UNSCOM NOT REPORTING FACTS ABOUT IRAQI COMPLIANCE WITH COUNCIL RULES, IRAQ FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS, WELCOMING REVIEW UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Release
GA/9459
UNSCOM NOT REPORTING FACTS ABOUT IRAQI COMPLIANCE WITH COUNCIL RULES, IRAQ FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS, WELCOMING REVIEW UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL
19980930 Foreign Minister of Saint Lucia Tells Continuing Assembly General Debate WTO Ruling on European Banana Marketing May Destroy Economies in CaribbeanThe United Nations Special Commission established by the Security Council to oversee the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (UNSCOM) and the Commission's Chairman were operating under the influence of an arrogant, powerful State, which was pursuing political aims not connected with the decisions of the Security Council, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf, told the General Assembly this morning.
As the general debate continued, he said that the Commission was not reporting the facts about Iraq's fulfilment of its obligations to the Council. His country had, therefore, suspended cooperation with the Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). As a way out of the current impasse, Iraq welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal for a comprehensive review of sanctions by the Security Council. Iraq was willing to participate in a fair review conducted under the personal supervision of the Secretary-General.
Several speakers this morning noted the importance of recognizing the vulnerability of the small island States to globalization, trade liberalization and natural disasters. Edison James, Prime Minister of Dominica, said the damage inflicted by hurricane Georges was extensive. He urged the international community to respond generously and stressed that obligations spelled out by the Charter called for more than ad hoc responses.
George W. Odlum, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia, said a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on European banana marketing regime -- instigated by a few complainant countries from the Americas -- could cause social and economic destruction of a number of small Caribbean States, for which bananas were a vital export commodity. The WTO ruling tore at the heart of the development process and it could destroy a system which had allowed "us a preferential market for a crop which is the backbone of our economy", he said.
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Seymour Mullings, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Jamaica, said the patterns of uneven development resulting from globalization continued. Given the challenge of North-South disparity in development and opportunity, a dialogue should take place between representative groups from developing countries and those with transitional economies, in consultation with the major industrialized countries. Such a dialogue would pave the way for a broader framework of functional cooperation.
Statements were also made by the Foreign Ministers of Bhutan, Cameroon, Bolivia, and Tajikistan.
The Assembly will meet again this afternoon to continue its general debate.
Assembly Work Programme
The Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate. It was expected to hear an address by Edison James, Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs, Legal Affairs and Labour of Dominica; and Seymour Mullings, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica. The Foreign Ministers of Bhutan, Cameroon, Iraq, Bolivia, Tajikistan and Saint Lucia were also expected to address the Assembly.
Statements in General Debate
EDISON JAMES, Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs, Legal Affairs and Labour of Dominica, said the damage inflicted by hurricane Georges was extensive, particularly in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda. He urged the international community to respond generously when assisting with reconstruction. He stressed that obligations spelt out by the Charter called for more than an ad hoc response.
It was important to recognize the acute vulnerability of the small States to natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, volcanoes and earthquakes, he said. Their intrinsic limitations to mitigate and respond to disasters must also be understood. He proposed a disaster reconstruction fund be established under United Nations auspices to provide resources for quick and effective response to disasters by small States.
Matters on the Assembly's agenda of profound concern to Dominica and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) included macroeconomic policy questions on trade and development; revitalization of the economic growth and development of developing countries; the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006); and protection of the global climate. Cooperation between the United Nations and CARICOM was also of great importance, particularly in defending for the integrity of the banana market against some powerful Member States, "who seemed determined to derail our democracy, upset our efforts at eradicating poverty, and undermine the peace and security of our region".
Globalization and trade liberalization must not be allowed to result in the marginalization and economic disintegration of small developing States, he continued. His country and CARICOM sought the establishment of a "level-playing field" for trade and development, rather than a situation causing dependence on aid. Dominica's desire to protect its banana industry did not reflect any misunderstanding of the current trade and the economic environment. It had diversified its economy, improved air access to the country, and increased secondary opportunities.
SEYMOUR MULLINGS, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, said unresolved conflicts undermined the political, economic and social fabric of States, and caused bringing destruction and untold
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human suffering. Member states should support the Secretary-General's initiative to strengthen the United Nations' capability for conflict resolution, prevention and early warning.
Since the Security Council was the principal multilateral decision-making authority in matters of international peace and security, he expressed concern at the tendency of States to take unilateral action which they deemed to be in their national interest. Jamaica believed in the principle of collective security, on which the role of the Council was predicated. Nonetheless, the Council should undergo democratic reform, if it was to effectively meet the challenges of an ever-changing world. Jamaica had presented its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Council for the period 2000-2001.
The issue of sustainable development of small island developing States was of particular importance to Jamaica, he said. The matter spoke to the very survival of island States whose economic viability and developmental aspirations were inextricably linked to the carrying capacity of their fragile ecosystems. The danger posed by natural disasters was most recently demonstrated by hurricane Georges which had caused widespread loss of life and property in the Caribbean. He appealed to the international community to provide urgent and generous humanitarian assistance for reconstruction in the affected islands.
Patterns of uneven development resulting from globalization continued to be seen, and it was already clear that there was no "globalization" of benefits, he said. Financial flows from the donor community had declined in recent years. When taken with the heavy debt-service payments which some countries had to meet, the result was the "unhappy circumstance" of net reverse flows from the South to the North.
He joined the call for the urgent convening of a conference on financing for development. Also, given the challenge of North-South disparity in development and opportunity, a dialogue should begin between representative groups from developing countries and those with transitional economies, in consultation with the major industrialized countries. Such a dialogue would pave the way for a broader framework of functional cooperation.
JIGMI Y. THINLEY, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, said that just three months ago, his King had introduced some profound changes in the governance of the country, which had been in addition to the earlier institutionalization of participative decision-making at the district and grass-roots level. For example, upon dissolution of the appointed Cabinet, a new Council of Ministers had been elected for a specific term by the National Assembly. Also, the King had voluntarily relinquished his role as the head of government and convinced the National Assembly to introduce a mechanism for the removal of a reigning monarch through a periodical vote of confidence. Such ongoing changes had further strengthened the rule of law and enhanced the direct participation of the people in development and governance.
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He said human society was increasingly vulnerable. The Asian crisis threatened to cause global economic contraction and was already undermining the social and political stability of some nations. The environment was wreaking havoc in many parts of the world, causing loss of life and property in both the richest and poorest countries. Also, as the reality of interdependence forced people to abide with each other in a shrinking world, the international community found itself torn apart by bigotry, intolerance and hate.
Continuing, he said terrorism was on the rise, children were lured by drugs and crime, and even the richest nations could ill afford the rising cost of growing prison populations. Further, the spectre of a nuclear holocaust continued to haunt the world. Terrorism, in all its manifestations, was unjustifiable, regardless of the cause it sought to espouse. It must be condemned, and such heinous crimes against humanity must not go unpunished. The conclusion and effective implementation of a comprehensive international convention on terrorism, therefore, assumed great significance.
Although the recent nuclear tests in South Asia had aroused concern, he was heartened by the positive steps being taken by the concerned parties to calm the fears of the international community, he said. His country had always condemned nuclear armament and advocated full and comprehensive elimination of all nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. He urged all participants in the disarmament processes to undertake a more realistic assessment of the prevailing global security arrangement, which had the inherent weakness of enticing States to join an exclusive club. The process must be accelerated towards complete and comprehensive denuclearization.
He firmly supported the position of the Non-Aligned Movement concerning Security Council reform, as reiterated in the final document of the summit in Durban, South Africa, he said. The current permanent members had an obligation to be more responsive to calls for multifaceted reforms of the Council. It had to be rendered more effective and transparent through democratization and the enlargement of its membership, in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. New permanent members had to include countries that had the capacity to share greater international responsibilities and reflect equitable geographical representation.
Continuing, he said that Japan, whose apportionment of the United Nations regular budget would exceed 20 per cent by the year 2000, and India, as a developing country that represented one sixth of humanity, were two countries that deserved permanent membership in the Council. The presence of developing countries was all the more essential, since developing countries were the object of most of the Council's actions. In conclusion, he expressed deep sadness over the destruction caused by the aftermath of the worst-ever floods in Bangladesh. He hoped the international community would respond promptly and generously to the appeal of its Government.
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AUGUSTIN KONTCHOU KOUOMEGNI, Minister of External Relations of Cameroon, said poverty was the worst threat today to human dignity. Despite the efforts of African nations to promote good governance, the people of the continent had paid an enormous social price. Basic necessities -- drinking water, medical supplies, education, transportation, communication -- appeared to many people as luxuries. International cooperation had not yet borne fruit; levels of official development assistance (ODA) to Africa had been drastically reduced; and investors seemed uninterested in the region.
Africa's marginalization would continue if lasting sustainable development was not achieved, he continued. Initiatives and plans of action for Africa must be translated into fact. International assistance to Africa must be increased; the African debt burden cancelled; and public development assistance provided to help build Africa's infrastructure. Structural adjustment should aim to strengthen the management capacity of African countries.
Cameroon had done much to promote human rights, he said. Information on human rights protection had been disseminated through media campaigns, seminars, conferences, bulletin boards and programmes in schools and universities. Legislative reforms had restored intellectual freedoms, terminated censorship, and promoted the protection of workers' interests. A national committee for human rights had been established and many non- governmental organizations were freely engaged in the country.
Reflecting on the financial, operational and security issues of peacekeeping operations, he said the ability of United Nations operations to prevent crises and massacres was proportional to the means Member States put at their disposal. Peacekeeping efforts had saved millions of lives and prevented the spread of conflicts. To strengthen their roles as defenders of human rights and ensure their rights were respected, a clear code of conduct should be elaborated for individuals serving in peacekeeping operations.
International disputes must be resolved peacefully, if necessary through the International Court of Justice, he said. That was why Cameroon had gone to the International Court with respect to its dispute with Nigeria. The Rome Statute was also a timely human rights instrument, and he urged all Member States to sign it. Silencing weapons was also necessary. Banning their use through disarmament was essential, whether arms were nuclear, chemical, biological or other. The phenomenon in Africa of illicit small arms was also growing. The Organization must help mobilize Central African countries to assume responsibility for the security of their subregion.
MOHAMMED SAID AL-SAHAF, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, said reform of the Security Council was an urgent necessity, if the control which a few States had over it were to end. The Council should represent the true state of international reality. Without reforms, it would be impossible to
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achieve the purposes and principles set out in the Charter regarding maintaining security and peace, promoting economic and social development, and strengthening international cooperation.
International peace and security were being affected by illogical, non-objective and discriminatory attitude towards the disarmament issues, especially towards the issue of nuclear disarmament, he said. Some States maintained huge arsenals of weapons of mass destruction, while others were being disarmed under different pretexts. To resolve the issue, relevant international treaties and agreements must be applied in a comprehensive manner, without resort to selective and discriminatory actions.
The situation in the Middle East demonstrated a very serious imbalance of power, he said. Failing to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, the Zionist entity possessed a huge arsenal of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, including long-range missiles. Such a situation showed disregard for the efforts of the General Assembly to free the Middle East from weapons of mass destruction and encouraged an arms race, which threatened peace and security in the region, and in the whole world. On the blockade against Iraq, now entering its ninth year, every month caused the deaths of thousands of Iraqi citizens due to lack of medicine and food, he said. It had also led to the grave deterioration in the infrastructure of the country. Security Council resolution 687 (1991) contained two sets of obligations: the first one demanded compliance by Iraq, and the second required the Security Council to lift the blockade when Iraq had met its obligations. The resolution required disarmament on the part of Iraq and provided for the establishment of a system of monitoring and verification of compliance.
Throughout the past seven and a half years, Iraq had cooperated with the Security Council, the United Nations Special Commission set up under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) in connection with the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (UNSCOM), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he said. As an expression of its good faith and in order to ensure the lifting of the blockade, Iraq had met all the conditions imposed on it. All the prohibited weapons had been destroyed, along with the plants, installations and equipment related to those weapons. Since 1994, the comprehensive system of monitoring had been in place. At present, Iraq was incapable of resuming the production of prohibited weapons. However, the Security Council had taken no action to implement its own obligations towards Iraq as prescribed in article 22 of the above-mentioned resolution.
For political reasons, UNSCOM and its Chairman refrained from reporting to the Security Council the facts about Iraq's fulfilment of its obligations. Both UNSCOM and its Chairman operated under the influence of an arrogant, powerful State, which was pursuing its own political aims driven by ulterior motives which had nothing to do with the decisions of the Security Council.
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The prejudiced attitudes on the part of the Special Commission and its Chairman were unacceptable, he continued. The attitude had led to an impasse which kept turning the situation in a vicious circle. Iraq had, therefore, been obliged to suspend cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA.
To find a way out, he said, Iraq had welcomed a proposal for a comprehensive review, which had been submitted by the Secretary-General to the Security Council last August. Such a review was a legal and moral obligation, which the Security Council was duty-bound to discharge. However, the 40 reviews that had been carried out so far had been mere formalities. They had been arbitrary and far from comprehensive in character. Iraq was willing to participate in a new review, and it had an inalienable right to do so. He hoped that the review would be carried out without delay, and that it would be comprehensive, honest and fair. Iraq also hoped that it would be conducted under the personal supervision of the Secretary-General.
JAVIER MURILLO DE LA ROCHA, Minister for External Relations and Worship of Bolivia, said that just when it seemed that the world was stable, signs of a severe crisis appeared on the horizon. Commodity prices had declined on average by 30 per cent and had reached their lowest levels in the last three decades, in real terms. Consequently, trade balance deficits in Latin America had grown proportionately. The rate of economic growth was declining, businesses were reducing production volume, and their debt was rising, internal savings and investment in infrastructure was declining and unemployment was on the rise.
The fact that the turbulence began a year ago in Asia, before reaching the Andes, revealed the extent to which the world economic system had become interdependent, he continued. The ugly and unfair side to globalization was that countries -- not just abstract entities, but actual flesh and blood people with spiritual and material needs -- were not only paying for their own mistakes, but also for the economic policy errors and negligence of others.
Bolivia, a small country with enormous structural limitations, had made a gigantic effort to put its accounts and institutional structure in order, he said. It conquered hyperinflation, restored its macroeconomic balance and made progress in first and second generation structural reforms. It established a democratic system which, while not perfect, was being studied in the region as a model of political cooperation and social dialogue. While it was true that Bolivia's progress was not rapid enough and its economic and social structure was still weak, the crisis it faced today did not stem from those deficiencies. His country would have to foot the bill for the mistakes of others and was suffering from the contagion of the Asian crisis.
The current situation had also revealed the shortcomings in the international system, particularly with regard to international financial movements, he said. Prompt and concerted action between the advanced and
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developing countries must be taken to reduce the volatility of financial markets. The availability of public financial resources in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other institutions to compensate for damage caused by recklessness in the world's exchanges and markets must be increased. The financial crises, poverty and unemployment had been globalized. Now, the commitment to solve them also had to be globalized.
Almost 120 years ago, Bolivia lost a long strip of coastline on the Pacific Ocean, he said. The country lost, temporarily, its maritime status and its sovereign access to the sea. The economic damage caused by that loss was immense, an estimated $4 billion every 10 years, which was equal to Bolivia's foreign debt. However, the most serious consequence was that his country was condemned to be penned in behind the Andes, far removed from the very lifelines of the development of nations.
Bolivia had sought bilateral negotiations with Chile and brought its case to international forums, he continued. On various occasions, bilateral negotiations concluded with agreements or concrete proposals for a solution involving the return to Bolivia of its sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean, with a coastline and port of its own, and an overland link. However, those dealings never led to effective action and were added to the long list of lost opportunities on the record of relations between the two countries.
Bolivia would never back down from its demand and would take its case to every forum and body until it was resolved, he continued. Now was the time for economic integration and a political solution -- not confrontation -- to the quest for sovereign access to the ocean. The obstacles hindering the march towards integration had to be removed. For Chile and Bolivia, that meant resolving the age-old historic and political disputes that had once led to the breaking off of diplomatic relations. The liberalization of trade, economic complementary agreements, and arrangements for free transit were all essential parts of that picture.
TALBAK NAZAROV, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, said that despite difficulties, the peace process in his country was moving forward. A majority of refugees and displaced persons had returned home, a process of reintegration of opposition armed factions into government military structures had begun, and opposition members had been appointed to a number of important posts in the Government. He reaffirmed Tajikistan's commitment to continue close cooperation with the United Nations in implementing peace accords and post-conflict reconstruction plans. The Government had taken resolute actions to prevent excesses, such as those which has led to the tragic deaths of four United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) officers, and to provide better security for all personnel of international organizations in Tajikistan.
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The dangerous situation in Afghanistan threatened to destabilize the entire section of Central Asia, he said. There was the possibility of a massive, spontaneous influx of Afghan refugees across the border into Tajikistan and, with that, a spread of terrorism, arms and drugs. "We are especially alarmed about the threat of proliferation of religious extremism and, therefore, join forces with Russia and Uzbekistan to counter this threat", he said.
Tajikistan fully supported a central role for the United Nations in coordinating international efforts towards an Afghan settlement, he said. His Government was firmly opposed to any external interference in the affairs of Afghanistan, including the sending of military personnel and arms into the country.
Tajikistan had joined the initiative to establish a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia. He supported the urgent appeal of the Security Council for India and Pakistan to accede to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
He said his and other countries in the region were concerned about the potential threat of a major natural disaster that could occur if pre-emptive action was not taken to normalize the situation in the area of Sarez. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan could sustain serious damage if a natural dam, formed as a result of an earthquake earlier in the century, broke. He asked for United Nations cooperation in dealing with the problem in a comprehensive way.
GEORGE W. ODLUM, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Saint Lucia, said there was an almost ominous ring about the word globalization. It gobbled up small countries, which could not adjust to the frenzy of the market, and had not been about wealth and prosperity for all. Globalization should have been about development for all, but for billions of people in the developing world, it had used them and bypassed them. Saint Lucia was one of those countries caught up in the dizzy Ferris wheel of globalization, without the choice of being able to jump off.
He said trade liberalization, the twin of globalization, had not been kind to his country and the midwife of that process -- the World Trade Organization (WTO) -- had dealt it even more unkind cut. A ruling by that body with respect to the European banana marketing regime, instigated by a few complainant countries from the Americas, could lead to the social and economic destruction of a number of small Caribbean States, for whom bananas was a vital export commodity. The ruling tore at the heart of the development process and it could "take away from us a system which allows us a preferential market for a crop which is the backbone of our economy".
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Developing countries and many renowned jurists had criticized the process pursued by the WTO in that particular case, he continued. Equally worrying, the WTO panel had not taken into account the developmental, social or environmental impact of its ruling. The organization was not just a trade policeman; rather, it was supposed to contribute to improved standards of living. Following the ruling last year that the banana marketing regime was incompatible with its regulations, the European Union had been trying to amend the regime. The objective was not only to make it WTO compatible, but at the same time preserve the kind of access it gave to the European market -- an access "essential for our economic development".
He said that, earlier this year, the Union accepted amendments to the banana regime which "we are all convinced make it WTO compatible". The banana producing countries of the Caribbean might have wished that some of the provisions now adopted were different, but they were satisfied that the new regime allowed them the opportunity to survive in the market place. The Union retained the special safeguard of the Lomé Convention to enable Caribbean countries to market their bananas. With that Convention now in receipt of the WTO waiver, those States thought they had been given the breathing space needed for adjustment to globalization.
However, he added, the United States and the group of Central American countries were still continuing their onslaught against "our banana industry". The pursuit of that policy by the United States and the Central American countries would expose Caribbean countries to severe and possibly irreparable damage. It was a violation of their right to development -- a right which the United Nations recognized as inalienable when it adopted the 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development.
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