MYANMAR BUILDING GENUINE DEMOCRATIC STATE FOREIGN MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY, BELARUS QUESTIONS DISCUSSION OF MILITARY ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA

30 September 1998

Press Release
GA/9460

MYANMAR BUILDING GENUINE DEMOCRATIC STATE FOREIGN MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY, BELARUS QUESTIONS DISCUSSION OF MILITARY ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA

19980930 Calls for Reinstatement of Yugoslavia's Membership

Stability had been attained in Myanmar through its own endeavours and without imposing any burden on the international community, Ohn Gyaw, Minister for Foreign Affairs of that country told the General Assembly this afternoon as it continued its general debate. His country was therefore distressed that there were those who would like to use the United Nations to intervene in matters that were essentially within Myanmar's domestic jurisdiction.

It was ironical that at a time when Myanmar had openly and repeatedly declared that it was building a genuine democratic state with a market-oriented economy, political pressure had been applied by those who wanted it not only to adopt democracy, but also to transplant a democracy in their own mould, he continued. It was unfortunate that the proponents of that particular type of democracy would like to use the Organization to interfere in Myanmar's domestic process. His country strongly believed that its chosen path was most suitable to its tradition, culture, national ethos and, most importantly, to the aspirations of its people.

Ivan Antonovich, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus, said that it was hard for his country to comprehend why, in certain quarters, the idea of a military attack on the sovereign State of Yugoslavia was being publicly discussed. That country was trying to solve its domestic problems in its own way and would not rubber-stamp recipes from the outside. The mere threat of the use of force could seriously disrupt peace and stability in Europe. Any measures of enforcement could only be applied following a Security Council resolution, and the use of force by individual States or regional organizations at their own discretion was not permissible. He also called for reinstatement of Yugoslavia as a full Member of the United Nations.

Also during today's debate, several speakers stressed the problems encountered by least developed countries. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of

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Cape Verde, José Luis Jesus, said the lack of basic necessities and the right to participate in government combined with discrimination on ethnic, cultural, religious or political grounds, continued to widen the social gap in Africa. Also, outside interference, aimed at imposing policies or exerting influence on Governments, aggravated conflicts. While the Organization should mobilize resources and political will to overcome Africa's underdevelopment and help it achieve peace, accomplishing those tasks demanded that African States, leaders and civil society assume responsibility for the fair management of resources, consolidation of democratic institutions and respect for human rights.

Keli Walubita, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia, said that although a number of initiatives had been put in place to resolve the external debt problem, so far none seemed to be effective. Among those was the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, which targeted too few developing countries and envisioned too long a transition period before eligibility was granted. Zambia welcomed the Secretary-General's proposals to liberalize access to HIPC and to convert all remaining official debt owed by the poorest African countries into grants.

Statements were also made by the Prime Ministers of Slovenia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Vanuatu. The Foreign Ministers of Senegal, Bahamas, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also addressed the Assembly.

The Assembly also heard statements in exercise of the right of reply by the representatives of Chile, Croatia, Bolivia and Belarus.

The General Assembly will meet again tomorrow at 10 a.m. to continue its general debate.

Assembly work programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its general debate. It was expected to hear statements from the Prime Ministers of Slovenia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Vanuatu. It was also expected to hear statements from the Foreign Ministers of Senegal, Bahamas, Myanmar, Cape Verde, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Zambia and Belarus. It was also expected to hear a statement in exercise of the right of reply by Chile.

Statements

JACQUES BAUDIN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal and Senegalese living abroad, said that as the century drew to an end in an era marked by major challenges there was need for collective responses to those challenges. Noting that while "we are all similar, we are all still marked by profound differences", he said that the formidable wealth that had been created for a tiny minority, in contrast to the vast number in poverty, was a challenge to which the United Nations needed to respond. Member States had a duty to endow the Organization with the kinds of tools that would enable it to respond effectively to the multiple issues before it.

Continuing, he said Senegal was one of the first signatories of the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The diplomatic gathering in Rome this year was a historic moment. It signified the nations of the world uniting under one single shared desire -- achieving justice. The Court would ensure that perpetrators of crimes against mankind, such as war crimes and genocide, would be brought to justice and sentenced. Finally, a link in the international judicial system had been forged. Rome had witnessed the introduction of major innovations and the statute made the ideal of justice more precise and more alive.

On United Nations reform, he said the Secretary-General's proposals were balanced, unique and well timed. It was essential for the Organization to be modernized. The restructuring of the Security Council was also a fundamental element in the overall reform of the United Nations and was not one of the easiest reforms to carry out. So far, despite the existence of a Working Group on the issue of Council reform, there had been great difficulty in reaching consensus on expansion, make up and the use of veto. If efforts were redoubled, he noted, "we will in due course cap with success" that enormous venture.

He said the United Nations now needed to agree on bold initiatives that would ensure international peace and security. Currently, long-standing conflicts continued to resist efforts to find solutions, while ethnic and inter-community conflicts were issues of major concern in Africa. In that context, regional African organizations had made great contributions. He stressed the need for dialogue between parties to conflicts and efforts by regional institutions to achieve peace, noting the collaboration by the

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Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations in conflict prevention and settlement as positive endeavours.

The efforts to bring about general disarmament remained a major element in strengthening international security, he said. Global disarmament, however, was still a long-range objective. In Africa, illicit trafficking in small and light arms had become a major scourge. There was need to work out an international convention to fight that problem. During the current decade, the series of conflicts reflected the need for new ways of looking at global problems, especially those of a social nature. The various action plans that had evolved from the global summits, conferences and programmes constituted a series of formal commitments and measures that must be adopted together.

The multiple and pernicious ties that drugs had established with transnational crime, terrorism networks and arms dealers, made clear that the trafficking in psychotropic substances had become a major threat to all mankind. It was important now, he said, to do everything possible to make the conclusions of the General Assembly special session on drugs a reality.

JANEZ DRNOVSEK, Prime Minister of Slovenia, said that from the Balkans to Central Africa and Central Asia, a particular type of warfare seemed to be prevailing in all the conflicts: the civilian population was the main and very often also the only target. Violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law and the most horrible atrocities were becoming the usual consequences of those conflicts. The international community must act with unity and determination to ensure that violations of humanitarian and human rights did not remain unpunished.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the peace process was slowly but surely spreading its roots, he said. However, the process had not yet become irreversible and important issues remained to be resolved. Return of refugees, especially minority returns, had been substantially lower than expected. Turning to Kosovo, he said the population had been subjected to a campaign of terror, and forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in the woods and mountains. The international community should force all the parties in the conflict to face their responsibilities. A ceasefire and the start of negotiations was a prerequisite for the process of the return of refugees to begin.

While the wealth of experience the United Nations had accumulated was impressive, reform of its 50-year-old structure would greatly enhance its effectiveness. The Security Council should become more representative and up-to-date by expanding the number of its non-permanent members, as well as permanent members. It should also become more transparent and more effective in its decision-making.

The international community had to start a global process of mine clearing operations and physical and mental rehabilitation of the millions of mine victims throughout the world. Slovenia had already established an

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international trust fund with such a purpose for Bosnia-Herzegovina and he invited other countries to join in that effort.

JANET BOSTWICK, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas, said her country was a thriving democracy with a robust economy, committed to the promotion of human rights, the advancement of women, justice and social development. Still, it believed that the United Nations was not doing enough to alleviate the socio-economic problems of developing countries. The international community needed to do more in that respect, as well as help eradicate the trafficking of women and children.

She said the uncontrolled entry of economic migrants into the Bahamas was a considerable financial burden. The United Nations conventions adopted in the wake of the Second World War to deal with the problems of political refugees did not adequately address the problem. She urged a review of the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR).

The Bahamas, an archipelago of some 700 islands, was home to one of the most important coral reef systems in the world, as well as significant species of flora, fauna, and terrestrial and marine animal life, she said. Thus, it had a clear responsibility for the conservation and protection of the environment and required international assistance to that end. In that respect, she thanked the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for working with her country on biodiversity and the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for its assistance in improving the response of her country to the challenges of the rise in sea level.

Continuing, she said the composition of the Security Council reflected "inequities and imbalances" in the Organization, and that it would be in the interest of the international community to make it "more reflective of our present reality". Her Government condemned international terrorism in all its forms and would continue to lend its support to all legitimate efforts to combat it. In a world shrunken by globalization, every trouble spot had the potential to affect everybody.

She said that, after experiencing an abatement in the illicit transit and traffic of narcotic drugs, the Bahamas was again confronted with that scourge. Past experience had shown that international cooperation was essential for dealing with the problem. As for the turmoil in the world's economy, globalization and liberalization had not provided equal opportunities for all countries. Developing countries should receive assistance in integrating into the global economy, without disruptive and punitive economic, social and cultural costs. Her country had repeatedly objected to the use of per capita income as the principal measuring tool for the economies of developing countries. "Such a tool does not, and cannot" take into account the special circumstances of countries like the Bahamas, she said.

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OHN GYAW, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, said that the objective of Security Council reform was not the mere addition of a couple of countries to its permanent membership. Although it had been accepted in principle that three permanent seats should be allocated to developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the mode of their identification and selection remained unsettled. Myanmar would view with concern any measure biased towards particular candidates. Only those countries capable of contributing to international peace and security should be permanent members of an expanded Council.

He said that although there had been noticeably strong support for expansion of the Security Council's permanent membership, it had not been possible to translate various ideas on that question into a viable formula acceptable to all. The idea of rotating new permanent members, which the OAU had decided to apply to the African countries, was a very significant concept, which appeared to have attracted a growing number of States, including Myanmar. While that concept had been submitted by a particular region for itself and was not meant for export to other regions, it should not be ruled out as one of the possible options applicable to other regions, such as Asia, in the event that other modalities or options failed to command enough support.

Inextricably linked to the expansion of the Security Council was the veto, he said. While a large majority of Member States demanded its curtailment and eventual elimination, permanent members continued to be entrenched in their position that they could not accept any diminution of their rights and prerogatives, including the veto. Most sensible of the suggestions to curtail the veto's scope and application, he continued, was the idea of curtailing its application to issues coming under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. In fact, provisions of Chapter VII were the rationale of the Security Council. The veto was unjust and anachronistic, and its ultimate elimination was the most logical conclusion. However, it was unfair and discriminatory to deny the veto to new permanent members until the fate of that unwanted relic of the past could be sealed. New permanent members should be endowed with the same rights and prerogatives now enjoyed by the current permanent members.

He said only at the United Nations did developing countries have sovereign equality with big and powerful countries. Only a genuinely democratic United Nations would ensure that the Organization's principles were neither diluted nor made to serve the domestic political necessity of the big and powerful nations. In the age of a single super-Power, the world was too often witnessing attempts to use the United Nations as a political tool of the big and powerful nations, and the will of the international community becoming synonymous with that of the single most powerful nation or group of nations. Only a genuinely representative United Nations could look after the interests of big and powerful nations as well as those of the whole United Nations

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membership, including the weakest among them. That was why Myanmar has placed so much importance on the United Nations reform process.

Stability had been attained in Myanmar through its own endeavours, without imposing any burden on the international community, he said. Myanmar was therefore distressed that there were those who would like to use the United Nations to intervene in matters that were essentially within Myanmar's domestic jurisdiction. It was also an irony that at a time when the country had openly and repeatedly declared that it was now in the process of building a genuine democratic State with a market-oriented economic system, political pressure had been applied by those who would like it not only to adopt democracy, but also to transplant a democracy in their own mould. It was unfortunate that those proponents of a particular type of democracy would like to use the United Nations to interfere in Myanmar's domestic process. Myanmar strongly believed that its chosen path was the most suitable to its tradition, culture, national ethos and, most importantly, to the aspirations of its people.

JOSÉ LUIS JESUS, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cape Verde, said that a strong commitment was required from the international community to deal effectively with the armed conflicts on the African continent. Whenever individuals or groups had no channels through which to funnel their legitimate claims, conflict resulted. A lack of dialogue, the practice of intolerance and the absence of reliable judicial means to deal with problems were the shortest path to armed conflict.

Maintaining peace on the continent was a difficult task, he said, noting the relevance of development, good governance, democracy and human rights, he said. The peoples' lack of basic necessities and the right to participate in government, combined with discrimination based on ethnic, cultural, religious or political reasons, continued to widen the social gap in Africa. Compounding the situation was outside interference aimed at imposing policies or exerting influence on Governments, thereby causing or aggravating conflicts. The United Nations should mobilize the resources and political will necessary to overcome Africa's underdevelopment and help it achieve peace. It had to be recognized, also, that accomplishing those tasks required that African States, leaders and civil society assume responsibility, particularly in regard to the fair management of resources, the consolidation of democratic institutions, respect for the right of citizenship and human rights.

His Government had been closely following the situation unfolding in Guinea-Bissau, he said. He hoped that the African joint mediation efforts could advance the ongoing peace process. He called on the parties to the conflict to observe the Cease-Fire Agreement, signed in Praia on 25 August, to enable the Guinean society to reach reconciliation. His country was also alarmed by the new armed confrontation in Angola. The regrettable behaviour of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) defied the

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obligations undertaken in the Lusaka Protocol. He urged the international community to restore compliance with the agreement and relevant Council resolutions.

Turning to the current international financial crisis, he said, that it posed a risk to social stability and threatened peace in the affected countries. The negative fallout from the dynamics of globalization raised a justifiable concern in respect to the speculative attacks against certain developing economies and the lack of transparency in management practices. It was an illusion to believe that these negative consequences could be contained with the boundaries of developing nations. The destiny of all countries, large and small alike, industrialized or developing, was increasingly interlinked. Finding effective collective solutions was imperative.

The international community should find a global strategy to maintain the balance of the ecosystem, he added. Cape Verde had enacted legislation to bring the issue of the environment into the legal mainstream. However, resources should be made available by the international community to allow developing nations to build and implement their environmental programs in a sustained way.

Cape Verde had adopted the necessary measures to combat poverty in accordance with the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, he said. Nevertheless, as was often the case with least developed countries, internal efforts would not produce the expected results without additional measures from the international community. He believed that a special follow-up meeting should take place in the year 2000 for a thorough assessment of the situation and to launch concrete actions to implement the commitments undertaken at Copenhagen. Also of importance for the sustained development of small island States were concrete measures from the international community to implement the Barbados Plan of Action.

ALLAN CRUICKSHANK, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Information of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said the most recent decision on the banana regime for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, within the framework of the Lomé Convention, was compatible with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and would allow an important regional industry to achieve a sustainable level of growth. Those new arrangements also created an appropriate environment for the survival of a restructured and competitive banana industry. It was, therefore, quite alarming to learn that the United States and some of "our friends in Latin America" were about to challenge the new arrangements.

He was amazed by the blind and apathetic position of the United States on the issue, he continued. "We are told that no harm is meant for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and other Caribbean banana producing countries, while efforts are made to undermine our social stability, which is facilitated by the export of our bananas, under the provisions of the Lomé

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Convention." How could citizens of the Caribbean be convinced to combat the production, use and trade in illicit drugs, if its banana industry was destroyed? he asked. Was it really possible that "our friends, especially the United States", wanted to see the proliferation of instability, insecurity and extreme poverty in the Caribbean?

The dawn of the new millennium challenged the nation States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to assert their independence and demonstrate their maturity by crafting creative constitutional arrangements suited to their particular historical, cultural and political evolution, he said. As a member of the Alliance of Small Island States, his country fully supported initiatives to protect the environment. The effects of global warming were of grave concern to a small island like his, whose coastal areas could become submerged and whose protective coral reefs were at risk of total destruction.

His region continued to be battered by stronger hurricanes, he continued. Hurricane Georges had devastated several islands, leaving more than 300 dead and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure, homes and utilities. In addition, the ecologically vulnerable islands and low-lying coastal States of the Caribbean were subject to all the consequences of urbanization and resource exploitation. They were exposed to the danger of waste being dumped in their seas and the sea level rising, as well as other effects of climate change. There must be a strong commitment to the reduction in greenhouse emissions, he stressed.

He said the issue of the sustainable development of small island developing States was about more than beaches and coral reefs. It was about the existence of effective partnerships between peoples and governments, and developed and developing countries. His country, therefore, looked forward to the 1999 special session to review the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Island Developing States. Also, he expressed concern over the "draconian immigration laws and regulations" being adopted by an increasing number of countries. "I need not emphasize how serious a threat these actions pose to the social and economic well-being of the peoples of the Caribbean region", he said.

DENZIL DOUGLAS, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts And Nevis, said the international debate on human rights had focused attention on human rights, in cultural, social and political terms. Regrettably, the world had failed to develop an international agenda which included economic rights as an integral aspect of human rights. An individual's human rights should not be measured only by the freedom to vote, but also by the right to "self-development in a holistic sense". It was impractical to alienate an individual's human rights from their right to development, and democracy could not take root unless the complete range of fundamental human rights was nurtured.

Continuing, he said the world community was not paying adequate attention to the severe economic, environmental and potential political problems that threatened small island developing countries. Last year, the

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Assembly was informed of the "serious and ill-conceived notion of graduating small island states like Saint Kitts and Nevis into artificial categories based on gross national product (GNP) per capita". Presently, the effects of Hurricane Georges had brought major sectors of the economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis to a standstill, and increased the possibility of suffering for its citizens. "Large sectors of our rural communities, in particular, now appear to be reverting to a state of abject poverty", he said.

The reality after a hurricane was about people living without the basic necessities that everyone took for granted. Continuing, he said the damage and loss in productivity caused by the hurricane was estimated at US$403 million, far exceeding the gross domestic product (GDP) of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Housing facilities, the health and agricultural sectors had all been compromised, and neighbouring island States had been equally affected. Material, technical and financial aid was needed from the international community on an ongoing basis.

Small island states also faced problems in terms of "continuous attempts to undermine our economies", he went on to say, drawing attention to complaints brought before the WTO against "the small vulnerable banana producing economies of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States." The negligible exports of those States posed no credible threats to any transnational corporation or large producers of banana and sugar, he argued.

One of the most crucial challenges in the coming century would be the "quicksand" of uneven economic development; the international community must be mindful of the peculiar circumstances of small island developing countries. Small developing countries were being forced to liberalize and integrate into the centre of a global economic system which had always relegated them to the periphery. Globalization was said to be a great vehicle of opportunity and promise, he continued, but Caribbean countries were more familiar with the risks. The countries of the region had made significant reforms and yet the international community and prominent international financial institutions had not rallied in support of their efforts.

DONALD KALPOKAS, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, said that the momentum of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, the lessons learnt from past mistakes and renewed commitment must guide Member States in their pursuit of a better world, one where a renewed sense of mutual trust and genuine dialogue could be resurrected to ease the political tensions and economic crises in all the regions and subregions of the planet.

Those political tensions and economic crises constituted a real threat to the already vulnerable environment of the island economies and their population, he said. Confronted with those challenges, many countries in the Pacific region, including Vanuatu, did not have much choice at the end of the present century, but to embark on difficult programmes of reform, both within their respective governments and their societies.

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He said that the recent decision of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to defer consideration of Vanuatu's graduation from least developed country status, pending full assessment of the usefulness of the Vulnerability Index and ecological fragility as criteria for LDC designation, was warmly welcomed. From the perspective of Vanuatu, the United Nations must include in its reform agenda a full assessment and a recognition of the inherent particularities of small island States like Vanuatu and the impact of the international economic crisis on their own economic performance and the sustainability of their political stability.

The impact of the Asian economic crisis and such recurrent national disasters, as tropical cyclones, tidal waves and global warming on the island economies was yet to be fully appraised, he said. That warranted the urgent and dedicated attention of the United Nations. With particular regard to environment, the First Chapter of the Barbados Programme of Action clearly stated that small island States were particularly vulnerable to global climate change and sea-level rise. Vanuatu, therefore, suggested in the spirit of reform that the current scope of the development-related indicators, used by the United Nations to designate the status of each Member State, be reviewed thoroughly, in close consultation with Member States and with such other regional and multilateral organizations as the South Pacific Forum and the Commonwealth.

That was an important exercise, he continued, at a time when national administrative structures, policy directives and legal frameworks must be adjusted to accommodate gradually the requirements of globalization. It would be unfair to expect small island LDCs to satisfy all administrative, financial and legal requirements of the WTO, for instance, within the same time-frame as the developed countries.

KELI WALUBITA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia, said that development should be given priority and prominence in the reform of the United Nations. It was clear, however, that the critical financial situation of the Organization was itself a major stumbling block both to reform and to addressing priorities and programmes. Therefore, he called for all arrears owed to the United Nations to be paid in full, on time and without preconditions.

Turning to nuclear-weapon proliferation, he said the Conference on Disarmament must establish an ad hoc committee to begin negotiations on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within a specified time-frame. The issue of the fissile material cut-off treaty must also be resolved and it must include the existing stocks as a measure of confidence-building and transparency. Furthermore, the convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament was now overdue.

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, if unresolved, could pose a threat not only to the region, but also to international peace and security, he continued. The mediation efforts of the Southern African

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Development Community (SADC) and other regional leaders deserved the support of the international community. His country was also extremely concerned about the situation in Angola. He hoped that, despite the setbacks, the international community would reassert its authority and put the Angolan peace process back on track. It was important to ensure that the efforts of the late Alioune Blondin Beye had not been in vain.

The United Nations must implement the important recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict in Africa. The Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution had already been established and he urged the international community to support it.

Although a number of initiatives had been put in place to resolve the external debt problem, so far none seemed to be effective, he said. That included the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, which targeted too few developing countries and envisioned too long a transition period before eligibility was granted. He welcomed the Secretary-General's proposals to liberalize access to HIPC and convert all remaining official debt owed by the poorest African countries into grants. Failure to address the challenges facing Africa in connection with the emerging global economic turmoil would lead to its further marginalization in the world economy.

IVAN ANTONOVICH, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus, said that United Nations reforms should not disrupt the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter, or affect the interests of Member States and regional groups. Strengthening the United Nations system and reforming the Security Council on the basis of just and balanced representation of the regional groups would be most instrumental. Belarus supported the demand to allocate an additional non-permanent Security Council seat to the Group of Eastern European States.

Any measure of enforcement could only be applied following a Security Council resolution, he continued. The use of force by individual States or regional organizations at their own discretion was not permissible. It was hard for the Government and the people of Belarus to comprehend why in certain quarters the idea of a military attack on the sovereign State of Yugoslavia was being publicly discussed. That country was trying to solve its domestic problems in its own way, and would not rubber-stamp the recipes enforced from the outside. The mere threat of the use of force could seriously disrupt peace and stability in Europe. He added that it was time full membership of Yugoslavia in the United Nations was reinstated.

Belarus had absorbed 70 per cent of all the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster and had to spend one-fifth of its annual budget to eliminate the consequences of that catastrophe, he continued. His country was grateful for all the international assistance and to the United Nations, which had introduced an inter-agency programme of international assistance to areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had also organized two international

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donor meetings to raise funds to implement that estimated $74 million programme. However, the results of those meetings appeared to be quite modest and demonstrated a disappointing lack of international solidarity with the affected countries.

Regarding nuclear disarmament, he said that Belarus had taken an unprecedented step by voluntarily and unconditionally renouncing the nuclear arsenal in its possession. Ukraine and Kazakhstan undertook similar measures at a later date. At present, nuclear-weapon-free zones covered more than half the surface of the Earth with an aggregate membership of 144 countries. However, there was still resistance to the creation of new zones. Thus, Belarus' initiative to keep Central and Eastern Europe free of nuclear weapons had been stalled. The emergence of new nuclear-capable countries also affected the situation. Moreover, there were no guarantees that other "threshold" States would not express, in the future, their intention to join the "nuclear club".

A more constructive approach to the issue of disarmament and arms limitation was called for, he said. The reduction of nuclear stockpiles by the United States and the Russian Federation was to be complemented by similar efforts by other holders of nuclear weapons. Belarus could not accept the arguments that the initiative to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central and Eastern Europe was premature and might be only addressed in the distant future. Establishing such a zone would contribute constructively to the shaping of a new European security architecture.

Statements in Right of Reply

The representative of Chile, speaking in exercise of right of reply, said he was obliged to take the floor to refer to the speech delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia -- despite the fact that the United Nations had no competence to take up items relating to the sovereignty of States -- to say there was no border contest between Chile and Bolivia. The peace treaty that had been freely entered into and broadly supported by the Bolivian Congress and that was now in force had settled once and for all the territorial issues between the countries -- almost a hundred years ago. The Minister had given the false impression that there was an unsettled conflict.

The Government of Bolivia could be assured that Chile would continue to guarantee access to the Chilean coast, he said. Chile was not ready to discuss matters related to national sovereignty.

Diplomatic relations had been unilaterally ruptured two decades ago by Bolivia, he said. However, Chile would have no objection to resuming such relations, should this be done unconditionally. Chile was ready to cooperate with Bolivia on the path of development. Since democracy had returned to Chile, both countries had engaged in constructive dialogue leading to many initiatives.

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He said the Foreign Minister had referred to a resolution of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted decades ago, as well as to a conference in his country's capital and a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, but had omitted to mention the fact that for almost two decades, his country's proposal had found almost no hemispheric support. The unjustified Bolivian allegation had not received support.

He agreed with the Foreign Minister's statement that both nations should take the course that led to integration. However, will must be evinced by the other party. It was moving against the tide of integration to attempt to rekindle old conflicts or open the question of border treaties that were fully in line with international law. His Government would continue constructive dialogue without there being any monitoring. If, to date, that had not been successful, it was due to an aggressive policy followed by Bolivia.

The Representative of Croatia, speaking in exercise of the right of reply to a statement made by the Foreign Minister of Belarus on the membership of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the United Nations, said that before that country could assume full membership, it had to follow the procedure of any new State seeking membership.

The Representative of Bolivia, speaking in exercise of the right of reply to the statement by the representative of Chile this afternoon, said the representative of that country had said that there was no outstanding problem, because the issue had been settled in the 1904 treaty. Bolivia had agreed to sign that treaty after more than 20 years, which showed great reluctance on its part to agree to the loss of its coast. Chile had agreed to that clause, and had thereby occupied the coast, from which it was receiving profits. He added that it was very difficult to say that there had been international negotiations free of any pressure.

He said many agreements had been reached with Chile, which had agreed to give a sovereign piece of land to Bolivia which would give it access to the coast. He hoped the issue would soon be resolved, and Bolivia would be able to extricate itself from the difficulties it had encountered. Since 1979, there had been 11 consecutive resolutions by the OAS stipulating settlement of the problem. The OAS was still dealing with that question.

The representative of Belarus said he had been surprised by the right of reply by Croatia because the Minister for Foreign Affairs had not touched upon the subject of the membership of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The representative of Chile said the Foreign Minister of Bolivia had tried to distort facts. Chile's position was well known to the international community, and he would not repeat it now. If the Government of Bolivia sought to opt for reintegration, it would find that the Chilean Government stood ready to engage in dialogue.

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