UNITED STATES CITES WIDESPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY SEVERAL COUNTRIES, IN CONTINUATION OF THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE
Press Release
GA/SHC/3399
UNITED STATES CITES WIDESPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY SEVERAL COUNTRIES, IN CONTINUATION OF THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE
19961121 Myanmar, China, Nigeria, Iraq, Among Countries Responding to Allegations of ViolationsDespite good news on the human rights front over the last few years, many countries based their authority not on popular consent but on coercion, the representative of the United States told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon as it continued its discussion of human rights issues.
She said Burma was one example where the authorities had their own version of reality. They claimed their opponents were inspired by outsiders, when in fact the opposition was indigenous and deeply patriotic. Their Constitutional Convention was a sham, and they claimed to be fighting illegal narcotics, when the military had turned a blind eye to the production and trafficking of drugs.
The United States was concerned about actions in China that restrained the peaceful expression of dissenting views, including the sentencing of prominent dissidents, she continued. She also cited widespread, consistent and gross abuses in Iraq, and reports of torture, summary execution, arbitrary detention and suppression of civil liberties and religious freedom in Iran.
The Government of Sudan was an egregious violator of internationally recognized human rights, and Nigeria should implement a comprehensive and credible transition to democracy, she added. Cuba must permit democratic change and her Government would continue working with other free nations to encourage it. She also spoke about the situation in Burundi, Rwanda and Afghanistan.
Several representatives criticized the increasing politicization of human rights as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign States. The representative of Myanmar said countries with different cultural and social backgrounds and levels of economic development had different human
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rights priorities. No country or group of countries should seek to reshape the world in their own image. The conclusion that there was no freedom of thought, opinion and expression in Myanmar was a travesty. There had been tremendous change and transformation in the country which was in turmoil eight years ago.
The representative of China said that the attacks by the United States were unfounded. Before accusing others America should take a look in the mirror. Serious human rights violations existed in the United States. As the leader of the world and the lone remaining super Power, the United States had encroached upon the integrity of another State and had acted as if all other countries had to obey its orders.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said the attempt to use human rights issues as a means to put political and economic pressure on countries never ended. The international community should reject double-standards, selectivity and politicization in human rights issues.
Also this afternoon the representative of Cuba introduced a draft resolution on the respect for the right to universal freedom of travel and the vital importance of family reunification.
Cyprus, Benin, Kenya, Algeria, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Korea, Libya, Nicaragua, Morocco, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia and Bosnia and Herzegovina also made statements.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 22 November, to continue its joint consideration of human rights questions, including follow- up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue its general debate on human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. (For further background information see Press Releases GA/SHC/3388 of 13 November, 3390 of 14 November, 3391 and 3392 of 15 November, 3393 of 18 November, 3395 of 19 November and 3397 of 20 November.)
The Committee has before it this afternoon the Secretary-General's report on the role of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights in assisting the Government and people of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of human rights (document A/51/552). The report describes the activities and programmes implemented in Cambodia by the Centre for Human Rights from December 1995 to July 1996 and is submitted pursuant to the request made by General Assembly resolution 50/178.
The High Commissioner made an official visit to Cambodia from 27 February to 2 March 1996. During this visit, he undertook a series of high-level meetings with government officials and others working in the area of human rights in Cambodia, and signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Cambodia and the Centre for Human Rights for the implementation of a technical cooperation programme on human rights. Signed on 1 March 1996, it includes a number of projects to be implemented by the Centre through its operational presence in Cambodia, in cooperation with the Government, over a period of two years, in the following fields: institution- building; administration of justice; strengthening of civil society, including through non-governmental organizations; human rights activities in the provinces; information; and education in the field of human rights.
The High Commissioner was briefed extensively by Cambodian non-governmental organizations involved in human rights monitoring, education, and women's and children's rights issues. The non-governmental organizations described their work, and the High Commissioner commended them on the contribution they were making for the promotion and protection of human rights in Cambodia and urged them to press ahead. The High Commissioner also met with a number of high-ranking Cambodian officials.
During the period under review, progress was made in the implementation of the five points suggested in May 1995 by Marrack Goulding, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, and approved by the Government to enhance cooperation and communication between the Centre for Human Rights and the Government. The five points were as follows: the holding of informal confidential consultative meetings, every two to three months, between the leadership of the Cambodia office of the Centre for Human Rights and the two Prime
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Ministers; the holding of a more formal meeting, to be held once a year, prior to the Commission on Human Rights session; a more proactive approach in handling reports; organization of seminars for government officials from various ministries to explain the human rights programme of the United Nations; the invitation of one or two government officials to Geneva by the Centre for Human Rights each year to see how the Commission operates and, more particularly, how technical cooperation is placed in its agenda.
With the assistance of the Centre, the Government continues to work on its reporting obligations under six human rights treaties it has ratified or acceded to. At the time of preparation of the present report, the reports on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights had been reviewed by the Inter-Ministerial Committee and translated into French. The reports had to be submitted to the Council of Ministers for final approval. The report on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, in particular, needs urgent submission, because of the approaching final deadline indicated by the Committee for its submission.
A draft resolution before the Committee is a text on respect for the right to universal freedom of travel and the vital importance of family reunification (document A/C.3/51/L.36). By the terms of the draft resolution, sponsored by Cuba, the General Assembly would call upon all States to guarantee the universally recognized freedom of travel to all foreign nationals residing in their territory and to allow, in conformity with international legislation, the free flow of financial remittances by foreign nationals residing in their territory to their relatives in the country of origin.
The Assembly would also call upon all States to refrain from enacting, and to repeal if it already exists, legislation intended as a coercive measure that discriminates against individuals or groups of legal migrants by adversely affecting family reunification and the right to send financial remittances to relatives in the country of origin.
Statements
NICOS AGATHOCLEOUS (Cyprus) said it was the duty of all States to show the necessary firmness and determination against all forms of human rights violations and to hold accountable those who refused to respect the human rights of others and had chosen to disregard the international commitments which they had freely accepted. The Government had time and time again displayed its commitment, as well as its good will, for a just and viable solution to the problems in Cyprus, in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the High Level Agreements, he said. This solution would
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guarantee the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Cyprus, safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the whole of its population -- Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike. Recent events have highlighted once again the urgency for solving this international problem.
The brutal killings of two unarmed Greek Cypriot demonstrators by Turkish occupation forces and extremists imported from mainland Turkey vividly depicted the tragedy of this divided island and underlined the grave dangers caused by the continuation of the status quo, he said. Perpetuation of the status quo meant the continuation of human rights violations in his country. It should never be forgotten that failure to uphold international law and respect for human rights in one situation set a precedent for similar failure elsewhere. Furthermore, the credibility of the United Nations would be eroded if it could not ensure the effective implementation of human rights in every country and in all cases.
RI SONG IL (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) said the attempt to use human rights issues as a means to put political and economic pressure upon the other countries never ends. As a result, the international community's will and desire to cooperate on human rights issues has not materialized and confrontation has continued. In certain countries the masses are denied access to political rights and democratic freedoms, and are victims of poverty, unemployment, crime and drug addiction. The international community should resolutely reject the "double standard", "selectivity", and the politicization of human rights issues. It should check any attempt to slander sovereign States, or to undermine their politics, economy and culture under the pretext of "defending human rights". He categorically rejected any attempt to use human rights as a condition for development assistance or economic relations.
If developed countries were sincerely interested in human rights issues, they should actively support efforts by developing countries, and the realization of the right to development. His Government emphasized a balanced relationship between individual human rights and the rights of the community. Individual human rights and collective human rights should be properly combined and individual rights ensured within the context of the rights and interests of society and the State. The individual could not exist apart from the collective and society. Therefore, a standard of human rights, which only utilized individualism as a starting point, was not acceptable to people advocating collectivism under socialism. Branding the collectivism and single-hearted unity of his people as totalitarianism was to distort facts and slander the country's social system.
U PE THEIN TIN (Myanmar) said renewed interest in human rights would not benefit mankind if it was not pursued with objectivity, impartiality and non- selectivity. There should be respect for diversity, and the historical, cultural, religious, social and economic backgrounds of nations. Countries with different cultural and social backgrounds and levels of economic development had different priorities with regard to human rights. No country or group of countries should seek to reshape the world in their own image. His Government was gravely concerned that smaller countries were singled out for alleged violations of human rights while other countries, where human rights abuses abound, were treated with sympathy and understanding. Such
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unequal treatment was bound to undermine human rights. He said the conclusion that there was essentially no freedom of thought, opinion and expression in Myanmar was a travesty. There had been tremendous change and transformation in the country, which was in turmoil eight years ago. Today, peace and stability had been restored. With peace and stability and the adoption of a market economy, the country's economy was on the rise.
It was regrettable that in their clamour for human rights, the misguided few in Myanmar and their ardent supporters abroad had chosen to ignore the right of its people to development, he continued. It was demeaning for any State, organization or individual to compel investors to stay away from Myanmar, where the political process was essentially a matter for the people to determine by themselves. No outsider should assume the right to comment in any form on the working procedures of the ongoing National Convention. One particular party had turned its back on the forum and was insisting on a "dialogue", a stand which was supported by some countries using pressure to manipulate developments in Myanmar to their own liking. No country could permit an individual or an organized group to jeopardize national reconciliation, or condone acts that led to a breakdown of law and order. It had become necessary to promulgate a law to ensure orderly and systematic transfer of the responsibilities of the State, and the progress of the National Convention. Whoever violated its provisions was liable to imprisonment or fines. No one had been put behind bars merely for political beliefs. Statements calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and a dialogue with political parties and ethnic groups were unacceptable to his Government.
PAUL H. HOUANSOU (Benin) said the protection and promotion of human rights required a certain economic and political atmosphere to exist. Since 1990, a new era and atmosphere of democratic renewal was developing in Benin, where its citizens were becoming familiar with the principles and rules necessary for the promotion of human rights. With the help of the United Nations, the Government was holding training courses for civil servants and leaders of human rights non-governmental organizations. Expert consultative services from the Centre for Human Rights were helping to harmonize the national laws with human rights instruments. This new order was characterized by an unrestricted, multi-party democracy and allowed for free political expression and elections with universal suffrage.
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Benin had made some progress, but much was left to be done on the economic level, he said. Problems existed regarding financial resources. Since 1989, the social consequences of a structural adjustment programme had caused layoffs and other economic setbacks. Now, the Government was stressing the importance of projects to meet needs in food, health, education and housing. Benin was also concerned about shortages in some United Nations human rights programmes due to inadequate resources, and it called for greater efforts of countries who were able to make larger contributions. Regarding the restructuring of the Centre for Human rights, Benin believed it was a question of asking for Member States' views. There should be a commitment to avoid spending resources on matters that could turn out to be rather futile.
NJUGUNA M. MAHUGU (Kenya) said that, like all countries, Kenya admittedly did not possess a perfect human rights record. No country and no political system was immune from human rights violations and none had a monopoly of wisdom on the issue. Kenya would continue to improve and strengthen the human rights of its citizens in accordance with United Nations human rights instruments. Kenya had established an independent Standing Committee on Human Rights to investigate complaints of alleged violations of the rights and freedoms set out in the constitution and complaints of alleged injustice, abuse of power and unfair treatment by a public officer, and to educate the public on human rights.
He said financial, technical and material support should be extended to needy developing countries, particularly in Africa in the field of human rights. Restructuring of the Centre for Human Rights should take into account the principle of equitable geographic distribution in its staffing. Unless the reforms and restructuring were properly and consistently coordinated with Member States, then the Centre's future could be endangered by transforming it into an independent body with its own sovereign characteristics.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights should ensure the speedy elimination of all obstacles to the implementation of the right to development within the framework of the Centre. The restructuring exercise should be carried out efficiently and transparently in keeping with General Assembly resolution 50/184 to ensure that the right to development was given a separate branch of its own at the Centre. He called for adequate and transparent communication, consultation, collaboration, cooperation and coordination of efforts with the United Nations system dealing with human rights. Promoting and protecting human rights should be conducted in conformity with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. He called on the United Nations to reject the use of human rights as a political weapon for foreign policy and development cooperation.
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AMINA MESDOUA (Algeria) said the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action was a decisive milestone in the development of human rights in the United Nations, and in placing human rights on the same level as development and freedom. Algeria welcomed the growing awareness of the necessary interdependence of all human rights, for it was only by accepting that sense of "connectedness" that the guarantee of human rights for all could be achieved. She said her government had always stressed the right to development and would like to have seen this reflected in the restructuring of the Centre for Human Rights, with the establishment of the appropriate structure in the Centre.
Algeria, she continued, had faced the horrors of terrorism and lived through dreadful times; it was now trying to uproot terrorism because it was alien to the country. In this struggle against terrorism and extreme fundamentalism, the devotion to human rights endured. In March 1995, the Government had established the office of Ombudsman as a non-jurisdictional resource that could be used by any citizen. It also invited humanitarian organizations to tour Algeria to see what was happening to preserve and protect human rights in extremely difficult situations. Algeria had established its own political calendar, would proceed at its own rate, and would not abide interference from anyone, anywhere.
M. VLAD CHIRINCIUC (Republic of Moldova) said his Government was fully committed to democracy and put a great deal of importance on the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It had taken measures to strengthen its work in human rights with the help of the United Nations and other international organizations. It had abolished capital punishment and was committed to holding free elections.
Unfortunately, this progress was threatened by the manifestation of a separatist regime which had de facto control of the eastern region of the country, he said. Separatist activities on that regime had been bolstered by foreign aid and assistance when the new independent State came into being. In a spirit of compromise, the Government was willing to normalize the situation in the region, guaranteeing full respect for rights of the individuals belonging to national minorities. However, under foreign influence, the separatists were unwilling to accept the Government's offers, and mediators had been unable to restore a state of normalcy. In addition, human rights violations against the population in the eastern region persisted. The authorities could not change this disturbing situation without the political and moral support of the international community.
KWANG JAE LEE (Republic of Korea) said that despite remarkable progress in advancing freedom and democracy, appalling human rights abuses and flagrant violations of fundamental freedoms continued throughout the world, shrouding
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the common aspiration for a new century of global prosperity. No region of the world was exempt from the obligation to respect the basic principles of human rights.
The human rights mechanisms of the United Nations must be improved to further universal respect for human rights. They must be an indispensable part of peace-keeping operations and the entire peace process, rather than a distinct humanitarian questions. Bolstering the presence of United Nations human rights, field officers could assure the observance of human rights during conflict. Resolving questions of impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations and establishing protection mechanisms should both be priority issues. He urged the enhancement of legal deterrence and punishment mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court.
He then turned to the issue of so-called "comfort women", and said first, aspects of the plight of military sex slaves during the Second World War should be brought to light, so as to provide future generations with valuable historical lessons to prevent the recurrence of similar tragic and inhumane acts. The issue of reparation for individual victims could be settled only when the suggested reparation measures were acceptable to the victims as well as to non-governmental organizations. Certain political circles in Japan continued to "mask historical truths with distorting statements and even attempted to delete from school textbooks relevant paragraphs mentioning the issue". He said his Government would continue to pay close attention to the matter.
His Government supported the High Commissioner's undertaking to reinforce human rights programmes and restructure the Centre for Human Rights. It was concerned by the lack of resources for the Centre. The Government of the Republic of Korea planned to donate office automation equipment and financial assistance in the amount of $500,000 this year to the Centre's five- year computerization plan.
The Government was also considering the establishment of an independent national human rights commission. The Republic of Korea had come a long way in its evolution as a democratic society. Laying the foundation for democracy in a developing nation was not without its difficulties. It required perseverance to sustain a democratic institution which revered the value of the individual and human rights. His Government would be actively involved in the international effort to promote and protect democracy in every corner of the world.
ABDUSSALAM SERGIWA (Libya) said the enjoyment of human rights included the right to be free from economic blockades or sanctions and other blatant violations regardless of the source. Massive human rights violations continued, including genocide and the violations perpetrated against the
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Palestinian people who suffered daily from torture and other abuses inflicted on them by Israel. Other violations resulted from ethnic and religious intolerance as well as political and economic deprivation seen recently in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Many developing countries could not guarantee their citizens the right to development. Despite the efforts of the international community to promote and protect human rights, certain States practised a selective behaviour towards some countries. Because of their own narrow interests, they set themselves up as champions of human rights. However, if it suited their economic interests, those same States would turn a blind eye to human rights violations in other countries regardless of their size.
His Government supported efforts by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to foster dialogue with Governments to seek a workable methodology to improve human rights, he said. It did not support double standards by some countries on the pretext of defending human rights while they ignored grave violations in other States in order to serve narrow political agendas. The right to development lacked sufficient commitment by the international community. He hoped the High Commissioner would intensify his contacts and efforts with international financial institutions to ensure their programmes included consideration of the right to development.
Referring to the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, he said the inclusion of unverified allegations cast doubt on the report's credibility. Urging respect for the rights of all persons, including those who made light of the life of others, was a strange logic. Capital punishment was the sole deterrent to criminals who threatened the lives of innocent people. His Government supported the need to restructure the Centre for Human Rights, but its staffing must reflect the principle of equitable geographical distribution. The Security Council's economic sanctions against his country violated the human rights of men, women, children and the elderly, including their right to development.
GRETHEL VARGAS (Nicaragua) said some countries were still suffering from instability arising from conflict caused by ethnic and national rivalries. Entire peoples had been displaced. Ensuring human rights was one of the main objectives of many developing countries; the issue deserved the attention of the entire international community. It should not be through the pointing of an accusing finger, but by trying to construct a unifying dialogue and to search for solutions.
Now was the time to raise economic, cultural and social rights to the same level as other human rights, she said. An individual needed basic development as a human being -- health, education, basic income -- so that he could contribute more constructively, and participate in the development of democratic systems. The new world order should be one in which satisfying the
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basic needs of the individual should be the prime objective. The right to development should be linked closely to other human rights, and considered equal and interdependent. While violations of human rights persisted in many parts of the world, in Nicaragua human rights were protected more fully than at any other time in the country's history.
MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT (United States) said there was much good news. In Guatemala, a strong new government had embarked on a campaign to combat impunity, fight corruption, improve respect for human rights and negotiate an end to the hemisphere's longest ongoing civil conflict. Around the world, forward-looking nations were striving to implement the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). During the past two decades, the number of democratic nations had more than tripled. In 1996, more than 1 billion people had gone to the polls. Unfortunately, the democratic trend was not universal. The authority of many governments continued to rely not on popular consent but on coercion.
Burma was one example, she said. The authorities in Myanmar had their own version of reality. They claimed their opponents were inspired by outsiders, when in fact the opposition was indigenous and deeply patriotic. Their constitutional convention was a sham, fully controlled and orchestrated by the Government. They claimed to be fighting illegal narcotics, when, in fact, the military had turned a blind eye to the production and trafficking of drugs. Accordingly, her government would urge the Assembly this year to express its strong support for democracy and human rights in Burma. The Assembly should call for a genuine democratic dialogue, for free assembly and free speech, for the release of political prisoners and for an end to forced re-locations, forced labour and forced porterage.
She said Iraq was another country where violations of human rights had been widespread, consistent and gross. In Iran, there were reports of torture, summary execution, arbitrary detention, absence of due process, and suppression of civil liberties and religious freedom. She called upon authorities in both Iraq and Iran to cease repressing their people, stop supporting international terrorism, and move towards more open and free societies. The Government of the Sudan was also an egregious violator of internationally recognized human rights. The civil war in the Sudan was a major cause of abuse. Both sides were to blame, but the Government merits particular censure for its indiscriminate bombing of civilians and its reported use of cluster bombs. She welcomed the Sudan's willingness to allow the United Nations Special Rapporteur to visit.
In Nigeria, she said government promises of a transition to democracy and increased respect for human rights had not yet been fulfilled. The electoral process was being manipulated to limit the participation of opposition parties, and journalists had been harassed. She called upon
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Nigeria to implement a comprehensive and credible transition to democracy, and to maintain security without running roughshod over basic human and civil rights.
She said the United States was concerned about actions in China that restrained the peaceful expression of dissenting views, including the sentencing of prominent dissidents. The United States had raised concerns with leaders about the detention of those who expressed their views peacefully, along with the situation in Tibet. The United States would continue to speak out in the area of human rights issues involving China.
The United States had been particularly critical of the Cuban regime's crackdown on the group "Concilio Cubano" for attempting to organize a conference on democracy and human rights. More than 140 people had been arrested, and they and their families had been subjected to continual surveillance and harassment. Cuba must permit democratic change, and her Government would continue working with other free nations to encourage it.
She then spoke of the situation in Central Africa. The United States was committed to working with regional and national leaders, and with other governments, to encourage Rwanda refugees who had not yet repatriated to do so. She noted with respect the Rwandan Government's pledge to ensure that the rights and security of refugees, and other ethnic Hutus, would be respected. Human rights were a major concern in Burundi, where the security forces continued to commit abuses, as do ethnic militias and rebel groups.
In the Balkans, she said the Dayton agreement was designed to safeguard the rights of all Bosnians, regardless of ethnicity. Implementation had been steady, but slow. All parties were urged to persist in making real the promises of the agreement. In Afghanistan, she called on all Afghan groups to respect basic human rights regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion, and end the fighting. The war was senselessly prolonging the agony of the Afghan people.
The greatest divide in the world today was not between east and west, north and south, or right and left; it was between those ensnared by the habits and hatreds of the past and those striving to build the future. She appealed to all governments to recognize the unbreakable link between human development and human freedom and fulfil their commitments to the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
AHMED SNOUSSI (Morocco) said the international community was justly proud of the work done in the field of human rights even though the global situation was not entirely satisfactory. An increasingly large number of States had acceded to the human rights instruments, and it was encouraging to see that recently many countries have chosen the difficult path of sustainable
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development based on the guarantee of human rights. Governments and United Nations bodies should follow the path of the Vienna Declaration in helping to eliminate human rights violations and prevent unsatisfactory situations from arising. However, success would require more and more resources, and this aspect should never hamper the universalist approach born in Vienna. In addition, the right to development should be considered as the inseparable link between the attainment of protection of human rights and improved standard of living, full employment and social development.
The Government of Morocco had built, carefully but surely, a state of law and a solid culture of human rights and fundamental freedoms, he said. Morocco had ratified many of the human rights conventions and had gradually adapted its national legislation to bring it into line with international commitments. Several national institutions had been established, including the Constitutional Council, the Ministry of Human Rights, and the National Monitoring Body for Rights of the Child. Educational institutions were beginning the instruction of human rights because of the signing of a convention between the ministries of education and human rights. Efforts in support of the rights of women and children, as well as cultural rights, were also under way.
VLADLEN STEFANOV (Bulgaria) said that during the last several years the situation of the human rights of minorities in the former Yugoslavia had been a constant focus of Bulgarian public opinion, non-governmental organizations and state institutions. It was essential that the Bulgarians in Serbia live in dignity and freedom and have all the opportunities for the unrestricted expression of their ethnic identity. They should also enjoy, on an equal basis with other national minorities, their constitutional rights to freely express their ethnic identity, promote their culture, and to have free access to information and education in their mother tongue. The Government had been trying to find solutions to these issues of concern with the Yugoslav authorities on a bilateral level. The signing earlier this year of a bilateral three-year inter-governmental programme for cooperation in the fields of culture, science and education was a positive step in this area. And an atmosphere of goodwill during the high-level contacts with the Yugoslav authorities would facilitate the quest for practical and durable solutions to the existing problems.
The Government believed that the complaints brought before the Special Rapporteur by representatives of the Bulgarian national minority and described in her latest report on minorities were serious enough to encourage her to become personally acquainted with these cases of human rights abuses, he said. Therefore, Bulgaria would welcome a visit by Ms. Rehn to the eastern area of Serbia, an area inhabited by the Bulgarian national minority.
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GHEORGHE CHIRILA (Romania) said it should be a matter of concern that today, especially after the adoption by consensus of the 1994 Vienna Declaration on human rights, the world still needed to call for universal accession. His Government was concerned and unhappy that reservations were still being expressed over the ratification of human rights instruments.
Romania strongly supported all the initiatives aimed at the universal ratification, and withdrawal of those reservations which did not concord with the letter and spirit of human rights instruments. States must take all appropriate legislative and institutional measures to ensure full compliance with international obligations on human rights and fundamental freedoms. Romania had benefited from the Centre for Human Rights' comprehensive programme of advisory services and technical cooperation.
His Government supported the initiatives of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to restructure the Centre to respond to the new challenges.
He said his Government would like to stress the significance of reporting obligations, particularly the optional communication procedures provided in accordance with some treaties, to promote and implement human rights. It was the treaty bodies and the civil society which, based on the reporting and communication system, provided governments with relevant information on how to respect their human rights commitments. Civil society should be more involved in promoting human rights. Romanian society had learned much during its process of democratic reform. He said that, although it was a difficult process, with the strong support of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union, accession to and implementation of human rights instruments was becoming a reality in his country.
AIVARS BAUMANIS (Latvia) said the commitments in the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action would become meaningful to each and every individual only when States themselves lived up to them. The work of non- governmental organizations in raising public awareness about human rights could not be underestimated. Latvia had adopted its National Programme for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in 1994. It also established the Consultative Council on Nationalities this year, to improve dialogue between the State and ethnic minorities.
He said the integration of people of foreign origin in Latvia had been steady and peaceful. No incidents of ethnic or racial violence had occurred in Latvia since its independence. Latvians had shown tolerance towards the immigrants. All internationally recognized fundamental rights were guaranteed for all residents of Latvia, who also had equal economic rights. Any resident could own land, enterprise or other property.
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Naturally during the complicated integration process, problems of an administrative or bureaucratic nature arose. Fortunately, he went on, the rule of law in Latvia provided legal remedies. The Latvian state school system provided secondary education opportunities in eight languages of the national minorities. More than half the students in Riga attended state schools with the Russian language as the language of instruction. Unfortunately, the representatives of the Russian Federation misled other delegations. Knowledge of the Latvian language was a basic requirement for obtaining the citizenship. Unfortunately, less than one-third of the non- Latvians had learned the language, even though many of them had lived in Latvia for decades. Weak knowledge of the Latvian language had been the main reason why only 1 per cent of those eligible for citizenship this year had applied for it. Almost half of the national minorities - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarussians and others - were already citizens. The Government had developed an effective language learning programme in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He said he sincerely hoped that tolerance and reconciliation would serve as a new foundation upon which the Russian Federation would build its relations with its neighbouring states.
DJORDE KOCETKOV (Bosnia and Herzegovina) said that exactly one year ago today the Dayton Peace Agreement was initialled. However, the nationalist forces were trying to turn the military zones of separation into international borders as part of their hard-line resistance to the reintegration, tolerance and to a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural Bosnia and Herzegovina. These nationalist forces had not been defeated yet and they still carried out ethnic cleansing. They expelled people from their homes and impeded the return of displaced persons to their homes of origin. The perpetrators of the most serious war crimes -- Karadzic, Mladic, Kordic and others -- were still free, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Implementation Force (IFOR) was not ready to arrest and deliver them to the Tribunal.
The reconstruction and restoration of the destroyed and plundered economy, and particularly of industry, was lagging, he said. The resources allocated and pledged by the international community for these purposes totalled $1.8 billion for the current year and had in reality been less than 50 per cent of that amount. That discrepancy was the main cause of the large number of unemployed persons, the majority of which were young people and demobilized soldiers. Bearing in mind the great differences existing in Bosnia and Herzegovina in regard to human rights issues, the Government requested that, apart from political and diplomatic influence and pressure, assistance for reconstruction and economic rehabilitation should be consistently conditioned with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and full cooperation with the International Tribunal for the
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Prosecution of the Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed on the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991.
Introduction of Draft Resolution
The representative of Cuba introduced a draft resolution on respect for the right to universal freedom of travel and the vital importance of family reunification.
Right of Reply
The representative of China, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that the representative of the United States had engaged in an unfounded attack and fit of finger-pointing regarding the situation of human rights in China. Serious human rights violations existed in the United States. And instead of concentrating efforts on its own issues the United States was highly energetic in accusing others of violations. This was a double standard. The Government of China offered a word of advice: before accusing others it would be best to take a look in the mirror. As the leader of the world and the lone remaining super Power, the United States had encroached upon the integrity of another State and had acted as if all other countries had to obey its orders. All countries were independent sovereign States, and the United States did not control them and had no right to tell them what to do.
The representative of Nigeria, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, referred to the comments made earlier by the representative of the United States. He said that his Government was formulating a credible democratic transition programme, and it did not have to ask for another State's approval in order to implement it. The programme was for Nigerians only. The transition programme would extend through a series of months. The Government had set up a review committee to look into the cases of the remaining people who were under detention. Yesterday, three more people were released. In addition, there could be no opposition if the elections had not yet been held. And Nigerians were free to join one of the five political parties.
The representative of Iraq, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said the remarks by the United States lacked courtesy and the diplomatic language that should be used in these chambers. His Government believed that the United States was the last country that should be allowed to talk about human rights. Any State that insisted on starving an entire population of 20 million citizens and continued to blockade it by all possible means was not entitled to talk about human rights. The contents of the United States' statement, which Iraq was used to hearing, expressed a compulsive, aggressive and political stand that had no relation to human rights.
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