DEVELOPING COUNTRIES NEED STRONGER PRESENCE ON REFORMED SECURITY COUNCIL, GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD
Press Release
GA/9317
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES NEED STRONGER PRESENCE ON REFORMED SECURITY COUNCIL, GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD
19970930 Foreign Ministers of the Niger, Uruguay, Indonesia, Bahrain, Armenia, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Address AssemblyThe importance of ensuring that developing countries gained a stronger presence in a reformed Security Council was stressed by several speakers in the General Assembly this afternoon, as it continued its general debate. They also said that in any Council reform effort, use of the veto power should be either eliminated or curtailed.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Alvaro Ramos Trigo, said Council reform was one of the most important issues facing the Organization and access to any new seats should be on the basis of equality of opportunity for all States. The Council's activities should also be more transparent and its communication with non-members more fluid and timely. The right to veto should be progressively limited and even suspended on certain subjects, he added.
States participated on an equal footing in the Assembly where the ideal of international democracy found its clearest expression, at least in formal terms, he said. Assembly decisions had great moral and political force and it was essential to raise the level of quality in their formulation, as well as their timeliness. The Assembly should function more flexibly and use its resources more rationally.
The Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Ali Alatas, said the Council should have two new permanent members from the developing countries of Asia. Partial or selective expansion of Council membership should not be to the detriment of developing countries and restructuring efforts should not be subject to any imposed timetable, or decided on before consensus. The use of the veto should be curtailed with a view to its eventual elimination.
He added that new permanent members should be chosen not only on the basis of equitable geographic representation, but on such criteria as: political, economic and demographic weight; their capability and record of
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promoting peace regionally and globally; and their commitment to assume responsibilities inherent to permanent membership.
The Foreign Ministers of the Niger, Bahrain, Armenia, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Bulgaria also addressed the Assembly. Statements in exercise of the right of reply were made by the United Kingdom, the United States and Libya.
The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 1 October, to continue its general debate.
Assembly Work Programme
The General Assembly met this afternoon to resume its general debate. Scheduled speakers included the Foreign Ministers of the Niger, Uruguay, Indonesia, Bahrain, Armenia, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Bulgaria.
Statements
IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Niger, said Security Council reform was an essential component of the proposed reforms due to the Council's importance in the maintenance of international security. The Council should be expanded to better represent equitable geographic distribution and the sovereign equality of States. Emergency situations that threatened peace would best be met by the timely deployment of peacekeeping forces.
Due to the tragic effects of poverty in a large number of countries, Africa remained the region where poverty had developed in a spectacular manner, he continued. The region contained the largest number of countries with the lowest indices of economic health. The United Nations role in development must be reformed. Poverty reduction must be a priority. A method was needed to involve a larger number of countries in the global economy. At the same time, the independence of such United Nations bodies as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) must be respected in order to preserve their effectiveness.
Industrialized countries needed to give broad support to Africa, he said. That support should be invested in priority areas, such as food, water and education. The resources that Africa needed could be obtained by increasing trade relations with developed countries. The new economic initiatives by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce debt should extend to all countries without conditions. Cancellation of all debt was the best way to accelerate development in all the countries of Africa. It was the responsibility of the international community to bring about growth in Africa.
Africa was torn by internal conflicts, which were the cause of its massive refugee movements, he continued. Combatants should adopt non-violence and fruitful dialogue in order to restore the region's stability. After seven years of a pitiless war, Liberia had accepted a cease-fire and agreed to national elections, which demonstrated a will for peace. The crisis in Liberia was also a reminder of the need to create an African peacekeeping force.
Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem had endangered the peace process, he said. Given the Israeli Government's attitude, a dialogue and, especially, justice must be brought about and that must involve the
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opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their inalienable rights and the establishment of an independent State.
The civil wars and the political turbulence in Africa favoured the proliferation of illegal weapons, he went on. In order to collect and monitor those weapons, global action had been taken. Regional initiatives linked to disarmament were a reason for satisfaction. Environmental degradation was also a source of genuine concern. The special session of the General Assembly on the subject showed some progress, but such important issues as access to clean drinking water, exploitation of the oceans and deforestation had not been solved. The special session did not live up to the hopes placed in it, as no new levels of international cooperation emerged from it.
ALVARO RAMOS TRIGO, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, said the specific topic of the Security Council was one of the most important within the overall issue of United Nations reform. His country supported an increase in the permanent and non-permanent membership to a total of not more than 25. It particularly supported a stronger presence of developing countries to achieve a better balance in the Council's membership. Access to new seats to be created should be on the basis of equality of opportunity for all States. In addition, he said, reform should not be confined to membership, but also to ensuring that the Council's activities were transparent and that communication with the States not members of the Council was fluid and timely. His country expressed strong support for progressively limiting the right to veto and submitted a proposal suggesting that, on certain subjects, the right of veto could be suspended by the Assembly by a majority to be determined.
The question of strengthening the General Assembly should also be studied, he said. Representativeness was practically universal in the Assembly, where States participated on an equal footing and where the ideal of international democracy attained its clearest expression, at least in formal terms. The decisions of the Assembly had great moral and political force and it was essential to raise the level of quality in their formulation, as well as their timeliness. The Assembly needed not only to function more flexibly, with more rationality in the use of its resources, but also with greater substance.
Peacekeeping operations must be maintained while adapting to new modalities of conflict, he said. His Government reaffirmed its commitment to continue its traditional contribution and to diversify it, in order to adapt it fundamentally to peace-building. The recent approval by the Assembly of the resolution that ends the use of gratis personnel provided by governments and other entities met a long-standing aspiration of Uruguay and did justice to the principles of equitable geographical representation and equality of Member States. The Assembly resolution adopting uniform and standardized rates for payment of awards in cases of death and disability sustained by troops in the service of the United Nations peacekeeping operations was an important step that put an end to an unjust situation.
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His Government would continue to support all disarmament processes and recently signed the Oslo Agreement prohibiting the manufacture, sale and use of anti-personnel mines, he said. His country also fully supported the restructuring of the protection of human rights proposed by the Secretary- General. At the same time, it endorsed the idea that human rights should form part of all the substantive spheres of the Secretariat's programme of work -- peace and security, economic and social affairs, development cooperation and humanitarian affairs.
The financial crisis in the United Nations stemmed primarily from failure to pay assessed dues, he said. His country believed that the current scale of assessments was in need of adjustment to make it fairer, more transparent and based on the capacity of States to pay. That should not mean new and additional commitments for developing countries, which would be unjust and unacceptable. The system of contributions should be based on objective criteria of financial responsibility.
If growth was to be compatible with the human condition, and if development was to be conducted by and for the people, it was essential to support an organization that placed people at the heart of the development process, he said. It was important to maintain unconditionally the principle of universality and the right of developing countries to receive international cooperation and technical assistance in order to achieve sustainable development. He also believed that a positive contribution to political and democratic stability and economic growth was made by processes of regional and sub-regional integration. The Mercado Común del Cono Sur (MERCOSUR) was a clear example of democratic stability and expansion of intra- and extra- regional trade compatible with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
ALI ALATAS, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, said his Government supported the Secretary-General's endeavours to transform the Organization's leadership and management structure. The proposal to promote sustainable development through the creation of a "development dividend" by shifting resources to development activities, especially those for poverty alleviation, was commendable. He attached great importance to the proposal to overcome the financial crisis of the Organization through a revolving credit fund pending a permanent solution to the crisis. The establishment of a new department for disarmament and arms regulation, to be headed by an Under-Secretary-General was crucial. The new department, however, should address nuclear disarmament as a priority issue and not only the non- proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
He also welcomed efforts to improve the Organization's ability to deploy peacekeeping and other field operations more rapidly, enhance its capacity for post-conflict peace-building, strengthen international efforts to combat drugs, crime and terrorism and bolster international response to global humanitarian needs. The reorganization and restructuring of the human rights secretariat was also timely and appropriate. However, the idea of extending
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human rights activities by integrating them into all United Nations activities and programmes needed careful study.
On the expansion of the Security Council, he said new permanent members should be chosen not only on the basis of equitable geographic representation, but also on such criteria as: political, economic and demographic weight; their capability and record of promoting peace regionally and globally; and their commitment to assume responsibilities inherent to permanent membership. Such criteria should be agreed on before determining who represented which region or group of countries. Predetermined numerical limitations would unduly restrict and possibly distort the representative value of the Council's expansion. The Council should have two new permanent members from the developing countries of Asia. There should be no partial or selective Council expansion to the detriment of developing countries, and restructuring efforts should not be subject to any imposed timetable, or decided on before consensus. The use of the veto should be curtailed, with a view to its eventual elimination. "Reform" should not become a euphemism for budget slashing or an excuse for certain Member States to renege on their financial obligations to the Organization.
Much of the insecurity in the world today stemmed from the fact that the international community had not been able to abolish nuclear armaments, he said. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) had been indefinitely extended, but without guarantee that the commitment to nuclear disarmament would be honoured. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) did not effectively prohibit nuclear testing without loopholes or exceptions. Nevertheless, Indonesia signed the Treaty in the hope that the nuclear Powers would refrain from testing through simulation. That hope had been shattered by the recent sub-critical tests announced by a nuclear-weapon State. Although those sub-critical tests did not legally violate the CTBT, they were a travesty to the spirit of the Treaty. The nuclear Powers should desist from conducting such tests as they could lead to the resumption of the nuclear arms race and its attendant risk of global disaster. The Treaty on a South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone came into force earlier this year and he hoped the nuclear-weapon States would also contribute to regional security by their timely accession to the relevant protocol of the Treaty.
He went on to review the situation in the Middle East, Cambodia, the Korean Peninsula and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said the interests of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Cambodia were inextricably linked and Cambodia's stability was essential to the stability of the South- East Asian region. Therefore, while ASEAN reaffirmed the principle of non- interference in the internal affairs of other States, it stood ready to help restore political stability in Cambodia. The ASEAN had proposed the immediate cessation of all armed hostilities and acts of violence throughout the country and called on the conflicting parties to resolve their differences amicably. A principled solution could only be reached through dialogue with the aim of preserving the coalition government that reflected the power-sharing
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arrangements resulting from the 1993 elections. Free and fair elections should be held as scheduled next May, with the participation of all Cambodian parties and political forces.
Only the developed economies had fully benefited from globalization, he said. The developing countries continued to suffer its negative impact while they were marginalized from international economic decision-making processes. Even dynamic developing economies were not immune to the sharp fluctuations of international financial flows and currency manipulation by speculators. Globalization, therefore, should be managed to soften its impact on vulnerable economies.
He welcomed the adoption of An Agenda for Development, a major initiative designed to restore the theme of development to the centre of United Nations operations. While there was a welcome increased emphasis on foreign direct investment (FDI), official development assistance (ODA) was the principal source of development financing for most developing countries. Regrettably, ODA was at its lowest level since 1970. He, therefore, supported the proposed office of development financing, which would work in tandem with the proposed "development dividend". The problem of chronic external indebtedness was another debilitating impediment to development. The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank would help some of the poorest countries escape the vicious cycle of indebtedness and deprivation.
Indonesia had pledged $10 million to the World Bank's Trust Fund for the debt relief of those countries. Persistent attempts by developed countries to link international trade issues with extraneous issues, such as labour standards, was a new form of protectionism. Such insidious obstacles to free and open trade had to be done away with, so the global economy could benefit from an equitable, transparent and rule-based multilateral trading system with the WTO as its embodiment.
MOHAMED BIN MUBARAK AL-KHALIFA, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, said his Government appreciated the reform proposals of the Secretary-General and would welcome action by the Assembly that reflected the general attitude and desires of Member States. The process of reforming the Security Council should be transparent, so that all States not Council members could be kept aware of the proceedings. His country had presented its candidacy for Council membership for the period 1998 to 1999, as it had become qualified for the endorsement of the Asian Group of States to fill the non-permanent seat allocated to that region.
He said the current situation in the Persian Gulf region required that all States of the region, as well as the world Powers with interests in the region, promote relations based on good neighbourliness, mutual respect and the recognition of a State's national sovereignty. Territorial and boundary claims aimed at changing recognized boundaries in the Gulf upset the security
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and stability of the region. The continued occupation by Iran of the three islands belonging to the United Arab Emirates -- Abu Mousa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb -- could destabilize the region. Iran should respond urgently to the calls of the United Arab Emirates to resolve the matter through bilateral negotiation, or through other peaceful means.
Turning to the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, he said Iraq should fully meet its obligations under Security Council resolutions, including the release of prisoners and detainees. His Government was keen on ensuring the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and was opposed to any interference in that nation's internal affairs.
Israel's non-compliance with past agreements had led to ominous setbacks in the Middle East peace process, he continued. There could be no just and lasting peace in the region without the return of occupied Palestinian land or without the recognition of the Palestinians' right to an independent State, with Jerusalem as its capital. There must be a complete withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Syrian Golan, from southern Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.
ALEXANDER ARZOUMANIAN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, said the economic reforms that his country began immediately after the declaration of independence changed all key sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, prices, wages, banking, foreign trade and exchange systems. After a fall in real output from 1991 through 1994, macroeconomic and structural reforms combined with privatization had stabilized the economy while reducing inflation and allowing it to achieve significant growth in 1996. That occurred despite: a disastrous earthquake in 1988; the conflict in Nagorny- Karabakh and Azerbaijan, which caused an inflow of more than 300,000 refugees; and continuing problems in obtaining stable energy and industrial supplies because of an Azerbaijan-imposed blockade.
The changes coincided with the adoption of a World Bank and IMF-supported medium-term macroeconomic reform programme, he continued. The major objectives of the 1997 period were to maintain a real gross domestic product (GDP) annual growth rate, to continue curbing inflation, and to augment the level of foreign exchange gross reserves. The Government of Armenia would also take several measures during the programme period to continue refining the targeting of social safety net benefits to alleviate a sharp decrease in average consumption levels and improve income distribution.
The move towards world market prices brought deteriorating terms of trade for Armenia and countries with economies in transition, he said. The introduction of currency convertibility and an increase in external borrowing began to cause frequent, unsustainable debt positions. The resources required to modernize the industrial structure up to internationally competitive levels and improve general infrastructure exceeded domestic savings capacities. That situation underlined the need for the international donor committee to more
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thoroughly address the needs of countries in transition. That should not cause a decrease in ODA flows to developing countries. In that context, Armenia welcomed the adoption of the Agenda for Development and supported the appraisal of conditions in Africa, least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries as "critical situations and special problems" within the Agenda for Development.
Armenia considered self-determination to be an inalienable human right and thus the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict continued to occupy its Government, he said. The Karabakh peace process continued to suffer from a lack of serious progress and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Lisbon Summit of December 1996 failed to serve its intended purpose. Instead of attempting to predetermine the final status of Nagorny-Karabakh, it unnecessarily stiffened Azerbaijan's position and minimized the possibility for a mutually acceptable compromise situation. The final status of the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict should be negotiated among the parties directly involved and not dictated by outside interested parties. His Government remained committed to a negotiated settlement to the conflict and would continue to engage in the peace process, but urged Azerbaijan to negotiate directly with the elected officials of Nagorny-Karabakh.
Reform of the Security Council should become another important component of the overall reform within the United Nations, he continued. He supported the current discussions on improving the representative character of the Council and favoured expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories. While strengthening the capacity of the Council, the increase should also safeguard its decision-making efficiency. Five new permanent seats should be allocated to better reflect present political and economic realities. That should include improved representation of the countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. His country also supported Germany and Japan's desire to become permanent members of the Council. Expansion of the non-permanent seats should take the legitimate interests of the Eastern European Group into account.
ABDERRAHIM ZOUARI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, said the priority of the reform process was the strengthening of the role of the United Nations in achieving development and reducing and eradicating poverty. The Organization needed to mobilize the means to enable developing countries to achieve economic and social development in the face of the challenges imposed by globalization of the world economy. It was essential to fill the gaps between States and give new impetus to international cooperation in economic and social development.
The Security Council needed to be restructured to ensure a fairer representation of Member States, assuring the interests of developing countries, he said. There should be two permanent seats on the Council occupied by African countries on a rotation basis. Working methods within the
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Council also needed to be improved, allowing for effective participation of Member States.
The United Nations has had a special responsibility to the Palestinian people from the moment of the resolution on the partition of Palestine, a time at which the basic principles of settlement were defined. Israel had failed to respect the international agreements that were signed and had taken unilateral measures in building colonies inside and outside Al-Quds. There was a need to return to the basic references of the peace process since its inception, especially the "land for peace" principle.
He said the worsening of the current financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) hindered the Agency's mission to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. Donor countries needed to maintain and honour their financial commitment and to increase their contribution to the Agency budget, taking into account the growing number of Palestinian refugees.
The United Nations was irreplaceable in its prime responsibility of preserving security and peace, he said. The United Nations success in achieving international peace and security required progress in the field of disarmament. Nuclear arms, particularly, continued to pose a threat to all humanity. A denuclearized zone, free of all arms of mass destruction, should be established in the Middle East region.
The African continent was beginning to awaken to the possibility of restored security and renewed economic growth in a number of its regions and countries, he said. However, the international community needed to pay greater attention to the continent's problems, so that it could achieve the security and stability that would allow the people of the region to devote themselves to the task of economic development.
BORIS SHIKHMURADOV, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, said his country supported the Secretary-General's programme to reform the United Nations. Reforms should be radical and not gradual, but they should not be carried out as a revolutionary overhaul, especially when it came to the Security Council. The Council should be a more representative body and not supplant the General Assembly. An increase in the number of permanent members of the Council should include Japan and Germany and they should be vested with all the accompanying rights and powers.
The situation in Afghanistan was of particular concern to Turkmenistan and other countries of the region and he was pleased Afghanistan had an increasingly prominent place in the United Nations agenda, he continued. He appreciated the Secretary-General's continued efforts to bring a new impetus to the intra-Afghan settlement. Turkmenistan had hosted a series of intra- Tajik talks and would support the convening of an international conference on Afghanistan with the participation of its immediate neighbours. Hopefully,
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the summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to be held in Tehran in December would provide an opportunity for the Moslem world to determine guidelines to resolve the Afghan crisis, which was an obstacle to the implementation of major economic programmes in the region.
Turkmenistan aimed to create a favourable atmosphere for economic development in the region, he said. The regional economic organization, comprising 10 countries from the region, held a summit in Ashgabat in May to formulate a strategic programme for developing transport, energy, pipeline and telecommunications infrastructures. The strategy would create opportunities for delivery of energy carriers, oil, gas and oil products to international markets in Europe and Asia, from enormously rich deposits in the Caspian Sea basin and the entire Central Asian area. Turkmenistan possessed the world's third largest gas deposits and had huge oil reserves and other mineral resources. It was ready to take part in open and broad-based international cooperation to develop them. The lifting of barriers to the gas pipeline from Turkmenistan, through Iran to Turkey and Europe, was a sign of United States readiness to support his country's efforts to strengthen its sovereignty and national economy.
Turkmenistan could not conceive of its existence without close ties within the region with Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and other neighbours, he said. His Government fully subscribed to the Ottawa process for the elimination of anti-personnel landmines. The United Nations and its agencies should keep in mind the reality of a new more clearly defined and larger Central Asia when formulating their approaches to the region. Coming from a region which had suffered the horrors of the so-called indiscriminate type of weapons, his country believed the treaty was highly relevant and timely.
NADEZHDA MIHAILOVA, Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, said her Government had studied the Secretary-General's recommendations related to reform. Enlargement of the Security Council should reflect the increased number of Member States. Also, the growing economic and political potential of some Member States might enable them to meet the challenges of permanent Council membership. Balance must be maintained between permanent and non-permanent memberships and between regions. Such a decision should also include the allocation of an additional non-permanent seat to the Group of Eastern European States.
She welcomed the growing efficiency of the Security Council and supported enhancing its role in the field of preventive diplomacy. Future peacekeeping operations should address political, humanitarian and military aspects of a situation in order to maximize efficiency. There should be close cooperation with regional security organizations and other relevant bodies.
A new scale of assessment for both the regular and peacekeeping budgets would take greater account of the financial potential of individual Member
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States, she continued. She also supported restructuring the governing institutions of the United Nations in the socio-economic field. The operational capacity of the Economic and Social Council should be raised.
At the beginning of the year, Bulgaria had encountered acute economic, financial and political crises which resulted in the dissolution of its Parliament and the appointment of a caretaker government, she continued. In April, the United Democratic Forces won the early elections and were already achieving success in the political and economic spheres. Also, a crackdown on crime and corruption had re-established respect for law and order. A concrete international effort was needed to fight organized crime and terrorism. Her country would participate in efforts to elaborate an international convention for the suppression of terrorist bombings, as well as in the drafting of statutes for an international criminal court. Bulgaria had already committed to draft regional programmes for preventing organized crime, international terrorism, illicit drugs and arms trafficking, illicit trade in nuclear materials and the trafficking of people.
The will of Bulgaria to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union underlay its foreign policy, she said. The decision of NATO to open the alliance to new european democracies was historic. The enlargement should continue as a geographically balanced process aimed at achieving equal security and stability in different regions. Such a process would avoid creating new dividing lines or "gray zones" in Europe. Her country was making efforts to intensify the preparation for accession to the European Union. She hoped the European Union would begin negotiations with associated countries in 1998. Those integration processes strengthened regional stability in south-eastern Europe.
The Bulgarian Government was making every effort to promote European standards of intentional conduct in south-eastern Europe, he continued. That approach had been backed by important regional initiatives. Bulgaria had advanced ideas to enhance Euro-Atlantic cooperation on security in its region and that of the Black Sea. Bulgaria's aspiration for non-permanent membership in the Security Council in the years 2002 to 2003 demonstrated its readiness to assume responsibilities for both regional and international peace and security.
Right of Reply
Sir JOHN WESTON (United Kingdom) said 441 people from 27 separate States were murdered on Pan Am flight 103. The Lockerbie issue was not a dispute between the Libyan Government and other States. It was about the need for the international community to combat terrorism. Relevant Security Council resolutions were not being honoured by Libya. The call for handing over those accused of the Lockerbie bombing for trial in Scotland or the United States was not an issue for negotiation. In order to provide further reassurance to Libya, however, the United Kingdom would repeat its offer to provide a special
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provision for international observers to attend the trial in Scotland in order to monitor its impartialities. Daily access to the accused would also be provided, if so desired.
PETER BURLEIGH (United States) said that, in responding to the Libyan representative's statement, he wished to address Libya's non-compliance with the international community's decisions and the world's determination to seek justice. The Libyan statement today was another attempt by that country to turn the matter into an issue between States, rather than with the international community. The matter was one between Libya and the international community. The responsibility for the plight of the Libyan people was not the responsibility of the Security Council, but rested with the Libyan Government.
ALI SUNNI MUNTASSER (Libya) said that neither the United States nor the United Kingdom had been able to challenge the unquestionable facts regarding Lockerbie stated this morning by his country's Foreign Minister. The United States and the United Kingdom attempted to deny that the dispute was between Libya on the one hand and the United States and the United Kingdom on the other. They also had claimed the dispute was one between Libya and the Security Council. To prove the invalidity of such statements, he wished to recall the April Security Council debate on sanctions against Libya. During that intense two-hour debate, the positions of the United States and the United Kingdom had been opposed by all other Security Council members.
On 25 September, he continued, Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe and the current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), had told the Security Council that it was necessary to find a solution to the problems between Libya and the United States and the United Kingdom due to the Lockerbie matter. President Mugabe had said that it was time to give serious consideration to the Libyan proposal that the two suspects be tried under Scottish law with Scottish magistrates in a third country, or at the seat of the International Court of Justice. Only the United States and the United Kingdom had rejected that offer. The Security Council was to act on behalf of all Member States, not only on behalf of the United States and the United Kingdom. However, as those two countries were permanent Council members with the veto, they had prevented the Security Council from responding to the will of the international community.
While the United States had accused Libya of being involved in terrorism, they had never proven Libyan involvement in terrorist acts, he continued. But, the United States had used its military forces on several occasions to act against Libya. During a raid by the United States on Libya in April 1986 dozens of civilians had been killed.
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