ASSEMBLY CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE

Press Release
GA/9607

ASSEMBLY CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE

The first-ever Summit of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China to be held in Havana, Cuba, next year, would allow the South a special opportunity to examine the impact of globalization on developing countries, as well as strategies needed to harness the process and make it more amenable to control, Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana and current Chair of the Group of 77 told the General Assembly this afternoon. In the context of the Summit, North-South relations must be reviewed and put on a new basis for mutual trust and advantage, he said.

As the Assembly continued its general debate, the President said that the Cologne Initiative to expand relief for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) was a welcome step forward, but did not go far enough. For some countries, nothing short of cancellation of some of their debt would be sufficient to turn them into active participants in the world economy. As development financing must be placed on a more sound and predictable basis, the Group of 77 attached the greatest importance to holding a high-level conference on that issue by 2001.

The Foreign Minister of Oman, Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, said that bold change and real sacrifices were needed to restructure the economy of the developing world. There was an even greater need for the developed nations to cancel more debts, restructure the costs of manufactured goods and establish a new economic mechanism to provide loans, regulate the size of industries and lower inflation. The European Union's system of integration into that continent's society would be an excellent model to be followed in other parts of the world. As economic development and commercial exchange always constituted a bridge of human contact between different civilizations, negotiations leading to the accession of new members from developing countries to the World Trade Organization (WTO) must be fair and just.

The President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, said that poverty was the root cause of many conflicts in the world, particularly in Africa. The debt burden was the cause of untold suffering to the masses of Africa's women, children and elderly population. It must be recognized that the eligibility criteria for the HIPC were very restrictive and penalized those countries that really needed assistance. He appealed for across the board cancellation of all Africa's debts.

Focus in today’s debate was also placed on the issue of national sovereignty. Janos Martonyi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, said that a traditional concept of that principle was going through various

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9607 13th Meeting (PM) 24 September 1999

developments. Thanks to international law, national sovereignty was becoming less and less of a retreat where governments could hide. Thus, in a global context, the collective interest was beginning to represent the national.

Also speaking this afternoon were the President of Guinea, the Prime Minister of Slovenia and the Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea, Iceland, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Brunei Darussalam and Myanmar.

Representatives of the United States, Cuba and Iraq made statements in right of reply.

The General Assembly will continue its general debate tomorrow, 25 September, at 10 a.m.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its general debate. The Presidents of Guinea, Gambia and Guyana, as well as the Prime Minister of Slovenia and Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, Oman, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Brunei Darussalam and Myanmar were expected to address the delegates.

Statements

LANSANA CONTE, President of Guinea, said the quest for peace and a more equitable world order had become one of the main tasks of the Organization. Today's events provided justification for the reform of the United Nations. Its organs, particularly the Security Council, must become more democratic. The new shape of the Council must fully reflect new realities, with equitable geographical representation from all regions. There could be no progress without a genuine commitment of countries to peace and disarmament. The Security Council was increasingly preoccupied with conflicts in Africa; the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Mechanism for Prevention, Management and Settlement of Conflicts, with assistance from the United Nations, could be a truly effective instrument for settling them.

Western Africa was particularly besieged with fratricidal wars, such as those in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, he said. Reconstruction in those countries would require the aid of the international community. Special attention should be paid to the plight of children in those conflicts. It was imperative to provide for their reintegration into society. Guinea had been affected by the aftermath of those conflicts. The presence of several thousands of refugees had had a serious impact on Guinea=ðs economy and turned it into one of the world=ðs leading countries of asylum. Despite the support of the international community, the unequal treatment of conflicts in Africa, as compared to other parts of the world, was regrettable.

The subregion of western Africa was not the only one suffering from war, he said. He was concerned over struggles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola and called on all the parties to give mediation efforts a chance to overcome those crises. He welcomed recent developments in the Middle East, particularly in Israel.

Another subject of major concern for Africa was that of development and economic cooperation. Efforts undertaken so far had not yielded the expected results. The disparities between the North and the South were becoming ever wider. Arbitrary price-fixing by the North undermined efforts towards debt alleviation. Preferential access to markets must be eliminated. Developed countries must increase their efforts to meet the goal of devoting 0.7 per cent of their gross national product to Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Without favourable treatment of the most indebted countries, no programme for economic recovery could yield results, he said. Despite the recent decision of the Group of Seven industrialized countries and Russia (G-8) in Cologne, more efforts were needed to produce a lasting settlement of the debt question. He urged the holding of an international conference on the external debt of Africa. His country was engaged in dialogue with the Paris Club and the consultative group of donors to reschedule its external debt. Eradication of poverty, social inequality and ignorance was a prerequisite for human rights. Deeply committed to democratic values and fundamental freedoms, his country had established all the necessary legal institutions to promote political stability.

YAHYA JAMMEH, President of the Gambia, said it would be an understatement to say that Africa was making big strides in the peaceful resolution of conflicts. A good example was the complex conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The case of Somalia was completely different, however. The international community should recommit itself to the resolution of the Somali crisis by developing a strategy that would send clear signals to the warlords that their behaviour could no longer be tolerated. While he rejoiced with the people of Kosovo and East Timor at the timely international efforts to restore peace in those places, he could not but despair at the slow or non-existent response to African conflicts. "One life in Angola or elsewhere in Africa is no less important than one life in Kosovo or East Timor." The Council must be even-handed and establish principled criteria for humanitarian intervention.

He expressed great concern over the recruitment of children as soldiers, which must be stopped, as it was a blatant violation of international law and all norms of civilized behaviour. It was the responsibility of the international community to combat a situation where the leaders of tomorrow were exposed to a life of violence, vengeance and hate, a situation which bred in their minds the dangerous notion that he who wielded the gun commanded and deserved respect.

Poverty was the root cause of many conflicts in the world, particularly in Africa, he said. The debt burden was the cause of untold suffering to the masses of Africa's women, children and elderly. It must be recognized that the eligibility criteria for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative were very restrictive and penalized those countries that really needed assistance. He appealed for across the board cancellation of all Africa's debts.

Caught between the spectre of nuclear holocaust and the phenomenon of globalization, survival depended on how far the world was committed to putting its collective security before narrow, national interests. That would only be possible through multilateralism, which had proved its worth through the United Nations. It was important to carry out reforms to address the Organization's shortcomings.

The organ that needed serious and urgent reform more than any other was the Security Council, he continued. The Council's present composition, especially at the level of permanent membership, was unacceptable. Africa, as the second largest continent, was not represented at all at that level. That anomaly must be rectified immediately. Also unacceptable was the veto power wielded by the five permanent members, a practice that was diametrically opposed to principles of democracy and human rights. The veto must be abolished in the course of United Nations reform.

BHARRAT JAGDEO, President of Guyana, speaking also on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, said that this Assembly session was a crucial turning point where "we can follow either the high road to enlightened multilateralism or the low road leading to narrow self-interest". The United Nations was continuously challenged by the outbreak of internecine strife. Without a clear strategy, the Organization could do no more than muddle through crises in the hope that warring factions would eventually see the virtues of peace. As a result of the increasing demand for peace-making and peacekeeping operations, developing countries were deprived of much needed development resources. The United Nations must gradually move further into peace-building.

The time had come to strengthen the Security Council so that it might become more democratic, representative and credible. Accompanying threats to international security were strong economic and social forces that impacted negatively on many countries. At regional meetings, in preparation for the tenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X), caution had been urged against the worse excesses of trade liberalization. Having benefited from the Tokyo and Uruguay Rounds, the industrialized countries were anxious to hold further negotiations for free trade in the next millennium. Theoretically, developing countries also stood to gain from liberalization but they were for the most part too weak to take advantage of the new opportunities, and often ran the risk of greater marginalization and elimination from the market place.

He said that to be able to enter the global market place, developing countries should be helped to strengthen their productive capacities and widen their access to export markets. They needed to be assured stability in the international financial and monetary system, to avoid the hazards of currency fluctuations. Equally important, given the vast disparities in the economic capacities of countries, special and differential treatment should be granted to developing countries in accordance with the principles outlined in Part IV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its legislative clause of 1971. Special consideration would have to be given to Africa, the least developed countries and structurally weak economies that were seriously disadvantaged in the area of trade.

He said that while the Cologne Initiative to expand the scope and provisions of relief for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) was a welcome step forwards, it did not go far enough. For some countries, nothing short of debt cancellation would suffice to enable them to become active participants in the world economy. The situation of many low-income countries had been made even more acute by the rapid decline of ODA and over-reliance on the market to promote development. The financing of development must therefore be placed on a more sound and predictable basis. The Group of 77 therefore attached the greatest importance to the holding a high-level conference by the year 2001 to address that pressing issue.

“If Member States can address all aspects of the problem – particularly those identified in the report of the Secretary-General on the Financing for Development -- we may yet find solutions that are acceptable and effective".

Crucial to the successful outcome of the high-level conference, he continued, was general acceptance of a more enlightened approach to international development cooperation based on a genuine concept of interdependence and partnership. Policies aimed merely at creating unsustainable safety nets were hardly lasting solutions. The root causes of the structural and endemic problems of the developing countries, which ultimately led to global instability, must be addressed. The Group of 77 and China, committed to acceleration of the development process, would meet in Havana next year for the first ever “South Summit”. That would allow the South a special opportunity to examine the impact that globalization continued to have on developing countries, as well as the policies and strategies needed to bring the process under control.

JANEZ DRNOVSEK, Prime Minister of Slovenia, said that at the threshold of the new millennium there were signs of progress and reasons for hope, but world peace seemed elusive. All over the world, millions of civilians were victims of well- planned and systematic policies of killing, displacement, destruction of property and intimidation. East Timor and Kosovo were only two examples of contemporary armed conflicts, which today tended to take place within State borders rather than between previously established States.

To make matters worse, he said, a new type of war was developing in which civilians were the primary strategic target. Ethnic cleansing, massacres and a "horrifying variety" of war crimes had become methods for achieving political, economic and military goals. Ethnic, religious national and social inequalities were frequently used as a smoke screen to hide the reality of massacre and conquest from the rest of the world.

He said Member States must think long and hard about ways in which the international community reacted to threats against human rights. "Our basic aim has to be human security,", he said. New methods of conflict prevention should be explored. Preventive diplomacy, preventive deployment, preventive disarmament and post-conflict peace-building were the orders of the day. The changing nature of modern conflict also required change in the Security Council as it discharged its responsibility to maintain peace.

There was a growing gap in the existing norms of human rights law and common situations on the ground, he said. In order to ensure those norms and stop the frequent open violations of human rights, determined and united activity by the international community was needed. Those who committed war crimes must be brought to justice. Failure to do so could invite new and even more serious cycles of human tragedy. Slovenia placed major importance on more effective and efficient means of delivering international justice, he stressed. It supported the two existing United Nations International Criminal Tribunals, as well as the ongoing process to make the International Criminal Court permanent.

On the specific issue of physical security, he said that the United Nations Member States and the international community as a whole must continue to promote efforts to strengthen the prohibition of landmines. Last year, Slovenia had established an International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its aim had been to assist that region in getting rid of hidden landmines and to help those that had been wounded by them. The International Trust Fund had achieved many positive results in it first year and was now extending its activities to Kosovo.

MICHAEL T. SOMARE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea, said that like any other institution, the United Nations had limitations. After 50 years, the time was right to review its Charter. The Charter should put the peoples of the world on centre stage and, at the same time, recognize that governments were to represent as well as serve them. There could not be any distinction as to colour, creed, race, sex or religious persuasion. The Security Council should be reformed and expanded, taking into account today’s realities and reflecting the increased United Nations membership. The use of veto power should be done away with, or curtailed and applied only to Chapter VII issues.

He said Papua New Guinea was pleased with the progress made in implementing the Matignon Accords and the recent agreement contained in the Noumea Accord, confirming the way towards the exercise of self-determination by the people of New Caledonia, especially the indigenous Kanak people. In East Timor, the overwhelming 98.6 per cent turnout and 78.2 per cent vote in favour of independence from Indonesia was very clear. Although there had been deaths, massive destruction of property and the undemocratic and forced displacement of people by the militias and members of the military, that had changed with the recent announcements by President B.J. Habibie and Foreign Minister Ali Alatas.

Calling for a consultative process to improve the coordination and management of programmes associated with the protection of the oceans and seas, he said the current Assembly should formalize that process. Papua New Guinea was concerned that the debate during a recent meeting of the Council of the International Seabed Authority in Jamaica clearly reflected that those States with stringent environmental guidelines no longer endorsed the principle of “global commons”. They had placed themselves in a conflict of interest where their role as guardians of the “global commons” was being overshadowed by their desire to excise the benefits for themselves, with little or no obligation to the world community at large.

He said there was a tendency by countries which had co-sponsored pioneer investors in deep-sea mining to try to avoid their international obligation towards the environment, placing the interests of investors above those of the global community. In particular, there was a trend to withhold information from the International Seabed Authority under the guise of “confidentiality”, “proprietary interests” and “information of scientifically sensitive nature”. Those were mere codes for denying the global communities access to information so as to better prepare for disaster prevention and other actions necessary for the protection of the environment.

JOZIAS VAN AARTSEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands, said that most of today’s armed conflicts were set in Africa. The sheer mass of Africa's problems obscured the view of its promises and potential, but the next century might well be the century of Africa. With that in mind, his Government was organizing an open-ended debate on Africa in the Security Council next week; it would include a briefing by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the state of the continent.

He said the Security Council suffered not from the lack of an early warning system, but rather from the failure of decision makers to react adequately. Tampering with the veto might risk the dissolution of the United Nations, but the ability of a single Member State to hold the world community in limbo in the face of harrowing brutalities might provoke dissolution as well. In its first 50 years, the Organization might have fallen apart had the veto not operated as "a buffer against the push and pull of a bipolar world", but in its second 50 years, in a multipolar world, repeated inaction by the Council would push the Organization more and more into the margins as a custodian of world peace. The Assembly should call on those with the veto power to exercise maximum restraint in using it, particularly in humanitarian emergencies.

He observed that there had been a shift in thinking, so that respect for

human rights had become more and more mandatory and respect for sovereignty less

and less stringent. Increasingly, the prevailing interpretation of the Charter was

that it aimed to protect individuals rather than those who abused them. Had the

Charter been written today, there would have been an Article 2(8) saying that

“nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize a Member State to

terrorize its own people”.

He predicted that the limits of sovereignty would be further tested in the

context of such issues as decrepit nuclear installations, massive environmental

damage or drug trafficking. At some point, the Security Council would have to

consider whether responsible politicians had a duty to prevent the damage resulting

from such ills. He called for all those present to accept that the traditional

balance between sovereignty and human rights, and between the State and the people,

was shifting. The Council should be stronger, not weaker. To be a credible leader

in the maintenance of peace, it must be consistent, swift and proactive. It must

keep changing with the times and “it must put people over politics”.

YOUSEF BIN ALAWI BIN ABDULLAH, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Oman, said bold change and real sacrifices were needed to restructure the economy of the developing world. There was an even greater need for the developed nations to cancel more debts, restructure the costs of manufactured goods and establish a new economic mechanism to provide loans, regulate the size of industries and lower global inflation. He also called for the establishment of an international reporting system, which would draw up periodic regional plans to enable every region to overcome economic difficulties. The world community should also take measures to help the developing nations aquire a comparable and viable share of the global services market.

The European Union's system of integration into that continent's society would be an excellent model to be followed in other parts of the world, he continued. Economic development and commercial exchange always constituted a bridge of human contact between different civilizations. Therefore, negotiations leading to the accession of new members from developing countries to the World Trade Organization (WTO) must be fair and just. Large markets of the developed nations needed to be freed from market-dumping policies and obstacles to free trade. A realistic balance between the interests of developed and developing nations should be the aim of the forthcoming WTO ministerial conference in Seattle.

He reiterated, the Arab League’s call for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iraq. Oman called on the Security Council to adopt positive and unified policies towards Iraq. He also called on Iraq to cooperate fully with the United Nations. Turning to the question of the Middle East, he said that all parties, especially the Israeli Government, must seize the current opportunity for peace in the region. Establishment of an independent Palestinian state would be a pillar of a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East. Arab-Israeli security requirements on both sides of the border were also of prime importance.

In Africa, conflicts remained the biggest source of suffering, he said. Therefore, the United Nations should provide more support to the mediation efforts of the OAU. The fact that major Powers alone were shaping choices about peace and war in areas of the developing world could be a major reason for the sudden eruption of conflicts. Nuclear States, especially the permanent members of the Security Council, should give security guarantees to non-nuclear States and deter the use of the threat to use nuclear weapons. The Conference on Disarmament, which was still debating technical issues, must seek to reach positive conclusions as soon as possible. Also, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should review their conditions for loans to developing nations.

JANOS MARTONYI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, said the most urgent task facing Member States was to end the ever-growing inequities that existed between the various regions of the world, especially Africa, which was fraught with conflicts and crises. The persistence of poverty was another major concern, and intolerance threatened the foundations of civilization. He called upon Member States to exploit the advantages of globalization, while being aware of the risks. There was also a need to be aware of the paramount importance of dealing adequately with global problems. It was necessary, as well, to act in the face of massive and flagrant violations of human rights. The international community could not shirk giving a valid response to that major dilemma.

He said the traditional concept of the principle of national sovereignty was going through various developments. Thanks to international law, national sovereignty was becoming less and less of a retreat where governments could hide. Thus, in a global context, the collective interest was beginning to represent the national interest. In the vicinity of his own country, a regime had based its actions on extreme nationalism and the international community had taken the necessary measures to restore peace, albeit a relative and fragile one. The international community was again being put to the test in the case of East Timor in the wake of recent events there, which were a brutal violation of the rights of East Timorese to self-determination and a serious blow to human rights.

He said the tragic events in both Kosovo and East Timor could only confirm the necessity for human rights and the resolution to prevent conflicts. Sustained attention should also be paid to the question of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel mines would contribute greatly to the humanitarian and special problems caused by the use of those devices. It was also important to accelerate negotiations for a verification protocol to accompany the Convention on biological weapons. Hungary would contribute to any political initiative that would help the implementation of such. The establishment of the international criminal court would act as a deterrent that would contribute to regional and international peace and security. The recent acts of terrorism sadly recalled the immense challenge to fight such phenomena, and underscored the need for new methods.

He said reform of the United Nations was a vast undertaking comprised of various interconnected stages. While achievements so far were valuable, they were still inadequate. There was a long way to go to revitalize the Organization, including reform of the Security Council. He expected that the Millennium Summit would provide the necessary impetus for the dynamic issue of United Nations reform. The paramount task today was to make the United Nations capable of preserving the values of "our civilization" in a twenty-first century which promised to be a very turbulent one. It was up to all to make the planet a decent and inhabitable place for future generations.

HALLDOR ASGRIMSSON, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Iceland, said that on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Foreign Ministers of the five Nordic countries supported the urgent finalization of an optional protocol to ensure that persons below the age of eighteen years were not recruited into armed forces or armed groups distinct from governmental forces. Having children take part in armed conflicts or otherwise putting them at risk of becoming victims of such hostilities was clearly against their best interests. Protecting today's children was an important contribution towards peace.

In a time of unparalleled economic growth, spurred on by the globalization of the world's economy, the benefits were unfortunately not evenly distributed, he said. A growing gap was being witnessed in the distribution of wealth within societies, as well as between the North and South. Moreover, an appalling trend was being witnessed whereby the curse of poverty had increasingly been falling upon the shoulders of women. Two long-term approaches stood out regarding the empowerment and advancement of women -- education and respect for human rights. It was universally accepted that education and social development went hand in hand and were conditions for a peaceful and prosperous world. In the age of globalization and technology, it became even more important to ensure universal education. Therefore, it was crucial to incorporate education into development projects.

In Iceland, the development of a viable fishing industry strengthened the economy by creating employment opportunities and prosperity which, in turn, benefited the population at large, he said. A developed fisheries sector could be a crucial factor in enhancing the food security of developing countries. The Icelandic authorities had urged private companies to invest in the fisheries sectors in developing countries, such as in Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi. Many developing countries could benefit much from rational utilization of the resources of the oceans. Hence, approximately half of Icelandic development cooperation had been concentrated on research and training in the fisheries sector, putting emphasis on sustainable utilization of natural resources.

The general debate on the oceans could be improved, he said. Efforts to improve the handling of ocean issues should draw upon existing institutional resources. Those efforts should also take into account that global bodies should not try to solve local or regional problems of fisheries' management. The management of living marine resources was a complex and sensitive task that had to be dealt with by using the most advanced scientific knowledge, and it must be in harmony with local socio-economic and environmental circumstances.

ANDREA WILLI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, said the new order of globalization must be acknowledged, and its challenges faced through the joining of forces. Globalization could work to the benefit of all, but it also posed risks, especially for those already in a perilous position. The United Nations was the only truly global forum; given the right tools, it offered the only opportunity for addressing those issues. Over the past years, there had been important and far-reaching efforts to reform the Organization. Change was needed in areas including enhancing the inclusion, participation and accountability of non-State actors. In a globalized world, such actors played increasingly influential roles -- both positive and negative.

Public opinion often equated the United Nations with the Security Council, she said. Every opportunity must be used to increase awareness of the wide range of United Nations activities. At the same time, it must be recalled that the Organization's credibility depended to a large extent on the work of the Security Council. That credibility had been damaged in the recent past, and ways and means must be designed to avoid a worsening of the situation. Strict observance of the United Nations Charter's key provisions was essential, and the reform of the Council was another key.

It was time to recognize that the question of the veto was at the core of credible and sustainable Security Council reform, she said. Turning to the situation in Kosovo, she said she wondered how the Council's role could be reconciled with "humanitarian intervention". What were the implications for the Council and the United Nations as a whole? Were regional organizations to assume a leading role beyond what was contained in Chapter VIII of the Charter?

Kosovo made it clear once more that prevention of conflicts must be the key concept in conflict resolution, she said. Prevention was best suited to save lives and resources of every kind. It should be done quickly and with discretion. Prevention did not make headlines, but it affected them by reducing the numbers of disasters. The potential of prevention was enormous, but its application was too modest. There was pressing need to enhance preventive activities and to replace a classical concept of sovereignty with a new one that made it possible to tackle situations of potential and actual crisis with determination and efficiency. She welcomed the Secretary-General's report on the work of the Organization, and his remarks on a culture of prevention, which was the right way to go.

She said Liechtenstein had for years promoted a preventive approach to problems arising from the application of the right of self-determination, yet the international community seemed to remain stuck in a situation where the exercise of the right of self-determination -- a prerequisite for the enjoyment of all human rights -- was denied because it was misunderstood as a claim to independence and statehood. But self-determination could mean other things if it was exercised flexibly, and based on dialogue between the parties concerned. Self-determination did not have to result in the break-up of States; rather, it could facilitate the peaceful coexistence of States and communities provided with a degree of self- administration or self-governance as an expression of their right of self- determination. The effective application and exercise of the right of self- determination was the basis to prevent violent disintegration of States, as well as internal armed conflicts.

PRINCE MOHAMED BOLKIAH, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, said at the birth of a new century the Organization would continue to devote its stretched finances to wrestling with what he respectfully called "yesterday's problems" since many of them dated back to the founding days of the United Nations. However, scarce human and material resources were still being used to stick temporary patches over lingering issues. Sadly that would always be part of the Organization's work. It should not, however, be the primary goal of the General Assembly, nor the Security Council.

The alternative was to resolve to give the Secretary-General support in his efforts to direct Member States towards the things that the United Nations was uniquely equipped to do -- identifying the causes of future division and possible conflicts, coordinating efforts to address them, and devising effective solutions. He hoped that option would be chosen because that was what the United Nations did best. That was preventive diplomacy at its highest level. That aspect of the Organization's work was the reason why the United Nations had survived and grown in membership. If it was to continue to enjoy such esteem, it was most important for it to strengthen its role. The way to do that would be to press ahead with reform.

Today's world tested every concept of international cooperation, he said. In South-East Asia they had found that out the hard way. "In doing so we have learned many lessons from the economic crisis which struck our region two years ago", he stated. Among those lessons was the vital need for cooperation in the hard practical terms of today's world.

It was the United Nations that would stimulate awareness of what would be required to successfully meet the challenges of the new century, he said. "We are gradually beginning to identify the kind of relationship we wish to have with this Organization", he stated. It was one in which the world body assumed the role performed so well by its many workers in the field. It did not try to take on jobs it was not suited for. Rather, it advised, provoked, stimulated and helped.

U WIN AUNG, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, said that the universally recognized principles governing international relations and the principle of respect for State sovereignty should be taken into account before resorting to extreme measures. Any solutions sought or measures taken, even those with the best intentions, should strictly conform with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

One outstanding question relating to the reform of the United Nations was the reform of the structure and working methods of the Security Council", he said. The core issue was that of enlargement. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Myanmar preferred enlargement of the Council up to 26 members. He also favoured expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories. Since other ideas had failed to command support, he also suggested that the idea of "rotating" permanent seats be considered.

Globalization could cut both ways, he said. It could facilitate economic development and enhance living standards in some nations while at the same time making smaller, less developed States vulnerable to undesirable effects. One problem caused by globalization was transnational crime, including drug trafficking, money laundering, piracy and terrorism. "The nature of this problem is such that it requires national, regional and global responses. The fight against narcotics was a national task and a top priority in Myanmar. While there had been success in the suppression of opium and heroin production, new drugs were smuggled into the country from neighbouring nations. Myanmar was redirecting its efforts to deal with the problem -- with the cooperation of the countries concerned.

Myanmar was taking steps towards establishing a modern, peaceful and developed, democratic nation, he said. That was Myanmar's vision for the new millennium. "Myanmar is a multi-ethnic society where many national races, with different and diverse cultural and social backgrounds are residing together”, he said. "It is crucially important that the Millennium Assembly and Summit should not be mere ceremonial events but should come up with concrete ideas and results". It was evident that the greatest challenge facing mankind would be economic development and poverty eradication.

Rights of Reply

A. PETER BURLEIGH (United States), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that this morning the Foreign Minister of Cuba had continued the traditional verbal attack on the United States. He therefore had an obligation to respond to at least some of the many false allegations, gross exaggerations and misconceptions about the United States and its Government's policies that had been made in the Foreign Minister's speech.

"We reject the idea that the decision of a sovereign nation to restrict its citizens from certain forms of trade with another country can be classified as a genocide", he said. The United States trade embargo against Cuba was intended to maintain pressure on the Cuban Government to observe internationally recognized standards of human rights and to implement pluralistic democracy.

He said United States policy was clear; to reach out to the Cuban people and to give them hope without strengthening a government which withheld from its people economic and political choices, and which failed to respect fundamental human rights. "Let us be frank", he said, "the failure of the Cuban economy is due to economic mismanagement by the Cuban Government, not the United States embargo".

He said it was false to assert that the United States had banned the sale of medicines and medical supplies to Cuba. Those sales had been authorized for quite some time and were specifically allowed by United States law. His Government had taken concrete steps to streamline the sale of those goods, and a number of deliveries had been confirmed. It was the Cuban Government's own policy choices that were responsible for the inadequate health care that its ordinary citizens received.

He said that in a democratic society a freely elected Government was accountable to its people for its economic and human rights policies. Respect for human rights, democratic change, and rule by the people -- not over the people -- were the cornerstone of prosperity and economic development. The Cuban Government continued to blame others for their mis-steps, while its people paid the price.

"We and many other in this room, share a belief in a simple solution to Cuba's problems", he said. "Our advice for the Cuban Government is to begin now the process of democratic change and economic reform, and heed the international call to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms". He beseeched the Cuban Government to lift the embargo on freedom in its own country.

Turning to the subject of Iraq, he said that the aggressive and accusatory manner in which the Iraqi representative had addressed the United States, and the disdain he had shown to the international community, showed just how isolated Iraq had become and illustrated the hostile and threatening stance it still maintained in the region. The Iraqi representative had not only mischaracterized the political position of the United States on the issue of Iraq, he had also distorted the day-to-day realities that occurred in his own country.

He referred to Iraq’s statement that, on the issue of its outstanding international obligations, "nothing important had been unfulfilled”. This was an unusual way to say that Iraq, by its own admission, was not in compliance. It should be highlighted that not one of the members of the Security Council, no international experts, no one except Iraq, seemed to believe it was in compliance.

Earlier this afternoon, he said, the President of Gambia had spoken eloquently on this issue when he had asked: Are the lives of the Kuwaiti citizens, still unaccounted for by Iraq, unimportant? Are the Kuwaiti national archives, still held in Iraq, unimportant? Is the continued presence in Iraq of proscribed missiles and weapons of mass destruction considered unimportant?

Iraq had raised the issue of “no-fly” zones, he said. Coalition aircraft patrolling such zones were not there to seek targets to attack. "They are out there to protect civilians, particularly the most vulnerable populations in the north and south of the country." The civilians in those areas had suffered from Iraqi attacks -- including the use of poison gas against innocent women and children.

Since January and over the past few weeks, the Iraqi regime had been repeatedly attacking coalition aircraft during routine patrols of the no-fly zones, he said. Coalition aircraft had responded in self-defence, only after being targeted. Each response had been conducted with a view to avoiding the harming of civilians. It was worth mentioning that the Iraqi regime did not take the same precautions when it initiated attacks on coalition humanitarian patrols. In its speech, Iraq had confirmed that there had been instances where Iraqi forces had fired on coalition aircraft and the unexploded shells had hit the ground, exploded and caused death, injury and destruction in civilian areas. "This underscores, yet again and in graphic detail, Saddam Hussein's total disregard for the welfare of his own people", Mr. Burleigh said.

It also underscored the wider problem of Saddam Hussein cynically creating humanitarian crises for political gain. The current leadership in Iraq was the only party responsible for the conditions inside the territory. The Iraqi regime had created the circumstances in which the Iraqi people unfortunately found themselves, and it was the unwillingness of that leadership to meet its international obligations that perpetuated the situation.

He said he agreed with the Secretary-General that the “oil-for-food” programme provided essential support in the current Iraqi situation. "For the record", he said, "Iraq has received over $14 billion in oil revenues over the life of the programme, only a third of which has gone to cover United Nations administrative costs and the compensation commission." In the meantime, oil-for- food had made over $10 billion available for Iraq's use in the purchase of humanitarian goods. He said that 94 per cent of all contracts had been fulfilled and more than $7 billion in food, medicines, medical supplies and a wide range of humanitarian goods had already been delivered. But the Iraqi Government refused to order nutritional supplies; refused to order foodstuffs; refused to release critical medicines and refused to increase spending on essential pharmaceutical items. Iraq obstructed humanitarian work at every turn while it spent money on luxury palaces, political patronage and efforts to rearm. Therefore, it was no surprise, he said, that international surveys had shown that in areas controlled by the Iraqi regime, child mortality figures increased. In areas managed by the United Nations, those figures decreased to levels better than before the Gulf War.

The United States was committed to increasing humanitarian relief for the people of Iraq, over the obstructions of the regime, he said. The United States was also determined to prevent Iraq from threatening the region or its own people. Finally, the United States wanted to see Iraq return as a prosperous member of the international community through the fulfilment of its promises and international obligations -- something, sadly, it had not seen from Saddam Hussein.

FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said he was as familiar with history as many others in the room. He was not about to play games or hide behind a diplomatic face to speak –- he would speak the simple crude truth. It was astonishing that a people's history could be manipulated. Perhaps students should come to United States universities for an education in contemporary history. The measures adopted by the United States Administration were out of date. "In the world that we live in the State which did not pay its dues is manipulative", he said. The United States were accusers. They applied sanctions to many countries and bombed sovereign territory. The embargo against Cuba was no embargo but a blockade. Many sectors of United States society had called for a lifting of the blockade and a radical change in relations towards Cuba. Other people, including members of Congress, felt that the blockade was absurd.

He said Cuba must move forward with growth. In the last quarter, child mortality in his country had declined and health had improved. Policies addressed the needs of women, the elderly and the handicapped. All those facts flew in the face of the United States statement today. The blockade violated international law and attempted to make American law applicable to the entire world. This afternoon's statement by the United States was an attempt to justify the unjustifiable. The United States had showed how it would treat anyone who did not follow its bidding. There was a pattern of racism and selective dispensation in its application of the death penalty, he added. There was also institutional corruption and money laundering. "Is this the country that we are being asked to follow and believe in?" he asked.

Cuba could take the floor in the Assembly with dignity because real democracy was the currency of its realm, he said. In Parliament, there were students, artists, peasants, athletes, intellectuals, doctors and scientists who worked to represent the people without taking a cent. It should not be forgotten that in the United States there were 1 million people living in the subways, without health insurance, that there were thousands raped, and thousands more who were mentally handicapped and in prisons. In addition, arms cost millions of dollars a year. When Cuba had said the blockade was a genocide, it had been a statement based on international law. The United States supported military dictatorships, intervened in the internal affairs of States, sent marines to Latin America, troops to Viet Nam, stole territory from Latin America, put Japanese people in concentration camps, and allowed racist policies. The United States was the one who should be condemned.

SAEED HASAN (Iraq) said the United States was the last person entitled to speak about international law or commitments to the Charter. It interfered in the internal affairs of States and set aside funds for mercenaries to perpetuate violence inside Iraq. In addition, the sanctions against his country were a genocide for which the United States was responsible. Iraq had fulfilled the requirements of resolutions and now challenged the United States to prove the contrary.

He said the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was spying in Iraq and forging results. Anything that the Commission said lacked credibility. The UNSCOM had also turned the offices of the United Nations into dens of espionage and greatly insulted the Organization. It was a great falsehood to accuse the Government of Iraq of failure to distribute foods and medicine to its people. Before sanctions, Iraq had achieved a level of social and economic development that exceeded that of many countries. National income had been growing at a rate of 10 per cent annually. Perhaps that was the real reason for the aggression -- no one wanted a third world State exploiting its own resources for its own development.

He said the no-fly zone was responsible for the deaths of civilians daily. It was the use of force without the mandate of the Security Council. The zone had been imposed by the United States, United Kingdom and France. France had now withdrawn its participation in such an illegitimate act. The Spokesman for the Secretary-General had said that the imposition of the no-fly zone had nothing to do with the United Nations. The United States must cease distorting the truth. Why was there a suspension of the su