AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT NEEDS REQUIRE INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION, FOREIGN MINISTER OF MAURITIUS TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

30 September 1997

Press Release
GA/9316

AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT NEEDS REQUIRE INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION, FOREIGN MINISTER OF MAURITIUS TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

19970930 Tajikistan's President Concerned over Afghan Conflict; Brunei Darussalam, Trinidad and Tobago, Lesotho, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Libya Also Speak

Unless the international community paid more attention to Africa's development needs and its trading problems, the global trading system could become fraught with tensions and discrimination, the Foreign Minister of Mauritius, Rajkeswur Purryag, told the General Assembly this morning, as it continued its general debate. Africans must put their house in order, he said. However, unless they were freed from their debt burden, future generations might never have access to clean drinking water, health care or proper schooling. Proposals for a development account fed by savings from reductions in United Nations non- programme costs were commendable. Hopefully, the "dividend for development" would benefit the developing world, unlike the much trumpeted "peace dividend" of the post-cold war era. The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmonov, said his Government was determined to implement the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord, signed in June with the United Tajik Opposition (UTO). However, he feared that the unsettled nature of the conflict in Afghanistan might undermine the fragile peace in his country and destabilize the Central Asia region. Peace in Afghanistan was vital to Tajikistan, as peace along the Tajik-Afghan border would help reduce the flow of arms and drugs and check the proliferation of terrorism. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Kassymjomart Tokaev, said United Nations environmental activities had special importance for his country because of the ecological disasters of the Aral Sea and the former Semipalatinsk testing ground, where 470 nuclear tests had been conducted. The Aral Sea problems had global dimensions, with salt sediment from the region found in Europe and the Arctic Ocean. He added that the nuclear powers had a responsibility for the damage caused by nuclear testing and should set up an international fund to deal with health and environment problems in regions affected by those tests. Kazakhstan's decision to close the Semipalatinsk testing ground was a major contribution to nuclear disarmament. Statements were also made by the Foreign Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Trinidad and Tobago, Lesotho, Liechtenstein and the representative of Libya. The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its general debate.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to hear an address by the President of Tajikistan. The Assembly was also scheduled to continue its general debate by hearing statements by the Foreign Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius, Lesotho, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, as well as the representative of Libya.

Statements

EMOMALI RAHMONOV, President of Tajikistan, expressed thanks to the Secretary-General for the constant and close attention paid by the United Nations to the Tajik settlement. Tajikistan was determined to implement the General Agreement and to achieve an atmosphere of trust. [On 27 June, President Rahmonov and the leader of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), along with the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Tajikistan, signed in Moscow the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan and the Moscow Declaration.]

President RAHMONOV said that continued support from the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and cooperation between the CIS peacekeepers and the United Nations military observers, was vitally important. Without such cooperation, it would be difficult to implement the military component of the inter-Tajik agreements and to achieve a final solution to the problem of refugees. The development and implementation by the United Nations of a comprehensive strategy of humanitarian aid and post- conflict economic reconstruction was another important aspect of the peace process.

Noting that in April the General Assembly had established a good framework for that effort by adopting a resolution on assistance and reconciliation in Tajikistan, he called for the passage of an updated resolution which would take account of the specifics of the transitional period and the humanitarian needs of the country's population.

It was feared that the conflict in Afghanistan could have a destabilizing effect on Central Asia, he continued. The unsettled nature of the Afghan problem might well undermine the fragile peace in Tajikistan. It was in Tajikistan's vital interest that peace be established in Afghanistan, as peace would help substantially reduce the flow of arms and drugs across the Tajik-Afghan border. It would also help check the proliferation of terrorism and extremism which destabilized the whole region. An international effort was needed to address the transnational nature of drug trafficking. For that reason, he supported the convening of the special session of the Assembly in 1998 to address the drug problem.

Turning to the matter of United Nations reform, he said an expanded Security Council membership should not only include industrialized States,

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such as Germany and Japan, but also representatives from developing countries on a rotating basis. There should be zero nominal growth in the United Nations budget achieved through the efficient utilization of resources and strengthened monitoring apparatus.

A transition to a socially oriented market economy was under way in Tajikistan which could soon yield results, he said. Although his country had natural wealth and intellectual resources, reconstructive and creative tasks would be difficult without international assistance. He called on donor nations to extend humanitarian aid to those that suffered as a result of the civil war. Also, foreign investment in Tajikistan was needed.

PRINCE MOHAMED BOLKIAH, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam said the disruption of the Middle East peace process clearly started when Israel decided to build settlements in East Jerusalem, a policy which was obviously not aimed at helping the process. His country wanted to see the Israelis doing something positive to repair the damage done, and a peace process that actually proceeded. He expressed appreciation for the efforts by Jordan, Egypt and the United States to break the impasse.

His country was disappointed by the way certain elements in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to undermine its peace process. There were overwhelming signs that the people there welcomed the opportunity for a normal life. His country was also pleased to see the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations taking strong action to enforce the Dayton Agreements. It welcomed the efforts being made in northeast Asia to find solutions to the problems on the Korean Peninsula and welcomed the Four Party Talks as a way of reducing tension and building confidence.

The recent attacks on currencies and financial institutions in his region were a shock, he said. They could not be dismissed as just ups and downs in the market. The effect was like a disease which went to the heart of their economic system. Countries in that region would survive the current situation, as their basics were sound, but it had taught them a lesson. They were realizing how deeply globalization, market forces and interdependence had affected them all.

The Secretary-General's proposed reform package addressed the right questions, he said. While others had seen the reforms as basically a management package, good management principles represented only one aspect of the reforms needed. It was hoped that an acceptable consensus would be reached on matters which concerned developing nations. His country wanted the Secretary-General to ensure that nothing weakened the things the Organization did so well for ordinary people. It was hoped that the working group on reform of the Security Council would soon complete its work. Efforts to enhance development cooperation were welcomed since they represented the best in international cooperation. Financial viability was important if reforms were to be effective.

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RALPH MARAJ, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, said that the new structure of the United Nations Secretariat should serve to bolster support for Africa's development, South-South cooperation and the sustainable development of small island States. The recent decision of the nineteenth special session of the General Assembly to hold a comprehensive review of the 1994 United Nations Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States marked the international community's recognition of the special situation and needs of those States. The overall objective of the Barbados Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted at that Conference was the management of environmental problems, natural resources and human resources. His Government looked forward to the full support of the United Nations and the international community in the comprehensive review of the implementation of the Programme in 1999.

The recently adopted "Agenda for Development" recognized the fact that economic development, social development and environmental protection were interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development. They were also the basis for the achievement of a higher quality of life for all people.

The recent decision to extend the mandate of the United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (UNTMIH) was necessary to consolidate gains already made. The international community must continue to provide material and other support to strengthen Haiti's democracy and economic development. Those were necessary pillars for the establishment of durable peace and stability in Haiti. In an effort to consolidate this development process, Haiti was welcomed as the fifteenth member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) last July.

Welcoming the progress made by the Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of the International Criminal Court, he urged Member States to continue their active participation during the forthcoming sessions of the Preparatory Committee. Wider involvement in the process was necessary to ensure the successful negotiation of a widely acceptable Statute, which would be finalized at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries to be held in Rome next year.

The assault on poverty, especially rural poverty, must take into account the special needs of women and their full integration in the development process, he said. Social and economic problems transcended national boundaries and, therefore, required international solutions based on strengthening global partnerships to support action. Among those problems were drug abuse and drug trafficking. The special session of the Assembly on illicit drugs next year should provide an appropriate opportunity for governments to review progress made in implementing the global programme of action on drugs adopted in February 1990 and serve to intensify drug control strategies and cooperation worldwide.

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KELEBONE A. MAOPE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lesotho, said his country's outstanding problem was economic underdevelopment and it, therefore, attached great importance to the United Nations role in development cooperation. He fully supported the initiative aimed at facilitating the unified and cooperative functioning of all the Organization's funds and programmes involved in development operations at the field level, while at the same time reinforcing and maintaining the distinct nature of those entities. The Organization's specialized funds and programmes continued to be an important vehicle for advancing international development cooperation. As a contribution, his Government had constructed a "UN House" office complex in Lesotho's capital to accommodate field representatives of the funds and programmes as well as other United Nations agencies.

The Secretary-General's suggestion to establish a $1 billion revolving fund had its own merits, he said. There was, however, no substitute for demonstrable commitment by all Member States to pay their contributions on time, fully and unconditionally. The proposed revolving fund could only be a short palliative. It should not serve to exculpate those who reneged on their Treaty obligations or place an additional burden on countries that were already making sacrifices to honour their obligations.

His Government welcomed the Secretary General's proposed reforms regarding the strengthening of the Organization's role in human rights. Organized crime, including drug trafficking, continued to be a source of concern to the international community. His country believed the proposal to establish a high profile United Nations office in Vienna to focus on drug control and crime prevention should be given favourable consideration.

Turning to the Security Council, he said that his Government reaffirmed its view -- equitable representation and increase in membership to no less than 26. There was a need for true democratization of the Council and reform of its working methods, including the issue of the veto. Reforms should pay attention to the principle of sovereign equality, as well as the need for transparency and accountability in the Council's decision-making process.

It was now time for the international community to assist the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in their efforts at economic reconstruction, democracy consolidation and accountability, he said. The acceptance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo into the Southern Africa Development Community signified the determination by the countries of that region to make a contribution to reconstruction efforts by the Congolese people. Furthermore, Sierra Leone's reversion to a state of anarchy after selfless efforts by the international community to bring about stability was still a source of great concern. The international community should withhold recognition of the military junta in Sierra Leone and continue its effort to restore democracy and constitutional legitimacy in that country.

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The recalcitrance of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) leadership in Angola continued to unravel gains that had been made in the search for peace, he continued. The United Nations owed it to the people of Angola to enforce, through the Security Council, appropriate punitive measures against UNITA as a signal that those who stood in the way of peace could no longer be allowed to succeed.

His Government was encouraged by the progress made in the field of disarmament with the recent ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention, he said. Africa had already contributed positively to the disarmament process by signing the Pelindaba Treaty, declaring Africa a nuclear-free zone. The recent negotiations in Oslo regarding the ban on anti-personnel mines was a step in the right direction. Lesotho supported the Ottawa process and urged all nations to associate themselves with it, so that a truly global treaty banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines could be successfully concluded in December.

Maximizing the developmental impact of the globalizing and liberalizing world economy was the major challenge that lay before the Assembly, he said. Ensuring the avoidance of marginalization and even exclusion of weaker countries from active participation in international trade and commerce was the only way to achieve that goal. The United Nations had a critical and unique role to play in enabling developing countries to continue to lead the management of their own development process. Funds and programmes continued to constitute important vehicles for advancing international development cooperation.

KASSYMJOMART K. TOKAEV, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, said his Government supported the Secretary-General's proposals for a more efficient leadership and management structure, new management culture and structural transformations within the Organization. He also supported measures to ensure sustainable development. The proposed United Nations Development Group deserved endorsement. At the same time, it was important to preserve the independence and distinctiveness of the funds and programmes that were being consolidated, especially the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that had done much for children in Kazakhstan.

As one of the countries that had joined the system of stand-by arrangements, he supported the strengthening of the Organization's capacity to carry out preventive and peace-keeping activities, he said. He welcomed the Secretary-General's proposals on disarmament issues and regulation of arms, and supported his measures regarding human rights, organized crime, drugs and terrorism. His Government had repeatedly declared its support of Japan and Germany as candidates to the permanent membership on the Security Council. He supported the enlargement of both permanent and non-permanent membership. It was possible to include as permanent members the developing countries of Asia,

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Africa and Latin America to balance interests and provide an adequate reflection of existing geopolitical realities. However, to preserve the Council's efficiency, the number of members should be limited.

United Nations environmental activities had special importance for Kazakhstan, he said, because of the acute environmental problems it had inherited, including the ecological disasters of the Aral Sea and the former Semipalatinsk nuclear-testing ground. The problem of the Aral Sea had global dimensions. Particles of salt sediment from the region had been found in Europe and the Arctic Ocean. The Aral Sea region was experiencing water shortages, which was exacerbating the health problems of the population there and degrading the natural environment. Some 470 nuclear explosions had been conducted at the Semipalatinsk testing ground, which use to be the largest in the world. There had been enormous damage to the local population's health and to the environment. Kazakhstan had called attention to the nuclear Powers' responsibility for the damage caused by nuclear tests. They should set up an international fund to rehabilitate the health and environment of regions affected by the tests.

Kazakhstan's decision to close the Semipalatinsk testing ground was a major contribution to nuclear disarmament, he said. This month, his country had hosted an international conference on nuclear non-proliferation. Further, the strengthening of environmental security for the Central Asian region was a high priority. Accordingly, the heads of the Central Asian States had adopted a Declaration proclaiming 1988 as the year of environmental protection in the region. They had stressed the need to establish a nuclear- weapon-free zone in Central Asia. As a party to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), his country believed the signing of the document was one of the most historical events of the century. He called on all States to adhere to it. Kazakhstan had taken important steps to strengthen regional security and stability. The initiative by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbev, to convene a Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia was shaping up as a practical step.

ANDREA WILLI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, said her Government welcomed the report of the Secretary-General on reform and hoped there would be concrete progress relating to those proposals before the year's end. Reform must not be a cost-cutting exercise, but a strengthening of the Organization. She supported the establishment of the post of Deputy Secretary-General and the appointment of a qualified woman to the post. She also supported replacing the Department of Humanitarian Affairs with an office of emergency relief coordinator. She also supported making human rights a principal activity of the United Nations and called for an end to the underfunding of human rights activities.

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Committed to the elimination of anti-personnel landmines, she supported the results of negotiations on an international convention to ban landmines, she said. Only a treaty without exceptions, reservations and loopholes would work towards the goal of total elimination of anti-personnel landmines. She also supported the establishment of an international criminal. It was critical for the Assembly to set a precise date for the diplomatic conference at which the statutes of the court would be adopted. The full participation of small States should be allowed, as such States had a particular interest in that matter.

The persistent absence of women from peace negotiations was of particular concern, she continued. A more active participation of women in conflict resolution should be promoted. The equal access and the full participation of women in decision-making at all levels was important. Special attention should be given to the situation of women in armed conflict, including refugee women.

ABUZED OMAR DORDA, Chairman of the Delegation of Libya, said the failure of the United States to pay its assessed contribution to the United Nations budget was the cause of the financial crisis from which the Organization suffered. If the United Nations was to be reformed, the United States must pay all its arrears without any conditions and promise to pay in the future.

Reform of the Security Council should focus on improving the methods of work, making it impossible for any country to hamper the Council or make it irrelevant, he said. Any reform of the Security Council that did not rescind the privilege of the veto would be meaningless. Reform of the Council should seek to apply the principle of equitable geographic distribution and the demands of the developing countries. The end of the cold war had deprived the world of the balance of power that provided an umbrella for all small, poor and weak countries. The most important international requirement was the establishment of international balance to preserve States' independence and reverse the negative effects of the current uni-polar world.

The African continent, which was considered the most underdeveloped part of the world at the end of the twentieth century, was not responsible for its backwardness, he continued. All the problems that Africa faced were caused by the colonial countries, who had drawn the political borders of African countries. No single African country had drawn its own borders with its neighbours. The colonial countries had also looted the natural resources that they now monopolized. They used international financial institutions to force African countries to surrender to their conditions or face the consequences for confronting them. The responsibility for Africa's problems should be bourne by those who caused it in the first place.

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The United Nations was responsible for the situation in Iraq, he said, where people starved and died and confronted that which was "more serious than hunger and more dangerous than death". Some Iraqis had been forced to sell body parts such as kidneys, to secure some food for their children. What kind of international legality could justify the continued application of sanctions that could lead to such results? The United Nations had created the favourable conditions and provided the cover for what had been happening in Iraq.

The tragic incident that killed the passengers and crew of an airplane over Lockerbie, Scotland, was a legal question that had been politicized. Allegations over the "Lockerbie question" were being used by the United Kingdom and the United States as a pretext to regain Libyan territory and resources they had lost when Libya gained independence. The League of Arab States, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement had all supported Libya's flexibility in the way it had handled the issue. Referring the issue to the Security Council had not solved the problem because Libya's adversaries were both permanent members of the Council and possessed the veto power. They were both judge and jury. The General Assembly was called upon to intervene in order to help reach a peaceful solution. The holding of a trial for the two suspects before a fair and just court should be decided upon.

His Government had repeatedly condemned terrorism in all forms and manifestations and had disassociated itself from all suspected terrorist practices, he continued. His Government had also asked the Secretary-General and the Security Council to send a committee or envoys to ascertain our declarations. The refusal of the United States and its objections had prevented the Secretary-General and the Security Council from responding to Libya's requests.

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