PAKISTAN'S PRIME MINISTER SAYS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHOULD ENDORSE CONFERENCE ON PEACE AND SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA

Press Release
GA/9114

PAKISTAN'S PRIME MINISTER SAYS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHOULD ENDORSE CONFERENCE ON PEACE AND SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA

Also Calls for Implementation of Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir; President of Dominican Republic, Five Foreign Ministers Address Assembly

Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan this morning proposed, in the General Assembly's ongoing general debate, that the Assembly endorse the convening of a multilateral dialogue for peace and security in South Asia, to include Pakistan, India, the five permanent members of the Security Council and other major Powers, such as Germany and Japan.

The Prime Minister, one of seven speakers this morning, emphasized the absence of a regional security system in South Asia and said the proposed conference would cover three major areas: the resolution of the core dispute of Kashmir, as well as other bilateral problems between India and Pakistan; the promotion of conventional arms control and confidence-building measures; and measures to promote nuclear restraint and arrest the danger of a nuclear arms race in South Asia. She called on the Organization to implement its seven specific and binding resolutions guaranteeing self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Foreign Minister of Israel, David Levy, said the people of Israel were united in their quest for peace and the will of Israel was to reach peace according to the guidelines of the new Government. Stressing that security must be the cornerstone of peace, he stated that, following the signing of bilateral peace accords with all States in the region, Israel would commence negotiations to establish in the Middle East a zone free of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missiles. The regional and not the global approach -- based on direct negotiations between all States -- could build confidence between States and lead to the establishment of mechanisms for arms control and disarmament, he said.

Focusing on the concerns of another region, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tourism and International Transport of Barbados, Billie A. Miller, told the Assembly that the Caribbean presented a unique combination of factors that demanded special care. Those factors

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included large numbers of small island developing States, a semi-enclosed sea subject to violent seasonal storms, and the presence of the Panama Canal. The vulnerability of Caribbean States was further increased by narco-trafficking, which threatened the very existence of their democracies. In addition, the situation of Haiti continued to require the sustained support of the international community. Haitians must not be forgotten, once the United Nations mission concluded its mandate next month.

In his address to the Assembly, the Constitutional President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, said that the countries of the Caribbean were facing the challenges of trade issues and had obtained some advantages from preferential trading status with the United States and the European Union. In contrast, however, a more permanent solution should be found to the debt burden, which had increased in his country thirteen-fold between 1964 and 1994. Although the Dominican Republic was up to date with its creditors, its debt had meant fewer resources to invest in education, health and housing. A solution to the debt problem would enable the developing nations to dedicate resources to the problem of poverty and to stopping the deterioration of the environment.

Also this morning, the Assembly heard statements by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Senegal, Bahrain and Burkina Faso.

The Assembly's general debate will continue at 3 p.m. today.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to hear addresses by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Constitutional President of the Dominican Republic. In continuation of its general debate the Foreign Ministers of Senegal, Israel, Barbados, Bahrain and Burkina Faso were scheduled to make statements.

Statements

BENAZIR BHUTTO, Prime Minister of (Pakistan), said that the United Nations, at the twilight of the twentieth century, stood at a crossroads in confronting three simultaneous challenges. First, the proliferation of conflicts, disputes and tensions among and within nations, and the accompanying rise of national, ethnic and religious prejudice. Second, the persistent spread of poverty. Third, the growing sense of alienation among people who had lost confidence in the ability of the world's governments to successfully address the multifaceted problems inherent in the new technological era. "The manner in which we address those challenges will determine the quality of life we bequeath to our children", she said.

After the creation of the United Nations, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were among the first to have their right to self-determination recognized by the Security Council, she continued. After fifty years, the Kashmiri peoples still awaited the fulfilment of the Council resolution. Forty thousand Kashmiris had given their lives opposing oppression and aggression in the last seven years. India had sent in 600,000 military and paramilitary forces. India had also recruited and trained renegades to subvert the Kashmiri freedom movement. Under mounting international pressure, India sought to divert world opinion in September by organizing a sham election. Such elections could not be a substitute for the Kashmiri's right to self-determination.

She said India would argue that the Council resolutions which guaranteed a plebiscite to Jammu and Kashmir were old and had no standing. But there was no statute of limitations on resolutions of the United Nations. Occupation and repression and annexation could not nullify the actions of the Council. Statutes of the United Nations could not be selectively applied for the sake of political expediency. She called on the Organization to implement its seven specific and binding resolutions guaranteeing self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir, she said, was the core issue that divided Pakistan and India. She had proposed a meaningful dialogue with the new Indian Prime Minister Gowda, but the new Indian Government had persisted with the strategy of the sham election in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. That dispute had led to four direct or indirect wars between India and Pakistan. India had

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the third largest army in the world today -- most of which was deployed against Pakistan.

In the absence of a regional security system in South Asia, she said, Pakistan had made a number or arms control proposals, including the negotiation of a mutually agreed ratio of forces, measures to prevent the possibility of surprise attacks and the adoption of agreed principles for conventional arms control in the region. India had argued that it opposed bilateral or regional measures and would only accept global non-proliferation. Yet, the reality was revealed when India had chosen to veto the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and opposed the Treaty in the General Assembly. Pakistan was prepared to sign any and all nuclear treaties if India signed simultaneously. Any step of nuclear escalation, however, would find a response from Pakistan to preserve its national security.

She proposed that the Assembly endorse the convening of a multilateral dialogue for peace and security in South Asia, including the participation of not only Pakistan and India, but the five permanent members of the Security Council and other major Powers, such as Germany and Japan. The conference would cover three major areas: the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and other bilateral problems between India and Pakistan; the promotion of conventional arms control and confidence-building measures; and measures to promote nuclear restraint and arrest the danger of a nuclear arms race in South Asia.

A clear distinction had been made by the United Nations, she said, between terrorism and the legitimate struggle for national liberation. Pakistan would always be in the forefront of the effort to combat terrorism. However, some quarters were trying to present terrorism as something peculiar to followers of Islam. That was wrong. There was no place in Islam for acts of terrorism. The world, however, was experiencing a rise of extremists in the East and West. The policies of moderation, accommodation and tolerance must unite against that new threat of violence and terror.

She went on to say that Pakistan was the second largest Muslim country in the world. It was a democracy, and her Government was determined to "turn Pakistan into a fortress of enlightenment, emancipation and social advancement". That was not easy task given Pakistan's environment or recent history. The Afghan war had led to the proliferation of arms and militancy in the region and had given rise to ethnic sectarian and separatist forces in her country. Pakistan also faced the dangers of debt, deficit and demography. Progress was being made in each area, in spite of the enormous debt servicing being paid by Pakistan.

The bleak realities of debt servicing bred despair and frustration that often manifested themselves in the form of random violence and terrorism, she said. The world needed to devise a system where governments adopting international standards of trade and human values received proportional relief in their debt. The stability of a democratic Pakistan was important to the stability of the region and important in defending the forces of moderation in the Muslim world and in the world at large.

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LEONEL FERNANDEZ REYNA, Constitutional President of the Dominican Republic, said that this was only the third time his country's head of Government came before the General Assembly. Perhaps that was because it felt that during the cold war, its presence at the General Assembly would be little more than symbolic. But the world has changed. However, in the new international order that arose from the post-cold war, the Dominican Republic was not isolated.

That was why he was at the United Nations today, he said, to proclaim his country would be a vigorous member of the community of nations. Thus, to assure its participation in the different forums of the United Nations, able to exercise all its rights, the Dominican Republic was proceeding, first, to pay its financial debts. In the same way, it understood that just as the world had changed, the United Nations should undergo changes adapting it to new circumstances. He suggested that the Security Council be expanded to enable Asia, Africa and Latin America to each have two permanent representatives along with enlarging the number of non-permanent seats.

The countries of the Caribbean, he continued, were facing the challenges of trade issues relating to agreements of the Commerce World Organization, the effects of a unique European market, the consolidation of the North America Free Commerce Treaty, a movement toward reciprocity, and similar trends. He said they had obtained some advantages from the preferential trading status with the United States and the European Union, which produced an increase in imports and in tourism. In contrast, however, he said that the foreign debt of the Dominican Republic increased thirteen-fold between 1964 and 1994. At the moment the country was up to date with its creditors, thus remaining eligible for foreign financing. Yet, at home, that had meant fewer resources to invest in education, health and housing.

He said the international community should find a more permanent solution to the debt burden, to enable nations to dedicate resources to the problem of poverty and to stopping the deterioration of the environment. In addition, it was important that measures be taken to fight terrorism and drug trafficking. The traffic in drugs was a problem that the Dominican Republic would approach with all the energy required to eliminate a great human epidemic.

He urged a definite and peaceful solution to the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in Middle East, and for assistance and cooperation in dealing with the situations in Somalia, Burundi and Liberia. On the Republic of China in Taiwan, he said that its location was of crucial importance to peace and prosperity in the area, and urged both sides of the Taiwan straits to resume a constructive dialogue.

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MOUSTAPHA NIASSE, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and for Senegalese living abroad, of Senegal, recalled that at the recent summit in Yaounde, Cameroon, the African heads of State had recommended the re-election of United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

The Foreign Minister said the world today faced an enormous paradox -- increased globalization accompanied by increasing fragmentation. The conflicts in Africa illustrated that situation. From Angola to Somalia, from Burundi and Rwanda to Liberia, conflicts had appeared in such a form as to impede the correct application of the proposed solutions. In some cases, such as Angola and, to a lesser extent, Rwanda, some progress had been made and should be continued. For others, the path to follow was more uncertain.

In Liberia, the situation had not responded to initiatives made by the United Nations, the Organization of African States (OAU) and neighbouring African countries, he continued. One should not, however, be discouraged. At the last high-level -- ministerial -- meeting at Abuja, Nigeria, Member States had made courageous decisions. It was hoped these decisions would create new conditions favourable to the normalization of Liberia through free elections.

In the case of Burundi, it was obvious that the measures prescribed by the United Nations and the OAU did not stop the bloodshed, nor did it prevent the military coup of 25 July 1996, he said. It was regrettable, and it was necessary to act. He -- along with the other countries of the Great Lakes region -- called for a return to the rule of law. Only a national dialogue could offer a solution to the crisis in Burundi.

The United Nations, facing a world that had changed considerably since the fall of the Berlin Wall, should be supported and reinforced, he said. The Organization had been called upon to create a "second generation" of peace- keeping operations. The "Blue Helmets" had been joined by civilian experts who helped promote national reconciliation. Senegal would continue to take part in those operations. At the same time, he supported a further democratization and a more equitable representation within the Security Council and called upon member states to fulfil their financial obligations. He also supported the admission of the Republic of China as a member of the United Nations.

Concluding, he said development in Africa should focus three areas: an increase of public aid to development; debt relief; and the removal of protectionist barriers and other similar measures.

DAVID LEVY, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel, said Israelis were committed to peace, and the new Israeli Government was committed to honouring the Oslo accords. The will of Israel was to reach peace according to the guidelines of the new Government. The new Israeli Government believed that security was the cornerstone of the edifice of peace.

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It was imperative for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to be free from violence. Welcoming the summit meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership in Washington, D.C., he said Israeli and Palestinian teams would resume talks on Sunday, 6 October, to resolve the differences between the sides.

Regional cooperation and economic development were critical to peace and stability, he continued. Israel entertained no dreams of economic hegemony. Rather, it wishes to be a full partner in regional cooperation, which would be the basic expression of normalization. Some of Israel's neighbours continued to view Israel as a body foreign to the region -- politically, economically, intellectually and spiritually. Normalization must erase forever the residue of that ideological negation. Normalization was the cement, indispensable for keeping together the edifice of peace.

An immediate goal was the resumption of negotiations with Syria, based on the 1991 Madrid principles, he said. Israel had no territorial claims on Lebanon and fully supported its sovereignty. While acknowledging support received from regional and other governments, he reaffirmed Israel's irreversible commitment and determination to pursue the path to peace.

Israel hoped that the day would come when a regional security framework would be established to provide a foundation for cooperative multilateral responses to all the security problems of the Middle East, he continued. The regional approach -- based on direct negotiations between all States -- could build confidence between States and lead to the establishment of mechanisms for arms control and disarmament. The global approach could not respond to unique regional security problems, or those of Israel. For that reason, Israel welcomed the establishment of the working group on arms control and regional security, as a component of multilateral talks.

Following the establishment of peaceful relations and the achievement of reconciliation with all States in the region, he said Israel would endeavour to establish in the Middle East a zone free of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missiles. Such a zone would be based on mutual and effective verification. Negotiations to establish such a zone would commence following the signing of bilateral peace accords between Israel and all States in the region. In the meantime, he added, Israel would strive to implement confidence-building measures, which would increase openness and transparency. Regional security, arms control and disarmament arrangements could be complemented, where appropriate, by international agreements. Accordingly, Israel had signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. In relation to the Middle East, the United Nations and the international community must continue to assist with the settlement of conflict, while guarding the principle of direct negotiations between parties.

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Jerusalem was the cradle of the three great monotheistic religions, he said. The capital of Israel, both in ancient and modern times, Jerusalem had never been the capital of any other country. Rarely, if ever, had a sovereign country been denied the right to freely determine its capital.

BILLIE A. MILLER, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tourism and International Transport of Barbados, told the Assembly that his country's knowledge of and appreciation of the United Nations system had deepened since it had had the honour to host the Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, in 1994. The programme of action adopted at the Conference had outlined the way forward for the relationship between Small Island Developing States and the international community. She also welcomed the coming into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the establishment of the International Seabed Authority and the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.

She viewed with apprehension the use of the Caribbean Sea for the trans- shipment of nuclear and other hazardous materials. "While we recognize the needs of countries to dispose of and reprocess waste materials, and we recognize their right to do so under the Law of the Sea and International Maritime Organization and International Atomic Energy Agency regulations, we fear the consequences of accidents on an environment which is so highly fragile", the Foreign Minister said.

The Caribbean presented a unique combination of factors which demanded that it be treated with special care, she continued. Those factors included large numbers of Small Island Developing States, a semi-enclosed sea subject to violent seasonal storms, and the presence of the Panama Canal, one of the most intensively used shipping passages. The heads of government of the Caribbean Community had repeatedly declared their opposition to the use of the Caribbean Sea to ship hazardous materials. Barbados looked forward to deepened dialogue with flag States and other concerned States and organizations "to ensure that we are all aware of what is being shipped when and where, and how best to manage it".

The vulnerability of Caribbean States was further increased by narco- trafficking, which threatened the very existence of their democracies, the Foreign Minister stated. Regional cooperation was the effective means for implementing the international agreements on the issue. The response of the international community to the region's particular set of problems was encouraging, but needed to be upgraded. "We suffer", the Minister said, "not because we are the major end-users, but because of our strategic location in this traffic."

The situation of Haiti continued to be of special concern to countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region, she said. Thanks to the resolve of the Haitian people and the support of the international community, the

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situation there held the promise of a still fragile democracy. Sustained support continued to be crucial. "The international community could not wash its hands of Haiti, declare victory and leave", the Foreign Minister said. She urged that the Haitians not be forgotten, once the United Nations mission concluded its mandate next month.

SHAIKH MOHAMED BIN MUBARAK AL-KHALIFA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, said the powers that were influential in the international arena seemed to be reviewing the bases on which the present international system was founded in order to reconfigure, rather than abolish. The underlying purpose of the international system that emerged in the 1940s was to fundamentally address regional and international security problems with their political and economic dimensions. The allied Powers formulated their vision on the premise that security and stability in the regional context were basically associated with the creation of a number of international institutions, most notably the United Nations. The structural notions of the international system, however, had not developed in a manner compatible with the communications revolution.

In spite of the process of reform, he said the influential Powers had not given the collective security question adequate attention. The scope of the principle of collective security must be expanded so that States could be free from the fears of strategic threats to their national and regional security. The Security Council should address the questions of world security and increase the use of the practical means of preventive diplomacy. Mechanisms should be developed for maintaining relations between the Council and regional organizations in accordance with the purposes of principles of the United Nations, particularly in such an important region of the world as the Arabian Gulf.

He said the territorial and boundary claims currently being made in the Gulf region, which were aimed at changing the established and traditionally accepted boundaries, upset the security and stability of the region. In such situations, the status quo should be respected. Countries should refrain from any claims and attempt to settle any consequential differences by peaceful means acceptable to the parties to the dispute. In that light, Bahrain called upon Iran to respond urgently to the calls extended by the United Arab Emirates to solve the question of the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Mousa, which belonged to the United Arab Emirates.

Regarding the serious events of recent days in the Middle East, he called upon the international community, in particular the two sponsors of the peace process, and the States of the European Community to induce Israel to end its suppressive practices against the Palestinian people and to resume negotiations on the final status of the Palestinian territories, in accordance with the agreements concluded between the two parties. They should also stress the necessity of the resumption of negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.

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Referring to the global phenomenon of terrorism, he called for concerted efforts to implement the declaration concerning terrorism that was adopted by the forty-ninth session of the Assembly. The events witnessed in his own country and other States in the region demonstrated the extent of the danger of terrorism and how far terrorist elements could go in manipulating laws and international principles to serve their own subversive ends.

ABLASSÉ QUÉDRAOGO, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, paid homage to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for his remarkable efforts to strengthen the role of the United Nations. The OAU, he said, had last July expressed appreciation for his efforts and achievements. According to the rule of fairness, Africa was entitled to a second term as Secretary-General, and he hoped that Mr. Boutros-Ghali would not be denied that opportunity.

On the financial crisis at the United Nations, he said it was only fair that Member States who had the capacity to pay their assessed contributions paid up in full and on time. The structure of the Organization was such that the General Assembly was the pedestal of the edifice. Regrettably, he noted, it had been stripped of its power, and recent developments meant it had drifted apart from the Security Council. That was not a healthy situation, in view of the demand everywhere for transparency in the work of the Organization. He stressed that reform must be a joint effort, or it would not succeed. The financial situation was central to the success of the Organization and Member States should follow a joint path beneficial to all.

Continuing, he said that Africa was still involved in a series of conflicts. While Ruth Perry had been elected President in Liberia, a coup had swept away the legitimate Government in Burundi, a country traumatized by serious ethnic conflicts. On the question of Taiwan, he believed in the principle of universal representation.

He decried the rise in poverty worldwide, which was due to the "uneven distribution" of wealth between countries. Globalization, paradoxically, had been accompanied by fragmentation. It needed to be given real content and weight. Neither invectives nor tirades had advanced the debate or brought about solutions. The mid-term review on the development of Africa had been held, but the results of negotiations with partners still fell short of needs and expectations. Clearly, increased resources were needed. He endorsed the view that taking responsibility for oneself was the answer. Yet, how could that be done without resources and cooperation? he asked.

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