UNITED NATIONS REFORM NOW ON 'FIRM GROUNDS OF THE POSSIBLE', SAYS PRESIDENT OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Press Release
GA/9327

UNITED NATIONS REFORM NOW ON 'FIRM GROUNDS OF THE POSSIBLE', SAYS PRESIDENT OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), said this afternoon the United Nations had made a "crucial step from the quicksands of the doubtful onto the firm grounds of the possible" on the issue of organizational reform. Addressing the Assembly as it concluded its general debate, which began on 22 September, he said it was important not to lose the momentum.

During the general debate, virtually every speaker had welcomed the Secretary-General's comprehensive reform package and focused on its efforts to transform the Organization's leadership and management structure, he continued. Member States, in their efforts to reform, must be guided by reason, tolerance and determination. The general debate had also emphasized that reform of the Security Council was important for its functioning and legitimacy.

Many speakers had also emphasized the need to strengthen the Assembly's role and to streamline its procedures, he said. No effort should be spared to ensure that the Assembly conducted its business efficiently, pragmatically and productively.

He noted that the 176 speakers during the general debate included 18 heads of State, 1 crown prince, 14 prime ministers, 16 deputy prime ministers and foreign ministers, 111 ministers for foreign affairs, four other ministers and 12 heads of delegations. Those statistics were vivid testimony of the Organization's universal character, he said.

Statements were also made this afternoon by: the Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea and Eritrea; the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Information of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Kenya; and the Minister Secretary- General of the Presidency of Mauritania.

Greece, Sudan, Turkey and Cyprus spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m., Wednesday, 8 October to consider the issue of United Nations reform.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to conclude its general debate. The scheduled list of speakers included the Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea, Eritrea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Kenya. Also scheduled to speak was the Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Mauritania.

Statements

KILROY GENIA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea, said the United Nations was starved of needed financial resources to the point of being insolvent. Such a situation could not be allowed to persist. He expressed concern at the lack of full implementation of a number of United Nations initiatives and programmes, particularly in critical areas like the empowerment of women and caring for children. Reforms alone could not guarantee effective delivery of services. Members must commit to encouraging the development of genuine partnerships and take urgent and practical measures to remove the barriers between developing and developed countries.

He said the Organization must be equipped to do more in terms of framing international treaties and standards and encouraging norms and practices that would bring about equitable economic development and social justice. He supported revising regional groupings to reflect the present geopolitical realities and he also supported the call for the South Pacific region to be included in the Asia-Pacific grouping. The Security Council and its modus operandi must also mirror the current geopolitical realities and consider the need for transparency, accountability and democratization. He supported the inclusion of Japan and Germany and a fair representation of developing countries as additional permanent members of the Council. There should be no distinction in terms of privileges, particularly with regard to the veto.

He urged the Assembly to take a more serious and aggressive approach to the implementation of the United Nations decolonization programme. The situation in the Non-Self-Governing Territory of New Caledonia was of particular interest to the South Pacific Forum and he was pleased that all parties to the 1988 Matignon Accords appeared to be satisfied with the progress made in implementing those Accords. His Government continued to recognize the rights of New Caledonians to self-determination and urged all parties in the Territory to maintain their commitment to reach a negotiated solution as a successor arrangement to the Accords.

He said that Papua New Guinea intended to expand its economic ties with those trading partners that did not force it to compromise relations with existing trading partners. His Government recognized Taiwan as a dynamic economy and trading partner, without compromising its "one China" policy.

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His Government was setting up the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Regional Centre in Port Moresby, he said. Its objective was to assist capacity-building within the economies of the 13 small island developing States in the region. He expressed support for the positions taken at the recent summit of the South Pacific Forum including: maintaining a nuclear- free zone in the South Pacific; welcoming the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), especially with regard to banning transboundary movements of radioactive and other hazardous wastes; and ratification by the United Kingdom of the protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear-Free-Zone Treaty. His country was preparing to become a party to the international convention to ban anti-personnel landmines.

He urged the United Nations to continue to play a major role in global awareness of sustainable use, conservation and management of marine resources. He called on the international community to coordinate efforts to implement the priorities agreed to with regard to the environment and sustainable development.

Of particular importance, he continued, was the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on rising sea levels and changing weather patterns, especially on low-lying island nations. The Forum countries were concerned at the lack of progress being made by those countries that contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. He urged all countries concerned to make additional efforts to meet their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also urged all parties to the Convention to consider fully the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) draft protocol so as to achieve the greatest net reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by means of a legally binding protocol or other legal instrument.

He said his Government was committed to a peaceful resolution to the crisis at Bouganville. It would give the people of Bouganville every opportunity to participate fully in the reconciliation process. He thanked neighbouring countries for initiating and facilitating the peace conference for all Bouganville leaders. A follow-up meeting was currently in progress in New Zealand. He was not optimistic, but was confident of a resolution of the crisis within the framework of the Papua New Guinea Constitution. He thanked the leaders of the South Pacific Forum for recognizing that Bouganville was an integral part of Papua New Guinea.

AHMED OULD MINNIH, Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Mauritania, said that although the end of the cold war had ushered in an era of international dialogue, economic conditions in developing countries were still an urgent need. Developing countries were faced with slow growth, falling export revenues, investments and aid, which prevented them from joining the world economy. Higher foreign debt was another obstacle to development.

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International strategies had not eased the debt burden in developing countries, resulting in the need to increase aid to them so that they could meet basic needs, he said. Despite a difficult international economic situation, the United Nations had enabled efforts to promote cooperation and define policies and strategies to face economic, social and environmental challenges.

Mauritania was continuing on the road to democratic reform that it had started 11 years ago, he said. The country had no political prisoners and guaranteed basic freedoms. Twenty political parties were active. Trade unions and other organizations enjoyed complete freedom. Dozens of newspapers and magazines reflected all political tendencies. Elections were held for both houses of parliament and preparations were under way for Mauritania's second presidential elections in December.

Mauritania had undertaken measures to promote the position of women and stamp out illiteracy, he said. Efforts were under way to further increase the number of citizens with access to jobs, health care and education. Drinking water networks had been built in many regions. A modern telecommunications network covered the entire country.

It was not enough to undertake democratic reforms within individual countries, he continued. Democracy must encompass relations among nations, which was why Mauritania supported the efforts of the General Assembly's working group to establish equitable representation on the Security Council.

A just and lasting peace in the Middle East was unattainable as long as Israel did not withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories, the Syrian Golan and southern Lebanon, he said. Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the principle of "land for peace" were the basis for a just and definitive settlement. Mauritania asked the peace process sponsors to step up their efforts. He demanded an end to the blockade of Palestinian territories and asked the international community to mobilize the funds necessary to finance the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The aftermath of the Persian Gulf War continued to block normalization in the region, he said. Mauritania repeated its attachment to international law and its commitment to abide by its principles and its support for the territorial integrity, independence and security of Kuwait and asked for a swift solution of the problem of Kuwaiti prisoners of war. He rejected actions threatening Iraq's unity and territorial sovereignty and demanded the lifting of the sanctions. He supported the United Arab Emirates' efforts to recover its sovereignty over the islands of Thomb El Koubra, Thomb Essoughra and Abou Moussa.

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Mauritania welcomed the United Nations-sponsored accord on the main issues that had prevented a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Western Sahara, he said. He also demanded the lifting of the embargo against Libya and supported the League of Arab States' and the Organization of African Unity's (OAU) efforts to find a solution to that conflict. He also supported their efforts to find a solution to the crisis in the Comoros. He hoped that a peaceful settlement to restore security and stability to the Republic of the Congo would be achieved and that the situation in Sierra Leone would return to normal.

HAILE WELDENSAE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea, said the road to disarmament was made easier with the signing of the CTBT. Destabilizing factors, such as the marginalization of nations and peoples, transnational crimes and the threat and use of violence, still threatened the world. The United Nations had to play a more meaningful and credible role in supporting regional initiatives to solve regional conflicts.

He said there was undoubtedly a need for reform within the United Nations. The most obvious reason for such reform was that although the membership had more than tripled since its creation, structurally it had remained the same. Several areas had to be addressed. First, the issue of development and security, as an emphasis on security had been made to the detriment of development, with catastrophic results. In addition, there was a growing emphasis on the political aspects of development, namely democracy and human rights, rather than economic ones. Any effort to apply standards of democracy and human rights would not be realized unless the root causes of underdevelopment and poverty were effectively addressed. Any reform of the United Nations should, therefore, empower it to promote sustained growth in developing countries.

The United Nations belonged to all of its Members, he said. The increased participation of its Members in its activities was a right that must be exercised to safeguard against the arbitrary abuse of its powers and functions. Any future system must eschew cold war doctrines and principles and give equal emphasis to social justice. There was no longer any excuse to deny equitable representation in the major organs of the Organization. The United Nations could only build trust and mutual confidence if it made sure that democratic norms and principles were accepted and practised by all its Members.

With regard to decentralization, the General Assembly must take the necessary steps to ensure a relevant role for regional and even subregional organizations, without losing its leadership role or eliminating its support, he said. Although the urgency of reform was recognized, it would be counter- productive to rush into decisions whose implications would later be regretted. Those who resent the veto power of the five permanent members of the Security

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Council would be advised to take time to study the issues before they made final decisions on such matters.

His country's foreign policy had been guided by two basic principles: that all can be resolved through peaceful negotiations, without recourse to violence; and an unswerving devotion to justice and equality. That policy, had enabled it to form close ties with Ethiopia, its erstwhile adversary.

However, that policy could not avert bad relations with Eritrea's other neighbour, Sudan, whose avowed policy of exporting terrorism abroad had made it an "international pariah", he said. The absence of peace in the Sudan had severe consequences on most of its neighbours. Those neighbours who were members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development had exerted much effort to promote peace in the Sudan. The Sudan had now accepted the Declaration of Principles formulated by the Authority. However, regardless of the efforts made by the Development Authority, the tragic situation in Somalia continued.

To ensure sustainable development, Eritrea had been engaged in fostering regional integration and international cooperation, he said. His Government believed that partnership could only be ensured when independence of choice and recognition of equality and mutuality exist. His country would contribute to the creation of the necessary conditions that would make the United Nations a real force, which would ensure international peace and security, broadly defined and premised on development. He welcomed the Secretary-General's proposals for reform. Despite the systematic betrayal of Eritrea by the United Nations during the past four decades, his country remained committed to the Organization.

ALPIAN ALLEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said his country's judicial system was recently put under microscopic examination to discredit it, but the test resulted in a clean bill of health. That painful period had taught many lessons. "We know now that there are friends who will smile with us while plotting our execution. Our banana pains continue to intensify", he continued. The recent World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings on Caribbean banana exports had left his country dazed and helpless, while shattering the concept of every man being his brother's keeper. Money and greed had been elevated to the status of religion, while care and concern were now regarded as a vice. His country's future was now on a life support system.

The Caribbean region believed in neighbourly love and any attempt to inflict pain and unjustified hardship on any one State would affect all, he said. The strategy of diplomatic isolation had failed and it was clear that in the new millennium, business could not be conducted as usual. Muscular diplomacy should give way to moral suasion in hemispheric matters. During the

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year, both Suriname and Haiti had become full members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), he said. He also noted the progress made since the re- establishment of democracy in Haiti and urged the international community to continue to offer technical, material and financial help. That would enable the deepening of the democratic process and promote sustained economic and social development.

The Caribbean region had done whatever it could to assist the people of Montserrat and efforts continued, he said. He hoped that the full extent of the plight of the people of Montserrat was realized by those people who could make a substantial contribution. Also, he welcomed the convening of a special session by the Assembly in 1998 to fight the illicit production, sale, demand and distribution of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances. International cooperation was the only way to combat that menace.

Reform and expansion of the Security Council was of paramount importance, he said. Reform and expansion of the Council must take into account the principle of the sovereign equality of States and equitable geographical distribution. Transparency, accountability and democratization were also needed. His country had no objection to the inclusion of more developed countries on the Council as permanent members, but all regions must be represented in a permanent capacity, including Latin America and the Caribbean. Furthermore, the number of non-permanent seats must be increased to enable more countries an opportunity to serve.

The small nations of the world must receive constant reassurances from the larger nations that their interests would be safeguarded and their sovereignty respected, he said. The United Nations must not be perceived as a gathering of word merchants, but rather as one of action-oriented men and women. The planet's resources were finite and even the most economically developed States could not pursue unilateral policies in isolation.

STEPHEN K. MUSYOKA, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Kenya, voiced regret that aid to developing countries had decreased since the end of the cold war and that ethnic and nationalist conflicts still bloodied many parts of the world, especially Africa. President Daniel T. arap Moi and other African leaders were actively pursuing efforts to restore peace to southern Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda and the former Zaire.

The Extraordinary Summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), held in July in Nairobi, gave new momentum to the efforts to find a peaceful settlement of the conflict in southern Sudan, he said. The parties agreed to hold the next meeting on 28 October. The international community must support that process by providing financial aid and exerting pressure on all the parties to find a solution.

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Turning to a number of conflicts in Africa, he said IGAD, the OAU and the United Nations had an important role in assisting the process of reconciliation in Somalia. In the Republic of the Congo, the crisis was also a matter of grave concern and he reiterated the OAU position urging prompt intervention by the United Nations. He also supported the efforts by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere to find a negotiated solution to the strife in Burundi and urged President Pierre Buyoya to take the subregion's and the international community's concerns into account and work towards a negotiated settlement.

He reiterated his Government's position that the international community not recognize the military junta in Sierra Leone. His country supported the efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to find a solution to the crisis there and urged the junta to return that country to constitutional rule. He was also concerned with political developments in the Comoros and supported the OAU's efforts to bring the Government and other parties together to solve the problem. In Liberia, he was heartened by the cooperation between the United Nations and ECOWAS that helped Liberia hold elections and commended ECOWAS, the international community and the Liberian people for the way in which the elections took place. A continued United Nations presence was critical in rebuilding Liberia. He welcomed the intention to set up a peace-building support office in Monrovia when the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) mandate ended.

Kenya had welcomed thousands of refugees, which stretched the country's resources to their limits, he said. Unfortunately, some refugees had abused Kenya's hospitality and caused security problems. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees must work closely with Kenya to address that problem.

Kenya and other African countries had contributed troops to various United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide, he said. He viewed the international community's reluctance to support peacekeeping operations in Africa as a departure from the United Nations Charter. The involvement of regional organizations did not exempt the United Nations from playing an active role. Peacekeeping remained the responsibility of the United Nations, especially the Security Council. In that respect, Africa expected to see the crisis in Congo Brazzaville resolved as swiftly as the case in the Balkans.

Africa's economy still lagged behind global growth and the continent was vulnerable to adverse international economic policies and natural disasters, he said. Poverty and underdevelopment were still rampant and per capita incomes the world's lowest. Famine was still a problem and debt still marginalized the continent. He welcomed international efforts to alleviate the debt burden, but that factor still impeded development. Reform efforts

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had not been met with financial support. Reduction or cancellation of debt needed serious consideration.

He regretted that most donor countries had not met the official development assistance (ODA) target of 0.7 per cent and that the figure had actually dropped to 0.25 per cent, he said. The United Nations "Agenda for Development" must address those issues and place Africa in its proper perspective. The industrialized countries must reverse the trend and honour their commitments. Further, as a member of the WTO, his country was committed to the liberalization of trade and investment. Protectionism was unacceptable.

His country was also committed to the implementation of the outcomes of various United Nations conferences, he said. Thus, he was disappointed that many resolutions passed at United Nations conferences remained unimplemented. In implementing Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), his Government had taken steps to preserve the ecosystem which included public awareness, environmental education and the Great Rift Valley Conservation. The international community must honour its commitments with additional resources.

He was concerned that the United Nations offices in Nairobi -- UNEP and Habitat -- were underutilized and urged the Organization to respect its agreement to hold as many meetings at their respective headquarters as possible, he said. Further, UNEP and Habitat suffered from poor funding. He appealed to donors to honour their financial commitments to the two bodies.

He urged the Secretary-General to swiftly implement measures to cut waste within the United Nations and ensure effective use of facilities and better coordination and cooperation within the Organization, he said. Member States must recognize that non-payment of contributions was a major obstacle to the smooth running of the United Nations. They must clear their arrears as soon as possible without conditions. Adjustment of the scale of assessment must result from a collective decision to redistribute the financial burden, while bearing in mind the principle of capacity to pay. Finally, he reaffirmed the OAU's proposal to expand permanent and non-permanent Security Council membership to 26, with Africa receiving at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats.

Right of Reply

PANAYOTIS SARRIS (Greece), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, referred to a statement by the Turkish representative on 3 October. He said it was regrettable that Turkey had chosen to attack Greece during the general debate and introduce an element of confrontation. The Turkish representative had abused his right of reply by using double-talk, distortion and

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misinformation. Greece remained committed to a positive approach in its relationship with Turkey, without forgetting that the problems were not of its own making.

Since 1974, Turkey had presented an open-ended agenda of claims to revise the existing status quo in the Aegean, he said. His country had been pressured by Turkish claims over Greece's sovereign rights and responsibilities conferred by international agreements. Since 1996, Greece had faced the aggressive territorial claims which its neighbour was prepared to back by military action. Turkey had claimed: the Imia islets, an undetermined number of islands; the island of Gavdos; and any island that was not specifically mentioned by name in a treaty or geographical formations whose status was not determined by international agreements.

The Turkish allegation that Greece ignored international law, as far as Turkey's national airspace was concerned, was a distortion of reality, he said, since Turkey had respected the delimitation of Greek airspace to 10 nautical miles since 1931. Turkey had also tried to dispute Greece's right to extend its territorial waters based on international law, and repeatedly threatened that the exercise of that legitimate right would be a cause of war. The Cyprus invasion of 1974 and the invasions of Iraq were examples of the need to take measures to prevent any such "peacemaking operations" by Turkey.

Turkey's assertion of resolving Greek sovereignty through dialogue was unacceptable to any country, because it would legitimize claims that had no foundation in international law, he said. Greece had proposed a step-by-step procedure to improve relations with Turkey under the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. The bottom line in Greek-Turkish relations was that Greece demanded nothing from Turkey other than good-neighbourly policies and hoped that Turkey would respond in a like manner. Through the Madrid Joint Statement, Greece was asking Turkey to respect its borders and desist from aggressive policies, territorial claims and submit any argument deemed valid over Imia to the International Court.

DAFFA-ALLA ALHAG ALI OSMAN (Sudan) said the representative of Eritrea had made "silly and crude" statements about the Sudan and, in rejecting them, he wished to emphasize that he was talking about the Eritrean regime, not the brotherly, gracious people of Eritrea. The regime was a tool for killing and subversion. Contrary to statements by friends of the Sudan, calling for peaceful negotiation, Eritrea's statement was a smokescreen to disguise the deplorable conditions in Eritrea and reflected a "sick mentality".

He said the number of people eliminated by the Eritrean regime was common knowledge. The regime should address the miseries it had bought on the Eritrean people, including a selective policy regarding the return of Eritrean refugees in contravention of international treaties. The Eritrean President,

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in a recent statement, said his army was in a state of war with the Sudan and he would support armed Sudanese opposition.

He said the Eritrean regime had also flouted international law when it had: handed over the Sudanese Embassy to armed Sudanese opposition parties; refused to hand over the hijackers of a Sudanese airliner; and detained three international passengers from that airliner. The Eritrean representative did not have the right to talk about peace in the Sudan, when his President had expelled the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from its territory. The regime did not respect the rights of refugees.

TULUY TANC (Turkey) said he had not noticed any answers by the Greek representative to his questions vis-a-vis international law. The Greek representative had also given no explanation for his country's double standards regarding air space, jurisdiction over territorial waters, the eastern Aegean islands or resolution of the disputes in the Aegean. How could Greece explain its militarization of the eastern Aegean islands in contravention of international law and relevant Chicago conventions on airspace? he asked.

Regarding Greece's assertions, he said each Turkish claim was in response to a Greek claim and its expansionist policies. Turkey did not have any claims on the "lost homelands". Greece claimed it had 3,000 islands in the Aegean, but the only islands that belonged to Greece were those transferred to it by international treaty. When one country extended its territorial waters to 12 miles, thus cutting off the ocean lifeline of another coastal State, then Turkey regarded it as an infringement of its rights. Turkey was only responding to Greece's threat to increase its territorial waters and, thereby, cut off Turkey's access to international waters.

On the Cyprus issue, he said Greece would like third parties to believe the issue began in 1974, he said. If that were so, how could he explain that the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was first deployed 33 years ago to protect Turkish Cypriots against Greece? he asked. There should be no attempts to confuse different issues. The objective should be, first, to find a just solution to the Cyprus issue based on reality.

Mr. SARRIS (Greece) said that the Turkish representative had merely repeated his earlier statements. Turkey had consistently violated international law and treaties by its policy of aggression, threats to use force and ignoring of minority rights. Now, it was distorting the truth.

CONSTANTINE MOUSHOUTAS (Cyprus) said that during 23 years of Turkish invasions and occupation of Cyprus, Turkey had attempted to cloud the issues with double-talk and evasions. The gist of the Cyprus problem was not inter- communal differences, but Turkey's act of aggression, the uprooting of

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2,000 people from their traditional homes, the importing of settlers to change the demographics of the island and the transgression of the fundamental rights of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots. All States had the right and duty to self-defence. Cyprus was neither a colony nor a province of Turkey, and it was ludicrous that Turkey should think it could decide who would join the European Union.

He said the Cyprus problem was a result of Turkey's aggression and non- implementation of relevant Security Council and Assembly resolutions. Those resolutions demanded the withdrawal of occupation forces, the return of refugees, respect for human rights and also reaffirmed the sovereignty of Cyprus over the whole island. Lack of progress in resolving the problem was due to Turkey's lack of political will. Withdrawal of its occupation forces was essential for any peaceful solution.

Statement by President

HENNADIY UDOVENKO, President of the General Assembly and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in his closing remarks, said that among the 176 speakers in the general debate were 18 Heads of State, 1 Crown Prince, 14 Prime Ministers, 16 Deputy Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, 111 Ministers for Foreign Affairs and 4 other Ministers and 12 heads of delegations. Those statistics were a vivid testimony of the universal character of the Organization.

He said that many speakers had emphasized the need to strengthen the role of the Assembly and to streamline its procedures. That body must conduct its business in the most efficient, pragmatic and productive manner. He recalled that on the eve of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary, as the Organization came under a barrage of harsh and destructive criticism, there was uncertainty about its ability to change and adapt to a post-cold-war world. This year's general debate reflected a major change in perceptions and attitudes.

On the issue of reform, he said, the Organization had made a "crucial step from the quicksand of the doubtful onto the firm grounds of the possible". Virtually every speaker had addressed the issue of reform and the Secretary-General's efforts to reform the United Nations had obtained strong support. Reviewing the points emphasized in the debate, he said Member States wanted to move rapidly to provide the Secretary-General with the mandate and the direction to move ahead with his reform programme. It was important not to lose the momentum. Member States must be guided by reason, tolerance and determination.

He went on to say that the reform of the Security Council was a key issue. Views were focused on the enlargement of the membership of the

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Council, taking into account equitable representation, new realities and interests of the various regions. Many pointed to the need to democratize the Council and to increase its transparency. With regard to the need to put the Organization on a sound financial footing, he said that while there were strong appeals to those who were in arrears to fulfil their legal obligations, it was also pointed out that it was time to adopt a new scale of assessments.

Continuing, he said the general debate demonstrated that the international community continued to concentrate its efforts on the resolution of the most acute problems facing humankind, in particular the individual spots of instability in the world. An adequate response to those issues must be delivered through a continuing process of negotiations, a resolute policy of disarmament, promoting sustainable development, further strengthening of human rights machinery and gradual reorientation of the peacekeeping activities to preventive diplomacy.

He said the promotion of economic and social progress, eradication of poverty, ensuring wide participation in an expanding world economy and regional integration and cooperation occupied a predominant place in the debate. Achieving sustained growth and sustainable development must remain a major global objective. The debate also witnessed support for encouraging human rights, democratization and good governance as well as the advancement of women and protection of the rights of children and persons belonging to minorities.

"It is in our hands to agree what kind of United Nations we wish to have in the future", he said, in concluding.

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