Permit me, first of all,
to congratulate Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral on his
election to the presidency of the current session of the
General Assembly. Indeed, as we commemorate 50 years
of the existence of our Organization, his unanimous
election to preside over this Assembly is a fitting tribute
to his country and an eloquent testimony to his personal
experience and skills as a seasoned diplomat. I therefore
want to assure him of my delegation’s fullest cooperation
as he directs and guides our deliberations on this historic
occasion, and to wish him every success in that
endeavour.
To his immediate predecessor, and our esteemed
Brother, His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy of
Côte d’Ivoire, I convey my delegation’s gratitude and
appreciation for the exemplary manner in which he
conducted the affairs of the forty-ninth session of the
General Assembly.
I would also like to thank our eminent Secretary-
General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his bold
initiatives and his firm guidance of the work of the
Organization.
The world has come a long way from 26 June 1945,
when 50 States appended their signatures to the Charter
document, creating this enduring body. In spite of the
undoubted advancement of science and technology, and
indeed the enormous strides made by the Organization
during the past 50 years, the world continues, alas, to be
gripped by the same age-old problems of poverty,

disarmament, maintenance of peace and security,
development and many more.
Certainly, on the economic front there is no cause for
comfort or complacency. Most developing countries,
especially the least developed, continue to be strangled by
negative economic trends, stagnating resource flows,
seemingly unstoppable reductions in export earnings, rising
unemployment and, above all, the phenomenal increase in
the number of people living in absolute poverty, occasioned
largely by wars, famine, drought and the heavy burden of
foreign debts.
The debt burden, in particular, continues to be
excessive and harmful to the sustainable development of
developing countries, especially the least developed among
them. In this connection, the initiative of the British
Chancellor of the Exchequer earlier this year to put in place
measures to help reduce the stock of multilateral debt of the
most indebted developing nations is a step in the right
direction. Nevertheless, we continue to hold the view that
unless the debt issue is seriously addressed by the
international community, no meaningful progress for the
next 50 years can be accomplished in the foreseeable future
by the developing countries, especially the least developed
among them.
We believe that a permanent and definitive
comprehensive solution to the debt problem must be found
without further delay. That is why we commend the current
Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, His Excellency
President Soeharto of Indonesia, for his initiative in
convening in August last year a Ministerial Meeting of
Non-Aligned Countries on the subject of debt and
development with the theme “Sharing of Experiences”, at
which a number of general principles for debt reduction
were adopted, marking significant progress in the search for
a lasting solution to this nagging problem.
We continue to appeal to the international community,
particularly to the international financial institutions, to give
those modest recommendations serious consideration in the
formulation of policies and actions on the debt issue.
The persistence of these problems has undermined
political stability and threatened regional and international
peace and security. Determined as we in the developing
countries have been to improve the lot of our people and to
redress the economic plight facing our various countries, we
still labour under excruciating circumstances. It is now
abundantly clear that the developing countries cannot go it
alone. We need the involvement of other, dependable,
partners, particularly among the developed countries and
the major international financial institutions. Additional
resources at multilateral and bilateral levels are essential
from these partners to achieve rapid improvement in the
lives of the millions of our affected people.
As for Sierra Leone, since April 1992, when the
National Provisional Ruling Council took over the reins
of government, we have set for ourselves the task of
implementing anti-poverty programmes and socio-
economic reforms, including deregulation of prices,
exchange control and interest rates, and the reduction of
fiscal deficit.
Despite the limited scope of the success attained so
far, we are determined not to relent in our efforts to cater
for the special needs of the most vulnerable groups in
society.
Calling upon the international community to pay
special attention to the problems of developing countries
by providing them with financial and technical support
should not be considered as an appeal simply for charity
but rather an investment in the future development and
well-being of mankind. Indeed, we realize that the key to
sustainable development in any State is in the hands of its
citizenry. Developing countries are now very much aware
of this and are taking responsibility for working towards
improving the lot of the peoples of their respective
countries.
Indeed, during the 50 years of its existence, the
United Nations has also been studying ways and means of
improving the economies of the developing countries of
the world. None the less, as our export prices have been
on the decline, our economic plans have remained
unfulfilled and the rate of growth of our gross domestic
product, which was never fast, is in great danger of
slowing down to a complete standstill. The technical
assistance schemes which have been formulated to study
the problem are numerous. My delegation firmly believes
that the time has now come for positive action that would
lead to the eradication of the largely known causes of
economic stagnation, particularly in Africa. We call for a
speedy implementation of the United Nations New
Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s as
well as for the consolidation of efforts towards the
diversification of the African economies.
In a world of growing interdependence, the
liberalization of trade, the globalization of the economy
and increasing regional integration, sustainable
2

development and the eradication of poverty cannot be
ensured in the absence of peace and stability. “An Agenda
for Peace” and “An Agenda for Development” not only
show that peace and development are inseparable and
indivisible but rather that they contain the essential
ingredients of a new vision of our one world. No
development is possible anywhere, save in an environment
that is peaceful, stable and secure. This holds true for
national development, as it does for regional and
international cooperation. That is why we in Sierra Leone
have always believed that peace at home is incomplete
unless our neighbours enjoy peace too. Today, more than
ever before, we should all be aware that we are our
brother’s keeper and that we can no longer afford to be
indifferent to developments in any part of the globe.
Three years ago, my Head of State, Captain Valentine
E. M. Strasser, acquainted this body with the devastation
visited on Sierra Leone initially as a spillover from the civil
war in Liberia. He explained to this Assembly the pain and
the agony that our people have had to endure as a result of
that conflict and its ramifications for regional peace and
stability.
Regrettably, I am again constrained to inform you that
the conflict has persisted and that the lives of many
innocent Sierra Leoneans continue to be lost. In spite of my
Government’s repeated overtures for peace and
reconciliation there is as yet no let-up in the fighting on the
ground and the rebel attacks against innocent and
unsuspecting civilians in provincial cities and several towns
and villages in the country continue unabated.
Consequently, we are witnessing today the internal
displacement of hundreds of thousands of our people and
thousands more have had to seek refugee status in
neighbouring countries, not to mention the devastation
caused to the national economy.
What all this means is that the Liberian situation is
inextricably linked with the situation in Sierra Leone. It is
therefore our ardent hope that with the budding peace in
Liberia, Sierra Leoneans can realistically expect a lull in the
fighting on their own soil to enable them embark on
economic reconstruction and rehabilitation. We would, in
this regard, like to express our profound thanks and
appreciation to the West African leaders who have made
the success achieved in Liberia possible. The leadership of
Nigeria, Ghana and the countries contributing to the
Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) deserve
special commendation. So do the United Nations and the
Organization of African Unity (OAU), organizations which
in their own diverse ways, have contributed to the
peaceful developments in Liberia.
We therefore call upon this Organization and all
peace-loving people the world over to support the new
government in Liberia. At the same time, we would
fervently appeal to the Liberian people to rise to the
occasion, for in the final analysis, it must be Liberians
themselves who should find a lasting solution to their
problems. We wish the New Liberian Council of State
and the people of Liberia success in their search for
durable peace in their country, for we believe that such
success will have a positive impact on Sierra Leone.
The need to strengthen the peace momentum in
Liberia is particularly important because during the
disarmament process there are going to be thousands of
hardened former combatants, some of them probably still
armed, who might be tempted to relocate the theatre of
war unless they are effectively disarmed, brought under
control and suitably reintegrated into Liberian society.
Closely linked to the search for peace in Sierra
Leone is the implementation of the programme of
democratization announced by my Head of State, His
Excellency Captain Valentine E. M. Strasser, three years
ago for the return of Sierra Leone to multiparty civilian
rule. I am happy to report that this programme is still on
course, despite the unavoidable delays resulting from the
rebel war. The ban on political parties has now been
lifted and indeed the registration of political parties
completed. A National Consultative Conference convened
by the Interim National Electoral Commission was held
in mid-August to seek national consensus on how
elections could be conducted in a war situation and to
discuss some other related issues. At that Conference, it
was agreed that both presidential and parliamentary
elections will be held not later than in February 1996. The
Revolutionary United Front, the rebel faction, was invited
to participate in that political process, but unfortunately,
their response, as has consistently been the case, was
negative. Yet, in spite of this, we continue to persist in
pursuing peace and continue to state clearly that the peace
option is still on the table. Be that as it may, I should also
state that as a responsible Government, we cannot give up
the armed struggle, if only out of the sense of legitimate
obligation to protect the lives and properties of innocent
Sierra Leoneans, who have borne a large measure of the
brunt of our senseless rebel war.
At this juncture, my delegation would like to express
its appreciation to this Organization, to the OAU and to
3

the Commonwealth for responding positively to our request
for help by way of exploratory fact-finding missions to
Sierra Leone. In the case of the United Nations, the
Secretary-General subsequently sent a resident Special
Envoy in the person of Ambassador Berhanu Dinka, who
is still in the country offering assistance. It is an
encouraging sign that the international community, through
the United Nations, the OAU and the Commonwealth, is
just as anxious as the National Provisional Ruling Council
Government to see an early end to our destructive war so
that our peaceful citizens may once again be able to live in
an environment free of fear and anxiety and to engage in
their ordinary daily pursuits. At the same time, while
appealing to the international community to help us with
logistical, financial and related support in the
implementation of our political programme, we will also
require similar assistance, at the appropriate time, in
rebuilding and rehabilitating our devastated economy. In
this connection, we would like to express our deep and
sincere appreciation to all friendly Governments,
particularly Nigeria, Guinea and Ghana for their assistance
in our trying moments.
The world-wide problem of refugees and displaced
persons continues to be our concern, particularly as we
ourselves have become victims of this scourge. More than
half a million of our citizens have become displaced in
Sierra Leone, and hundreds of thousands more are refugees
in neighbouring countries. The yearning of all these people
is for an opportunity to finally return to their homes, settle
down and rebuild their lives. We urge the international
community to urgently help us bring our people back home.
The use of narcotic drugs has for some time now been
a source of concern, mainly to developing countries,
because of the inherent danger it poses to society,
especially the young. Today, no country can claim to be
insulated from this scourge, as it is now a global
phenomenon. The abuse of drugs and drug-related
substances is gaining in prominence, not only in Sierra
Leone, but in the whole West African subregion, and there
is no doubt that with the prevalence of rebel wars it will
continue to plague us long after these wars are over,
thereby threatening social peace and stability in the
countries concerned.
The Government of Sierra Leone is determined to take
all necessary measures against drug abuse and illicit
trafficking domestically, as well as through subregional and
international cooperation. To this end, my Government has
ratified the 1961, 1971 and 1988 Conventions dealing with
illicit drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking, and has set up
both inter-ministerial and technical committees comprising
all relevant sectoral departments to advise the
Government on effective measures to contain drug abuse
and other related ills.
No one can deny that the threat of global nuclear
destruction posed by the cold war has receded. However,
it is becoming increasingly clear to us that where one
type of peril has been combated others are swiftly arising
to take its place. Today, the breakdown of bipolar control
has lifted restrictions on long- simmering civic, ethnic and
territorial disputes. Violence has brought the very
existence of some States into question and, with it, gross
violations of human rights, including instances of
genocide exceeded only, perhaps, by those of the Second
World War. Conflicts are becoming more numerous and
more complex, and are scattered all over the globe, even
as there are glimmers of hope.
In Africa, for example, we welcome the recent
developments whereby both parties in the Angolan
conflict are moving towards allowing the will of the
Angolan people finally to prevail over the barrel of the
gun. My delegation also notes with satisfaction the
agreement by UNITA to join with the MPLA in a
government of national unity. In like manner, the
acceptance by the Mozambican opposition leader,
Comrade Afonso Dhlakama, and his men of the outcome
of the electoral process should be a source of relief to all
Africans and peace-loving people everywhere. It is our
fervent hope that the Mozambicans will emulate the
example of their neighbours in Zimbabwe, South Africa
and Namibia — societies which have shown that, with the
right political attitude and good will, it is quite possible
to replace strife with reconciliation and hatred with
accommodation.
In the Middle East, we view the developments that
started a few years ago with the mutual recognition of the
PLO and Israel, followed later by the signing of the
Washington Declaration between Jordan and Israel, which
ended the state of war between them, as extremely
important positive steps towards the full realization of
peace in that region. In like manner, we welcome the just-
concluded Interim Agreement on Jericho and the West
Bank, signed by Israel and the PLO in Washington.
In the same vein, we commend Norway, the United
States, Egypt and all those others that in one way or the
other have played, and are continuing to play, a role in
moving this historic conflict towards a peaceful
resolution.
4

On the other aspect of the Middle Eastern equation,
we urge Israel, Syria and Lebanon to join fully in the
historic peace process and display a spirit of
accommodation, in the interest of all the people of the
Middle East and mankind as a whole.
With regard to the dispute between Kuwait and Iraq,
we call upon Iraq fully to respect the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Kuwait, in accordance with the terms
of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.
However, we call upon the international community, in
applying sanctions against Iraq, not to lose sight of the
suffering being experienced by the innocent civilians of that
country.
My delegation welcomes the decision to extend
indefinitely the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT), a decision which my country co-
sponsored. It was indeed a decision of momentous
importance, which heralded what has been described as a
major success of the United Nations in the field of
disarmament. However, we are disappointed that indications
since the extension are that final agreement on an
immediate and comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty seems
uncertain. If humanity is to maintain any lasting hope for
the future, we must act now with courage and decisiveness
to achieve a nuclear-free world. In this regard, we call
unequivocally for the cessation of nuclear tests of any kind
in all environments, and call upon the Conference on
Disarmament to work towards the speedy conclusion of a
comprehensive test-ban treaty within the shortest possible
time.
International peace can hardly be maintained in a
world in which some men are free while others are under
the yoke of colonialism. Being fully aware of that problem
and imbued with the idealism that brought this Organization
into being, Member States solemnly resolved to remove any
vestiges of colonialism from the world. This line of
thinking achieved full stature at the United Nations in 1960,
when the landmark resolution 1514 (XV), incorporating the
Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial
Countries and Peoples, was adopted.
Today, as the world celebrates the fiftieth anniversary
of our Organization, its considerable success in the field of
decolonization is universally acclaimed. We remember the
history of the struggle against colonialism and pay tribute
to all those who were part of that struggle. We remain
mindful of the sacrifices that made it possible for hundreds
of millions of people to achieve self-determination and
independence. We commend the work of the Special
Committee of 24 for its effective contribution to the
application of the Declaration on the Granting of
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. My
country has had the honour of serving that Committee —
it is, in fact, currently chairing it — and we are proud to
have been able to make some contribution to its work and
to bringing freedom to a good portion of the human race.
In that regard, while we welcome with profound
pleasure the State of Palau to this world Organization as
the 185th Member, it is my delegation’s view that the
task of decolonization remains unfinished. Further
concerted and determined action is still required on the
part of all involved to win freedom for people who are
still unable to exercise their right to self-determination —
mostly peoples of small island States, located mainly in
the Pacific and Caribbean regions. These territories are
confronted with unique problems that require new and
innovative solutions geared towards the implementation of
the International Decade for the Eradication of
Colonialism by the Year 2000, launched by the General
Assembly in 1988.
We believe that the situation of these Territories
should not be seen as an impediment to the application of
the principle of self-determination. The wishes of the
people of the Non-Self-Governing Territories are what
count most. We appeal for the strengthened and continued
support of the administering Powers, whose cooperation
with the Special Committee is essential for the progress
of the Territories towards self-determination. We count on
the support of the specialized agencies and the
international community as a whole to continue to assist
the Non-Self-Governing Territories in enhancing their
standard of living and promoting their self-sufficiency.
We also truly believe that our combined and unrelenting
efforts will ensure the fulfilment of the promise of
freedom, lasting peace, sustained growth and sustainable
development for all the people of our planet in
accordance with the purposes and principles of the United
Nations.
My delegation welcomes the successful outcome of
the Conference on the Environment and Development in
1992, the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993,
the International Conference on Population and
Development in 1994, the World Summit for Social
Development convened in Copenhagen in 1995 and the
recently concluded United Nations Fourth World
Conference on Women in Beijing. Referring to the
Beijing Conference, we note with satisfaction that the
history of the United Nations for the past 50 years has
5

also been one of steady progress for women, from a drive
for their civil and political rights to their recognition as
equal partners in the broader societal context.
We appeal for the urgent implementation of the
recommendations, conclusions and decisions adopted in
these various international Conferences. We believe that in
their realization partly lies the possibility of lasting peace
and security, economic progress and social emancipation for
all humankind.
We note with satisfaction the positive role played by
our Organization in facilitating international agreement on
thorny issues, whose resolution would certainly have been
more difficult, if not impossible, in other forums. In this
connection, my delegation welcomes the new Agreements
signed at Marrakesh in April last year, establishing the
World Trade Organization. However, we stress the need for
a continuous assessment of its likely impact on developing
countries, especially the least developed among them. We
fear that countries which are net importers of food, such as
Sierra Leone, might face the prospect of higher food import
bills arising from the liberalization of trade in the
agricultural sector. Other areas in the Agreements which
open up competition between developed and developing
countries also need to be constantly reviewed to ensure that
the latter do not suffer unduly.
Since the end of the cold war, it has become
increasingly clear that the United Nations is finding it
difficult to deal with the challenges of the post-cold-war
era. As we enter the next millennium, we believe it should
be a strong, revitalized, effective and purposeful United
Nations, able to play its full role as envisaged in its
Charter.
With democracy taking root among nations, logic and
common sense dictate that decisions of the United Nations
should also carry the necessary imprint of the collective
will of its Members. Indeed, the Security Council, which is
charged with the primary responsibility for the maintenance
of international peace and security, should be perceived as
legitimate in its decision-making process. My delegation
takes the view that a more efficient, transparent and
democratic Security Council, embracing the views of a
wider sector of the international community, could stand it
in good stead to deal with the challenges of the next
millennium — challenges which touch humanity generally,
rather than individual States which often lack the capacity
and the ability to handle them successfully. Such challenges
include the problem of drugs, devastating diseases like
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), money
laundering, poverty and many more yet unknown. We
sincerely hope that the final outcome of the work of the
Open-ended Working Group on institutional reforms will
adequately address these concerns and offer appropriately
bold suggestions and solutions.
The relevance of the United Nations after 50 years
as an instrument for the peaceful existence and orderly
development of every nation no longer requires
justification. We commend the Secretary-General and the
Secretariat for initiating a restructuring process which will
ultimately ensure the enhanced viability and efficiency of
our Organization. We also pay tribute to all their
predecessors whose own efforts contributed to the
survival of the Organization. Member States owe it to
posterity to adopt a firm commitment to the provisions of
the Charter and not to undermine the credibility of our
common Organization. We renew our call for all Member
States to be resolute and uncompromising in the quest for
global peace, security and social and economic justice as
we move into the twenty-first century. Let me, in
conclusion, reaffirm my country’s commitment to the
United Nations Charter and dedication to the principles
which undergird our Organization.


Fifty years ago, learning the lessons of two world wars,
which in the space of one human generation had brought
unspeakable suffering to mankind, people of good will,
dedicated to peace and justice and determined to preserve
future generations from such horrors, founded the United
Nations. To ensure peace, justice and equality; to promote
collective security and peaceful coexistence; to encourage
economic and social progress for nations and peoples
through international cooperation; to develop and promote
respect for the rights of man and of peoples, in greater
freedom and without discrimination: these, inter alia, were
the main objectives of the founders of the United Nations.
What lofty goals! And now the time has come when
we have an opportunity to review what our common
Organization has achieved. This is a difficult but uplifting
task, and the big question is whether the objectives have
been attained.
Before going any further, however, Sir, on behalf of
the President of the Togolese Republic, His Excellency
General Gnassingbé Eyadema, and the Government and
people of Togo, and on my own behalf, I extend our
warmest congratulations on your magnificent election to
the important post of President of the General Assembly
at its fiftieth session. The community of the United
Nations, in unanimously choosing you to lead our work
at this historic session, pays tribute to you and to your
qualities as an experienced diplomat and also pays a well-
deserved tribute to your beautiful country, Portugal, with
which Togo is proud of having excellent and fruitful
relations of friendship and cooperation.
We also congratulate the other members of the
General Committee. In our view, their experience and
your mastery of international affairs augur well for the
success of our work. We assure you of the full
cooperation of the Togolese delegation to that end.
I should also like to extend the Togolese
Government’s greatest appreciation to your distinguished
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire, who presided so adroitly
and competently over the work of the forty-ninth session
of the General Assembly. This honour done to his country
and also to Africa is particularly encouraging. I should
like to say once again how sincerely we admire him.

I am also pleased to extend our warmest
congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-
Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his
tireless and unending efforts to ensure that the United
Nations continues to flourish and to preserve peace and
security in the world.
This session is an event in itself, coinciding as it
does with the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the
founding of the United Nations. A half century has
passed, and the various events that have marked the life
of the Organization have altered neither the purposes nor
the principles of its Charter, which must preserve all its
vitality and continue to be the legal and moral basis for
present-day international relations.
My delegation would like to pay a tribute to all
those whose imagination, creative spirit and intelligence
led to the drafting of the provisions of the 111 Articles of
the Charter. Their knowledge and ability helped to
preserve the world from a third world war, which, in this
age of increasingly devastating nuclear weapons, would
have been fatal to the entire world, including the owners
of the weapons.
14

In its daily search to ensure the wellbeing of peoples,
the Organization has adopted and implemented strategies to
respond to world concerns. In this connection, the Agenda
for Peace and the forthcoming Agenda for Development
bear witness to the United Nations resolve to realize its
noble ideals.
My delegation believes that the fiftieth session should
give serious consideration to the ways to work out the new
approaches that are needed if the Organization is to go
forward on solid and increasingly coherent bases in its
search for viable and lasting solutions to problems of peace,
security and development that pose a daily challenge to the
international community. What is important at this session
is the lessons we can learn from United Nations activities
over the past 50 years that will help us to deal with the
enormous challenges the third millennium will bring us.
The aspirations of peoples to participate even more
actively in the management of world affairs is evident in
every country. My country, like so many others on the
African continent, has been buffeted by the winds of
freedom and democracy. After more than three turbulent
years fraught with misunderstandings among our national
political figures concerning the stakes involved in
democratization, Togo has now completed its transitional
period towards democracy and the multiparty system. This
session affords me an opportunity to say that Togo has
regained its stability and its customary peace and quiet and
that our Government is now actively working to strengthen
the bases for a State of law.
Eager to promote national unity, the Togolese
authorities are continuing to take all possible steps to
establish a climate of peace, fraternity and concord. At their
initiative, on 14 December 1994 the National Assembly
adopted a law of general amnesty for those responsible for
the acts of aggression of 25 March 1993 and 5 and 6
January 1994.
Today, peace and order have been restored, for the
people of Togo have been able to surmount their opposing
views and achieve reconciliation. They have understood that
democratization is a long-term undertaking, one that must
be based on the historical, social and cultural realities of a
country if it is to be effective and promote political
stability, economic development and social justice.
Today, the collective effort to restore our national
economy is continuing without interruption and all the
people of Togo are determined to give of their best in the
rebuilding of what they hold most dear, their homeland
Togo, in order to restore its reputation and ensure its
active participation in the concert of nations.
Given the still fragile nature of our economy, and in
order to ensure the strengthening of democracy, political
stability and social unity, Togo calls upon the
international community to give its strong support to the
efforts our Government is undertaking to achieve the
country’s total recovery.
As I said earlier, the founding of the United Nations
was a response to the yearning of the peoples of the
world to live in peace, which is a prerequisite for
progress. Today, however, there is still a long road to
travel in the attainment of that peace, the principal goal
of the United Nations, for the world is still experiencing
horrible upheavals and intolerance that daily threaten the
hope of our peoples to live in a peaceful and secure
world.
Indeed, uncertainty, anxiety and despair still haunt
thousands of people, principally because of continuing
fratricidal conflicts and poverty. Rivalry among
neighbours, fanaticism and ethnic tensions continue
inexorably to stoke the fires of discord and create armed
conflicts, with all their accompanying horrors.
In Africa, the conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and
Somalia and the situations in Rwanda, Burundi and
Angola continue to present challenges to the international
community and to call into question its ability effectively
to ensure international peace and security.
With regard to the conflict in Liberia, which is now
being resolved, my country welcomes the signing of a
new Agreement on 19 August 1995 in Abuja under the
aegis of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), and the installation of the State Council and
Transitional Government pursuant to that Agreement.
Togo calls upon its brothers in Liberia to shoulder
their responsibilities to ensure the sincere and full
implementation of that Agreement. We urge them to do
all they can to guarantee the cease-fire, support the new
transition institutions and contribute in good faith to
disarmament with a view to establishing an environment
favourable to the organization of the general open
elections called for in the Agreement.
While the international community is witnessing a
nascent improvement of the situation in Liberia, the war
waged in neighbouring Sierra Leone by the Revolutionary
15

United Front (RUF) is continuing, with all its
accompanying misery.
My delegation would remind our brothers in Sierra
Leone that experience continues to prove the weapons do
not provide lasting solutions to any problem, no matter
what.
Turning to Somalia, my delegation deeply regrets that
no appreciable progress has been made since the last
session. Unfortunately, we are forced to state that despite
the relative calm there, Somalia has become a country
where national reconciliation and the establishment of a
Government based on broad consensus are still hypothetical
owing to fluctuating allegiances among the clans. That
situation continues to contribute to the eruption of violence
and hinders the advent of peace to that country.
My Government therefore urgently appeals once again
to our brothers in Somalia to enter into a true and solid
process of national reconciliation, the sole way to ensure
viable peace and establish a Somali State that the
international community would regard as representative.
In Rwanda, the situation following last year’s
massacres is still disturbing owing to the insecurity and
intolerance that make peace and stability fragile, jeopardize
the return of refugees and threaten to embroil the entire
subregion. Given the climate there it is imperative for the
Rwandese Government to persevere on the courageous path
of national reconciliation so that the country may regain its
unity and the political stability essential to its
reconstruction.
The international community must also commit itself
to lending real assistance to Rwanda’s efforts to establish
better conditions that will encourage the repatriation of
refugees to their country of origin.
In the neighbouring country of Burundi the no-war,
no-peace situation is still a matter of concern to my
country. Those involved in Burundi’s political life must
renounce all acts of violence of any kind and demonstrate
wisdom and mutual acceptance in seeking solutions to the
problems facing them.
In the same spirit, my delegation urgently appeals to
all the children of Burundi to adhere fully to the Agreement
of Government signed on 10 September 1994 and to do
everything they can to implement that Agreement in the
interests of peace and the people of Burundi. We believe
that they must also try to accept the initiatives of the
Central Conflict Prevention, Handling Management and
Settlement Mechanism of the Organization of African
Unity (OAU), which is attempting to organize a round-
table meeting of the parties involved in the Burundi crisis.
Here too, the international community must continue
to support Burundi so as to enable it to find peace as
soon as possible and to continue its development.
Turning to the situation in Angola, the Togolese
Government welcomes the resumption of the dialogue
between President José Eduardo Dos Santos and the
leader of UNITA, Mr. Jonas Savimbi. We noted with
great satisfaction the positive evolution of the peace
process under way as a result of the Lusaka peace
agreement. We welcome the two meetings that took place
this year, and we see in them the firm resolve of our
Angolan brothers to overcome their differences and set
about the irreversible creation of an atmosphere of
understanding which alone can foster peace and national
harmony.
My delegation greatly appreciates the active role that
the United Nations continues to play in the resolution of
that conflict, and we would call on the Secretary-General
to speed up the deployment of the forces to be made
available to the United Nations Angola Verification
Mission (UNAVEM III).
In Europe, despite diplomatic efforts to find a
definitive settlement of the conflict in the former
Yugoslavia, the situation there remains a source of
profound concern to all peace-loving countries.
My Government notes with regret that, in spite of
many measures taken by the United Nations, the state of
war in that part of Europe persists, continuing to claim
countless victims and give rise to flows of refugees and
displaced persons. Togo believes that the international
community must become more deeply involved in order
to stem, if not halt, the tide of massive destruction
advancing before our eyes.
In the view of my delegation, it is time for the Serb,
Croat and Bosniac leaders to give up the idea of acquiring
territory by force and to seek a definitive solution to the
conflict through negotiations, with a view to ensuring an
irreversible, comprehensive and just solution that would
guarantee sovereignty and territorial integrity to all the
States of the former Yugoslavia within internationally
recognized borders.
16

The recent positive developments in the Middle East,
marked essentially by the adoption of a timetable for the
second phase of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from
Palestinian cities and the transfer of new powers to the
Palestinian Authority, give my delegation grounds for
satisfaction. We regard these recently concluded agreements
as a great achievement, a decisive step towards the
establishment of a Palestinian State.
Togo congratulates the Israeli Government and the
Palestinian Authority for the courage, commitment and
initiative they have shown in implementing the Declaration
of Principles and the subsequent agreements despite the
many dangers that beset the path to peace. We urge them
to continue the quest for a settlement of the question of
Palestine through negotiations, the path they have chosen,
since true and lasting peace unquestionably involves
dialogue.
We would appeal to the good will of the international
community to live up to its commitments by providing the
Palestinian Authority with the necessary economic and
social assistance for the development of Gaza and Jericho.
With regard to the Golan, my delegation would urge
Israel and Syria to demonstrate far-sightedness, good will
and mutual understanding so as to arrive as quickly as
possible at an agreement that could bring a just and lasting
peace to the Middle East region.
Turning to Asia, Togo welcomes the establishment at
various levels of dialogue aimed at peaceful coexistence,
and trusts that this political will be maintained.
These various hotbeds of tension, which jeopardize the
existence of mankind and which my delegation has just
briefly described, are a challenge to our collective
conscience and, first and foremost, to the United Nations,
the only world structure that can ensure universal peace and
security.
On the eve of the second half of its first century, it
behoves our Organization to mobilize to combat the evils
afflicting the world and that make it vulnerable. That task
must be one of our highest priorities if we want to leave to
future generations a healthy world based on respect for
human dignity, love and justice.
To attain this prime objective, which is to prevent
conflicts from erupting or from continuing indefinitely,
prevention must increasingly feature in the forefront of the
measures taken by our Organization in favour of peace, for
it is always better to prevent war than to try to end it.
This justifies the great importance we attach to preventive
diplomacy.
My delegation believes that the various peace-
keeping operations being conducted in countries riven by
conflict must be accompanied and supported by the
parallel and systematic establishment of mechanisms for
a peaceful settlement. The measures provided for in
Chapter VI of the Charter must be increasingly employed
to this end. “An Agenda for Peace” can achieve its full
import only if the United Nations, in its quest for peace,
resorts to diplomatic procedures as a means of settling
disputes.
The objectives of peace and security that we seek
must necessarily also involve curbing the proliferation of
weapons of all kinds.
General and complete disarmament is and has for
many years been one of the main objectives of the United
Nations, whose attainment would bring peace, stability
and well-being for all. The energy with which we pursue
this goal must be maintained and, indeed, increased, if the
hopes of mankind to avoid a new holocaust are to be
fulfilled.
To that end, my delegation believes that we must
continue to encourage a tangible reduction in the nuclear
threat, the elimination of special fissile materials and the
conversion of nuclear installations for solely peaceful
purposes.
All these overarching tasks require the unconditional
support of all States, and particularly nuclear-weapon
States, so that we can use the resources made available
through disarmament for development.
Convinced of the need to free our continent from
nuclear weapons, the African countries have concluded
their consideration of the text of the Pelindaba treaty that
would establish Africa as a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
This instrument, prepared pursuant to the relevant
Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the
Organization of African Unity (OAU), will soon be
signed in Egypt. My country welcomes this development
as opening the way for the denuclearization of Africa, and
contributing to the international trend towards non-
proliferation. My delegation sees in the recent indefinite
extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and in the negotiations now
under way in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva,
17

the resolve of the international community to achieve
nuclear non-proliferation and to eliminate other types of
weapons of mass destruction.
With regard to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons in particular, Togo believes that its
indefinite extension is not an end in itself. We have to do
everything possible to ensure that it responds to the
aspirations of all the parties.
In general terms, Togo proclaims its deep commitment
to the various measures advocated by the United Nations
for the control of conventional weapons at the regional and
subregional levels. We continue to support all initiatives
that can facilitate disarmament and arms limitation, for all
these measures can help to maintain international peace and
security.
Within the context of the items relating to
disarmament, my delegation would recall the urgent need
to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations Regional
Centres for Peace and Disarmament. Designed to promote
peace and disarmament in various regions, these Centres
need financing to function and to carry out their
programmes of activities in order to attain the goals for
which they were established.
This is particularly true of the Centre for Africa,
which has its headquarters in my country. I would therefore
appeal to the good will of all Member States to support this
Centre by providing it with the help and assistance it needs
to carry out its activities and to contribute to the
maintenance and strengthening of the peace and security
which Africa so sorely needs to ensure its economic and
social development.
The Charter which we adopted in 1945 states in its
Preamble that the peoples of the United Nations are
determined to promote social progress and better standards
of life in larger freedom. Fifty years later, we must assess
the impact of action taken along the way to resolve the
enormous problems of development.
It is clear that serious efforts are made every day to
eliminate poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease and
illiteracy. And yet, despite the considerable input of the
United Nations and its specialized agencies, we must note
that many peoples, particularly in the developing countries,
still live in a state of great deprivation and are exposed to
all manner of scourges. In other words, the situation in
those countries is tragic: more than half a billion human
beings live in abject poverty; more than 180 million
children suffer serious malnutrition; and more than 1.5
billion individuals have no access to primary health care.
All this, as can be imagined, leads to the death of almost
3 million children every year.
This bitter truth is the result of the injustice and
inequality that characterize international cooperation
relations. In the absence of real understanding and
solidarity on the part of Member States, the poorest
continue to suffer and the well-off grow ever more
opulent. Distortions in economic relations between North
and South do not reflect the spirit of our Charter. For
decades now, the developing countries have called for the
establishment of a new, more just and equitable
international economic order, but their concerns are not
taken duly into account.
In this regard, it would not be overstating matters
to recall that the continued drop in our commodity prices;
the sharp deterioration in the terms of trade; the problems
relating to access for products from developing countries
in general, and African countries in particular, to world
markets; and the foreign debt burden are all obstacles that
must be removed if we are to accelerate and strengthen
the process of sustainable development.
It is important therefore that our partners in the
industrialized countries should try harder to understand
our problems in order that they may be better able to
support our efforts. This multifaceted support must seek
to ensure remunerative prices for our commodities and the
necessary technological support for processing these
commodities so as to ensure access for our products to
international markets. To that end, the international
community must provide special assistance to Africa in
order to build viable, lasting and competitive industrial
structures.
In this connection, my country would invite all those
involved in development, and particularly industrialized
countries anxious about the future of Africa, to give new
impetus to the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development, two major agencies within the United
Nations system established to promote industrialization
and the development of trade of the developing countries
as a whole and particularly in Africa.
At a time when the globalization and liberalization
of the world economy are accelerating as a result of
recent agreements made at the Uruguay Round, we should
create new opportunities for cooperation to help African
18

countries become part of the world trading system and
benefit from the advantages it offers for growth. The basic
way to do so is to help Africa, through the appropriate
transfer of technology, to progress like other regions and to
respond to new conditions governing access to markets in
order to become a real actor in the World Trade
Organization.
The prospects for Africa’s development are not
promising because the socio-economic situation is so
precarious and efforts made to date to step up progress
have proven vain. Indeed, Africa is being crippled under
the enormous weight of its debt. In 1994, the debt burden
reached $313 billion and today represents 231.3 per cent of
its export earnings, or an average of 71.6 per cent of its
gross domestic product. Moreover, the continuing drop in
official development assistance to African States has put
Africa in a very critical economic situation.
Far from accepting this situation as our fated lot and
aware that we must rely on our own efforts, this year the
African countries adopted, in Egypt, the Cairo Programme
of Action, which aims at ensuring the immediate
relaunching of Africa’s economic and social development
through political and economic reforms and a global and
coherent strategy. My country is ready to assume its share
of the responsibility in the implementation of that
Programme.
On the crucial issue of debt, Togo would once again
appeal to the international community and to the creditors
in particular to consider cancelling the concessional debt
rescheduled in the Paris Club. We would urge the adoption
of innovative measures to reduce the multilateral debt,
including the repurchase of that category of debt with the
proceeds of the sale of part of the International Monetary
Fund’s gold reserves. In short, this question must be
addressed on an equitable basis with a view to a lasting
solution.
Furthermore, giving new impetus to development in
Africa must include the mobilization of financial resources
both through official development assistance and through
private investment. In this regard, my delegation would
invite our partners in the developed countries to renew and
strengthen their political commitment to support the
recovery of the African economy, for economic and
financial stability in Africa will most certainly be in the
interests of the world economy.
Togo duly appreciates the efforts of the United
Nations and the international community over the past 50
years to promote economic and socio-cultural
development. In particular, we hail the initiatives that led
to the adoption of the United Nations Programme of
Action for African Economic Recovery and Development
and the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in
the 1990s, as well as the Paris Declaration and
Programme of Action for the Least-Developed Countries
for the 1990s.
It is none the less regrettable that the implementation
of these instruments, which were able to take into account
the concerns of Africa in various areas of development,
has yet to receive the support it deserves for the benefit
of our continent and the least-developed countries in
particular. Thus the economic and social performance
which they should have sparked has not lived up to the
expectations of the peoples of Africa.
In view of the present state of development in
Africa, the international community must make a
substantial contribution towards attaining the objectives
set forth, not only of the New Agenda for the
Development of Africa in the 1990s, but also of other
programmes of action. Africa needs to be given specific
attention commensurate with its problems, first among
which is poverty. Indeed, according to data collected by
the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the
number of the most needy rose from 105 million in 1985
to 216 million in 1990 and may reach 304 million by the
year 2000.
The collective security to which all peoples aspire
also depends on finding determined and credible solutions
to the question of poverty, to which a great portion of the
world is subject. Along the same lines, the Bretton Woods
institutions must do more to ensure that structural
adjustment programmes are politically, socially and
humanly feasible for those countries which must
implement them. My delegation concurs with the
proposals for reform of the international financial and
monetary system with a view to adapting them to the
needs of our day, to make it more equitable and to allow
it to respond to the true aspirations of peoples.
In its search for appropriate solutions to economical
and social problems, the United Nations was prompted
this year to organize the World Summit for Social
Development in Copenhagen. My country welcomed the
holding of that Summit, the first in the annals of our
Organization to offer such a marvellous opportunity for
deep reflection at the highest level on the issues of human
and social development that are of major importance for
19

mankind. My delegation welcomes the 10-point
commitments adopted at the Summit and hopes that in
implementing those commitments for the benefit of the
entire world all our countries will show the fervour that led
them to prepare and participate in the Summit.
The Fourth World Conference on Women, held just a
few days ago in Beijing, is another illustration of our
Organization’s determination not to neglect any of the
objectives it has set for itself. The Togolese Government,
which values women’s active role in the development
process and accords them rightful pride of place in human
society, will spare no effort to implement the
recommendations emanating from that Conference. We urge
the international community to shoulder its share of
responsibility in the implementation of those
recommendations so that women can fully play their role in
building a peaceful and prosperous world.
With regard to the question of the environment, my
delegation welcomes the signing in Paris, in October 1994,
of the international Convention on combating drought and
desertification, and we welcome most especially the entry
into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity and
the Convention on Climate Change. However, we do not
believe that the signing and entry into force of those
Conventions are an end in themselves. In the light of the
universal concern of a few years ago over the extensive
degradation of the environment and the enthusiasm aroused
by the Rio Conference, our countries must take the
necessary measures to attain the objectives set forth in
those various international legal instruments.
This coming 24 October the United Nations will be
commemorating its fiftieth anniversary. It has at times been
difficult to put into effect the purposes and principles of the
San Francisco Charter, and the results achieved have not
always lived fully up to our expectations. But with the
beginning of this new phase, one could hope that — on the
basis of lessons learned by evaluating the activities of the
past half-century and on the basis of Member States’
capacity to adapt to the ever-shifting realities of the
international context — our Organization will truly live up
to its new ambitions.
As it is about to enter the second half of its first 100
years, the United Nations must preserve its universality and
consolidate its vitality, through prudent reform and
appropriate strengthening of its entire system and its
principal organs, including the Security Council, so that
justice and equality may triumph.
The enormous tasks awaiting our Organization on
the eve of the third millennium require that Member
States have greater political will so that the objective of
the restructuring and democratization process now under
way can be attained to the satisfaction of all, and so that
Member States can participate together, on the basis of
sovereign equality, in managing the affairs of the world.
The same political will is needed in order for
development assistance to regain priority status, so that
the men, women and children of the countries of the
South will enjoy the support that is essential for them to
prosper.
In doing all this, an inestimable contribution will be
made to the promotion of human rights and the right to
development, which is another way of averting threats to
domestic, regional and global peace and security.
As for my country, it renews its commitment to the
noble ideals of the United Nations, and, as always, it will
do its utmost to help build a world of peace and justice
for all.


It gives me great pleasure to
extend warm congratulations, on behalf of the delegation
of Myanmar and on my own behalf, to Mr. Diogo Freitas
do Amaral on his assumption of the presidency of the
General Assembly at its fiftieth session. The diplomatic
skills and experience he brings to his high office assure
us of a successful session.
Allow me to take this opportunity to express our
appreciation to Mr. Amara Essy, Foreign Minister of Côte
d’Ivoire, for having so successfully guided the
deliberations of the last session.
The United Nations is 50 years old this year. It is
both a time for celebration and an opportunity for
reflection. The Organization has evolved over time and
has served us well for half a century. The significant
increase in the membership — from the original 51 to the
present 185 — underscores the continuing relevance of
the United Nations. However, vast transformations are
now taking place, and reforms in the structure and work
of the Organization must be instituted to reflect the new
realities. We wish to see a more efficient and result-
oriented Organization — one that retains mechanisms
which have proved effective and adopts innovative
measures to ensure cooperation in the post-bloc world.
Security Council reforms constitute one of the most
important issues to be addressed. Myanmar stands for a
pragmatic approach that will ensure that the Council
evolves into a more representative, effective and
21

democratic body. To judge from the work done during the
last two sessions of the General Assembly by the Open-
ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable
Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the
Security Council, it is clear that there is a convergence of
views that the Council should be enlarged. The enlargement
should however be accompanied by measures to make it
more effective. It should ensure equitable geographical
representation and at the same time preserve the possibility
for smaller States to serve on the Council.
Myanmar fully supports the position of the
non-aligned countries which stresses the importance of
enhancing the effective and efficient functioning of the
Security Council by adopting measures geared towards
reforming its working methods and procedures.
Myanmar welcomes the actions already taken to
enhance the relationship between the Council and the
general membership as well as measures to improve its
working methods and procedures. We are particularly
pleased to see that the Council has initiated the holding of
orientation debates and briefings by the President of the
Council for States non-members of the Security Council.
We see the need to enhance cooperation between the
Security Council and the General Assembly in accordance
with Articles 10, 11, 12 and 14 of the Charter. We also
share the view that reforms can best be achieved through a
combination of means that include General Assembly
resolutions, changes in the rules of procedure, and
appropriate amendments to the Charter where necessary.
At the same time, the role of the General Assembly —
the one forum where all the Member States are
represented — should be reviewed to enable it to deal more
effectively with outstanding problems and to allow it to
focus on the new challenges of our times.
We consider it vital that there be a more dynamic
relationship between the main organs of the
Organization — the General Assembly, the Security
Council and the Economic and Social Council.
In recent years the United Nations, despite constraints,
has been in the forefront of the international community’s
efforts to deal with the unresolved problems of the cold-war
decades as well as new ones that have surfaced. It has been
called upon to meet the burgeoning demand for
peace-keeping. In some cases, like Angola, Cambodia, El
Salvador and Mozambique, it has scored successes. In some
others, like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Somalia, it has
come under heavy strain and has proved to be ineffective.
The lesson to be learned is that the Security Council
should be far more conscious of when and under what
mandate to begin peace-keeping operations. Such
operations must have clearly defined objectives. More
important, agreement among major Powers must carry
with it the support of the majority of the Member States
if it is to have the desired result.
If the United Nations system is to be revitalized and
strengthened, the basic issue of adequate financing,
particularly of peace-keeping operations, must be
addressed. Whether that happens depends on us. The
United Nations can only be as strong or as effective as
Member States choose to make it. The limitations of the
United Nations should not encourage Member States to
take precipitate action. As a Myanmar saying goes:
“When mice enter the granary, we must catch the
mice and not set fire to the granary”.
The founders of the United Nations also envisaged
it as an international body for the promotion of the
economic and social welfare of all peoples. Even though
the right to development is recognized as an inalienable
human right, the disparity between developed and
developing countries continues to widen. Member States
should reaffirm their commitment to cooperate in creating
an international economic environment conducive to the
realization of the right to development. Without
development there can be no prospect for lasting peace.
In this regard I am pleased to note that in his
recommendations on an Agenda for Development the
Secretary-General last November stressed that
development should be recognized as the foremost and
most far-reaching task of our time.
The United Nations was established on the principle
of the equality of all its Members. The mandate of the
Organization is to advance peace and security, and bring
international justice and economic and social development
to all peoples. While it deserves to be commended for its
vital role in the historic process of decolonization which
led to the independence of more than 80 countries, much
less can be said for its efforts to create an equitable
international economic order.
I am pleased to note that the perceptible
improvement in the international climate is generating a
favourable impact on some long-standing issues such as
the Middle East peace process. The initial steps taken two
years ago towards a durable peace have now been
followed by firm strides. Myanmar joins other nations in
22

welcoming the accord signed by Prime Minister Rabin and
Chairman Arafat in Washington, D.C. on 28 September
1995. We hope that it will pave the way to a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
Just as the family of nations must work together to
ensure international peace and stability, individual States
must promote peace within their territories. I am happy to
be able to say that in Myanmar peace reigns as never
before and that the momentum for positive change
continues. The Government has set 12 objectives in the
political, economic and social fields and is working
steadfastly to achieve them.
A unique feature of Myanmar is that it is a union
composed of well over a hundred national races. Unity
among the different national races is essential for the
preservation of our independence and sovereignty as well
as for the economic and social progress of the country. The
Government has adopted policies to prevent the
disintegration of the Union, ensure the non-disintegration of
national solidarity, and ensure the perpetuity of our
country’s sovereignty. Moreover, with a view to building a
peaceful, prosperous and modern nation, my Government
has formulated and is pursuing clear objectives in the
political, economic and social spheres.
Allow me to focus briefly on some of the main issues
on our national agenda.
The first issue of ensuring the stability of the State.
National reconsolidation is an indispensable component of
my Government’s policy to achieve peace and tranquillity.
A national convention has been convened to draft a new
Constitution which would be in harmony with present-day
realities and would reflect the aspirations of the entire
nation.
Secondly, in the economic sector guidelines have been
formulated to promote all-round development of agriculture,
which forms the mainstay of the nation’s economy. At the
same time, Myanmar has laid out a welcome mat to foreign
and domestic investors in order to attract capital and
technical know-how.
Thirdly, progress is sought in the social sector in order
to buttress political stability and economic progress, which
constitute foundation-stones for a peaceful, prosperous and
modern State. We are engaged in efforts to strengthen the
fabric of society by rekindling the spirit of patriotism and
uplifting the moral integrity of our citizens. The
Government is endeavouring to preserve the national
character and cultural heritage and to raise the standard of
education and health of the entire country.
It is a source of immense pride and satisfaction that
our efforts have achieved a significant measure of success
in charting a new course for the country. Insurgency,
which was born with our independence, is now coming to
a close. The unprecedented return to the legal fold of 15
out of the 16 armed groups speaks volumes for our
efforts at national reconsolidation.
On 10 July 1995 the Government also lifted the
restrictions placed on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The lifting
of restrictions is unconditional. A large number of
individuals against whom action had been taken in
accordance with the laws of the land have also been
released.
I am also pleased to be able to say that we in
Myanmar have been shouldering our responsibilities in
combating the menace posed by narcotic drugs. The
Myanmar Armed Forces have been mounting major
offensives against drug traffickers, including the forces of
Khun Sa. Since the end of 1988 there have been 823
engagements with the drug traffickers. In these clashes,
16 officers and 567 other ranks from the armed forces
sacrificed their lives for the country, 55 officers and 1,744
other ranks were wounded in action and 153 weapons
were lost. Enemy losses amounted to 720 killed, 118
captured, 221 surrendered and 708 assorted weapons
seized. The numbers speak for themselves. We are
determined to wage war against the drug traffickers as a
matter of national responsibility and we see it as our duty
to humanity. Our men have sacrificed life and limb so
that the world may be rid of the scourge of narcotic
drugs. The actions of the Myanmar Armed Forces deserve
to be accorded due recognition, just as the Blue Helmets
have been commended for their valour and courage.
In order to succeed in the fight against narcotic
drugs the Myanmar Government in May 1989 initiated an
integrated rural-development programme of an
unprecedented nature and scope in the border areas.
Subsequently, in 1992 a separate ministry devoted to the
development of border areas and national races was
established. We are fully confident that once those areas
are developed, the living standards of the local populace
are raised and alternative means of livelihood are made
available, poppy cultivation will be totally eradicated.
We have relied on our own resources in promoting
the development programmes in the border areas. Over
23

2,842 million kyats, the equivalent of US$ 400 million,
have been expended for infrastructure-building. We are
grateful that, recently, Japan approved a grant of 1 billion
yen — US$ 10 million — to be used to purchase fertilizers
and agricultural machinery and implements for the food-
development programme in the border regions. It is our
hope that others too will join hands with us to develop
those regions in order that humanity may be freed from the
menace posed by narcotic drugs.
On the economic front, Myanmar has made important
gains. The economy registered a growth rate of 6.8 per cent
in 1994-1995, and prospects look bright for the future.
Foreign investment in Myanmar totals US$ 2.7 billion and
is expected to reach $4 billion by the end of the year.
An indicator of the pace of the development of the
economy is the dramatic increase in the production of the
staple crop, rice, permitting the export of over 1 million
tons. In the meantime, Myanmar is fulfilling the basic
needs of the people and is striving to narrow the gap in
living standards between urban dwellers and the rural
population.
In the realm of international relations Myanmar has
consistently pursued a policy of peace and friendship with
all States, and especially with neighbouring countries. A
recent landmark event was Myanmar’s accession to the
Treaty of Amity and Cooperation at the twenty-eighth
Ministerial Meeting of the Association of South-East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei, paving the way for
Myanmar’s eventual entry into ASEAN.
In the light of the political and socio-economic
transformations taking place in the country and the
increased cooperation with its neighbours, Myanmar
continues to make important contributions to peace and
stability in the region and in the world.
The commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the
United Nations is a time for reflection and for resolution.
I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to renew
my country’s dedication and commitment to the purposes
and principles of the Charter and to pledge that Myanmar
will contribute, however modestly, to the realization of a
United Nations which will both serve the cause of world
peace and fulfil the needs of humanity.
In this new era we must strive to ensure that all
nations can live together in peace and harmony. Every
nation must also strive to keep its house in order. We have
a responsibility in our time, just as the founding fathers of
the United Nations had in theirs, to bequeath to the
generations to come a world that is secure and peaceful.