Allow me first of all, and with particular gratitude, to
extend to the President’s predecessor, His Excellency Mr.
Amara Essy, our warmest compliments for the care and
discipline he displayed during his presidency of the forty-
ninth session of the General Assembly. Our compliments
also go to the other officers who worked with him.
Allow me also to extend the sincere congratulations
of the delegation of the Principality of Monaco to the new
Bureau that has just been elected and say how pleased we
are to see this fiftieth session of the General Assembly
under the esteemed authority of Mr. Freitas do Amaral.

The country he represents, a country that is open to
the world, tolerant, accessible, culturally rich and enriched
by the cultures it has encountered throughout its history,
deserved to be given this recognition. Our General
Assembly decided to give it and we are deeply gratified.
His personality and great political experience at the national
and international levels, has recognized abilities and
dynamism should all help to ensure the success of this
important session.
Its importance is first of all symbolic. Since man
invented calendars, anniversaries have been occasions for
celebration and rejoicing, and, as many speakers have said
before me, for taking stock.
Since its inception, our Organization has lived through
highly complex political, economic, social and cultural
events and phenomena which make any appraisal difficult.
It position and role have grown constantly and gained in
importance over the past fifty years. The expectations that
people have for it and the hopes they place in it can be
measured by the depth of the disappointment and bitterness
that can be seen in cases of failure or difficulty.
Has the United Nations not always tried to respond to
the constant and often conflicting appeals made to it? Its
responses are inspired by the fundamental values that
prevailed when the Charter was drafted in 1945. Let us not
forget that our States, by joining the United Nations,
recognized the universality of these values. We must remain
true to them and provide assistance whenever they are
endangered. Recent events, still fresh in all our minds, have
reminded us that these values have not always been
respected and that faith in fundamental human rights, in the
dignity and worth of the human person, and in the equal
rights of men and women and of nations, large and small,
has not always been shared. And so, at this fiftieth
anniversary of our Organization, these values must be
recalled forcefully and with conviction at every opportunity
so that these same values can be the inspiration for each of
our resolutions, and every text we adopt.
Above and beyond the States that we represent and
their legitimate political interests, it is individuals — often
vulnerable and adversely affected by poverty or war —
who must be the recipients of international cooperation. It
is our duty to live up to their expectations.
When we look at the situation in this way, whether in
terms of the Organization as a whole or in terms of certain
of its organs, such as the Security Council, it becomes clear
that there is a constant effort at adapting on the part of the
international community, and a need — widely
anticipated — to make our Organization more
performance-oriented, more representative and closer to
the concerns of its membership.
We have followed with interest the work of the
various Working Groups set up to that end. We have
participated, and we have made suggestions, inter alia,
with regard to equitable representation within the Security
Council and an increase in its membership.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase
in the membership of the United Nations, and today it
includes all, or almost all, nations of the Earth. And so it
would seem quite normal that its decision-making bodies,
including the Security Council, should reflect this new
reality. As the famous French writer and philosopher Paul
Valéry wisely said, we have reached the stage when the
end of the world is beginning. For this reason, we must
now redouble our efforts and heighten our vigilance so
that our Organization may be able to respond to this
universality, in a relevant manner and in all its diversity
and richness.
Along with reforming its decision-making bodies, the
United Nations must continue to improve its functioning
and restructure its operations. Major efforts have been
made. We would thank the Secretary-General for this, and
we would also thank the members of the Secretariat.
Improving the functioning of this Organization must
take account of the need to strengthen its multilingual
nature. Every staff member should know at least the two
working languages of the Organization. Using just one
language deprives the Organization of a rich resource. If
we wish to really enhance the effectiveness of the
Secretariat, we should first of all concentrate seriously on
improving the language abilities of staff members so that
they have a truly international culture and dimension.
As can be seen from our history, the people of
Monaco and the Government of our Principality, like all
peace-loving peoples, follow very closely all initiatives to
reduce armaments and transform the arms race — which
has gone on too long — into a race towards disarmament.
Let us hope that with the end of the cold war, this
approach will be strengthened and that despite technical
and financial problems, disarmament processes will not
only continue but speed up.
We must more than ever ensure that respect for
international treaties and agreements and for international
14

law shall replace the balance of terror, and that the law thus
serve justice.
It is in this spirit that we wholeheartedly welcome the
indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons. Our Principality was in favour of this
extension, and so once again we would thank the parties to
the Treaty for this courageous decision, which was inspired
by trust and hope. We welcome the initiative of the Powers
that have already entered into a commitment — which had
been expected for next fall — to ban, over the short term,
all nuclear-weapon tests. This is a major advance.
Our Government also welcomes particularly the
decisions taken at the meeting, currently under way in
Vienna, aimed at establishing a moratorium on the
production of anti-personnel land-mines. We trust that this
example will be followed widely.
Since joining the United Nations, the Principality of
Monaco has been co-sponsoring the resolution on assistance
in mine clearance. By contributing financially to the
voluntary fund created for that purpose, my country’s
highest authorities wished to become involved, in a
concrete way, in the implementation of that resolution. The
international community, quite rightly, was shocked by the
death and mutilation caused by these mines, which afflict
mainly civilian populations, and children in particular.
Our delegation would hope that significant progress
could be made in strengthening security and cooperation in
the region of the Mediterranean, in the spirit of resolution
49/81, which we co-sponsored and which was adopted on
15 December 1994. Our Principality hopes that we will
always be involved in all the initiatives relating to the
Mediterranean countries.
We are also ready to support all initiatives in favour
of international cooperation relating to the peaceful uses of
outer space and those intended to develop, in collaboration
with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, education and information programmes in
support of disarmament. Making young people aware of
this issue is a fundamental guarantee for peace in the years
to come.
While general and complete disarmament, no doubt
still far off, may today seem utopian to some, nevertheless
that goal must remain our ambition. For when weapons
awaken, their might and their destructive power are
limitless.
This year, conflicts have been particularly
devastating. Wars of another age have become the wars
of our age, attacking, brutally and without distinction,
men, women, children and defenceless old people.
The Government of the Principality is thus resolutely
in favour of strengthening preventive diplomacy on the
part of the United Nations. We would thank the
Secretary-General for the initiatives he has already taken
to promote the settlement of many disputes and to avoid
the eruption or continuation of conflicts. The “Supplement
to An Agenda for Peace'” is an irreplaceable source of
ideas, suggestions and wise solutions.
It is no longer tolerable that the Blue Helmets be
mistreated, humiliated, taken hostage and used as human
shields with no means of defending themselves. Those
men and women are no doubt ready to sacrifice their life,
but not their dignity.
This is a particularly appropriate time to stress —
because recently the Organization has been criticized very
sharply — how much it has contributed to the successful
solution of disputes, which have sometimes been very
difficult ones, and how much courage has been needed to
take certain decisions and to carry out certain operations
successfully.
The hopes for peace coming out of the Middle East
and Bosnia and Herzegovina represent a significant
recognition of the courage that has been demonstrated,
and they are an invitation to us to continue to persevere
and to be optimistic. The report of the Secretary-General
on the work of the Organization reminds us, in a very
timely way, of this, mentioning the 24 operations
currently under way in the areas of preventive diplomacy,
the restoration and maintenance of peace, and the four
major operations, which he describes as multifaceted.
Coordination within the Secretariat between the three
Departments involved in peace-keeping operations
responds to current needs and concerns, a fact we note
with great satisfaction.
When diplomacy, at the end of its tether, cannot
prevail and conflict erupts, then barbarism triumphs. No
law of war, no humanitarian law, can control it. The most
vulnerable human beings and those without weapons are
not spared. The only way to help them is by humanitarian
assistance.
15

In conditions that are always very difficult and
sometimes dangerous, many humanitarian operations have
been conducted in a most admirable way in the last few
months. Men and women have lost their lives, and I pay
tribute to their suffering and to their memory. I would pay
tribute in particular to the “blue helmets”, the soldiers of
peace, and to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees and to UNICEF, as well as to the many non-
governmental organizations, some well-known, some less
well-known, that have all worked tirelessly, constantly and
with determination to protect, feed and provide medical and
health care to populations that are adrift, assaulted by
ruthless armed conflict.
This year, the Principality of Monaco contributed a
large percentage of its public efforts to financial
contributions in the humanitarian and social fields. We will
continue to do so, hoping that the action that is taken to
this end can be completed as the conflicts themselves cease.
We would like to lend our support, and this is in the
spirit of the suggestions made by the Chairman of the
delegation of Monaco, His Serene Highness, Crown Prince
Albert, to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session,
to the thinking now under way on the strengthening of the
coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance provided
by the United Nations.
The international Tribunals created on the initiative of
the United Nations designed to prosecute those responsible
for crimes against international humanitarian law in the
territories of the former Yugoslavia and of Rwanda must be
quickly established and enabled to function so as not to
disappoint the hopes that have been placed in them.
The idea of an international criminal court also
deserves consideration and support.
Humanitarian actions and respect for international
humanitarian law are corollaries in a period of armed
conflict to the struggle being waged by the United Nations
to ensure general and universal respect for human rights.
Since the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights
in Vienna, significant progress seems to be under way.
With human and material resources that are far from
sufficient to meet actual needs, the Centre for Human
Rights, thanks to the commitment and the extensive
experience of its staff, is successfully continuing its work.
The increase in the number and the quality of the
consultants and the technical assistance provided plays a
major role in ensuring that human rights are no longer
just a concept, but become a reality. The presence in
many countries of specialists working in varied areas,
such as training, education, legislative reform and public
information is one way of anchoring human rights and,
thereby, the state of law in society on a day-to-day basis.
The dispatch of observers to certain troubled regions
of the world today is also an excellent initiative. We hope
that it will continue, because it strengthens the moral
presence of the United Nations. The creation of the post
of High Commissioner is also in keeping with this
approach, and we would encourage his actions.
International cooperation in favour of the respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms, which is one of
the basic vocations of this Organization, is being
strengthened thereby.
Rights that are applied to certain categories but
which should remain universal — as the Fourth World
Conference on Women in Beijing has just rightly recalled
by describing women’s rights as being inseparable from
human rights — must be recognized and strengthened in
their application.
The implementation of international Conventions
relating to those rights is an essential element in this
strengthening process. The committees set up pursuant to
those instruments are the focus of this process and of the
arrangements made to implement it. They must be given
the means to act and to react.
The Government of Monaco is particularly involved
in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child of 20 November 1989, and that of the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Racial Discrimination of 21 December 1965, to which
the Principality of Monaco has just become a party.
The human condition in the twenty-first century will
depend to a large extent not only on respect for civil and
political rights, but also on the promotion of economic,
social and cultural rights.
It is in terms of human rights that we have to look
at development, a point made in the 1993 Vienna
Declaration.
The recent World Summit for Social Development
in Copenhagen also adopted this approach. My
16

Government noted with interest the conclusions of the
Fourth World Conference on Women, which has just ended
in Beijing.
All of this leads us to think, as does the Secretary-
General, that development must first of all be recognized as
a primary task of our age.
The fundamental objective must be to improve the
standards of living of people throughout the world,
including the developed countries, where an increasingly
large part of the population is excluded from the benefits of
progress.
The satisfaction of basic needs and the elimination of
poverty, hunger, sickness and ignorance must be goals that
we constantly seek to attain, using all available means.
The Government of Monaco devotes a major part of
its resources to social assistance, particularly for women
and children, those who are most in need.
The celebration in 1996 of the International Year for
the Eradication of Poverty will be an excellent occasion for
strengthening the implementation of these
recommendations.
Recent work on the “Agenda for Development” has
attracted close attention. For the Principality of Monaco,
development must above all be sustainable and based on
balanced economic exchange and trade, harmonious
regional integration and careful protection of the
environment.
The implementation of Agenda 21, the Conventions
and resolutions adopted at Rio de Janeiro in support of the
environment and development, is in our view a priority.
The General Assembly has decided that 1998 shall be
the Year of the Oceans. The people of Monaco, like all
peoples that love the sea, are eagerly awaiting this event.
Through our history, our traditions and our economy
Monaco, like many other countries in the world, depends to
a large extent on the sea and its resources, whether these be
living, commercial, tourist or industrial.
Protecting this valuable element of the environment
against all kinds of thoughtless pollution and over-
exploitation is a major concern. Enough must be done at
the regional and international levels to protect it. In the
Mediterranean, the Principality of Monaco is doing what it
can, along with its closest neighbours France and Italy,
within the framework of international agreements with
practical and specific goals.
The year 1998 must be an opportunity for us to
become more aware and to launch new multidisciplinary
and well-planned programmes so that the next century
will not see an irreversible worsening of the state of the
seas and oceans. In this connection, we are glad that the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is
willing to act as the secretariat for the world programme
of action to protect the marine environment against land-
based pollution. The Government of Monaco will be
interested in this programme and any other action to
eliminate organic pollution from the marine environment.
The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco is involved
in the international initiative to protect coral reefs. We
have organized an exhibition to make the public more
aware of the need to protect coral, which is particularly
sensitive to all forms of pollution and which, to develop,
requires a healthy and protected environment. The UNEP
programme on regional seas deserves encouragement.
I cannot conclude my statement without mentioning
the very serious financial crisis that the Organization is
going through. The measures taken by the Secretary-
General are mere palliatives. If all Member States were to
live up to their commitments there would be no problem;
there would be no need for working groups or committees
of experts, which, after all, involve additional expenditure
for the Organization.
In conclusion, I should like to repeat something that
was said by a famous politician: the United Nations, like
nations, shapes its own future; nothing good comes to it
by chance; those that serve it are those that develop their
inner strength.


At the outset I have pleasure in extending to
Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral and to his friendly country,
Portugal, my sincere congratulations on his election as
President of the General Assembly for this session, which
marks the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, when
the Organization is celebrating its golden jubilee. In
wishing Mr. Freitas do Amaral success in conducting the
proceedings of this session, I assure him of my delegation’s
readiness to cooperate fully with him towards achieving the
desired objectives.
I should like also to take this opportunity to express
my thanks and appreciation to Mr. Freitas do Amaral’s
predecessor, Mr. Amara Essy, for his dedicated and sincere
efforts in guiding the proceedings of the last session.
It is also a pleasure to express my deep appreciation
to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his
tireless efforts to enhance the international Organization’s
standing and role and to enable it to carry out its great
responsibilities and tasks.
The United Nations was established 50 years ago
with the purpose of becoming the effective means of
saving humanity from the scourge of war which had
plagued the century. The Organization was also designed
to serve as a mechanism aimed at developing a new
international order based on justice and equality for all
and the promotion of human and cultural interaction
amongst the world’s various peoples in the framework of
a secure international community.
States and peoples, in their desire for security,
stability and cooperation, supported the principles
enshrined in the Charter, including those which call for
ensuring the sovereign equality of and mutual respect
between States, refraining from the threat or use of force,
entrenching the principles of settling disputes by peaceful
means, respecting every State’s territorial integrity, and
refraining from interfering in the internal affairs of others.
Guided by these principles, the United Nations has
achieved numerous accomplishments at the political,
economic and social levels. Many nations and peoples,
with the support of the United Nations, have been able to
achieve political independence, attain their legitimate
rights and implement development programmes.
The 50 year experience of the United Nations
embodies profound indications of the future of a changing
world in which the enormous interacting developments
have not yet reached the limit. The most prominent
among those signs is, perhaps, the end of the era of
confrontation between East and West at a time when the
human race is on the threshold of a new century. The
profound significance of these developments is that the
prevailing political climate has given rise to a situation
that favours the correcting of certain trends in
international relations and their development in a manner
that takes into account the new circumstances and
changes in several regions of the world.
In the context of these historical premises, world
Powers have been concerned that changes might lead
them to proceed in disparate directions which, it was
feared, would make it difficult for the international
community to check the unrestrained pace of the changes
so engendered and control their effects on world peace
and security. Thus it becomes essential to develop a
balancing strategy for joint international action, especially
now that interdependence and multilateralism must form
the basis of cooperation in international relations.
18

This political reality was given expression on 31
January 1992, when the Security Council — for the first
time — held a meeting at the level of Heads of State and
Government. The Council then requested the Secretary-
General to prepare a report containing analyses and
recommendations concerning ways of enhancing and
strengthening the capabilities of the United Nations in the
areas of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-
keeping. Recently, on the occasion of the fiftieth
anniversary of the United Nations, the Secretary-General
has submitted the important “Supplement to An Agenda
for Peace'”, in which he set out his views and thoughts as
a contribution to the continuous drive to enhance the
Organization’s capability to face up to threats to
international peace and security.
The significance of this new tendency was underscored
during the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and its Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21
as well as in many other important international
conventions relating to development and the environment.
It was further confirmed during the International
Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo
last year. Both the World Summit for Social Development,
held in Copenhagen, and the Fourth World Conference on
Women, held recently in Beijing, confirmed the principle of
interdependence and recognized its importance.
These world conferences and meetings have made the
United Nations a global forum for the international politics
of multilateralism. Efforts are now being directed towards
addressing the problems of the future, such as
environmental pollution and population explosion, in
addition to economic and social crises and other dilemmas
of a universal character.
This increasing tendency to act in accordance with the
principles of interdependence and multilateralism is
undoubtedly a positive one that is in consonance with the
purposes of the Charter. However, certain aspects of the
current international situation raise a number of
fundamental questions concerning the role of the United
Nations and its influence on the current developments on
the international scene which serve as pointers to the shape
of future relations between States.
Such questioning includes, for example: How will the
Organization steer a course amid the new features of the
modern political topography which is changing due to
incessant strategic changes of international policies? How
will the major Powers identify the role of the United
Nations in the area of interdependence and international
multilateralism? And how will they deal with crises in
areas of high tension around the world?
It is obvious that such questioning has to do, in
essence, with two fundamental issues. The first is the
future of collective security, as envisioned in the Charter,
for the remaining part of this century and during the next
century. The second is the mechanism for international
economic and social cooperation to which the major
industrial States will agree.
A search into the legacy of the United Nations
during half a century leads us to say that these two issues
will constitute the major characteristics of international
relations in the twenty-first century. The problem of the
realpolitik policies pursued by the Powers that influence
the formulation of international relations is that they do
not seem to be in harmony with the principle of collective
security. The problem of international economic and
social cooperation lies in the fact that the concepts of
economic and social development held by the wealthy
industrialized countries are at variance with those of the
developing countries vis-à-vis the economic and social
aspects of development issues. In our view, this difference
of outlook creates obstacles that not only impede the
implementation and development of international
cooperation but also affect the manner in which economic
and social problems are dealt with.
The two issues of collective security and
international economic and social cooperation should be
accorded an increasing importance since they embody the
solid foundation of stability and progress in a world that
is in a state of flux. The need to attach such importance
to those two issues arises from the fact that, for over 50
years, the international community has not been able to
reach consensus on how to put into practice the principle
of collective security in line with the vision of the
Charter. In so far as international economic and social
cooperation is concerned, the North-South dialogue has
not led to any positive result in over three decades.
Given this fact, the world has to evolve new
perceptions on how to address the issues of collective
security and international economic and social cooperation
in the context of a practical perspective that takes into
account the new changes that have taken place in the
world.
In our view, it is possible, once the international
community musters the necessary political will, to put
19

into practice important aspects of the principle of collective
security along the following lines:
The creation of a mechanism that meets on a regular
basis within the framework of the Security Council to
monitor and detect threats to world peace and security.
The development and better use of the mechanisms of
preventive diplomacy in preventing, containing or
pre-empting conflicts before they develop into serious
hostilities.
The development, in all seriousness, of the ideas and
concepts embodied in Chapter VII of the Charter, in the
light of the international community’s experience, to
become the basis of dealing with aggression as it arises.
The utilization of the capabilities of regional
organizations in the context of United Nations cooperation
with such organizations in the maintenance of world peace
and security.
As regards international economic and social
cooperation, this too requires the existence of the political
will, especially on the part of the wealthy industrialized
countries, to create an equitable global economic
environment that may contribute to the achievement of
stability and prosperity for all States and peoples.
We believe that the gap which exists, in the areas of
economic growth and social advancement, between the
wealthy industrialized countries, with their enormous
economic resources, and the developing countries, is among
the most chronic and significant problems that face the
international community.
Regrettably, the commitments to implement the
development policies and strategies agreed upon in the
United Nations with a view to narrowing that gap have not
been honoured. It goes without saying that the United
Nations will not be able to discharge its mandate in an
environment fraught with disparities, because the poverty,
unemployment and lack of productive employment that are
rampant throughout the world are negative factors in the
area of development. Proceeding from its awareness of this
reality, the United Nations has convened the World Summit
on Social Development in Copenhagen to address the
urgent and serious issues of social development that face
mankind. We believe that the implementation of the
policies set out in the Summit’s Declaration and
Programme of Action should take place within the context
of the religious principles, national legislation, customs
and traditions of every State.
It is essential at this stage to reopen the dialogue
within the United Nations system between developed and
developing countries concerning all development matters,
on the basis of the commitments set out in the
Declaration on International Economic Cooperation and
the International Development Strategy for the Fourth
United Nations Development Decade. To that end, a new
and practical development plan has to be adopted with a
view to ensuring compliance with the decisions of the
various United Nations development conferences, so that
the desired objectives of those decisions may be achieved.
We are convinced that international cooperation
could be enhanced and strengthened through the adoption
of policies leading to the activation of the United Nations
role in the area of economic and social cooperation by
means of addressing such world problems as development
and environment. Also, world trade mechanisms should
be developed in accordance with the common interests of
States and in an equitable manner that takes into account
the requirements of development and the economic
problems of the developing countries, accords due
attention to the socio-political aspects of the economic
problems that beset those countries and aims at
consolidating the foundations of their economic security.
Notwithstanding its accomplishments, on the one
hand, and, on the other, the obstacles and failures it has
encountered for reasons beyond its control, the United
Nations now finds itself facing a new challenge. This new
challenge forces it to deal with crises and problems
caused by ethnic, national and even religious and cultural
conflicts and clashes between parties that belonged to
States and territories which had originally been unified in
accordance with agreements reached in the wake of this
century’s wars.
In view of the tense regional and international
atmosphere caused by the eruption of those heretofore
dormant volcanoes and the ensuing changes brought about
by such eruption, it has become essential to enhance the
role of the United Nations and provide it with the
necessary means of dealing effectively with such crises
and resolving them before they develop into devastating
wars between the sons of this or that country such as
those we now witness in Afghanistan, Somalia, the
Balkans and other parts of the world where peoples are
suffering destruction and destitution.
20

In addition to the new issues that the United Nations
now faces in the wake of the cold war, there is a host of
regional and international questions that continue to be
cause for concern and require the attention of our
Organization. Top of the list is the situation in the Gulf
region which, in the recent past, witnessed two destructive
wars whose consequences continue to affect adversely the
region’s political and economic conditions and to jeopardize
its security and stability. Proceeding from our eagerness to
preserve security and stability in this vital region of the
world, we call upon all parties to pay heed to its
importance as an area where international interests criss-
cross and as an area of strategic importance to world trade.
In the light of these facts, we stress the need for Iraq
to comply with Security Council resolutions concerning the
State of Kuwait and the release of Kuwaiti and other
prisoners of war and detainees. While we call upon Iraq to
respond fully to the behests of international legality, we
must voice our concern over the territorial integrity,
sovereignty and unity of Iraq which must be preserved and
express sympathy with the brotherly Iraqi people who
endure difficult economic and social conditions that should
end once their causes cease to exist.
The persistence of the dispute between the United
Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the
question of sovereignty over the islands of Abu Mousa,
Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb is regrettable in view of its
adverse effects on the Gulf region’s security and stability.
Consequently, Bahrain calls upon the Islamic Republic
of Iran to respond to the United Arab Emirates call to seek
a solution to the question of the islands through serious
bilateral talks, or by any of the other peaceful means that
are available for the settlement of disputes between States
by mutual consent.
The Middle East has embarked on a new historical
phase wherein optimism holds sway with the adoption of
the principle of negotiation and respect for law as a means
to settle disputes between States instead of war, violence
and occupation of territories by force. The peace process in
the Middle East has taken significant steps since the historic
Washington meeting 13 September 1993, which resulted in
the signing of the Agreement on Principles between the
Palestinians and Israel. It was followed by the signing of
the Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel on 26 October
1994 and the signing of the second phase of the Agreement
of Principles on the expansion of Palestinian self-rule
between the Palestinians and Israel in Washington on 28
September 1995. The sparkle of optimism that has glittered
on the horizon should not be allowed to die out as a
result of the Israeli settlement policies that aim at
changing the demography of the occupied Arab territories,
particularly Al-Quds, in order to create a new reality.
Bahrain welcomes these steps and reaffirms its
support for the Middle East peace process. It also
supports the endeavours and efforts that aim at reaching
a just, comprehensive and durable solution based on the
principle of land for peace as well as Security Council
resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Proceeding from
this, Bahrain reaffirms its support for the position taken
by the Syrian Arab Republic regarding the restoration of
its full sovereignty over its territories in the Syrian Golan
that has been occupied since 1967. It is also important
that the peace process should be reactivated on the
Lebanese track and that Israel should be compelled to
comply with Security Council resolution 425 (1978). For
if peace is to prevail, it should include all parties without
exception.
We appeal to all the parties involved in the dispute
in Somalia to allow the creation of a secure climate that
is conducive to the continuation of political efforts and
humanitarian activities. Such continuation depends on the
cooperation of those parties and on their adherence to the
principle of dialogue and understanding in order to
achieve a political settlement that would ensure the
restoration of peace, security and stability to this sister
nation.
The State of Bahrain has, from the beginning,
followed with utmost attention and deepest concern the
situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with all the
human tragedies and injustices resulting from the policies
of aggression and criminal acts, including killings,
deportations and ethnic cleansing, committed by the Serb
aggressors against the people of Bosnia. The crisis has
taken several turns and twists and has been accompanied
by political moves by regional and international parties
that have almost deprived the international community of
credibility.
Bahrain has supported all United Nations resolutions
relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has endorsed all
the efforts and initiatives undertaken by the United
Nations, as well as other organizations and all those who
desire peace and uphold justice.
As the Serbs have gone too far in their aggression
and in defying the will of the international community in
pursuit of their expansionist and aggressive schemes that
21

have been exposed to all and rejected by all, we see a ray
of light on the horizon which gives cause for hope that, at
long last, a solution for this human tragedy may be at hand
and might finally redeem the international community’s
silence over the plight of the Bosnian people.
Bahrain supports the positive developments that are
taking place now in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It calls upon
the international community and the Security Council to
maintain pressure on the Serb aggressors towards
compliance with United Nations resolutions and accepting
a just and equitable solution for all parties. In particular,
the solution should be just and equitable for the Republic
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose people have suffered
material losses and have been subjected to inhuman
suffering as a result of the occupation of parts of their
territories.
While we voice deep concern over the ongoing
conflict in Afghanistan, we should like to call upon the
parties involved in the conflict to resort to reason and logic
and, thereby, reach a cease-fire and work for peace,
stability and national reconciliation.
The United Nations has deployed continuous efforts
over the past few years towards the settlement of the
Cyprus problem. In this connection, we should like to
reiterate our support for the efforts of the Secretary-General
that aim at reaching a just resolution of the problem in
accordance with the provisions of the relevant Security
Council resolutions.
Bahrain, having supported the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the objectives
thereof,is of the opinion that the Treaty, being an
instrument of international peace and security, should apply
universally with no exceptions or special considerations.
We should like, meanwhile, to stress the need for upholding
the Treaty, adherence to its provisions and pursuit of its
objectives. Bahrain views Security Council resolution 984
(1995), despite the limited nature of the guarantees it
embodies, as a first positive step towards security
guarantees that are applicable to all, for States which do not
possess nuclear weapons.
Bahrain supported the initiative of making the Middle
East a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction on the basis of its belief in the importance of
peace, security and confidence building amongst all States
of the region. It has also endorsed the resolution adopted by
the conference of the parties to the NPT and the arms
limitations Treaty, despite its shortcomings. We are
confident that a Middle East zone free of nuclear and
weapons of mass destruction would enhance the peace
process and lead to a situation wherein enormous
financial resources would be saved and channelled
towards the economic prosperity and social development
of the peoples of the region.
Regional cooperation has become one of the
necessities of our modern world in view of the
intertwined interests of the peoples of the world. It is thus
a complementary part of, rather than a substitute for
international cooperation. It serves today as an effective
means for the promotion of economic prosperity and
mutual understanding with a view to establishing strong
relations based on mutual trust, good-neighbourliness and
non-interference in the internal affairs of others.
The Arab Gulf States have long recognized the
importance of regional cooperation amongst them in
enabling them to face the imminent risks that beset the
region. More than 15 years ago, they established the Gulf
Cooperation Council with a view to reinvigorating Gulf
joint action and strengthening the historical and brotherly
ties between the Gulf States on the basis of the unity of
objectives and a common destiny. The Council’s march
has witnessed positive developments in the fields of
coordination and cooperation amongst its member States.
The resolutions of the fifteenth summit which Bahrain
had the honour of hosting and presiding over have
strengthened this march. The summit had historic
significance in that it addressed crucial Gulf issues by
adopting resolutions that reaffirmed the determination to
widen the scope of cooperation, to surmount obstacles and
to settle all outstanding matters within the Council and
the unified Gulf family. Brotherly and friendly States
have welcomed these steps and expressed the hope that
the same spirit would apply to all issues so that all the
States and peoples of the region may reap the benefits of
security, stability and prosperity.
The Governments of the States members of the
Council have undertaken to continue to promote all
aspects of cooperation between their States and with other
economic groups, to look forward positively to the
prospects of future work and to develop strategic visions
that take into consideration the interests and priorities of
the other members of the Council and those of other
States in the interests of peace, security and stability in
the region and in the world at large.
The strengthening of the United Nations role and
increasing its capabilities and effectiveness require the
22

developing of its bodies, including the Security Council, the
organ concerned with international peace and security. The
need to develop the work of the Council has become an
important issue that has the unanimous support of Member
States in view of the current international changes. We
believe that such development should reflect the equitable
geographic representation of all regional groups in order to
increase the effectiveness and level of efficiency of the
Organization and to achieve balance in the Council, so that
its membership may be representative of the world’s
different cultures. As member of this international
Organization, Bahrain looks forward to participating in the
work of the Council during the period of its membership
scheduled for 1998-1999.
We all aspire after a world of security, cooperation
and peace. Our international Organization, equipped as it is
with its membership’s intellectual and cultural values and
with the high principles and noble objectives enshrined in
its Charter, is quite capable of satisfying this aspiration.
However, in order for the United Nations to do so, we, its
Members, must give the Organization our full support on
the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary so that it may
achieve in our behalf what we all desire, namely, justice
and peace.


Allow me first, on behalf of the Romanian
delegation, to congratulate Ambassador Freitas do Amaral
of Portugal most sincerely, and all the members of the
Bureau of the General Assembly, on their elections.
Romania is fully committed to the ideals and goals of
the United Nations Charter and, as an active Member,
deeply appreciates the activity of the United Nations at this
time of an anniversary celebration when it is in the process
of redefining itself in order to meet the present international
requirements and to anticipate what will happen in the third
millennium.
Allow me to convey to the Secretary-General,
Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, our deep appreciation for his
sustained efforts to adapt the United Nations to the ever-
increasing requirements of a totally changing world. I did
that already in Bucharest when he visited us last autumn.
At that time we had a very useful exchange of views on
problems concerning cooperation between Romania and the
United Nations and concerning the availability and
openness of the Romanian Government to support, and
actively participate in, the global efforts of the United
Nations.
Romania is at present celebrating, not only the fiftieth
anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, but also
the fortieth anniversary of its admission to this world
Organization. Despite its sacrifices and its important
contribution to shortening the Second World War and the
victory of the United Nations coalition, Romania was
admitted to the United Nations 10 years after the Charter
came into force. None the less, my country has proved its
responsible commitment and its active role in the most
important debate on international matters and in promoting
the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
In the six years since December 1989 the legislative
and institutional framework for a democratic society has
been constantly under development in Romania. The broad
consensus of all political forces in my country eloquently
proves that we as a nation have opted to become a law-
abiding State with respect for political pluralism, for a
market economy and for fundamental rights and
freedoms. The new institutions that have been established
are now in operation and at the same time have been
consolidated, thus contributing to the democratization of
our society and the acceleration of the process of
transformation, in keeping with the strategy for
socio-economic reform which my Government has.
The complex reform programme has been unfolding
successfully. In 1995 the reality in Romania differs from
that at the end of 1992. The success of macroeconomic
stabilization, and the improvement in the macroeconomy
in general are an important argument for the integration
of Romania into the European Union as it is an argument
for other countries of central Europe.
That does not mean that reform in Romania is going
along smoothly and without obstacles. As is the case with
other central European countries, its implementation
involves large social costs which require permanent social
security measures.
In this sense, I should like to emphasize the support
and encouragement that the United Nations has given to
Romania and to other countries in transition, which show
the capacity of the world Organization to support the
reform process.
In this context, my delegation wishes to welcome the
Secretary-General’s report entitled “Support by the United
Nations system of the efforts of Governments to promote
and consolidate new or restored democracies”. We feel
that a substantial debate on this subject could define a
new dimension for United Nations activity. Romania,
which next year is to organize the Third International
Conference of New or Restored Democracies has decided
to make that meeting an important event for the
promotion of democratic values throughout the world.
Romania’s political objectives are determined not by
circumstances but rather by its decisive commitment to
democracy, market economy, respect for human rights
and the need to ensure the country’s peace and prosperity.
We believe that Romania’s integration into European and
Euro-Atlantic economic, political and security
structures — the principal goal of our foreign policy —
will stimulate our own efforts at democratization and
reform. At the same time, this demonstrates the
Government’s willingness to make a noteworthy
contribution to the achievement of the goals of those
institutions and to the creation of favourable conditions
37

for stability and security in Europe as well as peace and
security in the world.
By openly and unequivocally stating its basic interest
in becoming part of the Euro-Atlantic economic, political
and security structures, Romania is in no way neglecting its
relations with its neighbours. Indeed, the furthering of
relations with our neighbours, on a new footing, is a
primary concern.
In this connection I would mention the recent initiative
taken by our President, His Excellency Mr. Ion Iliescu, who
invited Hungary to join in consecrating the historical
reconciliation, on the Franco-German model — a
remarkable example of success in the European spirit.
Romania has solemnly stated its willingness to
undertake all diplomatic steps to move beyond the stage of
purely political statements and to make the notion of
reconciliation a fait accompli. The direct and unconditional
invitation to Hungary to forge, with us, the future of our
nations in a European spirit goes beyond a mere political-
diplomatic step, envisaging as it does the establishment of
a social and political framework based on greater
confidence and more intensive cooperation.
To put it another way, for Romania reconciliation
means a consciously assumed and systematically pursued
process. At the same time, it should constitute for our two
countries the surest way to achieve integration into the main
institutions of the new Europe, thereby contributing to the
consolidation of stability and security in the region and thus
in the rest of the continent.
Romania’s initiative in launching an appeal to
Hungary to enter together into the historical reconciliation
that is so greatly desired is the natural result of a policy of
good-neighbourliness and understanding that Romania has
been constantly pursuing with all its neighbours.
Dialogue and pragmatic cooperation in various areas
of activity with States from all regions of the world is,
moreover, another important direction of our foreign policy.
The disappearance of the iron curtain gave birth to a vast
and complex process of international détente by creating a
genuine framework for dialogue and cooperation between
States.
The renunciation of confrontational policies and the
lessening of the nuclear threat created the conditions for the
indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons. We are convinced that that success
will assist the negotiations aimed at the elimination of
other weapons of mass destruction and lead to greater
transparency, both in the area of armaments and in the
area of security guarantees, as well as to a complete ban
on all nuclear tests.
In recent years the United Nations has repeatedly put
forward new concepts and mechanisms regarding
international peace and security and economic and social
development.
In that context, I am grateful for this opportunity to
recall the constant support Romania has given the Middle
East peace process by encouraging the continuation of
dialogue and contacts among the parties concerned. In
recognition of its contribution to the positive results of
that peace process Romania was invited to participate in
the multilateral negotiations on the Middle East. It is
prepared to participate in working groups on regional
economic cooperation, water resources, the environment
and refugees. Totally convinced that reason will prevail
and that the irreversible Middle East peace process must
be supported, in the future also Romania will encourage
and support understanding and cooperation among all the
peoples of the region. We sincerely hope that through the
common efforts of all the parties involved, the United
Nations and the international community, new progress
will be achieved so that a comprehensive solution to the
problems of that region can be found.
The Yugoslav crisis continues to create deep concern
in Romania, given its close proximity to the conflict zone.
Romania has appealed many times to the parties involved
in the conflict to refrain from any action that might lead
to the deterioration of the situation and to halt military
actions and resume negotiations. Faithful to its position of
principle, Romania hails yesterday’s adoption, at the
United States Mission to the United Nations here in New
York, of a joint statement of supplementary principles for
a constitutional settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Romania will actively support any proposal and any
realistic action that will accelerate the pacification process
in the territory of former Yugoslavia, including its
peaceful reconstruction.
The political and military crisis in former Yugoslavia
shows that attempts to achieve ethnic separatism and to
gain territorial autonomy on the basis of ethnic criteria or
to establish ethnic enclaves are not viable solutions. To
the contrary, they may become sources of conflict and
create enormous suffering for the population.
38

I should like to reaffirm from this rostrum the
Romanian Government’s decision to continue to strictly
respect the sanctions imposed on the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), despite the immense
economic losses to our country. We do hope, nonetheless,
that the competent international institutions will take a more
careful look at the effects of the sanctions on third States
and that they will rigorously and realistically assess the role
sanctions can play in the peace process. We hope that
States that are in a position to do so, international financial
institutions, competent bodies and United Nations
programmes and specialized agencies will all respond to the
General Assembly’s appeal in resolution 49/21 A
concerning economic assistance to States affected by the
implementation of the sanctions against the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). At the
same time, we would be interested in seeing the Security
Council take decisions, in line with the progress achieved
in the political settlement of the crisis, with a view to
lifting the sanctions.
The situation in the eastern area of the Republic of
Moldova is still a source of some tension. We are
convinced that the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops,
whatever their form or denomination, from the territory of
that independent and sovereign State remains the key to the
solution of the conflict in the eastern regions of the
Republic of Moldova. Indeed, we note with satisfaction that
the international community shares that view. We welcome
the agreement reached between the Republic of Moldova
and the Russian Federation on the withdrawal of Russian
troops from the territory of the former country. We view
this as a positive step that can contribute to increased
stability in the area, and we express the hope that this
agreement will become operational.
The United Nations has quite rightly been given a
principal role in designing a new world order, one capable
of responding to the hopes and aspirations of peoples. To
achieve that goal, we believe, the United Nations must
adapt its structures to the requirements of economic
development and must pay increased attention to
harmonizing commercial practices, technical cooperation
and monetary policies of Member States and international
financial institutions.
Recent United Nations activity has been marked by an
important series of summit conferences which have dealt
with topics of major interest to all mankind. These
conferences have emphasized the urgency, the seriousness
and the complexity of the topics they have dealt with and
have expanded the sphere of action of international
consensus regarding programmes throughout the world
related to the environment, population, social
development, human rights and the status of women. We
feel that the United Nations and Member States must
focus their efforts on the ways and means necessary to
implement the decisions adopted by those conferences.
In this sense, I should like to mention the Plan of
Action adopted by the Cairo International Conference on
Population and Development. The usefulness of this
document was reconfirmed at a regional seminar on its
implementation in the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe which was organized recently in Romania in
cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA). At the same time, I should like to express my
Government’s readiness to organize a similar meeting in
Bucharest next year to consider the progress achieved at
the regional level in implementing the provisions of the
Platform for Action adopted by the World Conference on
Women, held in Beijing.
It is clear that the major global problems taken up
by the United Nations cannot be resolved without
adequate financial support. The unparalleled increase in
the number of major problems brought to the attention of
the United Nations has not been accompanied by an
increase in necessary resources. The United Nations is
today faced with a severe financial crisis. One possible
approach to this crisis should be to consider the more
effective use of available internal resources, the
elimination of duplication in activities, more effective
document control, productive use of human resources,
strict financial monitoring and a permanent process of
cost-benefit analysis.
With regard to the use of resources, peace-keeping
operations deserve special mention. The unprecedented
increase in these operations indicates, among other things,
a more active involvement on the part of the United
Nations in the management of crises and in preventive
diplomacy. This new trend has necessitated an increase in
resources. If we take into account that the great majority
of present conflicts involving United Nations peace-
keeping operations are internal, we have to admit that the
international community has very limited means for
exerting pressure. Continuing ineffective operations does
not serve to achieve the goals of the United Nations
satisfactorily, and consequently the Romanian delegation
supports the trend towards a closer and more rigorous
examination of all decisions related to launching new
peace-keeping operations or continuing existing ones.
39

Romania has made known its interest in limiting and
preventing conflicts in different areas of the globe, not only
by promoting and encouraging the discovery of political
solutions, but also by participating in United Nations peace-
keeping operations in Iraq and Kuwait, in Somalia, in
Rwanda and in Angola. Romania is determined to make a
substantial contribution to such operations and initiatives.
To this end, a special programme has been adopted to
increase our capacity to react adequately to any request
from the United Nations or other bodies while strictly
respecting the principles governing the activities of the
United Nations.
If we look back over the long road the United Nations
has travelled during its half century existence and, in
particular, if we look at the efforts it has made to adapt
itself to the dynamics of international life in the last five
years, we are convinced of the value and the historic
destiny of the United Nations. I should like to assure the
Assembly that Romania, with its dedication to peace, its
desire to cooperate at all levels — bilateral, regional,
multilateral — its firm commitment to protect international
peace and security, its commitment to democratic values
and respect for human rights, is determined to support the
common heritage of values of the United Nations. Our
presence among the Members of the United Nations for 40
years is based on the prestige and the moral authority
which the United Nations enjoys in the eyes of the
Romanian people.
For this reason, we shall, with all our energy and our
available resources, remain committed to the noble duty of
serving the ideas and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations.


The world is aware that the
fiftieth session of the General Assembly marks a major
milestone in the global events that have charted and guided
international affairs. My delegation is pleased to be a part
of this world Organization.
My delegation wishes to congratulate His Excellency
Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal on his election
to the presidency of the fiftieth session of the General
Assembly. We take this opportunity also to thank
Mr. Amara Essy, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Côte
d’Ivoire, for his exceptional performance in the conduct
of the proceedings of the forty-ninth session.
My delegation wishes to make due mention of the
efforts and achievements of the Secretary-General, His
Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. His optimism as
he confronts the challenges that face this Organization
and his determination in his will to find solutions to many
of the daunting problems of a world fraught with political,
economic and social changes have contributed, in a large
measure, to the successes and gains recorded by the
United Nations.
The success of the United Nations Mission in Haiti
is one achievement to celebrate, when the duly-elected
President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was reinstated following
the removal of the military almost a year ago. Democracy
and the rule of law and order are of paramount
importance to the peoples of the Caribbean region who
cherish freedom, justice and law and order. Grenada
continues to support United Nations initiatives undertaken
in collaboration with other hemispheric organizations to
build on the processes that are being put in place to
ensure sound social and economic development where
democracy can flourish.

Grenada applauds the ongoing process of
democratization in South Africa and supports the initiatives
undertaken by the South African Government, assisted by
the international community, to enhance the lives of its
entire population.
Grenada welcomes, too, the building of the peace
process in the Middle East with the expansion of Arab
control over Arab settlements within the West Bank,
although it is recognized that much work has yet to be done
if we are to see lasting peace in that region.
My delegation is hopeful that similar attempts at
peacemaking in the Balkans will result in bringing the
warring parties together to work out a negotiated settlement
to the conflict.
The world stands at the threshold of a new era, a time
of great challenges and a time of significant promise. The
choices that we make will determine whether we experience
economic, social and political successes or failures. The
international economic environment is rapidly being
transformed as new centres of economic power and new
partnerships are established. Indeed, these new economic
realities have important implications for the survival of
small and vulnerable economies such as Grenada’s, which
are so heavily dependent on a favourable external
environment.
It can hardly be disputed that the traditional economic
and trade relations on which Grenada relied for so long are
now being threatened and could shortly cease to exist. The
process of adjustment to the new hemispheric challenges
resulting from the entry into force of the North American
Free Trade Agreement on 1 January 1994; the conclusion
of the Uruguay Round agreements of the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; the establishment of the
World Trade Organization; the call for the establishment of
a free-trade area of the Americas by the year 2005; and the
formation of the Association of Caribbean States will
undoubtedly pose challenges which will require adjustments
on the domestic level, particularly on the part of our
manufacturers.
Furthermore, these recently formed and soon to be
established trading blocs will significantly transform the
trade policy framework in which developing island
economies will have to operate into the twenty-first century.
While these will offer us new trading opportunities,
particularly in the medium to long term, they will in the
short term cause us to face many transitional problems,
mainly because of the erosion of preferential access that
we now enjoy in major markets of the developed world.
It is in this context, therefore, that Grenada issues a
call to the developed world to work with us as we
formulate appropriate policy responses to realize the
benefits from and adjust to the changes in the global
trading system. It is to be emphasized that the new
European Union regime for bananas, though not in
essence an effect of the Uruguay Round, will result in
major losses in export revenue for all the Windward
Islands in the Caribbean. Moreover, the challenge of this
limited preferential arrangement by some of our closest
allies in the developed world is cause for serious concern.
I must remind this distinguished gathering that the
issue of bananas has much more than economic
significance. Indeed, the heavy dependence on this
agricultural commodity by thousands in our islands
must — I repeat, must — be underscored.
In fact, the destruction of the banana industry would
lead to serious hardships and could constitute a threat to
our traditionally sound democratic process. Sustainable
human development in our small island States could be
severely threatened.
My delegation wishes to make it clear that, while
Grenada embraces the philosophy of trade liberalization,
tolerance and an understanding of our cause on the part
of larger economies are necessary. We cannot hope to
develop without a significant inflow of technical
assistance, foreign capital and technology.
We therefore call on the countries in the developed
world to provide us with this much-needed assistance in
order to ensure that we can participate effectively in this
emerging “New World Trade Order”.
My delegation will continue to argue that moves
towards global trade liberalization and reciprocity should
complement and not obstruct the efforts of less developed
countries to implement positive structural reforms.
Grenada, for its part, has already commenced the process
of substantially reducing import tariffs and other barriers.
What is now sought is a recognition of these
initiatives and a negotiating framework in which our
ability to achieve greater market access is enhanced,
while our economic and financial restructuring can take
place in a manner and time-frame appropriate to our
special circumstances.
2

Grenada continues to support the view that special and
preferential treatment cannot continue in perpetuity. But it
must be recognized that the special needs of the relatively
less developed countries must be taken into account. The
challenge, therefore, is how to design an acceptable
reciprocal arrangement among unequal partners that will
promote prosperity through free trade and integration in our
world without endangering the process of sustainable social
and economic development. It is crucial, therefore, that the
developed countries assist the developing world to create
domestic capabilities that will enhance its capacity to draw
benefits from trade liberalization and will soften the burden
of adjustment to the new requirements of global free trade.
The question of the environment and of sustainable
economic development remains at the heart of our concerns.
It is also a central issue for small island developing States
in particular, and developing countries in general.
If we continue to reaffirm that human beings are at the
centre of sustainable development and that they have a right
to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature,
action must be taken at all levels and, all the more so, at
the international level, to facilitate the process. This would
ensure that developing countries, and particularly small
island developing States, are provided with the know-how
and the resources to enable the implementation of the
decisions and recommendations arising out of the United
Nations Conference on the Environment and Development
in Rio in 1992, the United Nations Global Conference on
the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States in 1994 in Bridgetown, Barbados and the many other
significant global Conferences.
The vulnerability of small island States and the threat
to our fragile ecosystems were recently manifested by the
passage of hurricanes Iris, Luis and Marilyn. Our economic
viability and sustainable economic growth are indeed at
stake. In this regard, Grenada looks forward to the
fulfilment of pledged commitments by developed countries
to assist small island developing States achieve sustainable
development.
The role of science and technology in development
must be underscored. My delegation calls upon developed
countries to provide developing countries with the necessary
access to biotechnologies to promote and facilitate
sustainable economic growth.
Information technology and human resource
development are key elements towards social and economic
progress — elements which would enable us to improve
our productivity and competitiveness in priority areas as
we move into the twenty-first century.
The United Nations was created by men of vision,
courage and foresight who understood the need for
cooperation among nations and for hope over despair.
Undoubtedly, the United Nations, in its “Agenda for
Development”, has succeeded in bringing to the world’s
attention the need for a re-evaluation of the role of the
United Nations in development, taking into account such
critical issues as the empowerment of women, the
alleviation of poverty and hunger and the link between
development and population, human rights and the
creation of an environment for world peace and security.
The social forces of poverty are among the leading
causes of environmental degradation and a significant
contributor to the loss of biological diversity. Poverty and
unemployment also contribute to greater social problems,
among which is the illicit traffic in narcotics. Efforts to
eradicate the traffic in illicit drugs can have little effect at
the national and international levels unless commitments
are made and agreements are entered into to develop
programmes aimed at the alleviation of poverty.
My delegation is hopeful that the follow-up to the
World Summit for Social Development, held in
Copenhagen in March this year, will embrace those
principles which call for social inclusion and which
facilitate the development of strategies to ensure that
youth, the disabled and the elderly play a more
meaningful role in social and economic development.
Indeed, the Fourth World Conference on Women,
which ended only last month in Beijing, has given
impetus to the need for programmes that speak to the
issues of women in development and, most critically, the
empowerment of women in local communities, enabling
their full participation at all levels in the process of
national development.
Grenada is encouraged by the new spirit of
international cooperation built on a shared partnership
between multilateral financial institutions and
Governments. However, the models suggested for
economic development have not been sufficiently tested
and are often ill-suited to meet the needs of the society in
which they are applied, sometimes resulting in disastrous
social and economic consequences.
While we seek to put in place all the necessary
measures to ensure the efficient and effective management
3

of our domestic affairs, we strongly urge multilateral
institutions to include in these models for development a
component that provides skills training and, in particular,
training in the use of technologies to enable young people
to find productive employment in the private sector and to
facilitate the process towards equitable social and economic
development.
My delegation also supports the United Nations
response to security and international humanitarian needs
and encourages greater emphasis on human-rights
monitoring.
We live in an era of changing norms and of emerging
nations and democracies, where no institution or country
can stand alone. In this connection, the reforms currently
being undertaken within the United Nations system should
yield more positive results — greater collaboration and
cooperation on issues, rather than confrontation and
disunity. New, emerging economic nations or Powers are
eager to take their rightful place in institutions and agencies
once dominated by traditional super-Powers.
Grenada also believes that in this era of reform and
restructuring within the United Nations due consideration
should be given to a composition of the Security Council
that reflects the geopolitical and economic realities of our
time.
On this auspicious occasion, as we celebrate the
fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, let us reaffirm
our commitment to the principles of the Charter which
guides this Organization. Grenada not only wishes to
emphasize adherence to these principles, but has worked to
establish conditions under which all peoples may exercise
their equal and inalienable rights.
In his opening statement the President of the General
Assembly at its fiftieth session stated:
“the United Nations has ceased to be an
intergovernmental organization with a limited
membership and has become the only international
organization that is universal. Efforts must be made to
ensure that all States that are not yet Members should
seek to be admitted in the near future. For the same
reason, the most serious penalty imposed on a
Member State should never be expulsion, but rather
suspension”
for an indefinite period
“, for the United Nations must, as a matter of
principle, include all the world’s countries.” (Official
Records of the General Assembly, Fiftieth Session,
Plenary Meetings, 1st meeting, p. 7)
But as we meet today the Republic of China on
Taiwan and its more than 21 million people remain
excluded from participation and representation in the
United Nations. It is on the basis of that principle of
universality that Grenada urges all Members to consider
that, in renewing our oaths, we should forthwith seek to
right this wrong. The inclusion of the Republic of China
will be an added contribution to global cooperation in
fields such as trade, economic development,
environmental protection, sustainable development and
multilateral efforts to fight drug trafficking. Moreover, the
Republic of China is committed to the promotion of
international development assistance to developing
countries.
Grenada wishes to urge again that an ad hoc
committee be set up at the earliest possible time to
consider the special case of the Republic of China on
Taiwan and respond positively to its wish to join this
world Organization.
My delegation is confident that improved
cooperation between developed and developing countries
and the consolidation of related agencies and programmes
would lead to enhanced prospects for the discovery of
solutions to global problems and for the promotion of
sustainable economic, social and cultural development.
As we look forward to celebrating the fiftieth
anniversary of the Untied Nations, and as individual
nations formulate plans and strategies to move into the
twenty-first century, which poses as many challenges as
it presents opportunities, let us recommit ourselves to the
noble principles of the Charter, guided by the spirit of
partnership and cooperation, ever united in our efforts to
achieve peace, democracy and prosperity for all our
peoples.


The delegation of Cameroon congratulates Mr. Diogo
Freitas do Amaral on his election to the presidency of the
General Assembly at its fiftieth session. We wish him well
as he guides the work of this historic session, which
coincides with the commemoration of the fiftieth
anniversary of the Organization. Knowing as I do
Mr. Freitas do Amaral’s distinction as an educator and a
statesman, I welcome his election.
Moreover, the President represents a friendly country,
Portugal, whose involvement in Africa is of long standing
and which shares with Cameroon a part of our history:
When he alit on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in 1472,
the Portuguese Fernando Po was much impressed with the
abundance of shrimp in the waters off what is now the city
of Douala and named the place “Rio dos Camarões” —
Shrimp River — from which Cameroon takes its name.
We also convey our appreciation to His Excellency
Mr. Amara Essy, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Côte d’Ivoire, for the way in which he carried out his
responsibilities as President of the General Assembly at its
forty-ninth session.
Finally, we pledge to the Secretary-General,
Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, our constant support in his
tireless efforts to enable the Organization to attain its
noble purposes.
It is of enormous significance that the present
session of the General Assembly should coincide with the
fiftieth anniversary of the Organization. The United
Nations, which sums up and expresses the deep-felt
aspiration of the peoples and nations of the world to
peace, freedom and progress, has become an
indispensable conclave of nations. The Organization’s
universality makes it the ideal forum for governing the
world order.
The celebration of the fiftieth anniversary should
therefore be a source of satisfaction to the entire
international community. It provides an opportunity to
gauge how far we have come since the beginning and to
consider our views on the future of the Organization.
When they created the United Nations after the Second
World War, the founders affirmed their determination to
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
Fortunately, for more than half a century the
North — once the epicentre of most of history’s major
conflicts — has been a place of peace and cooperation;
and, despite the build-up of weapons of mass destruction,
the rivalry between the two great ideological and military
alliances did not drag international society into a third
world war, which would have sealed the fate of mankind.
Aware of the danger to the world posed by the arms
race, the United Nations encouraged the conclusion of the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and
its indefinite extension; it has promoted the creation of
denuclearized zones, inter alia in Africa, and the
conclusion of the Convention on the prohibition of
chemical weapons; and it has given decisive impetus to
multilateral negotiations on disarmament.
We are glad that, in its ongoing quest for peace, the
Organization has been able when necessary to adapt the
Charter to the realities, including by devising the notion
of peace-keeping operations, which have defused many
conflicts and created favourable conditions for dialogue
and negotiation.
By awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to United
Nations peace-keeping forces on 29 September 1988, the
Nobel prize committee paid tribute to the devotion and
courage of the more than half a million men and women
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who since 1948 have served the cause of peace all over the
world.
Even if in recent years peace-keeping operations have
had mixed results and have been accused of consuming the
lion’s share of United Nations resources to the detriment of
development, it must be recognized that while the path has
not always been smooth, these operations have on the
whole yielded positive results. The “Agenda for Peace”,
then, remains relevant, and must continue to be the
foundation of United Nations peace-keeping operations.
Cameroon supports the recommendations of the
Working Group to strengthen these operations by defining
in advance precise objectives, the timeframe for the
intervention, and the resources needed for implementation.
Similarly, and as we have always said, the United Nations
must strengthen its cooperation with regional and
subregional organizations by making available the means
necessary to enable them to discharge their peace-keeping
mandate. That is why we welcome cooperation between the
United Nations and the Organization of African Unity in
the area of prevention, management and settlement of
conflicts on a continent riddled with crises and conflicts of
many forms and many dimensions.
This applies also on the subregional level: to the role
in the area of peace-keeping of the Standing Advisory
Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, which
deserves support, as the Committee, which was created with
the assistance of the Secretary-General, brings together
11 Central African countries which have decided to set up
within their national armed forces units specializing in
peace-keeping operations to be carried out under the
auspices of the United Nations and the Organization of
African Unity. Cameroon trusts that the United Nations will
show greater interest in this available force of more than
10,000 soldiers, which could serve as reserve forces for
peace missions.
Another area where United Nations action has been
particularly significant is decolonization. Thanks to that
action and to their own peoples’ emancipation struggles,
many colonial Territories have gained independence and
sovereignty; today they make up more than half of the
membership of the Organization. More than any other
continent, Africa is proud to have unswervingly promoted
the process of its own total liberation, which was recently
completed with the end of apartheid in South Africa.
Here we recall with gratitude that it was under United
Nations auspices that Cameroon attained sovereignty after
having been first a German colony, then a Territory under
League of Nations Mandate, then a United Nations Trust
Territory. It is our hope that the few Territories remaining
under foreign administration will freely exercise their
inalienable right to self-determination, so that the United
Nations objective of the complete eradication of
colonialism by the year 2000 may be realized.
Also to the credit of the Organization are the
promotion of human rights, the ongoing development and
codification of international law, and achievements in all
the areas covered by the specialized agencies.
The promotion and protection of human rights in
general and those of the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged in particular are at the centre of our
concerns and those of the United Nations. The creation of
the Centre for Human Rights, the convening at Vienna of
the World Conference on Human Rights and the
appointment of a High Commissioner for Human Rights
all enable the United Nations to follow progress in the
area of human rights throughout the world and to assert
certain principles by which States must abide. Cameroon
welcomes this, and attaches great importance to
recognition of and respect for all human rights, including
the right to development.
As regards humanitarian assistance, our Organization
has been active on all fronts where it has been needed,
providing aid to victims of catastrophes and natural
disasters and war.
At this stage, I would like to mention and welcome
action taken in the field by the United Nations through
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and other organizations, such as the World
Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and the International Labour Organization
(ILO).
On another matter, we would like to welcome
progress by the United Nations in the fight against the
scourge of drugs. The United Nations International Drug
Control Programme is a result of concerted efforts by the
United Nations and Member States in the fight against the
production, sale, demand for and traffic in, and the
unlawful distribution of, drugs and psychotropic
substances. Cameroon pledges and invites other States to
pledge unreservedly their support for the United Nations
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Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances in order to stop the scourge of
drugs.
We would like to emphasize the considerable efforts
exerted by the United Nations to focus the attention of the
international community, in the context of world
conferences, on other questions of interest that require
collective action, which should be taken by the entire
community of nations. These concerns have been
manifested through the World Summit for Children, the Rio
Conference on Environment and Development, the World
Conference on Human Rights at Vienna, the International
Conference on Population and Development at Cairo, the
World Summit for Social Development at Copenhagen, the
Cairo Conference on the Prevention of Crime, and Fourth
World Conference on Women at Beijing. On the question
of women, it is highly desirable that all States immediately
follow up on the decisions and recommendations of the
Beijing Conference.
But these successes of our Organization that I have
just mentioned may not have met the expectations of all
peoples.
First, in the area of international peace and security,
the Organization has not been able to prevent the spread of
sources of tension and conflicts throughout the world. Until
recently, it has been practically powerless in the face of the
tragedies of the former Yugoslavia, Somalia and Rwanda.
In the economic arena, the Organization,
notwithstanding the declaration of four United Nations
decades, has not succeeded in adopting declarations,
programmes of actions and other strategies to bring about
progress and economic and social development in
developing countries. The proof is that conditions in these
countries are still unfavourable, and, in order to experience
growth once again, they must engage in policies of
structural adjustment, the social burden of which has been
a source of major concern to their Governments. This is
true also of the high price they must pay to join the
mainstream of world trade in order to avoid further
marginalization.
Development is primarily the responsibility of States
and the peoples concerned. Cameroon nevertheless believes
that the United Nations should, because of its universality
and in the best interest of the international community as a
whole, help to ensure global solidarity and interdependence
with a view to promoting development for all. This means
that we must stop inveighing against Africa in uniformly
pessimistic, not to say doomsday, tones. This style is all
too familiar and suggests that our continent is, in the
history of the world, nothing but a passive onlooker. But
who, in all seriousness, can place at the sidelines of world
events an entire continent, with 700 million inhabitants
today — 800 million in the year 2,000 — and with
immense natural, human, cultural and spiritual wealth? In
this connection, the Holy Father, speaking of Africa, on
the occasion of his recent second visit to Cameroon,
appealed in his post-synod apostolic exhortation for
avoidance of any blanket condemnations of an entire
population, an entire nation or, still worse, an entire
continent.
In spite of the serious difficulties that it must
overcome, Africa is determined to shoulder responsibility
for its future. The sweeping changes which it is
experiencing today are nothing but the forerunners of a
nascent order whose purpose will be to integrate our
continent into the world of the third millennium. This
process of transformation is already yielding fruit in most
of our countries.
As regards Cameroon, I would like in this
connection, to emphasize our irreversible pursuit of the
process of democratization begun by Presidency Paul
Biya at the very moment he assumed power in 1982.
Between now and the end of this year, there will be
significant progress in this process with the adoption of a
new Constitution allowing for greater democratic
participation by the citizens of Cameroon in the
management of their own affairs, and a better balance
among the various powers of Government.
I would like to mention the impact our measures of
recovery and economic liberalization have had on various
sectors of activity. Cameroon is enjoying self-sufficiency
in food, and is beginning to enjoy growth again. Inflation
has been halted and macroeconomic balance in major
areas has been re-established. In a word, there are signs
of life in economic activity. Strengthened by the
credibility confirmed — had that really been needed —
by the recent signing of the agreement with the
International Monetary Fund, my country is widening its
action for the acceleration of its economic recovery.
Our Organization is confronted with a sudden and
unexpected acceleration of history. Never has there been
such an acute sense of upheaval. The same questions keep
cropping up everywhere: Will the world in the future be
meaningless? What will the world order be like in the
future? Will the Organization have a hand in this new
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order? And, finally, will it have the ability to be the melting
pot for this? But, when all is said and done, the end of the
cold war has brought fair weather.
However, it is clear that, 50 years after its creation,
the Organization needs to turn over a new leaf. That being
so, might it not be highly desirable for it to re-think its
role, its tasks, its functions, with a view not just to adapting
to this new context, but to responding better to the ever-
increasing and ever-more-insistent aspirations of the peoples
to peace and well-being? In any case, this is the desire of
Cameroon.
These are the responsibilities we would like the
Organization to shoulder in order to ensure a better world
and a better future for the generation of the next
millennium. In this connection, the manner in which the
United Nations discharges its responsibilities, or rather the
success of United Nations missions, will depend on the real
collective political will of its Member States.
For its part, Cameroon feels that the current thinking
on the restructuring of the Security Council augurs well for
the revitalization of the Organization. The same is true of
the successful outcome of peace-keeping efforts made
possible by United Nations action and the concerted action
of the international community in Cambodia, Central
America, Angola, Haiti, Mozambique and Eritrea. On the
same lines, the new diplomatic deals that are evolving in
the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East are undeniably
very encouraging developments.
In the final analysis, then, there is no reason not to
believe that in the near future the peoples of regions where
conflicts are continuing will, like so many others, have their
rendezvous with peace.
In all of these cases, Cameroon has the feeling that a
lasting solution will have to come through a meeting of the
political wills of the chief protagonists and the collective
will of the international community.
In spite of the difficulties that have impeded action in
the areas both of peace-keeping and of economic and social
development, the balance sheet of the Organization —
though certainly uneven — is not as negative as some
would have us believe. The celebration of the fiftieth
anniversary of the United Nations gives the international
community an ideal opportunity to consider the ways and
means available to our Organization to carry out the
collective work of ensuring peace, security and prosperity
for all.
This anniversary must also be taken as an
opportunity for renewal, for highlighting and praising the
wealth of universality in the diversity in our Organization.
This is an opportunity to renew our pledge and
commitment to the purposes and ideals of the Charter.
This pledge and this commitment must be translated into
a strengthening of our determination and our ability to act
collectively so that, as was the wish of the founding
fathers, we can save future generations from anguish,
fear, poverty, suffering and all sorts of uncertainty, and so
that we may finally move forward along the path of
transforming the tools of war into the tools of peace.
Cameroon, for its part, is prepared to contribute.