BULGARIAN MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY OF ASSASSINATION OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER; PRESIDENT EXPRESSES SHOCK AT NEWS

Press Release
GA/9112

BULGARIAN MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY OF ASSASSINATION OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER; PRESIDENT EXPRESSES SHOCK AT NEWS

Syria Says Israeli Posture Risks `Catastrophe'; Philippines, Kenya, Viet Nam, Belarus, Ecuador, Mali also Speak in General Debate

The Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Gueorgui Pirinski, departing from his prepared statement, told the General Assembly today that a former Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Andrey Lukanov, had been assassinated this morning in Sofia. Mr. Lukanov, he said, had been an active member of Parliament at the time of his death and a lifelong promoter of democratic values; he had been well known at the United Nations. The Foreign Minister asked the Assembly to observe a moment of silence in his memory. The Assembly President, Razali Ismail (Malaysia), voiced the "shock and sorrow" of the Members.

As the Assembly's general debate entered its eighth day, the Foreign Minister of Syria, Farouk Al-Shara, said the new Government in Israel had used every opportunity to insist on changing the rules of the peace process. Israel apparently had no strategy for peace. It could start a war whenever it chose, but it could no longer end it as it chose. He said it would be a "real catastrophe" if peace were not a strategic option for Israel.

One of the major challenges the world faced today was the welfare and dignity of women, according to the Foreign Minister of the Philippines, Domingo L. Siazon. He spoke of violence against women, and trafficking in women and children, and noted that migrant female workers were particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse.

Armed conflict was the greatest threat to security, social cohesion and economic progress in Africa, the Foreign Minister of Kenya, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, told the Assembly. The recent coup in Burundi negated the efforts of the Organization of African States (OAU) to end the era of military coups on the continent. It was time for the international community to force the faction leaders of Somalia to end the suffering of the Somali people.

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The Foreign Minister of Belarus, Uladzimir Syanko, said the last nuclear missile would leave his country soon, and thus the entire territory of central Europe from the Baltic to the Black Sea would become a nuclear-weapon-free zone. Setting up such zones in various regions of the world was gaining momentum, and "it would be illogical for Europe to remain the only continent where no practical steps had been taken" thus far in that direction.

The Foreign Ministers of Viet Nam and Mali and the Permanent Representative of Ecuador also addressed the Assembly.

The Assembly meets again at 3 p.m. today to hear statements from Qatar, Uruguay, Guyana, Guinea-Bissau, Venezuela, Togo and Iraq.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly continued its general debate this morning. Speakers included the Foreign Ministers of the Philippines, Kenya, Syria, Bulgaria, Viet Nam, Belarus and Mali and the Permanent Representative of Ecuador.

Statements

DOMINGO L. SIAZON JR., Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, told the Assembly that exactly a month ago the Philippine government had signed an agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front which had waged a rebellion for more than half a century. The Philippines, he said, had opted for national reconciliation as the only road to peace and development.

That process was not unique to the Philippines, he added. On a global scale, and despite inter-ethnic conflicts "in far too many places", there was a clear trend towards reconciliation and tolerance and a new global trading regime, as demonstrated in regional arrangements such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which took into account the interests of both developed and developing countries.

He said the world faced six major challenges: the surfeit of weapons; the need for stable maritime regimes; the continuing assault on the environment; the need to continue the liberalization of international trade while cushioning weaker nations; the need to ensure human welfare and dignity, especially the status of women; and the growing menace of organized crime.

Significant progress had been made, but the world remained a dangerous place. The Philippines joined the call for the parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to draw up an international convention prohibiting nuclear weapons, and also reiterated the call for the conclusion of a convention against the production and stockpiling of fissile materials. The Philippines urged nuclear-weapons States to respect the provisions of the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone; it had also joined the call for a total ban of anti-personnel land mines.

He said it was fortunate that the international community had had the collective wisdom to agree on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; the Philippines would welcome the sharing of knowledge and experience gained from efforts by other States to protect the maritime environment and ecological integrity of the seas. He said that central to both economic growth and human development was the status of women. The Philippines called on the international community to combat violence against women and "trafficking" in women and children. Women migrant workers were particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse, he added.

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On reform of the United Nations, the Minister said any number of structural changes would not be effective unless the Organization was assured of the necessary flow of financial resources. His country favoured a revision of the scale of assessments. The peace, stability and progress of the world and the dignity of its inhabitants depended in large measure on the United Nations, not on the Secretary-General or the Secretariat alone; above all, the Minister said in closing, it depended on Member States themselves.

STEPHEN KALONZO MUSYOKA, Foreign Minister of Kenya, said the international community was facing new and complex challenges posed by globalization, fragmentation, democratization and marginalization. The international order must be redesigned to meet these challenges. The armed conflicts in certain parts of Africa represented caused the greatest threat to its security, social cohesion and economic progress. They had been compounded by natural calamities, resulting in a large number of refugees and displaced persons. The international community must increase its support to alleviate their suffering.

The conflict in Burundi, and its ethnic character, was of great concern to Kenya and the countries of the subregion, he said. The recent coup there, which overthrew a constitutionally established government, had compounded the crisis, negating the efforts of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to end the era of military coups in Africa. In their effort to find a lasting political settlement, the countries of the subregion -- Ethiopia, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire and Kenya -- had imposed sanctions on Burundi. That was aimed at pressuring the new regime to restore the democratically elected Assembly, un-ban political parties, and enter into unconditional negotiations with all parties to the conflict. The Security Council must take more decisive steps to ensure that the leaders in Burundi complied with the Arusha II peace initiative.

It was also time for the international community to put pressure on Somali faction leaders to negotiate an agreement that would relieve the agony and suffering of the Somali people. Kenya was working with other countries in an effort to find appropriate remedies to the conflict in the Sudan. He added that the OAU had endorsed Kenya as the sole candidate for the non-permanent seat in the Security Council for Africa for the period 1997-1998.

While most developing countries continued their strenuous efforts at economic reform, the debt burden remained a major obstacle for developing countries, he said. There must be early consensus on debt relief, reduction and possible cancellation. His own country had undertaken far-reaching political and economic reforms which had, however, increased poverty and unemployment. After a decline following those stringent measures, Kenya's economy was now recovering and registered a growth rate of 5 to 6 per cent this year. In addition, all foreign exchange restrictions had been abolished, making Kenya one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

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Citing the inauguration this year of the East African Cooperation in Arusha, he stressed his country's commitment to regional economic integration.

Addressing the question of United Nations reform, he said the General Assembly must be given greater visibility and authority, while the Security Council must reflect the principles of democracy, transparency, and equitable representation. Bold and practical financial reforms were necessary to ensure adequate and predictable resources. The Secretary General was to be commended for initiating far-reaching reforms within the United Nations system and for his untiring efforts to steer the Organization to greater heights.

FAROUK AL-SHARA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Syria, said many people did not know how many international efforts were made, how many meetings convened, how many parties contributed and how many assurances were given before agreement was reached between the parties on the foundations and rules which made up the terms of reference of the Madrid Peace Conference. The Madrid Conference was then convened and it in turn set up bilateral negotiations five years ago. Those negotiations lived through various periods of tension, interruption, setbacks and progress. Both Syria and Israel agreed on Israel's withdrawal from the Golan back to the line of 4 June 1967.

Now, he continued, following all those unprecedented international efforts in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a new government had taken office in Israel. It had set itself on the opposite course to that of its predecessor and had declared "no" to withdrawal from the Golan, "no" to withdrawal from occupied Palestinian lands and "no" to a Palestinian State. That government had used every opportunity to underline its insistence on changing the foundations and rules of the peace process. Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad had said, "Can any thinking person in this world expect Syria to establish peace with the Israeli government while Syrian land remains in Israeli hands"?

One of the dilemmas facing the peace process in the Middle East was that some Israeli leaders were the ones who encouraged extremism in Israeli society. The bloody confrontations which broke out following the opening of the tunnel under the wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with other provocations, confirmed that the Israeli government did not take office in order to resume peace negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu first said he had opened the tunnel for the purpose of easing the movement of tourists, and then he later claimed that the tunnel had been there for two thousand years and declared that it would remain open forever.

In another example of the new Government's practice of "feeding extremism", he said, Israeli Minister for Infrastructure General Sharon allocated three new sites last week on the Syrian-occupied Golan for building 600 housing units. Without the financial aid and huge governmental subsidies afforded Jewish settlers, they would not settle on the Golan.

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In light of such actions, it was apparent that the Israeli government had no strategy for peace and instead had chosen the path of confrontation. The path of confrontation was, however, very costly. Israel could start a war whenever it chose, but it could not end it as it chose. All the wars Israel had fought since October 1973 up until April 1996 had achieved nothing for them except human and political losses and even more international condemnation. Israel knew that the Arabs had opted for peace as their strategic option; it would be a real catastrophe if peace was not a strategic option for Israel.

GUEORGUI PIRINSKI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, said his country had experienced the full range of adverse consequences from the war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Bulgaria had been actively involved in efforts to bring about a peaceful solution. The recent elections, notwithstanding deficiencies and problems, represented a vitally important step forward. He welcomed the wise decision of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to recognize the elections, and in light of that development, Bulgaria supported the lifting of the sanctions as provided for in the Dayton/Paris agreements.

He said Bulgaria had been working for the promotion of the positive trends of good-neighbourliness throughout the region. At a July meeting convened by Bulgaria, seven countries -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -- had adopted a declaration on good-neighbourly relations, stability, security and cooperation in the Balkans. It was clear evidence that the Balkans were not only an area of conflict, but that they also held a powerful potential for cooperation and development in the same priority areas which formed the substance of the new United Nations agenda: enhancing stability and security; developing multilateral regional economic cooperation; promotion of humanitarian, social and cultural cooperation; combating illicit drugs and arms trafficking; organized crime, and cooperation in the elimination of terrorism.

He said Bulgaria welcomed the expressed commitment of the General Assembly to pursue a comprehensive system of measures to eliminate terrorism, and to continue unequivocally with developing cooperation against transnational crime. The current Assembly session must carefully examine all valuable ideas and proposals which had been advanced in that field.

Departing from his text, the Foreign Minister also referred to the assassination this morning of a member of Parliament and former Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Andrey Lukanov -- a man who had been instrumental in the economic reforms and democratization of Bulgaria. He cited a declaration which had just been issued by the Bulgarian parliament stating that the act of violence would not alter the course of Bulgarian reforms or the upcoming elections.

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NGUYEN MANH CAM, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, told the Assembly the challenge facing the United Nations today was how to reform and adapt itself to the new international circumstances, in order to meet the expectations of the peoples. The United Nations must use its "weight and responsibility" to check coercion, arbitrary embargoes and sanctions which caused suffering to innocent people, and the violation of the independence and sovereignty of States. To play its role adequately, the United Nations was required to increase representation in its organs, to democratize and to make its working procedures and methods transparent.

It was impossible to accept a world where affluence was concentrated in just a small number of countries and where the gap between the rich and the poor kept widening. In the Agenda for Development, the United Nations should concentrate on the regions in difficulty and on the key and practical issues. For instance, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was assisting the integration of Viet Nam into the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and working on other bilateral and multilateral projects as well. The paradox was that as the need for international cooperation continued to grow, the means became more scarce, and natural resources were more depleted. In the context of interdependence, he noted that allocation of resources to assist developing countries was a wise investment for peace and for the shared future of all peoples.

On the financial crisis at the United Nations, he said the first step was that every Member State fulfill its obligations in full and on time. There was a further need to encourage all initiatives to mobilize supplemental resources; numerous proposals by scholars and eminent personalities deserved attention.

He said the Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, in June, had decided to step up industrialization and modernization, with a view to doubling by the year 2000 the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) in 1990, and transforming Viet Nam into an industrialized country in the next 20 to 25 years. He reaffirmed a foreign policy of independence and sovereignty, openness, diversification and multilateralism, as well as active regional and global integration. Viet Nam now had diplomatic relations with more than 160 countries, commercial relations with more than 100, and investment cooperation with about 50.

ULADZIMIR SYANKO, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus, said his country advocated a pragmatic approach to the reform of the United Nations. It should be based on a realistic assessment of the Organization's ability to enhance the practical efficiency of the entire United Nations system along the strategic lines of its activities. He expressed support for further efforts to perfect peace-keeping operations as an important practical instrument at the Organization's disposal. Peace-keeping operations were a specific means used in conflict settlement aimed at maintaining peace and not imposing it.

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Soon, he said, the last nuclear missile would leave the territory of Belarus, thus making the entire territory of central Europe from the Baltic to the Black Sea a nuclear-weapon-free zone. The President of Belarus had put forward an initiative to establish a nuclear-weapon-free space in central and eastern Europe. With efforts aimed at setting up such zones in various regions gaining momentum, it would be illogical for Europe to remain the only continent where no practical steps had been taken thus far in that direction. He said Belarus would initiate further consideration at the Assembly's current session of the item on prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction. Ecologically safe destruction of weapons, conversion of military enterprises, legal aspects of the transfer of the sensitive high technologies and of their impact on the advancement of science and technology stood high on the list of priorities for Belarus.

Noting that Belarus was placed in the geographical centre of Europe, he expressed apprehension over the eventual rapid expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and deployment of its military infrastructure in close proximity to the borders of his country. Under such new circumstances, the role of the OSCE acquired new significance. The results of the upcoming OSCE summit in Lisbon should provide a solid basis to coordination between the United Nations and that organization.

He said globalization of the world economy made it possible for states to considerably expand their markets. At the same time the removal of trade and other economic barriers exposed the vulnerability of countries with a less-developed economy. That was why the countries with economies in transition, Belarus included, had reason to expect that special measures would be taken by the United Nations to facilitate their integration into the world economic and trade systems. It was time for a long-overdue adoption of a global program of assistance to the countries that had embarked on the road of market reforms. He said the initiative to establish a global fund for environmental protection deserved serious consideration. It was a matter of some concern that problems related to the closure and mitigation of the after-effects of Chernobyl were being pushed aside, leaving the main burden to be carried by his young State.

LUIS VALENCIA RODRIGUEZ, Permanent Representative of Ecuador, said the United Nations should continue its role as a catalytic element in the development process of under-privileged and marginizalized countries. Recent world conferences and their subsequent recommendations had become priorities for the international community, but what had been achieved was still "scattered and insufficient".

He said that Ecuador, loyal to its democratic tradition, had recently -- through an electoral process which respected the will of the peoples -- had chosen Abdala Bucaram as President, and for the first time in the country's history, a woman, Rosalia Arteaga, had been elected Vice-President.

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As a multi-ethnic country with important groups of indigenous peoples and black minorities, Ecuador fully supported the programme of action for the United Nations International Decade for Indigenous Populations, and called on the international community to understand that protecting these populations meant preserving a cultural heritage of mankind.

On reform of the United Nations, he said the principles and purposes of the Charter drawn up by the founders 50 years ago had prevailed. But today's circumstances demanded a modification in the organizational practices of the United Nations by revitalizing the role of the General Assembly and assuring equitable representation in the Security Council. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) should also regain its original functions, and major countries in debt to the United Nations should set an example by complying with their obligations.

He said Ecuador would continue to contribute to the negotiations on the border controversy with Peru, in compliance with the Itamaraty Peace declaration. In recent meetings at both diplomatic and military levels, significant progress on procedures had been made. Ecuador would continue to pursue the ultimate goal of a just and honourable solution in the substantive discussion on that controversy.

DIONCOUNDA TRAORE, Foreign Minister of Mali said his country was committed to efforts to establish peace in Liberia, Burundi and Angola. Recent developments in Western Sahara demonstrated the need for greater efforts on behalf of the proposed referendum. Current crises demonstrated that the weapons for the consolidation of peace must be strengthened and new ones developed. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Pelindaba Treaty, which declared Africa a nuclear-weapon-free zone, were such developments. The control of conventional weapons was particularly important in his subregion; the flow of such arms must be checked. The concept of micro-disarmament was meant to draw attention to the disastrous effect of small arms flows in developing countries.

Development was a major challenge facing the international community, he said. Poverty and marginalization were crucial issues for the Organization. Mali placed great emphasis on the need to draft an agenda for development, which should be adopted during the current session of the Assembly. Such an agenda must give special attention to Africa. In a time when HIV/AIDS and other health crises placed enormous demands on all social services, Africa found itself with extremely limited medical and educational resources and over-burdened by enormous debt.

He said Mali had established a policy for economic recovery through a broad range of restructuring programmes which had produced tangible results. Mindful of the need to accompany economic growth with progress in social services, Mali had given priority attention to women and children. The young democracy in Mali was being consolidated. The international community should

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provide humanitarian assistance to promote the return of refugees, revive agriculture and improve basic services.

The current international economic situation was marked by a growing imbalance between developing and developed countries, he said. Greater measures were needed to relieve the developing countries' external debt. The "Group of 7" industrialized countries had made an important offer to reduce the debt of African countries. It was equally important for those countries to diversify their economies and their dependence on certain commodities. He appealed to the international community to implement the Programme of Action for the 1990s for the Least Developed Countries.

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