe it is vital that agreements should soon be reached.
99.	First and foremost, we must reach agreement on the issues relating to international trade, particularly the trade in commodities. The importance of this matter to both developed and developing countries alike is too plain to bear recalling here. Selective and isolated solutions to the problems are no longer enough. Only a comprehensive and concerted approach to the problems, as indicated in the integrated Program for commodities as proposed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, would suffice,
100.	Secondly, measures to liberalize trade and to facilitate access to the markets of developed countries for the commodities, manufactures and semi-manufactures of developing countries must be urgently implemented. Improvements of general system of preferences schemes through wider coverage and deeper tariff cuts can and should be undertaken promptly. The multilateral trade negotiations in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade should conclude the considerations of tropical products as soon as possible.
101.	Thirdly, solutions should be found to the issues that have yet to receive full consensus under the heading of the transfer of real resources and the reform. of the international monetary system.
102.	As we are well aware, the disparity in terms of the standard of living, wealth, technology and socioeconomic structure between the developed and developing countries is deep. Only by an integrated and comprehensive approach to the problems of the developing countries can this disparity be diminished. The task of restructuring and creating a just, rational and equitable economic order that would provide a fair opportunity for all countries to progress and prosper, is a complex one. The restructuring of the international economic order, demanding as it does, changes in the economies both of the developed and developing countries, requires the political will to sacrifice and compromise all countries, particularly the developed countries.
103.	For far too long, the dialog between the developing and the developed countries has been characterized by a submission of proposals by the former and its consideration and subsequent rejection or, on the rare occasion, acceptance by the latter. The seventh special session has set in motion a new dialog based, we believe, and certainly we hope, on co-operation and a commitment to change. It is in the interest of both the developed and the developing countries that this dialog be fostered and furthered in the negotiations that lie ahead.
104.	With this in view, and on the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations, we would like to leave in the minds of this Assembly the simple concept of our inseparable destiny. We firmly believe that if recognition is given to this concept in the conduct of our national and international policies, an immeasurable step will have been taken towards the resolution of our conflicts and struggles. It is an irrefutable fact that we have evolved into a very complex earth society . Today, we have accepted the reality of economic interdependence. It is equally valid to recognize the undeniable crystallization of a political symbiosis. Our political decisions affect each other, whether directly or indirectly. We are inseparably linked. Therefore, it behooves us all to ensure that our policies and actions do not set off a chain reaction of dissatisfactions and conflicts that may eventually engulf mankind.
105.	We will have achieved much, if we can come away from this thirtieth session of the General Assembly with the clear realization that we are all fellow travelers on this planet earth and that it is essential that we enjoy our journey together in a spirit of goodwill, co-operation and understanding. Not least, we should also make sure that we preserve the beauty and structure of the landscape so that future travelers can enjoy an equally rewarding journey.


243.	 In the name of Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa, President-for-Life, Marshal of the Central African Republic and President for Life of the Mouvement de 1'evolution sociale de l'Afrique noire [MESAN], of our great single national party, on behalf of the Central African people and on behalf of the delegation that I have the honor of leading, allow me to extend our most sincere congratulations to the President on his election to the presidency of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly. In fact, the States represented at this anniversary session of the Assembly, by entrusting to the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg the task of leading our work, paid a particularly well-deserved tribute to a great statesman and at the same time gave proof of their recognition of his beautiful country, which has always made remarkable efforts in favor of our Organization, thus assuring it of support in its search for a lasting peace, security and
well-being for all human beings living on our planet. My country, the Central African Republic, is indeed very happy at this choice in view of the relations of friendship and co-operation which link it to Luxembourg within the framework of the European Economic Community.
244.	We should like to include in this tribute the Vice-Presidents and the other members of the General Committee.
245.	My delegation would also like to avail itself of this opportunity to offer its most fraternal congratulations to Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Algeria, who successively presided over the twenty-ninth regular session and the seventh special session of the General Assembly. Thanks to his competence, courage, dynamism and integrity, that worthy son of Africa was, during our debates, able to create a dialog in which the spirit of candor, consultation and co-operation prevailed.
246.	We should also like to pay a tribute and express our gratitude to the Secretary-General, who, with his staff, is sparing no effort to infuse into our Organization all the vitality needed to achieve its noble objectives.
247.	Thirty years ago, on 25 June 1945, after a war that had imperiled the balance of the world, men of goodwill meeting in San Francisco founded our Organization, which thus succeeded the League of Nations.
248.	Those who wrote the Charter gave the United Nations precise objectives: to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples; to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.
249.	It would be advisable to emphasize that such noble ideals could not but claim the allegiance of the States which then enjoyed total freedom. Therefore it seems very important to consider the role our Organization has played during these 30 years of its existence and to trace the path Member States should follow to correct the mistakes of the past and to make this Organization more efficient in future.
250.	If it seems difficult to draw up a balance sheet that is complete and satisfactory in all fields, nevertheless concrete results have been obtained. Some conflicts have been solved peacefully through the efforts of our Organization. All the major problems of our time decolonization, women's rights, population, food, raw materials, the environment, and energy, to mention but a few have been tackled, and world conferences have been devoted to them, particularly this year. It goes without saying that these changes have been favorably received and represent positive progress which honors our Organization.
251 The activities pursued by the specialized agencies have been appreciable and, as was declared in
this Assembly on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations on 20 October 1970 by Jean-Bedel Bokassa, President-for-Life, Marshal of the Central African Republic, "our Organization is journeying step by step towards universality and will embrace, in what we hope will be the near future, all those nations that have espoused peace and justice.""
252.	My country, the Central African Republic, feels legitimate pride in greeting, through its spokesman, myself, the States of Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and Principe, which have just acceded to independence and have taken their places in all dignity among the members of the international community, At the same time my delegation would like to welcome the fact that Papua New Guinea is to be admitted to the United Nations in October 1975.
253.	At the same time we must unfortunately note that difficulties are being encountered in the implementation of some principles of the Charter and a considerable number of resolutions, so that peace is constantly troubled by the existence of many armed conflicts in many parts of the world.
254.	The armaments race continues at a frenetic pace, although disarmament and detente are ceaselessly preached.
255.	Entire nations are bound by the chains of colonialism and of racist contempt, while neocolonialism continues to subjugate peoples that have recently attained their freedom and are trying to maintain and consolidate their interests,
256.	The world economic situation continues to deteriorate, in particular in the developing countries, under the baneful influence of a galloping inflation caused by monetary disorder. The huge gap separating the highly industrialized world, where waste is not infrequent, from the other world, which is a prey to hunger, disease, ignorance and poverty, is widening to the detriment of hundreds of millions of human beings.
257.	Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa made a forceful denunciation of this in the General Assembly. He said:
"We believe also that the United Nations specialized agencies should be freed from the abusive influence of certain States which do not hesitate to delay, even to thwart and to boycott, consideration of background material presented by certain other States whose political leanings are not to their liking."12
In the same spirit, the President also stated:
"Attempts either partially or completely to destroy the territorial integrity of States are still common among the imperialists, colonialists and neo-colonialists, for whom the independence of States must be only a screen to enable them to perpetuate their exploitation.
"Despite the principle of non-interference in the affairs of other States and the principle of respect for national sovereignty, certain States continue to organize campaigns of slander and disparagement in their national press against other States."13
258.	This background allows us to affirm that peace and social justice, two fundamental concepts of the
3% Charter of the United Nations, need sustained efforts on the part of our community for their concrete implementation.
259.	The Central African Republic, which draws its political strength from MESAN, our great national single party, is the work of Barthelemy Boganda, its founder President. This great African figure, venerated leader of our nation, based his action an the philosophy ofzohve z<> which means "equality among men". His worthy successor, Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa has, by the principle of zo kwe zo consecrated "dignity and respect" for man in its most noble sense.
260.	It is obvious, therefore, that in the Central African Republic we believe that whatever the nature of the dispute or conflict that divides two countries, two communities or two individuals, it should be solved by negotiation and consultation, not by violence.
261.	In our review of the situation, we noted the positive progress made through the efforts of our Organization. Nevertheless, several hotbeds of tension exist throughout the world.
262.	In the case of southern Africa, the Central African Republic is following developments there with great interest and my delegation endorses the statement by the current President of the General Assembly:
"May we hope that the still faint signs of progress we have detected these past few months will gain in strength and scope and that the movement thus begun will lead to the desired result within a reasonable period of lime? It would in any event be wise for the authorities who still hold the key to the situation to make the necessary concessions in their own interest." [2351st meeting, para.
263.	As regards Angola, the Central African Republic, my country, is concerned hy the strife among brothers which divides the three national liberation movements and would like to reiterate the appeal it made at Kampala and Lima to the political leadens of Angola to find a basis for the peaceful settlement of their dispute, and to do so before 11 November 1975.
264.	In the same connexion, my eouniry is convinced that the good offices now offered by the OAU to our brothers, the Angolan leaders, will be accepted in the interests of their peoples.
265.	The so-called "Spanish Sahara" is another burning contemporary problem which is of great concern to all of us. We base our hope on a rapid and reasonable solution to this question. Thus, the advisory opinion that the International Court of Justice is to give on the situation prevailing in this Territory will no doubt guide our Organization in taking a decision.
266.	The Middle East, to our great regret, is still a cause of great concern on account of the tension and anguish that prevail there. In Fact, the bloody clashes which dangerously shook this region in 196? and in 1973 are covering more and more areas not strictly concerned by the conflict. Therefore it becomes urgent that solutions to the resolutions adopted by the Security Council should be found for the restoration of a just and lasting peace in the region, as well an recovery by the people of Palestine of their legitimate rights.
267. However, the Central African Republic is following with great interest the easing of the situation which began with the step-by-step policy of the Secretary of State of the United States. Mr. Henry Kissinger My country encourages the efforts undertaken along this path and hopes that in the relatively near future they will lead to favorable conditions for negotiation.
26B. As regards the question of Cyprus, the Central African Republic, once again, deplores the failure to implement resolution 3212 (XXIX), unanimously adopted by the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions >65 [19741 and 367 (1975). It is clear that this, situation aggravates the crisis, which can make the situation, already complex in this region, even more explosive.
269.	We believe that the solution to the Cyprus problem is to be found in the fact that all foreign interference should be eliminated in order to ensure the harmonious coexistence between the two communities within the same State.
270.	In South-East Asia my delegation welcomes the newly restored peace in that part of the world. It expresses the wish that the international community should study the present situation in the two Viet Nam and that measures of assistance and aid should be taken in their favor.
271.	While on the subject of Cambodia, the Central African Republic welcomes the return to the international community of the Royal Government of National Union of Cambodia and would like to express once again our sympathy towards it.
272.	As regards the question of Korea, the Government of my country continues to believe that the most realistic means for a peaceful solution is. and continues to be, the continuation of the dialog and the broadening of exchanges and co-operation between the two Korea with a view to activating an independent and peaceful unification of the country in conformity with the text of the consensus adopted by the mem-ben of the General Assembly it its twenty-eighth session."
273.	By sponsoring draft resolution A,;C. 1/L.708, on the urgent need to implement fully tire consensus of the twenty-eighth sexton of the General Assembly on the Korean question and to maintain peace and security on the Korean peninsula, my country only wishes to contribute to the maintenance of peace and security in the region.
274.	The Central African Republic is in favor of the admission of both Koreas to the United Nations, although reuniftcaiKKv which has to be peaceful and independent ihouId continue to be the ultimate objective for these countries, taking into account the joint north-south communique published simultaneously on 4 July 1972.'* We believe that application for admission to the United Nations is the sovereign right of a State and that this should be examined in conformity with Article 4. paragraph ! of the Charter.
275.	Is it necessary to recall that the first request was made on 19 January 1949 and that in resolutions 2% (IV). 81? fIXK 1017 <XIi and 1144 (XII). the General Assembly successively affirmed that the Republic of South Korea was fully qualified and should be admitted as a Member of the Untied Nations' South
Korea with a population of over 34 million inhabitants, represents two thirds of the total population of the Korean peninsula and is a member of almost all the specialized agencies and bodies of the United Nations. It has diplomatic relations with a great majority of the States Members of our Organization.
276.	In view of all these considerations, the Central African Government unreservedly supports South Korea's application for admission to the United Nations.
277.	The interest that the Central African Republic has in all the questions that I have just mentioned does not make it lose sight of the importance of specifically economic problems and the problems with which it is directly confronted.
278.	In fact, a developing country, one of those which are least advanced economically, the Central African Republic, on account of its land-locked situation in the heart of Africa, occupies an exceptionally difficult position which deserves to be studied with great attention.
279.	The irony of destiny has also made the Central African Republic, a country of contrasts in which floods and drought alternate, subject to the influence of two important seasons: a rainy season with violent storms which devastate plantations and cause floods, and a long dry season which has harmful effects on crops and causes a maximum lowering of the waters. Thus, for many months the traffic on the river Ubangui is hindered. This is the only important waterway which now allows us access to the sea.
280.	Because of this, the Central African Republic has been fighting for 15 years for the construction of a railway which, in addition to correcting its landlocked situation, would allow us to develop additional forest production corresponding to annual volume of felled trees of 500,000 to 600,000 cubic meters, and therefore promoting new agricultural production, the export of which would benefit from advantageous tariffs. With this railway network it would become possible to define a genuine policy of development, the more operational conditions of which would make the economy of the Central African Republic much more dynamic.
281.	Then it would be possible to create in the various regions a group of units of forestry production which would include saw-mills, and factories for woodworking, wood peeling, making paper pulp, and so on; to develop new agricultural crops in these same regions; and to increase the existing production throughout the country, thanks to the stimulus provided by the decrease in the cost of transport.
282.	Furthermore, the large volume of traffic by rail would favor the supply of imported products at reasonable prices, and the benefits to the purchasing power of the consumers and would lead to a general rise in the standard of living of the population.
283.	There is no doubt that the construction of a railway which would make transport easier in the Central African Republic would have a very healthy impact which would enable us to achieve the development objectives fixed by our Organization for the establishment of a new world economic order.
284.	But, to be truthful, it must be stressed that the efforts undertaken by Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa since 1966, when he acceded to this highest office of the country with a view to starting this process for our land-locked country encountered the strong and hidden resistance of powerful interests with the sole aim of boycotting the project and crystallizing the existing situation.
285.	However, the building of the railway continues to be our highest priority because it must be the backbone of our economy.
286.	Faced with difficulties of all kinds the head of the Central African State has decided personally to undertake action at both the national and the international level, in order to make more clear to his people and to the international community the important place its Government assigns in its development Program to the problem of changing the landlocked situation of the country.
287.	That is why Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa addressed a message on 1 January 1974 to all Central Africans, whether by origin or adoption, and to the world in general, declaring 1974 to be the year of overcoming the land-locked situation of the Central African Republic.
288.	Thus the 1976-1980 five-year development plan for the Central African Republic makes this objective its number one priority.
289.	For some time, following the appeal of our Head of State, some international financial organizations and certain friendly countries, having understood the good reason for this decision of the Central African Government in this area, have been showing interest in this project.
290.	I should like to stress also the very great importance that we give to the rapid building of the trans-African road from Mombasa to Lagos. This road will also serve the Central African Republic and will certainly contribute to African unity.
291.	My delegation appeals to the specialized agencies for financing and development to pay special attention to the problems of the least developed countries, the land-locked countries and the island developing countries.
292.	The Central African Republic is among these and it should therefore be given concrete help in the form of special international assistance, particularly in the spheres of agriculture, stock-breeding, mines, tourism, water and forests.
293.	That is why my delegation firmly endorses the decisions taken at the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Algiers in September 1973, and confirmed at Dakar in February 1975 by the Conference of the Developing Countries on Raw Materials, at Lima at the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries last August and, more recently, by the seventh special session of the General Assembly.
294.	Before closing this chapter in which I have reviewed very briefly the situation in my country, I should like to add that, having immense natural resources, the Central African Republic opens its doors wide to all public and private investments, from whatever source, provided our national institutions and our national sovereignty are respected.
295.	In that regard, the Central African code of investments offers very favorable conditions, including the exemption from certain fiscal and customs taxes, for various periods of time, depending on the size and the category of investments, and the provision of land on which plants can be constructed.
296.	The third world, which is the reservoir from which the industrialized countries draw almost all the raw materials used in their factories, includes 70 per cent of mankind, but lives on only 30 per cent of the world's income. Of a population of 2,600 million people, 800 million are illiterate, nearly 1,000 million suffer from malnutrition or starvation and 900 million have a daily income of less than $0.30. These figures brought to our attention in reliable documents are sufficient evidence of the blatant injustice of which the peoples of the third world are victims.
297.	That is why the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-AIigned Countries, held at Algiers in 1973, "expressed its concern at the constant deterioration of the economic conditions of the developing countries which see the gap separating them from the industrialized countries grow all the time."
298.	Two years later, at Dakar, the Conference of the Developing Countries on Raw Materials declared that the present structure of international trade must be replaced by a new international economic order based on principles of equity and justice in the interest of all the peoples so as to correct present injustices and not create new ones.
299.	The discussions which took place during the seventh special session of the General Assembly have clearly demonstrated the determination of the third world to benefit from a better world, a world both more equitable and more human.
300.	For their part, the industrialized countries have admitted the principle of a more concrete and active co-operation aimed at removing the enormous gap separating them from the developing countries.
301.	My delegation gives its firm support to the decision taken by our Organization, which requests the permanent members of the Security Council to reduce by 10 per cent their military budgets and to use a part of the funds thus freed for assistance to developing countries.
302.	As far as the Central African Republic is concerned, the developing countries should not expect everything from the industrialized countries. They must endeavor to seek solutions to their development problems at both the national and regional levels.
303.	On this specific point, the Central African Republic is working in this direction by mobilizing all its resources within the framework of Operation Bokassa, which is a philosophy of economic, cultural and social development, as conceived by Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa, on his accession to the highest office of the land on 1 January 1966.
304.	In the face of the present crisis which has shaken the world and of which the first victims are the third-world populations, the developing countries must
promote solidarity that should lead to a strengthening of active co-operation among them.
305.	May I be allowed on this occasion to launch a fervent appeal to all the countries which say they belong to the third world, but which have been favored by nature and Providence, to invest with full confidence in the less privileged countries.
306.	Is it necessary to speak of the trade situation resulting from the aggravation of the monetary crisis, which has stifled the development of the third world? The share of the third-world countries in world traded which is already modest, is diminishing all the time', while the terms of trade are continually deteriorating. The transfer of resources from developed to developing countries has been decreasing, whereas the volume of the external debt of the latter has quadrupled during the last decade.
307.	Under these conditions, a fundamental reform of the world trade system is one of the priority objectives to respond to the exigencies of development, as was so well stressed by Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, in his statement of 1 September 1975.
308.	All aspects of this reform are of the highest interest to all developing countries because it is not necessary to prove any further that the monetary and financial system as conceived at Bretton Woods has been serving only the interests of the developed countries without talcing into account the specific needs of the developing countries.
309.	The new international monetary system, for the creation and functioning of which the developing countries must participate on the basis of equality with the richer countries, must be absolutely universal. It must guarantee the stability of the flow and terms of financing of international trade. This new international monetary system must recognize the conditions and the specific needs of the developing countries on the basis of a preferential treatment, in conformity with the declaration of the Fourth Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-AIigned Countries at Algiers.
310.	I cannot pass in silence the very important problem of technology. Indeed, the technological needs are considerable in developing countries in general and in Africa in particular.
311.	Of course, much technology has already been transferred to developing countries since the end of the Second World War, but those countries were not able to benefit from such transfers for two fundamental reasons: first, the technology transferred is not adapted to the economic realities of the countries involved; and, secondly, the technology market is dominated by transnational corporations and the developed countries continue to maintain their dominant position under the old economic order owing to the fact that all advanced technology is still dependent on them. To that one must add the very high cost of technology, patents, rights of ownership and trade marks.
312.	The international code of conduct for the transfer of technology which was envisaged in the Program of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order [resolution 3202 (S-VI)] should make
possible access on easier terms to a modern technology adapted to the needs of the developing countries.
313.	As far as the transnational companies are concerned, one must fully recognize that several aspects of their activities very often clash with the strategy and objectives of the development of third-world countries.
314.	The measures stressed in the recommendations of the Group of 77 and in the Lima Program for Mutual Assistance and Solidarity concerning foreign investments by the private sector clearly indicate the scope of the pernicious practices of those companies and also show the concern with which the developing countries are viewing this problem.
315.	My delegation feels that the working out, the adoption and the speedy implementation of a code of conduct for the transnational companies will make it possible to exercise global surveillance of the operations of those companies. The principles that should govern that code are the following: respect for the laws and regulations of the host country; recognition of the right and privilege of the host country to nationalize the companies if such nationalization is considered the best solution for that country to exercise its sovereignty over its natural and other resources; non-interference, of any kind, in the domestic affairs, political or other, of the host country; abolition of unfair commercial practices; and reinvestment in the host country itself of an important part of the profits made.
316.	The geographical situation of my country, to which I referred a few moments ago, makes it necessary to interest ourselves at a high level in the problem of the law of the sea.
317.	In accordance with the Lima Program for Mutual Assistance and Solidarity of August 1975, the international community must assist the land-locked developing countries by facilitating their exercise of the right to free access to the seas.
318.	If the principle of freedom of the high seas, as defined by international law, is accepted by all, it is appropriate for the resources of the sea-bed and the ocean floor and the subsoil thereof to be regarded by everybody as the common heritage of mankind.
319.	The rational exploitation of those resources is of vital significance for the economic development and promotion of the well-being of all peoples.
320.	My delegation feels it important and urgent to request our Organization to establish an international authority capable of assuming effective control over the exploration and exploitation of the resources of the high seas for the benefit of all.
321.	As regards the establishment of a new international economic order, which is a matter of prime concern to us today, the Central African Republic considers that the food problem must be given the greatest attention. In our view it is urgent to increase the volume of food aid to the developing countries, and particularly to those which are subject to floods and droughts. The specific needs of each country must be taken into account.
322.	In order to achieve these objectives the developed countries should considerably increase the
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volume of their assistance to the developing countries in the field of agriculture and food production.
323.	They must facilitate, without reservation, access to their markets of agricultural products, especially food, coming from the developing countries in the form of either processed or unprocessed goods.
324.	They must also undertake all other necessary measures of adjustment.
325.	Those are the economic views of my delegation which we wanted to submit for the Assembly's consideration.
326.	On the social level, is it still necessary to reiterate before this Assembly the manifold and severe problems facing the third world in this sector? It is my duty to do so as long as more effective methods and strategies have not been developed for the radical elimination of hunger, early mortality, unemployment, illiteracy and the other scourges which afflict the developing countries.
327.	In this respect, my country pins its hopes on the objectives of the seventh special session, which has just concluded its work. If I revert again to the new international economic order it is because of the very close correlation between economic and social problems, the latter being nothing more than the fortunate or unfortunate consequences of solutions applied to the former.
328.	Anachronistic commercial and industrial systems, together with inherited methods of cultivation, are responsible for the poverty of millions of human beings.
329.	The United Nations cannot remain indifferent to such realities. That is why it must do all it can to encourage the highly industrialized countries, those which possess advanced modern technology, to share their secrets and place their scientific expertise at the disposal, at little cost, of the underprivileged countries for the sake of a better future for all mankind.
330.	As I have said, my country is also suffering from the effects of natural phenomena which hinder our constant efforts to improve our people's standard of living. 1 refer to climatic influences. In this regard, it is my painful duty to report to the Assembly the consequences of the floods which beset Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, in the second half of August 1975. In addition to two deaths, hundreds were injured, and some 13,000 people were rendered homeless.
331.	These natural disasters which our people must face every year are not conducive to the improvement of their social well-being. Thus we appeal to all friendly countries to help us find lasting solutions to this problem.
332	May I now be allowed to draw up the balance sheet of measures taken for the emancipation of women by our Government under the enlightened guidance of Mr. Jean-Bedel Bokassa.
333	We are very happy and proud to have a woman as Prime Minister and Vice-President of our only political party, MESAN, as well as three other women holding ministerial posts in our present Government.
334	With regard to employment, the only requirements for access to the highest posts are professional
qualifications and efficiency, and of course both sexes are assured of equality of pay and opportunity. Thus it is that countless women occupy responsible positions in the public sector: education, the legal profession, customs, health, the labor inspectorate, social security, finance, law enforcement, and so forth.
335.	Thus, discrimination on grounds of sex is nonexistent in the Central African Republic.
336.	Everything has been done to allow our women to take their full responsibility as workers. We have many centers for the care of mothers and children where nutritional education for the mother supplements the medical care provided for the child. A very elaborate system of pre-school education is available to children from three to six years of age, thus freeing the mother to pursue remunerative economic activities, whether in handicrafts or agriculture. Special training schools and community development agents place their experience at the service of the population to help raise their standard of living.
337.	Inasmuch as our Program of activities in this field must be expanded to cover the entire country, we urgently solicit the technical and financial assistance of such United Nations specialized agencies as the International Labor Organisation, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations International Children's Fund.
338.	My delegation deeply appreciates the results of the first World Conference of the International Women's Year, and fully supports the Economic and Social Council resolution 1959 (LIX) concerning the World Conference of the International Women's Year, which will shortly be submitted to this Assembly for approval. In this spirit we shall support all efforts to proclaim the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace in order to strengthen and implement the recommendations and resolutions adopted at Mexico City.
339.	Similarly, we consider it most desirable that a substantial special fund be provided for the speedy implementation of the objectives of the Program of the World Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Women's Year,  adopted in June of this year in Mexico.
340.	Finally, in order to make possible a periodic evaluation of the situation of women in the world, the General Assembly at this thirtieth session should decide to hold in 1980 the second World Conference of the International Women's Year.
341.	In the second half of the twentieth century our planet has so excelled in inventing and constructing an awesome panoply of deadly weapons that the search for conditions conducive to detente and durable peace is now the constant concern of the United Nations.
342.	The discussions regarding the grave question of disarmament and security are of interest to the entire international community because in the present situation an armed conflagration would have deadly and unimaginable consequences.
343.	It is also fitting to stress that those involved in the negotiations to settle the question of disarmament and of the reduction of tactical and strategic weapons are marking time, because the Powers directly concerned are making insufficient efforts in obedience to their desire to maintain so-called zones of influence which they arrogated to themselves at Yalta.
344.	The past decade has been particularly encouraging with regard to decolonization. In the course of it the United Nations has welcomed into its midst a considerable number of countries which were formerly maintained in a state of degrading and abject dependence degrading both to the peoples concerned and to their colonizers themselves.
345.	My delegation is firmly convinced that the desperate situation of our brothers of southern Africa will inevitably result in solutions in which the respect and the dignity of man can prevail. The efforts already undertaken in this direction deserve all support and encouragement.
346.	The sixth special session of the General Assembly, which dealt with the question of raw materials, and the seventh special session, held a month ago to discuss the important question of international cooperation, have defined the objectives of the creation of a new more just and more humane world economic order.
347.	During the next decade our Organization, one of whose basic objectives is development, will have an important part to play in giving practical and operational effect to the objectives defined at the two historic and important sessions held in 1974 and 1975.
348.	The geographical and structural obstacles to be met with in certain developing States and their socio-political circumstances in many cases constitute hurdles which Governments will have to overcome in their efforts to meet the obligations inherent in the implementation of their development Programs.
349.	The press exercises a very pronounced influence on public opinion in the developed countries, and it is often said that it represents a fourth world Power.
350.	My delegation therefore wishes to make an urgent appeal to the conscience of mankind to make of the press an objective channel through which may flow a current of opinion favorable to the promotion of development and co-operation.
351.	Finally, the burning question of disarmament and security, the difficulties caused by racial discrimination and by the implementation of the Articles of the Charter relating to the countries still under foreign domination, the energy crisis, the monetary disorders, galloping inflation and the deterioration in the terms of exchange all constitute a set of equally important problems which our Organization must tackle in a spirit of consultation, realism and perspicacity.


I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to renew my congratulations to our President on his election to his high office. At the same time I wish to express my satisfaction at the thoughtful work of the Secretary-General. I sincerely wish both gentlemen success in their responsible functions.
213.	The thirtieth session of the General Assembly is marked by notable changes in international relations. The idea of peaceful coexistence among States having different social systems has gained ground in the past year. International agreements and pledges make this idea both powerful and binding, and this fills the peoples of the world with relief and lets them look hopefully to the future.
214.	In the thirtieth year since the victory over fascism, we are also celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Both jubilees are strong incentives to us further to strengthen international security. By fighting and shedding their blood, the peoples of the world have gained the right to live in security and peace. To establish a world without war has been the guiding principle of the United Nations.
215.	It is on record that this is also the supreme purpose of socialist foreign policy. On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of its liberation from Nazism, the Government of the German Democratic Republic reaffirmed its dedication to the legacy of the victims of fascism, pledging to do everything not only to preserve, but also to promote, what was so hard to achieve.
216.	Of course, we still have a long way to go until war is eliminated from the life of mankind forever. We have no illusion about that. But experience teaches. When all people interested in peace unite in firm and persistent action, the opponents of detente will find it more and more difficult to encroach upon the vital interests of the peoples. And the United Nations can effectively contribute to achieving our aim. This, we believe, is the very purpose of the Charter of the United Nations.
217.	Two events have convincingly demonstrated that political detente is growing in international relations. In Indo-China, the war came to an end, and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe came to a successful conclusion. Both events are having a beneficial effect on world politics.
218.	Waging a long struggle and making heavy sacrifices, the people of Viet Nam defended their right to social and national self-determination and gained victory over foreign intervention. The States of the socialist community always have firmly stood on the side of the people of Viet Nam, and so have the anti-imperialist forces and all those who cherish justice and peace. The brave people of Viet Nam have a moral and legal right to be immediately represented in the United Nations on an equal footing. We object to any blocking of the admission of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of South Viet Nam to membership, whatever the excuses may be. The German Democratic Republic expects the Security Council to consider again and approve the applications of both States for membership, in accordance with the resolution adopted on 19 September [resolution 3366 (XXX)]. Who could seriously dispute the right of these two States to membership in the United Nations? And by admitting these States, would the United Nations not be reinforcing its peacekeeping mission and encouraging co-operation among peoples?
219.	In Europe, after a long period of dangerous confrontation and cold war, a historic change has occurred. The peoples of the continent and of the world expected much from the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. They have not been disappointed. A solid basis has been created for the relations among States of the European continent. The frontiers and sovereignty of the States are respected and the principles of peaceful coexistence have been recognized as the standard of behavior in the mutual relationships of States having contrary social systems.
220.	The Government of the German Democratic Republic made every endeavor, together with the Governments of the USSR and the other socialist States, to ensure the success of the Conference, and it did so in accordance with its socialist Constitution.
221.	With the adoption of the Final Act of the Helsinki Conference, a significant step was taken towards the establishment of a regional security system, in the interest of securing universal peace in keeping with the Charter of the United Nations. •
222.	Of far-reaching importance, especially, are the 10 principles guiding relations among States and constituting a "code for the application of the principles of peaceful coexistence among States with different
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social systems", in the words of Mr. Erich Honecker at the Conference on 30 July 1975.
223.	In view of the lessons of history in Europe, where two devastating world wars started, let me emphasize the principle of the inviolability of frontiers. • It is not only significant for the peoples of the European continent, but also relevant to stable relations among States in general.
224.	If it is asked why the Conference proceeded and ended successfully, the answer is that there were, above all, both a willingness and a commitment to proceed from the principle of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all European States. Reason and realism prevailed over dangerous illusion.
225.	The representatives of the 35 States participating in the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, in affixing their signatures to its Final Act, collectively committed themselves to abide by the international legal principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States. That commitment is to be strengthened. Events in Portugal make it imperative to insist strongly on that principle. All attempts to hinder the Portuguese people in solving their problems on their own favor both Fascist and other reactionary forces.
226.	We have noted with interest the appraisal of the results of the Helsinki Conference which the Secretary-General made in the introduction to his report on the work of the Organization. We concur in the conclusion that the United Nations, relying thereon, should extend the process of detente to other continents. The fruits of European detente must benefit all peoples.
227.	To make detente irreversible, it must be extended and be given material content. In the view of the German Democratic Republic, arms limitation md disarmament are of priority importance. The
rms race is more and more clearly in conflict with
tie development of prosperous relations among States. Today a majority of States recognize arms limitation and disarmament as the central and most topical task. The view of the socialist States that political detente urgently needs to be complemented in the military area is meeting with broad approval. Here we envisage measures to reduce military confrontation as well as a step-by-step reduction and elimination of means of warfare.
228.	Many things have been achieved on which to build. Large areas of the globe and outer space are free of nuclear weapons. The development, production and use of bacteriological weapons have been outlawed. Nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere have been much reduced. There would be none of them any more if the People's Republic of China would also stop tests of this kind immediately. Among the agreements concluded, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons deserves special emphasis. To secure its universal application, the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty in its Final Declaration [see AIC.111068, annex. I] appealed to States still hesitant to adhere to it. This would undoubtedly add considerably to its effectiveness. Therefore, we welcome the call by the Conference to co-operate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in compliance with obligations under the Treaty. This refers especially to States exporting material and equipment to countries which are not parties to the Treaty.
229.	We count the agreements between the Soviet Union and the United States on the limitation of strategic armaments and the prevention of nuclear war as measures conducive to a further checking of the arms race. These agreements set hopeful signs. Nu-clear arms limitation and disarmament require, however, the participation of all Powers possessing nuclear weapons. The German Democratic Republic strongly advocates the discontinuance of nuclear weapon tests by all States everywhere. For this reason we welcome the latest proposal of the Soviet Union relating to the conclusion of a treaty on the complete and general prohibition of nuclear weapon tests. That is the logical and most timely move in order to bring to a good end the undertaking initiated with the Moscow Treaty of 1963 and followed up by the Soviet- United States Treaty of 3 July 1974. No measure would at present be more appropriate to check the nuclear arms race.
230.	We are confident that the Soviet initiative will be supported by the General Assembly all the more so as it is a response to what a majority of Member States have been demanding for years. The Declaration of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, held in May this year, reads, inter alia, "The Conference expresses the view that the conclusion of a treaty banning all nuclear weapon tests is one of the most important measures to halt the nuclear arms race." [Ibid.]
231.	Equally important is the proposal of the Soviet Government to place the question of prohibiting the development and production of new types of means of mass destruction and of new weapons systems of that kind on the agenda of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly, We value the draft agreement submitted to this forum as a basis acceptable to all and appropriate for a just and durable solution of this problem. The adoption of the proposals made by the Soviet Union would moreover give great momentum to the process of arms limitation and disarmament as a whole. It is precisely this that can give material content to political detente.
232.	In addition to global arms limitation and disarmament measures, relevant regional agreements can promote military detente as well. For this reason we have taken a vital interest in the current negotiations on the mutual reduction of armed forces and armaments in Central Europe. In conjunction with the Soviet Union and the other socialist States, the German Democratic Republic is striving to achieve effective reductions. The principle of undiminished security of all States concerned is naturally important for mutually acceptable results.
233.	The German Democratic Republic urges the convening of a world disarmament conference and recorded this position in a statement on 29 April 1975. It would be timely to take practical steps for convening the conference. Should the Ad Hoc Committee on the World Disarmament Conference not immediately be given instructions to this effect?
234.	We appreciate the fact that the Soviet Union and the United States have presented to the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament identical drafts of a convention on the prohibition of military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques [AII0027, annex II, documents CCD/471 and CCD/472] which are incompatible with the maintenance of international security, human well-being and health. The next session of the Geneva Committee on Disarmament could consider these drafts.
235.	The delegation of the German Democratic Republic hopes that this session of the General Assembly will give vigorous impetus to arms limitation and disarmament.
236.	The German Democratic Republic wishes to see implemented the resolution on the non-use of force in international relations and on the permanent prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons [resolution 2936 (XXVII)], adopted at the twenty-seventh session of the General Assembly. It would be for the Security Council to take a binding decision on this question. Thus, world-wide peaceful co-operation and security would surely be strengthened. In this context, I wish to emphasize the 1970 Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security [resolution 2734 (XXV)]. Particularly in the thirtieth year since the end of the Second World War, this thirtieth session, a jubilee session, ought to draw the requisite conclusions.
237.	In the past 10 years the role of the United Nations has grown visible to all. The Charter of the United Nations has proved to be a solid basis for the struggle against aggression and national suppression and for the equal co-operation of States in all spheres. The principle of unanimity of the permanent members of the Security Council has also proved to be good. In this way it is possible to co-operate more trustfully in strengthening peace and averting nuclear war. Does this not meet the interests of all peoples?
238.	The opportunities for implementing the purposes and principles of the Charter in spirit and letter are growing. Evidence of this is, for instance, provided by the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security, the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States [resolution 3281 (XXIX)], and other docu-. ments. Therefore, there is absolutely no need for questioning the Charter of the United Nations.
239.	The German Democratic Republic supports the demand of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea that the question of Korea be solved peacefully, without external interference. This would be instrumental in strengthening peace and security in Asia. The German Democratic Republic is a sponsor of the draft resolution with regard to the creation of favorable conditions for converting the armistice into a durable peace in Korea and accelerating the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea. The dissolution of the United Nations Command, the withdrawal of all the foreign troops stationed in South Korea under the flag of the United Nations and the other tasks contained in the draft resolution are indispensable requirements of topical importance.
240.	The situation in the Middle East still endangers international security. The German Democratic Republic is in favor of a political settlement of this problem. This requires: Israel's full withdrawal, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, from the territories occupied since 1967; ensuring the legitimate national rights of the Arab people of Palestine, including the right to establish a State of its own; and guarantees for the security of all States and peoples of the region.
241.	Partial steps and this is shown by the present situation cannot replace the necessary general solution to this problem. Given realism and good will on the part of all parties, we believe the continuation of the Geneva Middle East Peace Conference to be the most promising way. Participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization is a matter of course, the more so as it has already been recognized in the United Nations as the sole legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine.
242.	So far as the just settlement of the Cyprus question is concerned, we think that the Security Council and the General Assembly, in adopting relevant resolutions, have provided a realistic and hence constructive basis.
243.	Also from this rostrum we categorically demand the restoration of human rights in Chile and the release of the Communist Luis Corvalan, and of the other Chilean patriots subjected to maltreatment in prisons and concentration camps of the junta. The Fascist military junta, which is persisting in its terrorism against the Chilean people and which refused to grant entry to the ad hoc working group of the Commission on Human Rights, must no longer disregard the resolutions adopted at the twenty-ninth session of the General Assembly relating to Chile.
244.	Fifteen years ago, following an initiative of the Soviet Union and relying on its Charter, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. That ushered in the final stage of the struggle for the political independence of the peoples under colonialist suppression.
245.	The German Democratic Republic has at all times stood on the side of the national liberation movements of peoples. It will continue to support them in their efforts aimed at eliminating the last vestiges of colonial and racist domination.
246.	Flagrantly defying the clear will of the United Nations, the racist regime of Pretoria, a bastion of defense for colonialism in southern Africa, is still repressing and terrorizing the majority of the people. It is maintaining its illegal rule in Namibia. It is high time for Security Council resolution 366 (1974) of 17 December 1974 to be implemented. Moreover, the German Democratic Republic supports the decisions of the Kampala Conference of the Organization of African Unity, demanding a total arms embargo and economic sanctions on, and the breaking off of all relations with, the Vorster regime. We concur with all those who consider the continuation and expansion of the economic and military co-operation of some States with South Africa to be support for that regime. To stop such co-operation is prerequisite for a settlement of the question of South Africa in keeping with the rights of peoples to self-determination.
247.	Our sympathy and solidarity are with the people of Zimbabwe in its just struggle against the Smith regime. The sanctions adopted by the Security Council against the racist rulers of Rhodesia are to be strictly observed.
248.	Under the blows of the national liberation movement, and in the wake of the democratic changes in Portugal, the last colonial empire collapsed. With great joy we greet and congratulate the delegations of the People's Republic of Mozambique and of the Republic of Cape Verde as representatives of their countries, which gained independence with heavy sacrifices, and of their peoples, with whom the German Democratic Republic has long had links of solidarity. An equally warm welcome do we extend to the representatives of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. We are looking forward with the utmost sympathy to Angola celebrating its independence in November and taking its place in the United Nations as a sovereign State.
249.	The current situation, however, causes us concern. Reactionary forces, backed from abroad, are out to destroy the gains of the liberation struggle, to plunge the country into a fratricidal war and to violate its territorial integrity. They want the country to remain open to the neo-colonialist influence of transnational corporations. But the people of Angola must not be deprived of the fruits of its liberation struggle, for which it made great sacrifices.
250.	Political liberation from the colonial yoke is a great achievement. It contributes to equal co-operation among all peoples on the basis of the right to self-determination and of respect for the sovereignty of States. At the same time, these young sovereign States are facing the need to abolish the colonial structures of their national economies and of their international economic relations. We support the just demands they raised at the sixth and seventh special sessions of the General Assembly to come to a new international economic order.
251.	Aspirations for international peace and security are mobilizing ever broader sections of people. It is particularly striking how the role of women is growing in this struggle. The World Conference of the International Women's Year held in Mexico is an outstanding example. The results of that Conference impressively demonstrate the interdependence of peace and social progress on an international scale.
252.	Because of its intensive work, the Conference in Mexico has created a solid basis for deliberations at this session of the General Assembly. This permits the discussion of the multifaceted problems of the struggle for the full implementation of equal rights for women and the achievement of adequate results.
253.	In October, the German Democratic Republic will host the World Congress of Women. The International Preparatory Committee is expecting over 2,000 delegates. The people and Government of the German Democratic Republic are anxious to provide every facility and to make all the arrangements for this event, along the lines of the resolutions adopted in Mexico.
254.	Preparations are under way in our State for the Ninth Congress of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the leading party in our country. All of our people are making great efforts for high accomplishments in industry and agriculture, science and tech-nology, education and culture. For this socialist construction work we need peace. Addressing the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, Erich Honecker, said: "All major problems that strained relations between States in the post-war period have now been solved."
255.	This also applies to the so-called German question. That question has been solved by the development of two German States independent of each other and with contrary social systems. The people of the German Democratic Republic has exercised its sovereign right of deciding upon its own social order and has irrevocably chosen socialism. Anybody who denies this historical truth will endanger the peace and security of the peoples.
256.	The people of the German Democratic Republic knows that the other peoples also are profoundly interested in mutually beneficial relations between States and, consequently, in maintaining and strengthening peace.
257.	You may always be assured of our co-operation whenever it comes to the contribution of the United Nations to the strengthening of peace, to disarmament and co-operation of peoples for mutual benefit.