UNITED NATIONS REFORM EFFORTS MUST NOT FALL VICTIM TO NARROW PREFERENCES OF CHOSEN FEW, PAKISTAN'S PRIME MINISTER TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

22 September 1997

Press Release
GA/9305

UNITED NATIONS REFORM EFFORTS MUST NOT FALL VICTIM TO NARROW PREFERENCES OF CHOSEN FEW, PAKISTAN'S PRIME MINISTER TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

19970922 Statements Also Made By Presidnets of Nicaragua, Ukraine; Foreign Ministers of Norway, South Africa, Czech Republic, Georgia, Iran

United Nations reform must not fall victim to the narrow strategic, political and administrative preferences of a chosen few, but must help to promote global peace, security, cooperation and prosperity, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, said this afternoon, as the General Assembly continued its general debate.

The centrality and sanctity of the United Nations Charter must be preserved as the international community moved to reconfigure the Organization, the Prime Minister said. With respect to Security Council reform, he said that any decision that was not backed by the consensus of all Member States would erode the credibility of the Council and of the Organization.

The Foreign Minster of South Africa, Alfred Nzo, said restructuring of the Security Council was central to the modernization of the United Nations and would redress existing imbalances. However, five or six new Council seats would not transform it into a representative organ; there should be selective expansion in Council membership to the detriment of developing countries. Democratization of the Council hinged on the veto either being eliminated or extended to new permanent members.

Calling for a review of the United Nations Charter, the Foreign Minister of Georgia, Irakli Menagarishvili, said its mechanism for the prevention and settlement of conflicts had an inter-State character which had resulted in an inadequate United Nations response to conflicts occurring within States. Citing the importance of United Nations stand-by forces, he said that, had such forces existed five years ago, the dramatic development of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia could have been prevented.

The Foreign Minister of Norway, Bjorn Tore Godal, announced his Government's plan to provide $100 million over a five-year period for mine clearance and assistance to victims. He said landmines could not be allowed to terrorize, maim and kill more innocent victims.

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Also this afternoon, The Assembly heard addresses from the President of Nicaragua, Arnoldo Aleman Lacayo; the President of Ukraine, Leonid D. Kuchma; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Josef Zieleniec; and the Foreign Minister of Iran, Kamal Kharrazi.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 23 September, to continue its general debate.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its general debate. It was scheduled to be addressed by the Presidents of Nicaragua and Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the Foreign Ministers of Norway, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Georgia and Iran.

Statements

ARNOLDO ALEMAN LACAYO, President of Nicaragua, said the 21.5 million people living in the Republic of China on Taiwan should enjoy equality of opportunity and not be excluded from the United Nations. The countries of South East Asia are witness that the economy and democratic development of the Republic of China have been significant factors in the stability of the region. The right of those who freely chose to live and forge the Republic of China should not be forgotten.

The United Nations system could not remain on the sidelines. Member States must approve a greater leadership role for the Secretariat. The process of peace and the need to combat drug trafficking and terrorism were especially important areas identified in the Secretary-General's programme for reform. Reduction of weapons, strengthening human rights and offering the best solutions in emergency situations were also important.

The days of armed conflict in Central America were over, he said. While the Nicaraguan people were learning to live in peace, they also wanted to live in harmony with nature, which had been kind to their country. A consolidated national council for development was promoting adoption of a model for sustainable development that would satisfy the needs of today's citizens without undermining the possibilities for future generations.

LEONID D. KUCHMA, President of Ukraine, said that during its six years of independence, his country had laid the foundation for further State- building, including the further development of a market economy. It had also worked to support global security, and last year removed the last nuclear warhead from its territory. Ukraine had also pursued a policy in support of positive change in Central and Eastern Europe through agreements and treaties with regional Governments, including the recent resolution of issues relating to the division of the Black Sea fleet.

Recent events in Europe had demonstrated the threats to its security from regional and local conflicts, he said. Discussions on the future of European security had focused on enlargement of NATO and the European Union. However, European stability was impossible without regional security and good- neighbourly relations. With that in mind, Ukraine had offered to host the 1999 summit of Baltic and Black Sea States.

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Addressing the urgent need for change within the United Nations, he said he hoped that achievements of the current session would justify calling it the session of reform. The structures and tasks of the United Nations should be brought in line with new realities. Implementation of the Secretary-General's reform proposals would represent a beginning of radical change which would include reform of the Security Council and financial matters. Consensus must be reached on a plan for Security Council reform, involving expanded regional representation. United Nations peacekeeping efforts should continue to be reoriented towards preventive diplomacy. In support of that process, Ukraine had recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations on stand-by arrangements.

President Kuchma said his country faced a continuing burden in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. An overall solution to that problem was impossible without large scale international assistance. While Ukraine remained committed to closing the Chernobyl facility by the end of the millennium, assistance relating to the disaster should not be conditional on such actions.

MOHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF, Prime Minister of Pakistan, said the centrality and the sanctity of the Charter must be preserved when reconfiguring the United Nations. Reform must not be victim to the narrow strategic, political and administrative preferences of a chosen few. Reform must facilitate the Organization's objectives of promoting global peace, security, cooperation and prosperity. The Security Council veto was completely incompatible with the democratic ethos of the Charter. Legitimizing and enlarging the privileged club of veto Powers would cripple the Organization's ability to carry out its responsibilities.

The enforcement of peace should only be undertaken in response to actual acts of aggression or breaches of peace, he said. It must be pursued collectively and fairly, not imposed arbitrarily by the strong over the weak. A central weakness of the United Nations was that some Members were expected to pay their contributions fully, unconditionally and on time, while others delayed their payments. The principle of "capacity to pay" was fair and it should not be discarded. At the same time, alternate sources of funding must be explored to make the United Nations immune to pressure and hostile onslaughts.

He said Pakistan had acted to address pressing political, economic and social problems inherited from the past. Such measures had included consolidating parliamentary democracy, restoring financial equilibrium, and combating corruption, drugs and terrorism -- often sponsored from abroad -- through effective law enforcement and speedy, fair justice. Those policies had led to an open, dynamic economy with increased domestic and foreign investment.

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Pakistan also sought peace and stability in its region, he said. It sought an early end to the fratricidal conflict in Afghanistan, a just and fair settlement to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations resolutions, an end to the arms race in South Asia, and development of the immense economic and commercial potential of south and central Asia. He called on India to join Pakistan in liberating their people from the dreadful grip of poverty, which could only be achieved by removing the causes of conflict and hostility.

His Government had taken the initiatives to resume the stalled dialogue with India, he said. Last June, it had agreed on a comprehensive agenda for dealing with issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, in a sustained manner. Unfortunately, an agreed mechanism to launch substantive negotiations on all those issues had not been set up.

The repression of the people of Kashmir and Jammu was continuing with more than 600,000 Indian troops brutalizing the people, he said. Custodial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and summary executions were daily occurrences. In past months, hundreds of Kashmiri civilians were killed, while 32,000 languished in detention centres. This morning, he learned of shelling by India in which 11 people were killed and 12 injured, including women and children. If India was serious in its allegations that the conflict in Kashmir was being stoked by "interference" from Pakistan, then it should have no hesitation in allowing United Nations observers in Kashmir to verify that claim. It was hoped the United Nations would increase the number of those observers and ask India to allow their stationing on the line of control.

He expressed the hope that India could be persuaded to take steps to create a climate conducive to the success of their dialogue. Such steps could include a halt to its campaign of repression against the people of Kashmir, withdrawal of those Indian troops which were engaged in "internal" repression in Kashmir, and evolution of a mechanism to take account of the wishes of the Kashmiri people -- stipulated by the United Nations for a final settlement.

Since 1974, Pakistan had pursued its proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free zone in South Asia, but India had taken successive steps to escalate its nuclear and missile capabilities, he said. Pakistan and India should agree on mutual and equal restraints in the nuclear and ballistic fields and make similar arrangements with respect to conventional weapons, so as to secure equal security for both countries. Pakistan was prepared to conclude and strengthen confidence-building measures and, as a first step, would agree on a set of principles to guide future bilateral arms control arrangements. He also offered to open negotiations on a non-aggression treaty between the two countries. There were many areas in which there could be cooperation between them, including trade liberalization. Significant foreign investment could be drawn into the region. In the expectation that the Pakistan-India dialogue

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will have advanced by next year, his Government intended to host a regional economic summit in 1998.

BJORN TORE GODAL, Foreign Minister of Norway, said his Government planned to provide $100 million over a five-year period for mine clearance and assistance to victims. Landmines could not be allowed to terrorize, maim and kill more innocent victims. Last week, nearly 100 countries had agreed on a convention text for a total ban on anti-personnel landmines. A special tribute for the success of those efforts was extended to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Unfortunately, landmines were only one of many interlinked global challenges, he said. The United Nations could best tackle those problems in a comprehensive and integrated manner. Activities to address the issues of sustainable development, poverty, population and education must be strengthened and integrated, both at Headquarters and in the field. The reforms proposed by the Secretary-General would ensure that more resources were allocated more efficiently for development. His proposal to use administrative savings for a "development dividend" represented one element in that process.

Reforms would also strengthen the United Nations ability to manage conflicts, he said. The Government of Norway had offered to provide funding for personnel for the rapid-response force. Other Member States were encouraged to make contributions for such preventive action.

Health must be a main priority area for the United Nations, he said. Increased international efforts were needed to help developing countries improve their national health policies and to combat such emerging and re- emerging diseases as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

ALFRED NZO, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, said the restructuring of the Security Council was central to the process of modernization in the United Nations, as it would redress existing imbalances and transform the Council into a transparent, accountable organ. South Africa supported the Non-Aligned Movement's position that there should be no partial or selective expansion in the Council's membership to the detriment of developing countries. It felt that a limited expansion of only five or six new seats would not transform the Council into a representative organ. The veto issue was central to Security Council reform. Democratization of the Council hinged on the veto being either eliminated or extended to new permanent members. He expressed disappointment at the slow pace of Council reform, adding that it was time to agree on a comprehensive set of measures which would create a transparent, democratic, accountable, credible and legitimate Security Council.

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Expressing concern over intra-State conflicts in Africa as a threat to the continent's stability, he urged parties to the conflict in the Republic of Congo to observe the ceasefire agreement and to ensure that interim measures for national elections in 1998 were instituted. He condemned the coup in Sierra Leone and urged the United Nations not to recognize or support the military government. South Africa was committed to peace in Angola and concerned about the failure of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) to fulfil its obligations under the Lusaka Protocol. He welcomed the Security Council decision to impose the punitive measures envisaged in resolution 1127 (1997), as a means of ensuring UNITA's compliance.

The decision of the Israeli Government to construct settlements in Jebel Abu Ghneim was a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, he said. Stressing that South Africa attached great importance to preventive diplomacy as means of forestalling conflict, he welcomed the report of the 1997 session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and urged it to address the question of a Rapidly Deployable Mission Headquarters and the further development of the United Nations Stand-by Arrangements.

South Africa was encouraged by the large number of States which had committed to the complete eradication of weapons of mass destruction, he said, stressing that high priority should be placed on strategies and policies intended to prevent the proliferation of conventional weapons and to reduce their flow to conflict areas. South Africa also fully supported the Oslo Convention which banned anti-personnel mines. He informed the Assembly about South Africa's own concern over the involvement of its nationals in mercenary activities. Consequently, he said, South Africa had drafted legislation to regulate the rendering of military assistance by private individuals and companies to foreign governments and agencies.

Noting next year's fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he affirmed South Africa's commitment to the pre-eminent values of basic human dignity. He supported the recommendation on the convening of a world conference on racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. He reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to gender equality and to the elimination of violence against women and girls. South Africa remained committed to an action-oriented Agenda for Development since abject poverty and social deprivation continued to haunt many countries. External indebtedness was also an issue which should be addressed by the international community since it was a source of frustration for many lesser developed countries.

He stressed the importance of transfer of essential and environmentally sound technologies to enhance global partnership for sustainable development. He commended the decision to convene a special session of the Assembly on drugs and strongly favoured the establishment of an international criminal

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court. He also urged all Member States to fully support the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and welcomed efforts to elaborate a draft convention to define terrorism. Finally, he informed the Assembly that the South African Cabinet had approved the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

JOSEF ZIELENIEC, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, said his country supported the reform measures undertaken by the Secretary-General and the proposals he had put forward. Successful reform now depended on the political will of Member States. Alterations to the system of financing were needed to make United Nations cost-sharing more equitable. There should be a new system of contributions to the regular budget and to peacekeeping operations which reflected the Member States' capacity to pay.

On the question of Council reform, the Czech Government preferred expanding of both categories of membership in a way that maintained the Council's effectiveness and flexibility, he said. While supporting permanent membership for Germany, Japan and three other countries -- representing Africa, Asia and Latin America respectively -- he advocated an expansion of non-permanent seats, including one for the Eastern European States.

During the past year, the Czech Republic had entered into a partnership agreement with NATO, a relationship his Government was sure would be extended to other democratic countries, he said. The recent agreement between NATO and the Russian Federation represented a step towards the strengthening of European security. Also welcome was the European Commission's positive assessment of the Czech Republic as a candidate for European Union membership; negotiations to that end should begin in January 1998. The recent signing of the declaration on mutual relations between his country and Germany showed the will of the parties to shaping a peaceful future in Europe.

At the United Nations, the Czech Republic would participate in building a global security architecture by focusing on peacekeeping operations, arms control and disarmament issues, he said. A positive tone should be set during the upcoming preparatory meetings for the Review Conference in the year 2000 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). His country had just informed the IAEA of its interest to participate in that body's safeguards arrangements. It was also prepared to sign the international agreement banning anti-personnel landmines in Ottawa this December.

IRAKLI MENAGARISHVILI, Foreign Minister of Georgia, said the United Nations Charter required a serious review in terms of current realities. Its mechanism for the prevention and settlement of conflicts had an inter-State character which had resulted in inadequate United Nations response to conflicts occurring within States. The ministerial commission for review of the Charter proposed by the Secretary-General must be created.

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The role of post-conflict peace-building must be reconsidered, he said. There was a fine line between establishing peace and peacekeeping. Elements of post-conflict peace-building must be included in the strategy of peacekeeping operations. Economic rehabilitation of conflict zones and the creation of infrastructure for further development would build confidence among the parties involved while establishing the social and economic environment for a comprehensive settlement. Development dividends might be used to finance a special fund to strengthen the United Nations potential for such post-conflict peace-building.

At the centre of United Nations reform was enlargement of the Security Council and improvement of the activities of the General Assembly, he said. Informal consultations with non-members of the Security Council was important in creating greater transparency in its work. According to the Charter, non- members of the Security Council could only be admitted to formal meetings. That procedure hampered the close cooperation of non-members with the Council since for all practical purposes, decision-making took place during the informal consultations.

The creation of a United Nations stand-by force was important for the timely deployment of peacekeeping operations to prevent the escalation of conflicts, he said. Had such forces existed five years ago, the dramatic development of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia, could have been prevented.

KAMAL KHARRAZI, the Foreign Minister of Iran, said there was need for a new doctrine in international relations based on a global civil society. Such a society should meet the spiritual and material needs of humanity, with balanced and sustainable development as the foundation for universal cooperation. Countries and regions with different cultures and resources should enjoy the right to participate at all stages of international decision- making and policy implementation.

The political philosophy of Iran's new administration was geared towards strengthening the foundations of civil society, he said. Iran's present foreign policy included expansion of relations with all countries on the basis of mutual respect, common interest and non-interference in the internal affairs of others. It emphasized the institutionalization of international law as the final arbiter among States and the mutual confidence-building and security through regional cooperation. It was based on the protection of all human rights and rejection of attempts for selective and discriminatory abuse of human rights, with an emphasis on the fundamental rights of oppressed individuals and nations. It called for an end to the arms race, the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and the control of conventional weapons.

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He said Iran's foreign policy also emphasized strengthening solidarity among Islamic and non-aligned countries and constructive participation in the United Nations, with effective contribution on such issues as arms control and disarmament, sustainable development, human rights, peacekeeping, terrorism, drugs, the reversal of unjust international arrangements, and defending the rights of Iranian citizens worldwide.

The question of Palestine represented the most persistent case of disregard for international law and violation of fundamental human rights, he said. The Middle East question could only be resolved through full realization of the rights of the Palestinian people. It was regrettable that Iran's exposition on Middle East realities was misrepresented as support for terrorism; his country sought peace and stability in that region.

In Afghanistan, cease-fire, cessation of foreign intervention, negotiation between all Afghan groups, and formation of a broad-based government representing all of them was the only way to find a solution to the crisis.

Iran's Islamic principles considered weapons of mass destruction to be inhumane and illegitimate, he said. Iran's nuclear activities were performed within the framework of IAEA regulations and followed peaceful objectives, despite a barrage of false and baseless accusations to the contrary. Insecurity in the Middle East was rooted in Israeli militarism and in its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.

In the Persian Gulf, only cooperation and collective participation could bring about security and stability. Solving the problem of terrorism required a determined avoidance of sensationalism and demagoguery, and a concerted international attempt to find measures that were reasonable, objective and realistic.

The current composition of the Security Council was far from representative and was unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of the States, he said. Any increase in its membership must take account of the concerns of the developing countries.

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