PEACE IN COLOMBIA COULD FREE WORLD FROM EVIL OF ILLICIT DRUGS, PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA TELLS ASSEMBLY

Press Release
GA/9449

PEACE IN COLOMBIA COULD FREE WORLD FROM EVIL OF ILLICIT DRUGS, PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA TELLS ASSEMBLY

If peace could be achieved in Colombia, it would be an important initial contribution to the liberation of mankind from one of the twentieth century's greatest evils -- the world problem of illicit drugs, Andrés Pastrana Arango, the newly elected President of Colombia, told the General Assembly this morning as it continued its general debate.

"If we can provide alternative forms of development to our peasant farmers, with fair prices for their products at home and abroad, they will become less dependent on illicit crops", he continued. Peace in Colombia would demand very substantial investments in social sectors and infrastructure in the areas of conflict. For that purpose, a "peace fund" would be created, with a significant portion of the money required coming from internal sources. "We will also be looking for contributions from the international community, from which we have already heard voices of encouragement, solidarity and interest", he added.

Jules Albert Wijdenbosch, President of Suriname, said as a result of the Assembly's special session on drugs his Government was now in the final stage of organizing a subregional conference on that issue. The aim was to establish a plan of action, in cooperation with Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil and France, to effectively combat that form of organized crime.

While stating that the world must have the means to hunt down those who financed and commissioned terrorist attacks, Hubert Vedrine, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, proposed a "universal convention against the financing of terrorism". The idea was to define concrete mechanisms against those who financed terrorism. There should be effective sanctions, such as the seizure or freezing of assets of organizations and individuals that had taken part in such acts. Innovative measures, such as making it impossible to invoke banking secrecy in judicial bodies investigating a terrorist attack, should be defined.

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

Lamberto Dini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, said Europe's politicians were the first to have rethought the limits of national sovereignty. Today, the European Union, in the wake of a single currency, was about to participate in global leadership to correct the fragility of the complex systems that governed the world. For the Union, the time had come to be a "leading nation" and to "further enhance the rules that have allowed us to unite the continent banishing war within our borders".

Jean-Charles Okoto Lolakombe, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the war had been imposed on his country by Rwanda and Uganda. Conscious of its responsibility to safeguard its territorial integrity, his Government was obliged to resort to armed retaliation to end the invasion. No true nation could accept its sovereignty and territorial integrity being called into question. The Congolese people would never accept displacement and oppression.

Statements were made by the Prime Minister of Mauritius and the Foreign Ministers of China and the United Arab Emirates.

The Assembly will continue its general debate today at 3 p.m.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate. Scheduled speakers are: Andrés Pastrana Arango, President of Colombia; Jules Wijdenbosch, President of Suriname; Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius; as well as the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Statements in General Debate

ANDRÉS PASTRANA ARANGO, President of Colombia, citing recent democratic elections in his country, said Colombia had initiated changes that would enable it to face internal problems with determination and to win a more positive, dynamic place in the international community. Peace in Colombia would demand substantial investments in social sectors and the infrastructure in areas of conflict. For that purpose, a "peace fund" would be created, with a significant portion of the money required coming from internal sources. "We will also be looking for contributions from the international community, from which we have already heard voices of encouragement, solidarity and interest."

If peace could be achieved in Colombia, he continued, it would be an important initial contribution to the liberation of mankind from one of the twentieth century's greatest evils -- the world problem of illicit drugs. "If we can provide alternative forms of development to our peasant farmers, with fair prices for their products at home and abroad, they will become less dependent on illicit crops", he said, adding that the support of the international community would be crucial. The eradication of illicit crops would be one of the central elements of the future peace talks with groups engaged in armed conflict.

On global agenda matters, he said Colombia rejected all kinds and modes of terrorism, whatever its origin or motive. Corruption was striking at democracy in a growing number of countries and was becoming a cause of political and social decomposition. Human rights were still not properly exercised. Women were still the target of abuse and discrimination and children were the victims of disgraceful practices. Also, all of Latin America had voiced its concern at the gravity of the international financial crisis.

In encouraging stronger multilateralism, he said, momentum achieved on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations must be regained, so that the organization will be revitalized for the new millennium. The reasons for creating the United Nations not only remain, but have actually become more relevant in the second half of the twentieth century. Any proposed reforms must be truly worthwhile and genuine consensus must be found on the priorities for the next century. All such proposals must be designed to bring an era of greater justice closer.

General Assembly Plenary - 3 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

Cooperation for development must receive a massive injection to save it from decline, he said. "We must revive an authentic and productive North-South dialogue, based on a concept of solidarity which is more substantial than a declaration of good intentions, and is expressed in specific actions", he told the Assembly. "It must replace the logic of confrontation and division between poor and rich countries with the logic of cooperation, shared responsibility and solidarity, inspired by justice."

JULES ALBERT WIJDENBOSCH, President of Suriname, said that restructuring the Security Council to properly reflect the current international, economic and political reality was of fundamental importance. In order to meet the new challenges of the next millennium, his Government believed that discussions on Council expansion should address not only ways to enhance its effectiveness, but ways to improve adherence to the principles of the Charter, which recognized all States as equals.

His Government fully supported the position taken by the Non-Aligned Movement, at its twelfth summit meeting in Durban, South Africa, he added. In efforts to prevent conflicts, he called for greater cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. He pointed out the examples of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which had overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in preventing or ending conflicts between and within member States.

He was seriously concerned by recent attacks on international civil servants and terrorism. His Government welcomed regional agreements and declarations to combat and eliminate terrorism. Expressing concern over the plight of the Palestinian people and the uncertainty of the people of Israel, he urged all sides to reestablish mutual confidence and the international community to exert influence to save the Middle East peace process.

Acknowledging that globalization called for fundamental changes in the economies of the Caribbean region, he proposed that the small Caribbean States be granted a reasonable period to adjust to the changing international environment, which would enable them to increase their competitiveness. A non-reciprocal, preferential system must be maintained during that transition period. International attention must not be focused solely on civil and political rights, but also on the fulfilment of social and economic rights. The implementation of the right to development, particularly in the developing world, must be given equal attention.

He said he was worried by the possible misuse of information technology across all strata of the international community, including among youth. Serious consideration should be given to developing and implementing legislative measures to prevent any form of its misuse, without jeopardizing the fundamental right of free expression. As a result of the twentieth General Assembly on the world drug problem, his Government was now in the final stage of organizing a sub-regional conference on the drug problem. The

General Assembly Plenary - 4 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

aim was to establish a plan of action in cooperation with Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil and France, to effectively combat that form of organized crime.

NAVICHANDRA RAMGOOLAM, Prime Minister of Mauritius, said he believed the world community should devise creative and effective mechanisms to prevent emerging economies from losing the fruits of liberalization. There must be no return to the inward-looking strategies of the 1960s, and economies must continue to open up, but with greater caution.

He said sustainable development in Africa was conditional upon the achievement of a strife-free continent. Sadly, year after year, the number of flashpoints there seemed to grow more numerous. The peoples of Africa could ill-afford the pointless strife and violence visited upon them, at a time when the priorities should be economic and social development. "We in Africa, naturally bear the primary responsibility for assuring lasting peace for our peoples", he noted. That was precisely what the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) were striving to achieve.

Noting that the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a difficult problem that figured prominently on the agenda of the SADC summit meeting hosted in Mauritius a few days ago, he appealed to all parties involved in that conflict to solve their differences peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy. In addition, his Government was participating fully in the efforts of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the countries of the Indian Ocean region in the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Comoros. His country fully supported the unity and territorial integrity of that country.

He said that fortunately "all is not gloom when we survey Africa." For example, he noted the continuous positive economic growth that most of the Sub-Saharan countries had enjoyed recently. There was consensus that Africa stood at the threshold of a new era -- one of opportunity and dynamism. "We are at the dawn of the African renaissance", he stated. Governments in the continent were becoming increasingly more democratic and responsive, putting more emphasis on economic development and greater openness, while embracing market-oriented policies and greater economic freedom. For Africa to realize its full potential, however, several serious constraints would have to be overcome.

The international economic environment should be made less hostile to Africa he continued. That continent's share of world trade and foreign direct investment still remained at a paltry level. The debt burden had itself become a crippling factor and urgently needed to be alleviated. The importance of official development assistance could also not be sufficiently emphasized. In addition, he added, "we are now, more than ever, far off the target of 0.7 percent of gross national product recommended by this Assembly". That trend must be reversed.

General Assembly Plenary - 5 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

He said today no government could flout the rights of its citizens without arousing the condemnation of the international community. In his own country a bill entitled "protection of human rights" would soon be introduced and would provide for the establishment of a national human rights commission. On other issues, he said climate change, illicit drug trafficking and terrorism were problems that required a coordinated international approach. In conclusion, he addressed the issue of "our lasting claim on the sovereignty of the two territories which were disowned from our patrimony, namely the islands of Tromelin and the Chagos Archipelago". He reiterated the call to the former colonial powers to enter into constructive dialogue for the early restoration of those territories to Mauritian sovereignty.

TANG JIAXUAN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, expressed regret over the nuclear tests carried out by India and Pakistan, which had escalated tensions between the two countries and dealt a heavy blow to international nuclear disarmament and the mechanism for the prevention of nuclear proliferation. He called on India and Pakistan to give up their plans to develop nuclear weapons and immediately and unconditionally accede to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). He appealed to the two governments to resolve their dispute over Kashmir by peaceful means.

His Government had proposed to conclude a convention on no-first-use of nuclear weapons and called for an early negotiation in the Conference on Disarmament of the fissile material cut-off treaty. His country had been among the first to sign the CTBT and he reiterated that it would abide by the provisions of the Treaty and had no intention of resuming nuclear testing. His Government continued to support the policies of: unconditional non-first-use of nuclear weapons; unconditional no-use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear States; and nuclear-free zones. He urged countries with the largest nuclear arsenals to accelerate their nuclear disarmament process.

Referring to the East Asian financial crisis that erupted in July 1997, he said that its negative impact was still spreading and that the drastic devaluation of the Japanese yen since June had exacerbated the crisis. In order to maintain the stability and development of the region, his Government had decided not to devalue its currency -- at a heavy cost to China. Now, despite growing pressure and risks, China would keep its currency stable. Additionally, his Government had taken a series of measures to deepen reform and expand domestic demand, so as to ensure sustained growth and achieve an 8 per cent increase in this year's gross domestic product.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, with the cold war ended, the United Nations had an irreplaceable role to play, but there were still differences among the Member States on a few issues regarding reforming the Security Council, he said. He reiterated his Government's position that: all Member States should have equal right to voice their proposals on the reforms;

General Assembly Plenary - 6 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

the reforms should give more attention to the interests and aspirations of the developing countries, balancing representation between developed and undeveloped countries; and the reforms should enhance the role of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, his Government was ready to engage in dialogue, exchange and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect with human rights organizations at national and international levels. Last October, China signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and China intended to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights early next month.

He reiterated his Government's position that Taiwan was an inalienable part of China, stating that China would always adhere to the basic policy of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems". Further, his Government would continue to pursue its eight-point proposal on developing cross-strait relations. It would also resolutely oppose the independence of Taiwan and Taiwan's attempt to re-enter the United Nations.

HUBERT VEDRINE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, said that immense ambition had attended the founding of the United Nations. The task -- to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, reaffirm faith in human rights and establish justice -- was, perhaps, superhuman. However, as Albert Camus wrote, "Superhuman tasks are the ones man takes a long time to accomplish, that's all".

He said that the illusions of the end of the cold war had not stood up to the test of reality. The world was not moving towards harmony. In some crisis situations, where the intervention of the United Nations had not been "well adapted", certain States took advantage of the situation to deliberately pursue coercive policies that were contrary to all the principles of the Charter. In other instances, States had abdicated or imploded, releasing deep-seated hatred. "All these are destabilising factors and, even if they are very different, they act together in disorganizing international relations and making them uncertain."

Citing a litany of World problems, he said the United Nations and the multilateral system did not, today, have the means necessary to address all the challenges. Yet, it must not give up. How could it restore force to its actions? First, it should reserve, for the Security Council, the monopoly of legitimate coercion in the case of threats to the peace and acts of aggression. "Nothing should permit a State, group of States or an organisation, however powerful it may be, to have recourse to force without having received prior authorization from the Security Council, except in the case of legitimate self defence." Compliance with Security Council resolutions was also important, particularly in connection with Iraq. Furthermore, his Government favoured the enlargement of the Council -- two new

General Assembly Plenary - 7 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

permanent members from the North and three from the South -- while preserving its effectiveness.

Another way of bolstering effectiveness was to increase the capacity of the Organisation to prevent and settle regional crises, he said. Referring to the examples of the Middle East and the Great Lakes region of Africa, he said France had proposed the convening of conferences. He added that it was also important to reinforce multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation, in a framework that covered nuclear, conventional, chemical and biological weapons.

Stating that the world must have the means to hunt down those who financed and commissioned terrorist attacks, he proposed negotiation of a "universal convention against the financing of terrorism". That would define concrete mechanisms for penalties and mutual judicial assistance against those who finance terrorism. There should be effective sanctions, such as the seizure or freezing of assets belonging to organisations or individuals that have taken part in acts of terrorism. Innovative measures, such as making it impossible to invoke banking secrecy in judicial bodies investigating a terrorist attack, should be defined. With the proper resolve, negotiations on the matter could be launched immediately after the current General Assembly.

LAMBERTO DINI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, said that in the final years of this century, "our challenge is to strengthen institutions and their capacity to coordinate the action of governments". Globalization impacted ideologies, behaviour, societies and institutions. The opening of markets to competition must be accompanied by reaffirmed cooperation between the largest number of States. The burden of responsibility fell on the shoulders of the stronger nations, particularly those of the G-7 group. They had a duty to show solidarity and transform their privileges into benefits for all humanity. The system of international institutions had the United Nations as its paramount and most authoritative benchmark. The Organization must be the driving force behind a review of the network of interdependence. Like industrialization in its early days, globalization had produced great progress and dangerous imbalances. It, therefore, required governance. No one country could govern it, however great its political, economic and military power. The century was drawing to a close with a revitalization of institutions upon which the pillars of stability could be built. Those were prosperity, security and respect for fundamental freedoms.

The first pillar of the stability was governance of the economy, to prevent crises from degenerating into catastrophes, he said. The time had come to perfect the rules of conduct that guided the development of the global market. While those rules were imperfect and not always respected, the conviction that it was important and appropriate to observe them must be asserted -- that was the secret of their success. The market's supporters should not turn into standard-bearers for a new fundamentalism. The international financial institutions must know how to couple theory and practice; how to avoid strategies that damaged society and destabilized the

General Assembly Plenary - 8 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

political system for the sake of defending the market. They must also initiate policies and reforms that minimized moral hazards in their rescue operations.

He said the United Nations and the international community could rely on the new cohesiveness of the European Union. The euro demanded new responsibilities at the international level, as the repository of value and as an investment and reserves currency. It would allow the Union to project standards abroad that it would not otherwise be able to preserve, such as stability, competition and social solidarity. The Union had no intention of hiding behind the shield of its currency. It had no illusion of being an oasis of prosperity sheltered from the tempest of the world. The politicians of Europe were the first to have rethought the limits of national sovereignty. Today the Union, in the wake of a single currency, was about to become a political subject, and to participate as such in global leadership to correct the fragility of the complex systems that governed the world. It was not enough to have strong national powers. For the European Union, too, the time had come to be a "leading nation". The time had also come to "further enhance the rules that have allowed us to unite the continent, banishing war within our borders".

He said renewed institutions would also have to manage the second pillar of stability: security. Security was jeopardized by a breed of terrorism that had become more and more irrational, threatening fragile peace processes, privatizing terror, and directing hatred mostly, but not exclusively, against the western world and the values it represented. Efforts must be redoubled to fight that scourge. Individual rights were another aspect of institutional strengthening. The international community must deepen its commitment to safeguard those rights. The Rome Statute to establish the International Criminal Court represented what was probably the greatest institutional advancement since the San Francisco Charter. In the fiftieth year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it conferred certainty and universality on the Charter's system of values.

He said it was not enough to strengthen institutions. They must be made more democratic and representative. It was on those concepts that the debate over the future of the Security Council pivoted. Significant progress had been made in recent months in identifying measures aimed at improving the transparency and the working methods of the Council. However, the stalemate continued on the issue of enlargement of that body. The Italian Government would be willing to support any reasonable formula in that respect, provided it did not prejudice the eventual establishment of a common European seat on the Council, distance Italy from the other principal European countries, or increase the number of countries more equal than others, transforming the majority of Member States from protagonists into mere spectators.

General Assembly Plenary - 9 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

RASHID ABDULLAH AL-NOAIMI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, said there was now an increased global awareness that renewing and developing the United Nations was the essential international tool for dealing with current global problems, and achieving balance, transparency and justice in international relations. He supported the positions of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 regarding those vital issues, particularly the questions related to the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, and reform and enlargement of the Security Council. The United Arab Emirates also called for strengthening coordination, cooperation and dialogue between the United Nations and regional organizations to mobilize and complement joint international efforts to deal with the many issues on the agenda.

Political events, particularly in the Arab Gulf region, had proved that solutions for regional disputes could only be achieved through peaceful means and methods based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, he said. True to those principles, the United Arab Emirates had adopted a wise policy in its quest for a peaceful solution to the question of the occupation by Iran, of its three islands -- Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Moussa -- which formed an integral part of the United Arab Emirates national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The continued illegal occupation of those islands by Iran and its imposition of a policy of fait accompli through numerous military and civilian actions designed to change their historic, demographic and legal characteristics, were incompatible with good neighbourly relations, peaceful coexistence and confidence building. They were also contrary to the charters of the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Accordingly, he called on Iran to demonstrate a serious political will and accept a peaceful initiative to engage in a dialogue with the United Arab Emirates and enter into bilateral negotiations to address the legal and historical background of the question, or resort to the International Court of Justice to reach a just and permanent settlement to ensure the termination of Iranian occupation of the three islands.

He considered it necessary to continue upgrading the food-for-oil programme and improve its operation to meet the humanitarian needs and requirements of the Iraqi people. At the same time, he urged the Iraqi Government to complete its implementation of all the relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly those relating to the release of prisoners of war and detainees, and the restitution of Kuwaiti property, so as to ensure the lifting of sanctions and enable it to resume its normal role at the regional and international level.

The Middle East peace process was in a dangerous stalemate on all its tracks resulting from the adoption by the Israeli Government of a policy of gradual recanting on all obligations it had assumed under that process, he said. Aware of the inherent danger of continuing illegal Israeli violations, the international community, particularly the co-sponsors of the peace process

General Assembly Plenary - 10 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

and the European Union, had to bring additional pressure on Israel to force it to comply with its obligations. The United Arab Emirates supported the Palestinian people in their quest for self-determination and in their aspiration for establishing an independent state on national soil with Jerusalem as their capital.

The establishment of a zone free of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and Arab Gulf regions was a requirement that complemented the peace process and represented a major factor in regional security and stability, he said. Accordingly, it behooved the international community to demand that Israel accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and subject its nuclear installations to the control and safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Achievements at the international level in world disarmament had not, so far, been global in their coverage, especially since the world was still witnessing an arms race in nuclear testing. Such a race would not lead to the settlement of existing differences between States, but rather an imbalance in regional security, as seen between India and Pakistan. Therefore, he urged both countries to exercise self-restraint, renounce the use of force and resume discussions and negotiations to reduce tensions and solve their present disputes. The United Arab Emirates also called on nuclear weapons States, and those in possession of such kinds of dangerous weapons, to reconsider their policies, refrain from double standards and promote the adoption of confidence-building measures between States.

The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the terrorist acts carried out recently in some African States, which resulted in heavy loss of life and property, he said. It was from a standpoint of moral and humanitarian responsibility that the international community should intensify its efforts to protect civilians and their rights, and confront terrorism. However, combatting that phenomenon should not be carried out on a unilateral basis and through indiscriminate military revenge, which destroyed lives and property, but through joint international action within the framework of the United Nations to ensure the elimination of all terrorism's root causes and manifestations, and thus preserve the security and stability of societies and the territorial integrity of States.

JEAN-CHARLES OKOTO LOLAKOMBE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said that since 2 August of this year, his country had been a victim of aggressive attacks from its neighbours in Rwanda and Uganda. The severity of those invasions, by States party to the noble ideals in the United Nations Charter and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), obliged him to reflect on that discrepancy, in hopes of finding a better understanding of the psychodrama being played out in his country.

After recounting the violence since the start of the conflict, he said that independent sources had proven that Rwanda and Uganda were participating in a plot to "balkanize" the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That action

General Assembly Plenary - 11 - Press Release GA/9449 11th Meeting (AM) 23 September 1998

was not only a violation of international law, but demonstrated complete disrespect for the borders written in the Charter of the OAU. The media called the situation a rebellion of the East, but it was actually a Rwandan-Ugandan conspiracy to politically and economically destabilize his country and lay claim to its natural resources.

Restoring peace in the Great Lakes region, he said, would require the full support of the Secretary-General and the Security Council in obtaining the immediate and unconditional retreat of the occupation forces, he stressed. The international community had not responded to the severity of the situation. Even the Security Council had contented itself with ambiguous public declarations calling for a cease-fire and withdrawal of foreign troops, without mentioning any names. Contrast the situation with the cases of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovinia and Kuwait, where the Council acted promptly to restore peace, he said. Such a double-standards by the Council risked creating an unfortunate precedent, which could damage the credibility of the United Nations.

Conscious of its responsibility to safeguard its territorial integrity, his Government was obliged to resort to an armed retaliation to end the invasion. In applying Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, he called on the allies of his country to face the Ugandan-Rwandan aggression. No true nation would allow its sovereignty and territorial integrity to be called into question. The Congolese people would never accept displacement and oppression. Those who committed such crimes of war should be held accountable by the International Criminal Court.

The failure of different calls for a cease-fire could not be attributed to his country, he continued, but rather to the stubbornness and bad faith of Rwanda and Uganda at the negotiating tables. His country had made it clear since the first Summit in Victoria Falls last August that a cease-fire had to be accompanied by an immediate, unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops from his country's national territory. The General Assembly and Security Council had an obligation to apply the Charter in the case of such an act of aggression.

His Government remained committed to its schedule to democratize, he said. To that end, he informed the Assembly of a newly decreed law, signed 22 September 1998 by the head of State, which would address the issue of political power in the country. That law would be submitted to a popular referendum in early 1999.

* *** *