It is with great pleasure
that my delegation extends to you, Sir, its sincere
congratulations on your unanimous election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its current session.
My delegation also wishes to take this opportunity to
express its deepest appreciation to your predecessor,
Ambassador Razali Ismail of Malaysia, for his exceptional
leadership and creative energies during the past year. I also
wish to congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi
Annan, for the new dynamism which he has brought to the
Organization since he took office last January.
This fifty-second session of the General Assembly
takes place against the backdrop of transition and
transformation in the world. The euphoria that came in
the wake of the end of the cold war has given way to a
sense of realism about the new, and no less formidable,
challenges that confront us all in this era of globalization.
The changes, led by technology and the globalization of
business and information, seem endless and increasingly
complex. Governments, meanwhile, face the daunting task
of constantly trying to discern and adjust to the new order
of international relations.
For all the changes, some legacies of the cold war
are still very much with us. Nothing brings home this
reality more than the unfortunate events unfolding in
Cambodia. While the situation in Cambodia that confronts
us today is very different from the one we faced before
the signing of the Paris Peace Accord, finding a solution
is no less difficult.
How can we deal with a conflict which is basically
internal in character, particularly when our ability to
influence events has become limited and we are overcome
with the fatigue born of déjà vu? Clearly, we cannot turn
our backs on Cambodia. But the reality is that we in
Thailand and in the Association of South-East Asian
Nations (ASEAN), as well as the entire international
community, can only be supportive to the extent that the
Cambodians themselves are willing to give peace a
chance.
The situation in Cambodia reflects a peculiar aspect
of this brave new age we are entering. Even as the world
is being transformed by sweeping global trends, some
problems are so deep-rooted that they resist even the best
efforts of the international community. The United
Nations, no stranger itself to intractable conflicts, will
continue to be one of our best hopes for resolving such
situations.
While tending to such traditional challenges, the
United Nations must also address the many complex new
challenges brought on by the process of globalization.
Indeed, globalization has come to mean different things
to different people. To many, it holds out the promise of
an unprecedented era of progress and prosperity. To its
proponents, globalization has unleashed the forces of
creativity and productivity in the world economy.
12

Globalization has been heralded for having spread the ideas
and values of democracy and freedom worldwide.
On the other hand, there are those who contend that
globalization has become an all-embracing pretext for the
imposition of certain sets of ideas and values. They see
globalization as leading to a monopoly of economic power
in the hands of a ruthless few whose sole allegiance is to
the workings of market forces, while the vast majority of
humanity is increasingly marginalized.
The reality most likely lies somewhere between these
two extreme views. The fact of the matter is that we must
all develop the capacity to cope with the effects of
globalization, both positive and negative. Even the more
successful developing countries have not escaped the
tremendous turmoil that integration into the global market
can bring on, as evidenced by the currency crisis that
Thailand and many other countries in South-East Asia are
going through.
Thailand’s recent experience suggests that to thrive
under economic globalization, developing countries have to
fully understand how market forces work and to adapt
themselves accordingly. Thailand has learned that financial
liberalization requires a high degree of discipline from both
the public and private sectors. Also crucial is the need to be
vigilant in improving prudential regulations. Moreover, a
more comprehensive macroeconomic analysis is needed in
order to improve the monitoring of current economic
conditions.
But Thailand’s basic strengths remain. Our economic
fundamentals are still underscored by a remarkably high
savings rate, relatively low inflation and a strong tradition
of market-oriented policy framework. We are firm in our
commitment to free and open markets. We are also active
in promoting regional cooperation and economic
liberalization through such frameworks as the Association
of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area,
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council and various
subregional development schemes.
Moreover, we are firm in our determination to achieve
good governance and greater democracy. This past
Saturday, the Thai Parliament approved the new draft
Constitution, which emphasizes transparency, accountability
and the role of public participation.
Our political reform goes hand in hand with our
economic reform. We realize that we can no longer put off
economic restructuring if we are to get back on track
quickly. We are therefore seriously implementing the
conditions of the International Monetary Fund rescue
package. We are also working with the World Bank and
the Asian Development Bank to restructure our financial
system, enhance our export competitiveness and return the
economy to its long-term sustainable growth through
necessary reforms of the civil service, privatization,
industrial restructuring and the upgrading of the quality of
our workforce, our technology and our infrastructure.
I prefer to think of this crisis as a blessing in
disguise. While we have done many things right in the
past — including progressive industrialization and
liberalization of international trade and investment —
with the benefit of hindsight, the macroeconomic
capability to cope with an increasingly open capital
market was inadequate. Globalization of business and
finance compels us to become more competitive through
greater openness and transparency. Our economy is too
deeply integrated into the international economic system
to do anything less. We cannot fight the market; what we
must do is ensure that the market works efficiently and
equitably.
At the same time, Thailand’s experience also shows
that the United Nations has an important role to play in
coordinating macroeconomic policy at the global level.
Closer cooperation and coordination is needed between
the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions,
the World Trade Organization and major industrial
countries to provide integrated support for the
enhancement of capacity-building in those countries
whose economies are still weak. Globalization of course
has its winners and losers. The rules of the game should
therefore take into account both the weaknesses and
strengths of all countries concerned.
As a universal and multi-purpose Organization, the
United Nations is the only institution in the world capable
of forging a global partnership among States, big and
small, rich and poor, powerful and weak. No single State
or region can go it alone. This is why Thailand is
committed to supporting the United Nations. This is why
Thailand welcomes the reform-action initiatives and
proposals recently put forward by the Secretary-General.
I hope that these measures will enable the United Nations
to carry out its responsibilities with increased efficiency
and effectiveness. I wish the Secretary-General well on
the further implementation of these proposals.
Thailand attaches great importance to the
strengthening of the role of the United Nations in
13

promoting international cooperation for economic and social
development. We are pleased that in his reform proposals
Secretary-General Kofi Annan argued that the promotion of
sustainable development should be the central priority of
United Nations activities. While the reform plan proposed
by the Secretary-General requires more thorough
consideration, Thailand can support his proposal of
designating the United Nations Development Group —
comprising the United Nations Development Programme,
the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations
Population Fund — to supersede the sectoral group of
development operations. We hope that the United Nations
Development Group will facilitate consolidation and
cooperation among United Nations agencies without
compromising their identities, so that they can respond
more effectively to the needs of developing countries.
Thailand also welcomes the creation of a development
dividend by shifting resources from administration to
development activities. According to the reform plan, the
administrative costs will be reduced by one third, the
workforce will be reduced by 1,000 posts and the
paperwork will be cut by 30 per cent. However, downsizing
should not be an end in itself. The central element of the
reform should concentrate on how to manage funds and
implement programmes so as to achieve equitable
development, which is our common goal.
Another important point in the Secretary-General’s
reform plan is the proposal to mobilize more resources for
United Nations operational activities. Thailand sees the
United Nations as the main forum for the creation of an
equal and workable partnership between developed and
developing countries — a partnership that should be
responsive to the needs and aspirations of the developing
world. The steady decline in voluntary contributions to core
resources has inhibited the capacity of United Nations funds
and programmes to play the roles assigned to them. In this
regard, we support the Secretary-General’s proposal on
innovative means of mobilizing new financial resources for
development. The private sector is potentially an important
source of financial support, as demonstrated by the
proposed donation of $l billion by Mr. Ted Turner.
However, the funds from the private sector should be
additional to, and must not replace, official development
assistance.
The restructuring of the Security Council is also a vital
part of United Nations reform. Despite the end of the cold
war, the anachronistic yet so powerful veto power still
exists in this supposedly more democratized institution. It
is heartening, however, to note that the issue has been
extensively debated. Thailand and its ASEAN partners, as
well as the Non-Aligned Movement, believe that this veto
power should be curtailed with a view to its eventual
elimination. The Security Council itself should be
expanded, taking into account the increase in United
Nations membership to enhance its democratic and
representative nature, while at the same time paying due
regard to its efficiency and effectiveness.
But without the firm commitment of Member States,
all these reform efforts would come to nothing. Member
States have the obligation under the Charter to bear the
expenses of the Organization by paying their assessed
contributions in full on time and without conditions.
Thailand has always taken its financial obligation
seriously and has made every effort to fulfil it. For 1997
Thailand is among the 28 countries which paid their
contributions to the regular budget in full and on time.
Thailand believes that one of the main tasks of the
United Nations is to set standards in international law,
and in recent years there has been an encouraging trend
towards efforts to advance the cause of international law
through the creation of legal norms and instruments. What
these norms and instruments symbolize is the desire of
peoples to live in a more orderly world. Thailand will
continue to support and participate actively in efforts to
establish an international criminal court, as well as in the
elaboration of new legal instruments to combat terrorism.
In December of this year, Thailand hopes to be one of the
signatories of the Ottawa treaty banning all anti-personnel
landmines. We believe that there is no greater crime than
maiming or killing innocent civilians. It is high time that
we put an end to this. At the same time, greater efforts
and resources should be devoted to removing and
destroying these landmines.
As a signatory of the South-East Asia Nuclear-
Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, which was concluded in
Bangkok during the ASEAN summit in 1995, Thailand
would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate
the Governments of Central Asia for their initiative to
establish a Central Asia nuclear-weapon-free zone. Their
commendable effort adds to the strong evidence that the
peoples of the world are no longer tolerant of nuclear
weapons. At present, more than 100 United Nations
Member States are signatories of nuclear-weapon-free
zone treaties in their respective regions, treaties which
now cover the greater part of the world, including Latin
America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Africa,
South-East Asia and, soon, Central Asia. What we are
witnessing here is a new partnership, a partnership among
14

the peoples of the world who dread nuclear arsenals and
wish to eliminate these hazardous weapons of mass
destruction from the face of the earth.
The international environment in which we live is
evolving rapidly. During the past year, there have been
many encouraging developments. But we also find
ourselves confronted with new and increasingly complex
challenges. In order to overcome these challenges, the
United Nations as an Organization needs vision and
inventiveness. But, more importantly, its Members need to
speak with one voice on issues which confront mankind. If
we are to succeed in doing this, a global partnership needs
to be forged, be it in the area of politics, economic and
social development, environmental protection or
humanitarian assistance. Sooner rather than later, we should
all realize that, in this globalized world, our destinies are
linked together much more closely than we like to believe.
The time to forge this partnership is now. The place to
begin the process is here, at the United Nations.


It
is a great honour for me to address this great Assembly in
my capacity as President of the Republic of Paraguay. I
take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks to the
President of the General Assembly at its fifty-second
session, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,
Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko. Also, I would note the excellent
work done by Ambassador Razali Ismail, who so efficiently
guided the work of the last session. In addition, I should
like to extend my best wishes to Mr. Kofi Annan, in
connection with his responsibilities as he exercises his
functions as Secretary-General of the Organization.
For the people of Paraguay, throughout the long
struggle to acquire and strengthen their democratic
institutions, the United Nations has always been a
universal forum that ensures the free debate of ideas and
the participation of all the peoples of the world, without
exclusion or discrimination, the vital issues involving
development, equity, the maintenance of peace and the
preservation of the environment.
Because of the great importance my country attaches
to this forum, we recognize the urgent need to support the
institutional reform of the United Nations by
strengthening the General Assembly and democratizing
the Security Council — adding both permanent and non-
permanent members — so that this institution will be able
to respond appropriately to the new challenges facing the
international community.
Last August last I had the great honour of chairing
in Asunción the eleventh summit of the Heads of State
and Government of the Permanent Mechanism for
Consultation and Policy Coordination — the Rio
Group — the members of which are Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Guyana,
Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and
Venezuela. There a Declaration was adopted on the
strengthening of the United Nations and the reform of
Security Council, stressing certain principles and
guidelines that I shall now describe.
The Declaration of Asunción expresses, first, full
support for multilateralism, sovereign equality of States
and steadfast respect for the rule of law.

Second, it expresses support for the Secretary-
General’s initiative in putting forward a broad programme
for reform, presented on 16 July of this year, particularly
reforms designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the
Secretariat and to emphasize activities to promote economic
and social development.
Third, it notes the relevance of the process of
increasing the membership of the Security Council and to
reforming it to correct the imbalances in its current
membership, improve its decision-making mechanisms,
make it more transparent so that it will reflect in a more
legitimate and representative manner the overall
membership of the Organization.
Fourth, it states that, because of its legal traditions and
contribution to the cause of peace, the Latin American and
Caribbean region should be given special consideration in
any proposal to increase the membership of the Security
Council.
Fifth, it expresses the conviction that reform of the
Security Council must respect the principles of equitable
geographical distribution and the sovereign equality of
States, and that any reform that entails discrimination by
developed countries against developing countries would be
unacceptable.
Sixth, it expresses the ideal of moving towards the
total elimination of the veto and, as a first step, limiting its
use to actions taken under Chapter VII of the United
Nations Charter.
Seventh, it expresses the importance of transparency
in management and decision-making in the Security Council
and increasing the number of open meetings and orientation
meetings at which the Secretary-General or his special
representatives present reports.
Eighth, it considers that the increase in the Security
Council’s membership, the reform of its working methods
and the question of the veto are integral parts of Council
reform and must be addressed in the same agreement.
Ninth, it expresses the explicit resolve of our
Governments to continue to participate actively in the
Working Group in order to reach general agreement on this
matter.
Let me say once again that this increase in the
permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council
must necessarily envisage the presence of Latin America
and the Caribbean and other geographical groups without
any form of discrimination whatsoever. In this connection,
Paraguay reaffirms its support for permanent membership
for Brazil, Germany and Japan.
It is also important to note that the process of
reforming the Organization must include a plan to
eliminate unnecessary expenditures and an attempt to
merge programmes designed to further the development
of our peoples, which will lead to an optimum utilization
of available resources as well as to the elimination of
duplication in the use of human, technical or economic
resources. The serious financial problems of the United
Nations deserve sincere and determined consideration.
I am pleased to say that my country has always, in
so far as it has been able, honoured its international
commitments, aware that the Organization’s proper
functioning requires the appropriate and equitable
distribution of its administrative costs among all Member
States.
This moment in history is indeed a very special one.
Alliances are now being replaced by complementarity.
Isolationism and confrontation have given way to
globalization and cooperation. We no longer speak of
rivalry and struggle but, rather, of honest and creative
competition. The asymmetries in the world order that
have historically meant that some nations have been
subordinate to others are now themselves being
subordinated to this influx of solidarity and mutual
assistance.
It is of course true that many serious conflict areas
continue to exist, but Paraguay is pleased to note the
commendable efforts that the United Nations has made in
the maintenance of peace in various areas of tension, and
we have followed closely the Organization’s initiatives in
such new areas of conflict as Cambodia and Sierra Leone,
for whose peoples my country most sincerely wishes the
immeasurable benefits of peace and harmony.
We have also followed with keen interest the
disturbing developments in the Middle East situation, and
we urge the parties there to redouble their efforts to seek
a lasting and stable peace. We warmly welcome the
actions taken by the mediating nations, which untiringly
continue to participate in all negotiations.
With regard to the particular case of the Republic of
China on Taiwan, Paraguay welcomes the attitude adopted
by that country’s Government and expresses its hope that
2

there will be movement towards reconciliation and that it
will be possible to resolve the differences with the People’s
Republic of China.
In keeping with the principle of the universality of the
United Nations, all States that meet the requirements set
forth in the Charter have the right to seek admission or
membership. In this respect, we believe that it would be
advisable to reconsider General Assembly resolution 2758
(XXVI), which completely denies the 21 million inhabitants
of the Republic of China on Taiwan the fundamental right
to participate in international organizations and their
activities.
The challenges of peace, security and equilibrium are
more relevant to us today than ever before, and they are an
absolute imperative for building a world that guarantees
development to nations in a context of universal harmony.
On the crucial issue of world disarmament, allow me
to reiterate Paraguay’s position of support for United
Nations efforts in this sphere. My country welcomes
optimistically the preparatory work for the Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be held in the
year 2000, hoping that by then the Treaty will have become
universal. That Treaty, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-
Ban Treaty, the efforts of States to reduce their arsenals
and the establishment of new nuclear-weapon-free zones are
all important elements that will help prevent the
proliferation of nuclear weapons and eventually achieve
general and complete nuclear disarmament.
True to its pacifist principles, the Republic of
Paraguay has been following the Ottowa process with great
interest. We recently took part in the Oslo Diplomatic
Conference, which adopted the definitive text of the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,
Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on
Their Destruction, and we supported the majority position
of the principal States to seek appropriate and effective
legal mechanisms to prohibit the manufacture, use and
distribution of the cruel devices of death and pain that are
anti-personnel landmines.
We congratulate the international community on that
decisive step, and we reaffirm our unswerving decision to
sign the Convention. We urge other Governments to do the
same without any doubt or delay, so as to ensure its earliest
possible entry into force.
I should also like to reaffirm my country’s
unswerving commitment to continue the struggle against
terrorism, a destabilizing force that negates human rights
and threatens to undermine the very foundations of
security in our regions.
It is fitting here to stress that Paraguay, along with
the entire international community, is concerned about the
growth of drug trafficking. We therefore firmly reiterate
the Paraguayan people’s determination to combat that
scourge and its resolve to take integrated and concerted
action, within the context of international cooperation and
in conjunction with producing, transit and consuming
countries.
In this connection, I am pleased to inform the
Assembly that in October 1996 my country’s Parliament,
at the initiative of the Executive, adopted a law that
establishes norms and punishments for the crime of
laundering money or goods derived from illicit traffic in
narcotics, psychotropic substances or dangerous drugs,
thereby significantly improving the legal framework for
combating such crimes head on.
On 10 December 1998 we shall celebrate the fiftieth
anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, a major landmark in the
history of humankind and its endless struggle to ensure
dignity and reciprocity among human beings. Much of
what we have achieved along the way has been the
product of blood and pain, but with due satisfaction we
can now confirm that the principles and objectives of the
Declaration are increasingly being put into effect and that
the concept of a State based on the rule of law is
gradually becoming part of our national realities.
Moreover, the new culture of democratic solidarity has
managed convincingly to combat any aspirations for a
return to anachronistic times in our political history
characterized by authoritarianism and the denial of human
rights.
For Paraguay, the road to freedom and the
establishment of an institutional basis which sits well with
our republican ideals has been long. During this journey,
my Government has helped make the dream of every
Paraguayan a reality: the establishment of a system
guaranteeing full freedom and a strengthened democracy
allowing the peaceful transfer of the presidential mandate
to another candidate, elected by the people, who will take
up the office of President of the Republic in August 1998.
3

This is in keeping with the undeniable
achievements of the World Conference on Human Rights
held in Vienna in 1993, which reaffirmed the universality
and indivisibility of human rights, while recommending that
greater attention be paid to the links between democracy,
development and the satisfaction of the basic needs of the
most disadvantaged sectors of the population.
My Government has therefore tried to strengthen the
interrelationship between democracy, development and
human rights, thus combining these democratic
achievements, through a plan for social action designed to
create opportunities so that all citizens, through their own
efforts, can enjoy all the benefits of human development.
Obviously, a central feature of democratic governance
is concern for social problems. If our democracies do not
adapt to these new realities, not only will they be
impossible to govern, but they will remain on the sidelines
of history. Even worse, that all the sacrifices made to
strengthen our institutions may have to yield to populist and
Messianic pressures.
I am pleased to state today that my Government has
been able to lay the foundations for true development,
without making any Messianic promises or pandering to the
populists. I should highlight the significant progress made
in the institutional framework of this process, with electoral
reform that has enabled us to move satisfactorily through
all the stages of the democratic schedule. Equally historic
is the balance achieved in civil and military relations,
following the successes of April 1996, when popular
pressure and the enormous weight of solidarity on the
continent thwarted attempts to take us back to outdated
forms of autocracy.
I am convinced that our fledgling democracy has
gathered new strength since those events and that it will be
an insuperable obstacle to any attempts to bring down our
institutions. Furthermore, the changes to the administration
of justice, with a multiparty Supreme Court, prevent any
manipulation or distortion of the mechanisms laid down by
the Constitution and the laws of the Republic.
Management by parliament has become part of the
process of joint cooperation in government, and this has
been an enriching experience in the democratic life of the
country.
Paraguay has a young population which is eager to
learn. Current and future generations must be able to equate
a free economy with democracy and democracy with a
State based on the rule of law, with guarantees for human
dignity.
During the Eleventh Summit of Heads of State and
Government of the Rio Group, which was held in my
country, I spoke enthusiastically about the need for a bold
strategy to back up the ideals of democracy, sustainable
development, equity and integration, and placed particular
emphasis on what I called “education for democracy”.
The training of young people in this emerging world
must include guidelines based on sound ethical and
doctrinaire principles. The young must be given
experience in how to handle modern technological tools,
so that they can deal with the requirements of the new
political, economic and social processes which are
defining the current and future development of our
nations.
Further thought needs to be given to the
environmental issue. Five years after the Rio Conference,
the Republic of Paraguay is building on the increasing
awareness of the need to preserve the ecosystem, whose
priority nature is reflected in the 1992 Constitution. But
I must also emphasize how urgent it is to give full effect
to the principle of common but differentiated
responsibility put forward in Rio. If it is to be valid, this
principle must enjoy the support of richer countries in
terms of financial and technical assistance, so that we can
put an end once and for all to the “ecology of poverty”
which forces many sectors of poor countries to destroy
their environmental basis with the simple and tragic aim
of ensuring their subsistence from day to day.
I have every reason to be satisfied that my
Government has been able to institutionalize various
instruments to improve the quality of the environment in
our country — in particular, the strategy for managing,
using, preserving and protecting natural resources in the
context of the programme for change in Agenda 21,
whose basic aim it is to strengthen the process of
sustainable development.
Highlights of the new environmental legislation now
in force include laws on evaluating the environmental
impact, on wildlife, on protected rural areas and on
penalties for ecological offences. In the context of the
Agenda for Change, we are ratifying international
agreements, and taking account of the importance of
international cooperation on the environment. With regard
to the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious
4

Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, we
submitted the legal instrument for ratifying the instrument
in January this year. In this context, the countries that share
the Gran Chaco Americano — Paraguay, Bolivia and
Argentina — have entered into a new relationship based on
a model of cooperation for sustainable development in this
vast region.
There is an old saying that nobody is so rich that he
does not need anything and nobody is so poor that he has
nothing to give. In line with those words of wisdom, every
Member State of this Organization has given and received.
In the particular case of Paraguay, I have to point out that
international cooperation has played a decisive role, and its
true dimensions can therefore be assessed and appreciated.
For this reason, I am particularly grateful to the United
Nations, whose presence in Paraguay, through its various
specialized agencies, has been and continues to be so
positive and dynamic.
Just over six years ago the Argentine Republic, Brazil,
Paraguay and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, and later,
the Republic of Chile and the Republic of Bolivia, as
associated members of the Southern Cone Common Market
(MERCOSUR), decided to cooperate in a spirit of solidarity
in order to gain an increasingly advantageous position in
this globalized and dynamic world. In that context we have
reached undeniably relevant milestones for the present and
future of our peoples.
Today, it is recognized that in MERCOSUR we are on
the right path, and we are receiving an encouraging
message from the outside world concerning our integration.
Our efforts are focused on trying to establish a common
market, within a gradual and continuous process in which
the basic stages still need to be rounded off, improved and
studied in depth.
MERCOSUR’s experience is expanding. This is an
important regional bloc. We have opened negotiations with
the Andean Community and the United Mexican States, and
we hope that by the end of this year agreements will be
signed allowing for trade preferences in the region.
Moreover, MERCOSUR participates in the Free Trade Area
of the Americas, and there are proposals to conclude shortly
a hemispheric free trade initiative involving the 34 countries
of the Americas.
MERCOSUR is also expanding towards the European
Union. We are making progress in defining political
decisions which would encourage the establishment of a
free trade zone between the two customs unions.
This has been my third address to the General
Assembly as President of the Republic of Paraguay. I am
here today to reconfirm on behalf of my country — a
founding Member of the United Nations — our
commitment to the lofty ideals that inspire us. Our
Organization needs to be adapted and reformed so as to
be able to respond effectively to the major challenges of
the next millennium. Paraguay undertakes to make its
contribution to attaining those noble objectives.
At this very special moment I warmly embrace the
Assembly, not only in the name of my people, but also on
behalf of myself, Juan Carlos Wasmosy, a citizen with
faith in democracy, struggled for his country’s freedom
and won.


Speaking here on behalf of my country, I wish to
congratulate the new Secretary-General of the Organization,
Mr. Kofi Annan, who, after nine months in his post, now
for the first time faces the responsibility of a session of the
General Assembly, a session that is likely to be noteworthy
and hard-working. Given his vast experience, he is well
aware that the prestige and influence of his important post
derive from the impartiality that places him above all
pressure of interests and raises him to the permanent status
of arbitrator for all and a symbol of the Organization.
I also wish to offer my congratulations to the Minister
for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko,
on his appointment as President of this session of the
General Assembly.
The pace of events today means that subjects that we
considered just last year seem obsolete. Nevertheless, as we
have still not found solutions to the most pressing problems
facing the international community, it is logical to keep
returning to those that are of concern to every member of
that community and to the community as a whole, which
now finds itself in the midst of the most rapid process of
change in history.
Inevitably, therefore, we will again go over, for
example, human rights, the rule of law, free elections, the
war on drugs, corruption, disarmament, terrorism and other
compelling issues that crop up constantly among our
concerns and in our work nowadays.
I must place on record the fact that the Government of
Venezuela has taken measures on all these issues to ensure
increased respect for human rights, to wage war on drugs
and to promote further disarmament and assist in the fight
against corruption. Naturally, it is not easy for any country
to show a clean record. A Government’s good intentions as
regards human rights will always immediately come up
against recurring internal violence and still untamed unruly
elements, as in the example constantly presented by the
audiovisual media in developed countries. But the will
exists and an effort is being made to make Government
agencies increasingly aware of our resolve to protect
guarantee human rights.
I wish to highlight the work done by the first United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Mr. José Ayala-
Lasso, and welcome the new High Commissioner, the
former President of Ireland, Mrs. Mary Robinson, to
whom my country wishes every success in the stimulating
but difficult task ahead of her.
With regard to corruption, terrorism and
disarmament, my country, which proposed and was able
to gain approval for the Inter-American Convention —
the first of its kind in the world — in March 1996,
remains steadfast in its efforts to ensure that every
country is aware of the need to punish wrongdoing in
government, wrongdoing that has tended to be treated
with great indulgence. It may not be possible to eradicate
corruption, but timely punishment — by ending
impunity — will make such action risky.
We have been enthusiastic supporters of all
initiatives aimed at limiting the arms trade, in addition to
being aware that there are free markets often beyond
Government control, we are concerned that the
industrialized countries, by lifting embargoes in this field,
may begin moving towards the opposite extreme and
promote the sale of weapons everywhere, under pressure
from the military industry, which has an extremely
powerful lobby.
My country has resolutely backed the programme to
eliminate landmines, hundreds of millions of which have
been irresponsibly and thoughtlessly scattered in
territories on every continent, daily taking their toll of
many innocent victims, particularly children, whose
mutilation by landmines is a constant reminder that we
need to ensure justice for humankind.
The fact that Venezuela has a neighbour where
illegal drugs continue to be planted, processed and sold
places us in the unfortunate position of being part of the
supply route and within an area influenced by drug
money. That is why the Government of Venezuela has
taken every precaution to keep this danger to a minimum.
It fights trafficking on land and sea and in the air, and
has intercepted large shipments of drugs. The official in
charge of all Government action against this powerful
enemy of humankind has been given the rank of Minister.
It goes without saying that we look forward
hopefully to the next special session of the General
Assembly, on illegal drug trafficking, to be held at the
request of Mexico. We hope that it will produce clear
solutions that will enable us to wage a more successful
war on this scourge and, above all, put an end to money
laundering, where Government efforts have so far been
least successful.
11

As the threat of ever more pitiless and atrocious acts
of terrorism has spread around the world and, to no small
extent, here on our American continent, Venezuela has
taken an interest in ensuring that the international
community is made increasingly aware of its
responsibilities in joint efforts to approve a convention for
the suppression of terrorist bombings. That convention is
currently being considered by the General Assembly, in a
body that should be completing its work shortly.
When the Inter-American Convention against
Corruption was approved, we voiced our hope that, given
that the disregard for of ethical standards that has fostered
this crime has been a worldwide and not a strictly
American phenomenon, the subject would one day be taken
up by the United Nations in order to produce an
international convention giving voice to the concern felt by
all countries over this problem and harnessing the general
willingness to put an end to impunity. The day seems to
have come when the Member States of this Organization
will work together to do away with the tolerance
encountered on all continents towards this canker afflicting
politics and administration; a canker whose breeding ground
is not underdevelopment, but the moral decay of the State
and society; a canker that seriously and increasingly hinders
the trade that is a necessary part of economic globalization.
My Government has welcomed the idea of changes not
only in the structure, but even in the philosophy of this 50-
year-old Organization. Since the lives of the peoples of this
world have undergone such profound changes, it would be
inexcusable for the United Nations, which represents them
all, to remain untouched.
We have considered the various plans for reforms and
watched the efforts made by the outgoing President of the
General Assembly over these past few months to achieve
some, at least, of the essential changes to the system during
his term in office. And, although we believe this issue to be
both timely and urgent, we do not feel that there is
imminent consensus on the suggested changes which, above
all, relate to membership on the Security Council. In any
case, it is only fair to recognize the serious efforts being
made to end the stagnation within this Organization and
launch the debate that is just beginning.
Venezuela supports an increase in the number of
permanent Members on the Security Council, provided
there is no discrimination of any kind and that there is due
regard for the interests of the international community,
including fair representation of all geographical regions, in
line with other new circumstances.
We feel that there are great expectations and high
hopes that the Secretariat will become more efficient and
that the Organization’s burden of projected expenditures
may be eased. It is also essential that Member States pay
their contributions on time. None of us can refuse to
honour a freely accepted obligation, nor make payment
conditional in a way that presents a threat to the equality
of States and the dignity of the world forum of which we
are a part.
My country’s position, however, is not limited to
this alone. It goes beyond an analysis of the opportunities
and rules of the veto to the elimination of the veto
altogether. It has to do with the reform of the Secretariat
itself and with economic and social issues, especially
funding for development, as envisaged in the relevant
document. That is why we feel that consideration should
be given to the ideas recently expressed by both the
Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement as regards
not only this subject, but also consensus on the other
reforms.
Venezuela supports the convening of an international
conference on financing for development, in cooperation
with international financial institutions, to propose
innovative and bold mechanisms in this area. Such
mechanisms must include the mobilization of capital
resources for investment in non-industrialized countries
while at the same time, opening the door to the
opportunities offered by the private sector.
Non-governmental organizations — increasingly
active in today’s world — could contribute even more
towards attainment of the aims of the Charter of United
Nations in this field of action. My country has launched
an intensive round of consultations with these
organizations in what it has called a “Dialogue between
senior Government and non-governmental organizations”,
so as to draw up a plan for the promotion, protection and
observance of human rights in Venezuela.
We welcomed the Convention on the Law of the
Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses as
a well-conceived initiative. That is why Venezuela played
an active role in the various stages of the drafting of the
document, which required years of work, and led to the
successful conclusion of a document that includes
virtually all the provisions on this subject that exist in
international law. My country signed the Convention
yesterday and we call upon other countries to do the
same.
12

As Venezuela has always been in favour of the
establishment of an international criminal court, we wish to
draw attention to what the international community has
done to deal with and punish international crimes against
peace and security, first with the creation of ad hoc courts
and then with the creation of a permanent body such as that
court. By thus institutionalizing and centralizing the
political will of States, we will help prevent the possibility
of the winners in a conflict from being tempted to become
the judges of the defeated.
This seems the appropriate time and place to mention
the Ibero-American community of which Venezuela is a
part and the five hundredth anniversary of Christopher
Columbus’s only landing on continental America in his
voyages.
Since 1991, 500 years after the discovery of America,
thanks to an initiative of the King of Spain, the 21
countries that proudly share the honour of being members
of the Ibero-American community have met once a year, in
a different city each time. I say “proudly” because in their
colonial endeavours both Spain and Portugal took a
missionary approach. While imposing their political power
and territorial government, they also disseminated
Christianity and passed on with conviction their European
civilization and culture. Thus in Spanish and Portuguese
America, the mixing of blood and cultures took root,
making our world a different one, a world characterized by
social egalitarianism, religious tolerance and a strong and
deeply rooted freedom. The effects of this situation, which
defines and unites American existence from north to south,
makes this community stand out. It does not set it apart
from others, but, in this era of globalization, it affirms the
very particular features of Ibero-American identity.
This idea has evolved well, beginning in Guadalajara,
then continuing in Madrid, Salvador de Bahia, Cartagena,
Bariloche and Santiago. The seventh summit meeting will
be held on Margarita Island in my country.
As the host country suggests the key topic for
discussion at each meeting, the President of Venezuela,
Mr. Rafael Caldera, has proposed the general heading of
“Ethical values of democracy”, a suggestion that has been
accepted with great enthusiasm.
The Governments of Venezuela and the other 20
countries of Ibero-America insist that it is not enough to
have formal democracy if corruption is rampant, if
inefficiency persists, if justice is not effective, or if the
action taken by the democratic sectors is neither
satisfactory nor transparent.
Thus, this general topic encompasses other very
specific issues having to do with social justice, human
rights, electoral transparency elections, the sincerity of
political parties and, unavoidably, truth in information.
That is the nucleus of the agenda for the meeting to be
held on 8 and 9 November on Margarita Island.
It is not out of place to explain to this Assembly that
there are good reasons for this agenda. The economic
changes and the political upheavals of our world have
wreaked havoc on the set of values that was, until
recently, the foundation on which people’s lives rested.
The weakness of social justice is pathetic. In more
than a few countries, unavoidable macroeconomic
adjustments have affected vast numbers of people who are
victims of injustice and who are unable, both mentally
and physically, of coping with these changes, leaving
them even worse off than they were before. Something
must be done to improve the lot of these multitudes
during a transition that, although necessary, is still
painful.
The subject of human rights, which I mentioned
briefly at the beginning of my statement, is vitally
important, and it would not be surprising if some day it
were to replace “democracy” as a term and as a concept.
Certain statements on this subject may have been
exaggerated in the heat of the moment. But the truth is
that we must march firmly forward towards a time when
every human being, without exception, feels for his fellow
man the same respect that he asks for himself. This is a
matter of education, training and will on the part of
Governments, so that the bad examples from the more
developed countries that are passed on by the media do
not lead the developing countries to continue violating
these rights.
Despite the fact that democracy has taken root in
virtually all the countries in our region — seemingly the
desideratum of our times — it now faces a variety of
dangers, such as elections rigged by international
organized crime. The most specific and dangerous case
has to do with the influential role that drug trafficking
and money laundering now play in elections, allowing
crime to become closely entwined with political power.
My country’s position in this regard is to warn
political parties to make sure their electoral campaigns are
13

transparent by keeping these campaigns short and to the
point so as to avoid any improper financial influence.
Democracy is, by its very nature, a system of political
parties. There is no democratic system without political
parties. Yet it is obvious that the downfall of democracy is
often due to carelessness on the part of the political parties
on which it is based, when, setting aside the ethics of
service, ideology and efficiency, they are tempted to take
advantage of the resources of the State using the pretext of
lengthy, complex and costly election campaigns. It would
seem that the time has come to return to the old political
ideas or to invent new means of expression in order to heal
and revitalize democracy.
Many people reacted by voicing doubts and fears
when the subject of the people’s right to truthful
information was raised. Media groups have even claimed
that this proposal is full of hidden dangers. Nevertheless,
the straightforward intent of this proposal is to strengthen
the influence of the media at a time when they are virtually
the first estate. We consider this right to be the counterpart
to the media’s right to carry out their activities in absolute
freedom, given the fact that society legitimately aspires, in
turn, to be properly, accurately and truthfully informed.
In an era in which the media have the most amazing
technologies at their disposal — such as those providing
instantaneous communication — there can be no
explanation for information that distorts, embellishes or
tampers with the truth. All the power that we give the
media, essential for the values of democracy, would be lost
if the media were to step outside their role and begin
voicing opinions instead of reporting or made themselves
part of the day-to-day debate of ideas.
What Venezuela hopes to achieve by this debate is to
make clear the responsibilities that each actor must play in
a democracy, and the media are very important actors. That
is the reason for this initiative: to warn and caution them,
not by suggesting rules, but by appealing to a sense of
responsibility, prompted by their own conscience, with
regard to the worthy part that information must play in
building a safe and trusting society.
Following on from comments I made at this year’s
Ibero-American Summit in Venezuela, I wish to mention
the five-hundredth anniversary of the day when Christopher
Columbus set foot on continental America, in August 1498,
at the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela. Until then the feats of
exploration by the discoverer of the New World had been
limited to the islands of the Caribbean. He was not
absolutely sure that he was actually standing on
continental soil when in 1498 he reached Macuro, a small
village on the eastern coast of Venezuela, but he certainly
wondered as he witnessed the thrust of a strong current
that overcame the gentle waves and gave proof of the
presence of a great river, the Orinoco. This was an
extremely important event for my country, which we plan
to commemorate properly. It was the only time the great
admiral stood on terra firma, which he called “Land of
Grace”. In making this announcement, we hope the global
community will join us in our celebration.
In closing, I wish to express Venezuela’s faith in the
ability of the Organization to act as a permanent arbitrator
for peace and development. There is a greater need every
day for the United Nations to act as the voice and
conscience of humanity, but never as the spokesperson or
tool of any group, region or interest other than the
community which created it and of which it is the core.


On behalf of the
Liechtenstein Government, I should like to congratulate the
President on his election to preside over the fifty-second
session of the General Assembly. I wish also to express my
thanks and recognition to the Permanent Representative of
Malaysia, Ambassador Razali Ismail, for the dynamic way
in which he conducted the work of the fifty-first session.
Further, I should like to pay tribute to Mr. Kofi Annan, our
new Secretary-General. In the first nine months of his
tenure, and at a particularly decisive time for the United
Nations, he has shown great leadership qualities. I wish to
assure him of our full support and cooperation.
We live in a world that is more interdependent than
ever before. Globalization implies that Governments and
societies can best meet such global challenges as
democracy, the eradication of poverty, the promotion and
protection of human rights, sustainable development,
humanitarian emergencies and refugee problems if they take
action together. International problems require international
solutions, and the world community must work together to
deal with them on the basis of international law, through a
constructive dialogue of the international community as a
whole.
This leads me to our Organization, which is a unique
— indeed, the only — forum for such cooperation, and to
the deep and far-reaching reform proposals which the
Secretary-General, after a first reform package submitted in
March, presented in his report (A/51/950) of 14 July 1997.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has taken on the challenging
task of reform with the necessary combination of energy
and circumspection. I wish first of all to state that we
welcome the report and will lend our full support to
achieving its objectives. I hope that the reform process will
lead to concrete results before the end of this year. We
share the opinion of those countries that have stressed that
reform must not be a cost-cutting exercise but a matter of
strengthening the role of the Organization as an active and
effective world forum.
We welcome and support the Secretary-General’s
proposal to establish the post of a Deputy Secretary-General
who will have a particular role in ensuring the success of
activities and programmes that cross functional sectors and
Secretariat units. We particularly support the Secretary-
General’s suggestion to fill that post with a qualified
woman. We also welcome the proposal to replace the
Department of Humanitarian Affairs with an Office of the
Emergency Relief Coordinator, and we hope that this
measure will bring about the necessary changes to ensure
a more efficient coordination of United Nations activities
in this very important field.
The Secretary-General has also suggested integrating
human rights into all the principal activities of the United
Nations, and we are fully supportive of this approach
because it reflects the comprehensive and cross-cutting
nature of human rights. We are gratified to see Mrs. Mary
Robinson in her new post as United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights. We wish her success in
her challenging tasks and pledge to her our full support.
We are confident that her appointment will give
additional momentum to the promotion and protection of
human rights worldwide and that the consolidation of her
Office with the Centre for Human Rights will provide her
with a solid institutional basis from which to take on her
principal responsibility for United Nations human rights
activities. That will be possible, however, only if the
underfunding of human rights programmes that we have
witnessed for so long finally comes to an end. Human
rights are the legitimate concern of the international
community, and this should be reflected in the
appropriation of sufficient funds from the regular budget.
We also continue to be very concerned about the
precarious overall financial situation of the Organization,
which is obviously linked to the failure of some Member
States to fulfil their obligations regarding the prompt and
full payment of their assessed financial contributions. It
is important to note that the best reform efforts will be
seriously hampered unless the Organization’s finances are
put in order.
Since we last met in New York for the general
debate at the fifty-first session of the General Assembly,
major — indeed, crucial — efforts have been undertaken
to eliminate anti-personnel landmines. This matter has
become a truly global cause, promoted by individuals and
non-governmental organizations worldwide and propelled
by Governments, which have committed themselves to the
Ottawa process to achieve a global ban on landmines.
This is of exemplary value. Liechtenstein remains
committed to the elimination of anti-personnel landmines,
and we therefore wholeheartedly support the results of the
negotiations that were concluded recently at Oslo. We are
particularly pleased that it was possible to agree on a final
text which is simple, with no exceptions, no reservations
and no loopholes. We are of the opinion that only such a
treaty can bring us closer to the goal of the total
elimination of anti-personnel landmines, and I would like
to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made
outstanding efforts in the course of the Ottawa process,
20

particularly the Governments of Canada, Austria, Belgium
and Norway, as well as the International Committee of the
Red Cross.
While the adoption of the treaty will constitute a
milestone in the history of both disarmament and
international humanitarian law, further steps will be needed,
and the participation of as many States as possible in the
meeting which will bring the process back to Ottawa in
December will be a crucial element in those efforts.
Liechtenstein plans to sign the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer
of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction and is
committed to its ratification at the earliest possible date.
The establishment of an international criminal court is
another area in which we have been able to make
significant progress over the past year, and we are
approaching the date of the diplomatic conference at which
the statute of the court will be adopted. We wholeheartedly
support the establishment of the international criminal court,
which will constitute a milestone in the history of
international law, and we continue to believe that that court
has to be strong and independent if it is to make an
effective contribution to the protection of human rights and
the observance of international humanitarian law. It is of
crucial importance that the General Assembly agree at this
session on the precise dates for the diplomatic conference
and that that decision allow for the fullest possible
participation by small States, which have a particular
interest in this matter.
Two years ago, we adopted the Declaration and
Platform of Action at the Fourth World Conference on
Women in Beijing. Initiatives and actions have been taken
towards the implementation of these commitments. The
Liechtenstein Government has since taken a number of
appropriate measures, while a comprehensive package
containing detailed further action is presently being
prepared.
The role of women in preventive diplomacy and in
peacekeeping and the persistent absence of women from
peace negotiations are of particular concern to my
delegation. The more active participation of women in
conflict resolution should be promoted, since women bring
different perspectives and innovative approaches to
preventive diplomacy as well as to peacekeeping. The equal
access and full participation of women in decision-making
at all levels and in power structures, including challenging
assignments, such as serving as special representatives of
the Secretary-General, are also important in the area of
the promotion and maintenance of peace and security.
Special attention should be given to the situation of
women in armed conflicts, including refugee women.
Women are particularly vulnerable to discrimination and
human rights violations, both before they flee and as
refugees. In the Beijing Platform of Action, the need to
provide protection, assistance and training to refugee
women and displaced women is clearly recognized.
Liechtenstein first introduced in 1991 an initiative on
the right of self-determination, the ultimate goal of which
is to enable States facing internal problems — be they
between the central Government and communities or
between communities within States — to cope with these
problems in a peaceful and flexible manner on the basis
of international law and through constructive dialogue.
Ever since, we have consolidated and further developed
our ideas, and we would like to thank all those who have
given us active support in this endeavour.
At the end of October, the Liechtenstein Research
Program in Self-Determination at the Woodrow Wilson
School of Princeton University will continue its series of
conferences devoted to issues of self-government and self-
administration. I would like to renew to all here our
invitation to attend the next conference, which will take
place from 31 October to 1 November. We hope that this
conference will provide a deeper understanding of the
complex issues underlying the concept of self-
determination, which has played such an outstanding role
in the history of our Organization. We hope that this
initiative can be a positive contribution to the future work
of the United Nations.
The capacity of the United Nations to deal with the
challenges of the future, however, will depend on our
decisions on the reform of the Organization, decisions
which we have to take now. Today, I wish to renew
Liechtenstein’s commitment to the principles and
purposes of the United Nations. We are willing to
contribute to the extent possible so that this chance to
renew the United Nations will not pass us by.


Allow me first of all, Sir, to congratulate you
sincerely on your unanimous election to the post of
President of the General Assembly at its fifty-second
session, and to express our confidence that under your wise
and able guidance this session will successfully cope with
all its historic tasks. Your election to that high and
responsible post is further evidence of the burgeoning
image of independent Ukraine, with which Azerbaijan
enjoys an especially friendly relationship, and of its
substantial contribution to the work of the Organization.
I would also like to address special appreciation to
Mr. Razali Ismail, whose innovative approach and high
professionalism to a large extent facilitated the success of
the last session and showed the irreversible nature of the
radical process of reforming the Organization with a view
to strengthening its effectiveness.
For the past six years, the Republic of Armenia has
continued its aggression against my country. Aiming to
tear away and seize part of the territory of Azerbaijan, the
Republic of Armenia initiated and sponsored a separatist
movement in the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
Here it was gambling with the high principle of the self-
determination of peoples and completely ignoring the
principles of territorial integrity and the inviolability of
borders. Subsequently, as members know, the Republic of
Armenia resorted to armed aggression against the
Azerbaijani Republic, occupying a considerable part of
Azerbaijan and leaving about a million people without
shelter.
Their later invention, the so-called Republic of
Nagorny Karabakh, is nothing but a tactical trick in the
strategy of Armenian politicians, which is to attach the
Nagorny Karabakh region of the Azerbaijani Republic to
the Republic of Armenia. The international community
rejected this policy through Security Council resolutions
822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993),
which reaffirmed that the Nagorny Karabakh region is a
part of Azerbaijan.
The 1996 Lisbon summit of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) put forward
three principles for the settlement of the Armenia-
Azerbaijan conflict. These were: the territorial integrity of
the Republic of Armenia and of the Azerbaijani Republic;
definition of the legal status of Nagorny Karabakh
through an agreement based on self-determination and
conferring on Nagorny Karabakh the highest degree of
self-rule within Azerbaijan; and guaranteed security for
Nagorny Karabakh and its entire population, including
mutual obligations to ensure compliance by all the parties
with the provisions of the settlement.
Armenia was the only country out of 54 OSCE
member States that rejected those principles. While
7

speaking in favour of a peaceful settlement of the conflict
at the earliest possible date, the Republic of Armenia
received, during the period 1993 to 1996, a vast amount of
Russian weaponry, far exceeding its requirements, including
tanks, armoured vehicles and SCUD missiles, worth $1
billion. This clearly demonstrates that that country has not
yet given up its aggressive plans.
In an address to permanent representatives of United
Nations Member States during a visit to United Nations
Headquarters last August, the President of Azerbaijan, Mr.
Heydar Aliyev, stated that Azerbaijan had been and would
continue to be in favour of a peaceful resolution of the
conflict. Azerbaijan is ready to provide the Armenian
population of the Nagorny Karabakh region with the
broadest possible autonomy, in accordance with world
standards, but it will never submit to seizure of part of its
territory or allow a second Armenian State to be created at
the expense of its own land.
Azerbaijan supported proposals submitted in
September by the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Conference, the United States, Russia and France. The
elaboration of a draft agreement on cessation of the armed
conflict on the basis of those proposals would create a solid
foundation for achieving a breakthrough in the process of
finding a settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan armed
conflict.
The reform package for the United Nations proposed
by the Secretary-General is a serious and fundamental
document. Azerbaijan welcomes his report (A/51/950) as a
real basis for conducting reforms in order to adapt the
United Nations to today’s rapidly changing demands and
make it better prepared to meet the challenges of the
twenty-first century. Azerbaijan is prepared to cooperate
with all Member States and with the Secretary-General and
his reform team in order to achieve the goal that has been
set.
We support the Secretary-General’s realistic
assessment that the main aim of the present reform is to
narrow the gap between the aspirations and achievements
of the United Nations. We think that establishing the
position of Deputy Secretary-General, setting up a Senior
Management Group, creating a Strategic Planning Unit and
strengthening the executive committees of the sectoral
groups, together with a number of other suggestions,
constitute an interesting and comprehensive approach that
will ensure the harmonious management and functioning of
this Organization as it tackles the new and complex tasks
of the twenty-first century.
We are of the view that, given the numerous
pressing problems, the maintenance of peace and security
throughout the world must continue to be the main
mission of our Organization. In this regard, Azerbaijan
welcomes and supports the Secretary-General’s ideas on
strengthening the potential of the United Nations in post-
conflict peace-building, with the Department of Political
Affairs as the focal point for this.
This matter is integrally linked to the issue of
advancing the disarmament agenda. Accordingly, the idea
of establishing a Department for Disarmament and Arms
Regulation, which would address the reduction and
regulation of armaments and weapons of mass
destruction, deserves every support.
With regard to disarmament as a whole, I would like
to dwell on the urgent problem of the proliferation of
conventional arms. The lack of norms regulating
conventional arms causes serious concern. One cannot but
agree with the Secretary-General when he says that such
a situation creates a vicious circle, in that Member States
seek assistance in the settlement of armed conflicts, while
there is tough competition over arms exports, including
exports to conflict areas where the United Nations is
seeking to restore peace. All of this leads to the further
escalation and prolongation of conflicts.
The expansion of the Security Council is a pressing,
acute and complex issue. We believe that any increase in
the number of permanent members of the Security
Council must be confined to countries with the capacity
and will to assume global responsibility, including
financial responsibility, for the maintenance of
international peace and security, and for sustainable
development and stability. In this context, Azerbaijan has
on several occasions spoken in favour of the candidatures
of Germany and Japan, which in our view meet those
requirements.
An increase in the number of non-permanent
members of the Security Council should restore the
principle of equitable geographic allocation of seats for all
regional groups. In this connection, Azerbaijan supports
an increase in the number of non-permanent members of
the Security Council from the Group of Eastern European
States, given that membership of the Group has doubled
in the past five years. We believe that one non-permanent
seat for our Group in the Security Council does not
reflect the current state of affairs and is not
commensurate with the role played by the members of the
8

Group in the maintenance of international peace and
security.
Azerbaijan also supports the approach taken to the
question of equitable representation of Asian, African, Latin
American and Caribbean States in the Council. The issue of
the total number of permanent and non-permanent members
of the Security Council should first be addressed from the
perspective of maintaining and upgrading the efficiency of
the Council.
We fully support the Secretary-General’s idea that one
of the main directions for United Nations reform must be
to strengthen United Nations activities in the area of
coordination of international cooperation for development.
We are convinced that at a time when the question of
more rational use of United Nations resources, including
financial resources, has become a priority, the Secretary-
General’s decision to focus on the activities that the United
Nations can best carry out, from the standpoint both of
using existing intellectual potential and of meeting the
requirements of a large group of members of the
international community, is very wise.
The Azerbaijani Republic greatly appreciates the
nature and results of its cooperation with the United
Nations system in the area of socio-economic development.
Since our country joined the United Nations, dozens of
large-scale development projects have been implemented in
Azerbaijan with help from United Nations specialized
agencies. These projects have had a positive impact on the
all-round transformation of Azerbaijani society. I would like
to make particular mention of the establishment of a free
economic zone in the third largest city of Azerbaijan,
Sumgait, and the programme to rehabilitate the territories
of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation.
We welcome the idea of establishing a United Nations
Development Group, and we believe that strengthening
coordination in the activities of the various agencies will
add to the efficiency of the operational development
activities of the Organization. Among the factors that could
help us achieve this goal are the elaboration of a
comprehensive strategy for the activities of specialized
agencies vis-à-vis the recipient countries, the elimination of
overlap in functions and programmes, a renewed
concentration on priorities, and the improvement of
partnership mechanisms with State institutions and non-
governmental organizations of Member States.
But all these good wishes and hopes may prove to
be simply an unattainable dream if they are not
accompanied by a relevant resource base. In this respect,
Mr. Kofi Annan’s idea of creating a new system for
mobilizing core resources for development purposes,
through voluntary contributions and negotiated pledges
that would be made available in multi-year tranches, is to
be commended and supported. We are convinced that it
is necessary to provide the broadest possible mandate for
the Secretary-General’s proposed Office for Development
Financing.
We welcome the Secretary-General’s proposal to
deepen and expand the partnership between the United
Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions with a view
to strengthening cooperation and increasing the
rationalization and coordination of activities. In recent
years Azerbaijan has accumulated considerable experience
through fruitful cooperation with the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). Thanks to this
cooperation it has been possible to improve the overall
economic situation in the Republic, to curb rampant
inflation and restore economic growth.
Reforming the structure of the Secretariat
departments dealing with social and economic matters and
conferring new functions on the Economic and Social
Council are, in our view, logical elements of the
comprehensive reform programme proposed by the
Secretary-General.
At the same time, it is obvious that reform will not
produce the best results if the finances of the
Organization are not put into good order. Given this fact,
we understand the proposal for the establishment, as a
temporary measure until the Organization’s financial
situation is on a solid basis, of a Revolving Credit Fund
with initial capital of up to $1 billion financed from
voluntary contributions or other means that Member
States may wish to suggest. In this connection we also
fully support the Secretary-General’s proposal to open a
development account.
We are also firmly convinced that reforming the
personnel policy of the United Nations should be an
inseparable part of the reform. We are deeply concerned
by the fact that even today Azerbaijan is still not
represented in the Secretariat.
In recent years the world has been overwhelmed by
a wave of extraordinary situations resulting from armed
conflict, natural disasters and economic crises. As a
9

consequence of these situations millions of people have lost
their homes, been deprived of food and basic living
conditions and have become refugees and displaced
persons. This issue is of particular relevance to Azerbaijan,
as refugees and displaced persons in the Republic are in
dire need of emergency humanitarian assistance. Recently,
several regions of Azerbaijan suffered flooding as a result
of continuous rainfall, which inflicted serious damage on
the economy and the people. Azerbaijan greatly appreciates
the humanitarian activities of the United Nations aimed at
protecting and saving the victims of armed conflict and
natural disasters.
We fully endorse the idea contained in the Secretary-
General’s report that humanitarian actions today extend
beyond the mere provision of relief and also entail early
warning, prevention, advocacy and rehabilitation as well as
assistance for transition to long-term development. At the
same time we hope that structural changes — such as the
creation of the Office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator
to replace the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and the
mobilizing of its efforts to deal more effectively with
complex emergencies — will not result in a decrease in
humanitarian assistance for single recipient countries that
are faced with the consequences of armed conflicts, foreign
aggression and occupation and that have hundreds of
thousands — even millions — of refugees and displaced
persons.
This also applies to the suggested reforms of the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), of whose
Executive Board Azerbaijan is a member. We believe it
necessary to maintain the independence of UNICEF in the
areas of fund-raising and contacts with donors to ensure
contributions for funding the programmes of the
organization and accountability to donors with regard to
how the funds are spent. We consider it important that the
specialized agencies continue to have specific goals and
mechanisms to achieve those goals. At the same time we
support the proposals regarding a common starting point,
close coordination and interaction, and the adoption of
measures to avoid overlap and the dissipation of resources.
UNICEF’s mandate includes not only the development
of children, but their protection and survival. The United
Nations Children’s Fund, together with such entities as the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees and the World Food Programme, becomes
actively involved in saving the lives of children in
emergencies. There is an effective mechanism for
interaction between UNICEF and humanitarian
organizations, donors, Governments and local and
international non-governmental organizations. We hope
that the establishment of the United Nations Development
Group will not weaken but, on the contrary, strengthen
this function of UNICEF.
We support the idea of common premises for United
Nations missions at the country level, to be called “UN
House”. This would certainly encourage closer and more
effective interaction between specialized agencies and
United Nations programmes. As for Resident
Coordinators, we believe it would be expedient to select
them from representatives of all interested organizations.
A mechanism such as rotation should be worked out for
this. We also support the idea of convening joint
committees and consecutive meetings of relevant
executive boards.
On the eve of the twenty-first century, it is high time
to consolidate the efforts of all countries for a resolute
attack on crime, drug abuse and terrorism. Organized
underworld groups that enjoy access to sophisticated
technologies and weaponry are challenging law and order
as well as economic, political and other institutions, not
only in individual countries but in entire regions and
throughout the world. The United Nations must be at the
forefront of the battle to curtail the activities of such
groups. At the same time, we need to ensure that the
efforts of the international community are centralized if
we are to succeed in crushing crime and drug abuse. In
this context we support the idea of uniting the United
Nations International Drug Control Programme with a
new Centre for International Crime Prevention to create
a new Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, to
be located in Vienna.
Ensuring human rights remains one of the most
important of the Organization’s fields of activity. It is
especially urgent today when the issue of human rights
permeates all aspects of public life and is equally relevant
to all countries and all regions of the world. Human rights
are closely connected with political, economic, social and
other processes. The events of recent years have
demonstrated that expansionist actions on the part of
some States, aggressive separatism and economic
difficulties deprive States of their ability adequately to
defend and ensure the human rights of their citizens. That
is why the United Nations will have to strengthen its
activities, exposing and neutralizing the factors that lead
to human rights abuse. We approve in particular of the
measures recommended by the Secretary-General with
regard to existing or potential conflicts or post-conflict
situations affecting human rights.
10

We believe it right to suggest that the issue of human
rights must be considered to an equal degree in all four
substantive fields of the Secretariat’s work programme:
peace and security, economic and social affairs,
development cooperation and humanitarian affairs. In the
context of enhancing the work of the Organization’s
divisions in the field of human rights, we commend the
consolidation of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights and the Centre for Human
Rights into a single Office of the High Commissioner. This
will strengthen that entity and lay the groundwork for more
efficient use of available human and financial resources.
The Secretary-General’s report “Renewing the United
Nations: A Programme for Reform” (A/51/950) is a
comprehensive and far-reaching set of changes aimed at
overhauling the Organization. The quintessential idea of the
report that reform should constitute a continuous and steady
process, not a quick fix, is of particular significance.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that the
suggested measures and recommendations are aimed both
at creating new structures of leadership and management
and at harmonizing the activities of all bodies of the United
Nations.


Before I begin my speech,
may I associate myself with the final appeal made by
Prince Albert of Monaco, who preceded me at this rostrum.
Perhaps this Organization can be instrumental in achieving
an Olympic truce for the Olympic Games of 2000 and for
those of 2004, which we will host in Athens. I think that
this is an initiative that the Organization should take
seriously.
Allow me to warmly congratulate you, Sir, on your
election. Your qualities and skills augur well for the
progress of this session. Moreover, I am especially pleased
to salute in your person a representative of the Ukraine, a
country with which Greece maintains long-standing friendly
relations. I wish also to pay tribute to your predecessor,
Ambassador Razali Ismail, for the effective manner in
which he performed his functions.
The Greek Government is impressed with the way the
new Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has been
discharging his duties. His great experience warrants the
hope that his ongoing endeavours aiming at the reform of
this Organization will be crowned with success.
On this occasion, I would like to express my
appreciation to the United Nations membership at large
for electing Greece to one of the positions of Vice-
President of the General Assembly.
Earlier this week, the Foreign Minister of
Luxembourg, in his capacity as President of the Council
of the European Union, delivered a statement to which
my Government fully subscribes; we subscribe as well as
to the Union’s memorandum, which has been submitted
to the Assembly. I would like, however, to elaborate
further on some issues of particular interest to my
country.
As the millennium draws to a close, Greece, located
at a crossroads of countries and civilizations, is striving
to free the twenty-first century from the scourges of the
past, thus offering to our region prospects of progress and
prosperity. We are the only member of both the European
Union and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) in our region, and we thus we function as the
latter’s link to Europe, guided by our firm belief that
conflicts and prejudices have to be overcome through
respect for international law and the principles of the
United Nations.
In this context, we believe that Greece is able to
play an important role in the Security Council and are
therefore seeking election to that body, to one of the two
non-permanent seats allocated to the Group of Western
European and Other States for the biennium 1999-2000.
Deeply dedicated to the purposes and principles of the
United Nations Charter, we are ready to take our share of
responsibility for international peace and security. Indeed,
Greece has been actively participating in several
peacekeeping operations as a troop-contributing country.
This year, we became a member of the Special
Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. We have
advocated the Committee’s expansion as a positive step
forward, and we support any effort aimed at improving
the peacekeeping capabilities of the United Nations.
Furthermore, Greece has confirmed its willingness to
participate in the stand-by arrangements system and has
joined other Member States in the continued efforts to
4

enable the Organization to react more quickly and more
efficiently to future peacekeeping requirements. As I
reaffirm our palpable commitment to peacekeeping, I wish
also to express my country’s deep appreciation for the
courage and dedication shown by peacekeeping personnel
in confronting challenges to peace and security.
Comprehensive reform and restructuring of the United
Nations system, including the size and working methods of
the Security Council, must be attained with a view to
meeting the changing needs of the world community as it
moves into the next millennium. The reform package
presented by the Secretary-General in July is a response to
this necessity and constitutes a welcome step towards
modernizing and strengthening the United Nations. Greece
will contribute in a constructive and positive way to the
success of the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General
through his proposals.
We live in a world characterized by globalization and
the introduction of new technologies; hence, the United
Nations is called upon to pursue a broader set of objectives
focusing on democratic development, sustainable
development and higher living standards for all citizens of
the world. The political commitment of its Member States
and their contribution of adequate resources constitute the
two fundamental prerequisites for the success of the United
Nations. In this context, we welcome the determination of
all Member States, in particular those that play a major role
in the Organization’s decision-making process, to fulfil their
financial obligations on time and in full.
Greece, a State Member of the United Nations since
1945, will continue to honour its obligations to the United
Nations, gradually increasing its annual contribution to the
peacekeeping operations budget, moving from group C to
group B on its own initiative.
The nineteenth special session of the General
Assembly, on the overall review and appraisal of the
implementation of Agenda 21, held last June, gave us the
opportunity five years after the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development, the Rio Conference, to
renew and reinforce our commitment to sustainable
development. Greece, with one third of the coastline of the
entire Mediterranean basin and almost 3,000 islands, has a
specific interest in promoting the management of coastal
zones, sustainable tourism, sustainable water management
and policies to combat desertification and deforestation.
We have been uninterruptedly implementing a long-
term strategy for the protection of the environment while
sharing with the international community the belief that
Agenda 21 can be implemented only through a sense of
common responsibility. However, the major
environmental problems of our planet cannot be
successfully tackled if socio-economic ills such as poverty
are not combatted and eradicated.
Since the last session of the General Assembly, the
prospect of a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus
problem has, regrettably, remained elusive. For 23 years
now Turkey has maintained more than 35,000 occupation
troops on the island, blatantly defying international law.
At the same time, the Turkish Cypriot population, for the
protection of which the invasion was allegedly
undertaken, has dwindled dramatically since 1974, due to
political oppression coupled with the massive influx of
settlers from mainland Turkey.
The Government of Greece aims at a reunited
Cyprus, a common home to all of its inhabitants. We
maintain that a settlement on the basis of the resolutions
of the United Nations and the high- level agreements of
1977 and 1979 can bring peace and reconciliation to the
island. Such a settlement should provide for a bizonal and
bicommunal federation with a single sovereignty and
international personality and with its independence and
territorial integrity safeguarded through effective
international guarantees. There is no doubt that a
functional solution of the Cyprus problem would
eliminate a source of instability in the region and
contribute to the improvement of Turkish-Greek relations.
The main obstacle, however, remains Turkey’s aim
of legitimizing the status quo. Ankara’s negative stance
and lack of political will were once again displayed
during the direct talks recently held under the auspices of
the Secretary-General at Glion-sur-Montreux. As the
President of the Security Council pointed out in an
informed briefing to the press,
“substantive progress at this time was impeded by
the attempt to bring preconditions to the table by the
other party, and here of course I mean the Turkish
Cypriots.”
On the other hand, the constructive stance of the Cypriot
President, Mr. Clerides, at the talks was praised by the
President of the Council in the same statement. His
proposal for the demilitarization of Cyprus must retain
our thorough attention.
5

Greece unwaveringly supports the process of Cyprus’s
accession to the European Union, which will commence at
the near future. We believe that its accession will benefit all
the island’s inhabitants. It could also act as a catalyst for
the solution of the political problem. We sincerely hope that
Turkey will eventually realize the benefits of the accession
of Cyprus to the European Union, especially for the Turkish
Cypriot population, and will change its present stance.
Our relations with Turkey have taken an additional
downturn since 1996, when our neighbour added direct
territorial claims to the existing policy of demands, threats
of war and constant pressure, in an attempt to subvert the
territorial status quo established more than 70 years ago by
international law and treaties. Its attempt to back these
claims by military means in January 1996 resulted in a
crisis that just fell short of war.
Greece, while determined to protect, by all legitimate
means, its sovereign rights stemming from international
law, sincerely agrees that there is a need to establish normal
good neighbourly relations, based on the principles of
international law and respect for international treaties —
something which Turkey seems determined to ignore.
It has been a consistent policy of our Government that
Greek-Turkish relations should be addressed in a context of
respect for international law and treaties. Greece has made
it its policy to channel such relations through accepted rules
of behaviour and the principles recognized in international
life. The Madrid Joint Statement, signed by Turkey's
President, Mr. Demirel, and the Greek Prime Minister,
Mr. Simitis, provides a welcome initiative which might
contribute to a gradual improvement.
The problems that really exist must be dealt with by
legal means provided for by international law, and
specifically through the International Court of Justice. Such
a step would open possibilities for a gradual build-up of
good-neighbourly relations and the establishment of
confidence and cooperation in every field. In this sense, we
are waiting for a move by the new Turkish Government to
work in this direction — away from statements and acts
which confuse the issue and relate to a past that we must
transcend by means of those principles of international law
that are enshrined in the United Nations Charter, and that
our gathering here pledges to serve.
In the Balkan Peninsula, the area where Greece itself
is located, the situation is gradually improving. My county
has played an active role within the framework of various
international activities designed to promote peace,
stability, good neighbourliness and development in the area.
Greece values its historical relations with Albania. It
is committed to continuing to work for the strengthening
of cooperation between the two countries in all fields and
to extending assistance for the rehabilitation of the
country, in particular after the recent crisis. Our
contribution to Operation Alba and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) presence has
been essential and prompt.
The Greek minority in Albania will remain an
important factor of friendship between the two peoples,
actively contributing to the progress of their country.
Greece fully supports the process initiated with the
Dayton Agreement. Maintaining excellent relations with
all actors in the Yugoslav drama, we contribute
substantially in keeping the peace. We have sent out
massive humanitarian aid from governmental and non-
governmental sources alike; we have deployed our
soldiers with the Stabilization Force (SFOR); we have
sent observers both on the European Community Monitor
Mission and OSCE teams; and we are actively engaged in
reconstruction work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am
proud to report that we are among the few not only to put
forward the money pledged at the 1996 Donors'
Conference, but actually to have brought to completion
the programmes we undertook to fulfil. Furthermore, we
are increasing our contribution for 1997, by 35 per cent.
All this, I must note, took place while we were massively
engaged in stemming both the Albanian crisis and the
deterioration of the financial situation in Bulgaria.
Persistence in implementing the Dayton Agreement,
encouraging democratization and opening up to the
market economy and to the international community will
provide guidance for all on ways to overcome present
difficulties and will enable all actors to normalize their
relations with each other, the United Nations and the
international community in general.
Honouring the Interim Accord with the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), we continue
talks under the auspices of the Special Envoy of the
United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Vance, about the
final name of that country. We hope that the Skopje
Government will realize the need for an early solution to
this issue.
In the multilateral field, we have persistently
promoted the process of cooperation and good
6

neighbourliness in southeastern Europe, actively
participating in such regional schemes as Royaumont, the
Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), Balkan
Cooperation, and Black Sea Economic Cooperation. The
Declaration adopted in Thessaloniki on 10 June 1997 by the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of countries of southeastern
Europe has given a substantial impetus to this process.
In the same spirit, in early November Greece will host
in Crete a summit of countries of southeastern Europe.
The situation in the Middle East continues to concern
us. In fact, recent terrorist actions like those in Jerusalem,
as well as the tragic situation in the West Bank and Gaza,
constitute the tangible consequences of the stagnation of the
peace process. Revival of both the peace process and the
peace hope requires adherence to and full implementation
of the relevant United Nations resolutions and international
agreements. The parties have to live up to their
commitments. Real peace is a just and global one — in
Israel as well as in Lebanon, where the need to implement
Security Council resolution 425 (1978) continues to be
painfully felt. Greece supports any efforts which could have
positive results, and hence we encourage those undertaken
by the European Union's Special Envoy in the Middle East.
Moreover, our country is willing to offer any assistance
aimed at the strengthening of peace and stability, security,
and economic and social progress, as well as the
establishment of confidence among all parties to the Middle
East problem, in favour of the peoples of the area.
Greece is following with particular interest the recent
developments in Africa, auspicious or ominous as they
appear. Indeed, an increasing number of African countries
are adopting pluralism as a form of Government and open-
market principles for their economy. It is Greece's belief
that on the eve of the twenty-first century the international
community must encourage and assist African countries to
promote pluralism, respect for human rights and a free-
market economy. Important developments will take place
during this century in Africa.
Latin America, with which Greece has traditional ties
of friendship, is consolidating the pace of development of
recent years. Also, through successful regional integration,
the countries of the region are assuming a stature on a
worldwide scale that truly reflects the importance of the
progress the region has achieved.
Last June's Bucharest Meeting between the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation Council and the Southern Cone
Common Market (MERCOSUR) is a telling example.
Greece, both bilaterally and as a member of the European
Union, is looking forward to an increasing,
comprehensive and substantial dialogue with the Latin
American countries, to the benefit of international
cooperation, trade liberalization, and stability.
The United Nations remains mankind's best hope for
jointly solving the problems that collectively beset the
world community. We therefore fully support the call for
the reform of the United Nations. However, we strongly
believe that any decision regarding the future form and
function of our Organization should be taken by
consensus and should reflect the needs and aspirations of
all Member States — big and small, rich and poor
alike — in whose hands and political will the destiny of
the United Nations lies. Greece is prepared to shoulder its
share of responsibility in this ongoing reform process.