THE EFFECTS OF SANCTIONS WIDELY DISCUSSED BY SPEAKERS AT AFTERNOON MEETING OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Press Release
GA/9609

THE EFFECTS OF SANCTIONS WIDELY DISCUSSED BY SPEAKERS AT AFTERNOON MEETING OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY

A thorough study of the short- and long-term effects of sanctions, especially on innocent victims, should be undertaken, Bonaya Adhi Godana, the Foreign Minister of Kenya, stressed this afternoon as he addressed the General Assembly at the continuation of its general debate.

He said sanctions should be imposed in accordance with the Charter and only after all means of peaceful settlement of disputes under Chapter VI of the Charter had been exhausted. Objectives should be clearly defined and sanctions lifted as soon they had been achieved. They should also be imposed for a specific time-frame. The conditions demanded by the sanctions must also be clearly defined and subject to periodic review. "We reject any attempt to impose or prolong the application of sanctions for other reasons outside the specified objectives", he stressed.

He noted that application of sanctions usually had profound effects not only on the target countries but also on neighbouring countries and other trading partners. Efforts should therefore be made to put into effect Article 50 of the Charter which referred to third States affected by sanctions, by establishing a mechanism to provide relief to them.

Petar Stoyanov, President of Bulgaria, said the Kosovo crisis had highlighted the need for changes in the United Nations system. The Organization needed a serious mechanism for compensating neighbouring States for damages caused by international interventions or sanctions. He was raising that issue because of the losses sustained by his own country during the past eight years due to the embargo against Iraq and the military conflicts in the ex-Yugoslavia.

David Andrews, Foreign Minister of Ireland, said the Charter had been described as a "living document", but the international community had not sufficiently used the possibilities that existed under it. It was necessary to scrutinize its provisions and use them imaginatively. That could re-invigorate the Organization and inject a new dynamic and sense of purpose. The Secretary- General had powers under the Charter, and he should be encouraged to use them fully. Greater empowerment of the Secretary-General was one practical step that Member States should take.

Carlos Veiga, Prime Minister of Cape Verde, said the shocking magnitude of poverty must elicit a feeling of revulsion and a desire to correct that

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9609 15th Meeting (PM) 25 September 1999

situation at all costs. Palliative measures should not become definitive solutions. Poverty could no longer be seen as the inevitable by-product of social and economic processes. It had to attacked and corrected at once.

Also this afternoon, the President of the Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia) drew the attention of delegations to a tentative programme of work and schedule of plenary meetings for the period from 29 September to the end of November.

In addition, the President told the Assembly that the 1999 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities would be held on the mornings of 2 and 3 November. The announcement of voluntary contributions to the year 2000 programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would take place on 18 November in the morning. The announcement of voluntary contributions to the year 2000 programmes of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) would take place on 8 December, also in the morning.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the President of El Salvador, the Prime Minister of Mongolia, the Deputy Prime Ministers of Croatia and Viet Nam and the Foreign Ministers of Benin and Uganda.

A statement in exercise of the right of reply was made by the representatives of Sudan.

The Assembly will meet again at 9 a.m. on Monday, 27 September, to begin its twenty-second special session, entitled Review and appraisal of the implementation of the programme of action for the sustainable development of small island developing States.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its general debate. It expected to hear statements from the Presidents of Bulgaria and El Salvador, the Prime Ministers of Mongolia and Cape Verde, the Deputy Prime Ministers of Croatia and Viet Nam, and the Foreign Ministers of Kenya, Ireland, Benin and Uganda,

Statements

PETAR STOYANOV, President of Bulgaria, said the Kosovo crisis had highlighted the need for changes in the United Nations system. The world organization needed a serious mechanism to compensate neighbouring States for damages caused by international interventions or sanctions. He was raising that issue because of the losses sustained by his country during the past eight years due to the embargo against Iraq and the military conflicts in the ex-Yugoslavia and also because it would increase the efficiency and boost the image of the United Nations.

On the other hand, he continued, the crisis in Kosovo promoted a new type of relationship among international organizations concerning the protection of human rights. A new interface had been born between the United Nations and the regional organizations in Europe. That had strengthened the role of the Organization in the old continent. Today the Balkan people expected the international community to show the same commitment to the future of the region as it did during the crisis. Threats to peace and security should cease to be the only international mobilizing factors.

He said developments in the former Yugoslavia were not due to some peculiar Balkan mentality or historic predestination. Today, 10 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Balkans still lacked democratic homogeneity. That had been the source of tension which, translated into ethnic hatred, was the favoured tool of any totalitarian regime in its attempt to cling to power. It was wrong to put the whole region under a common denominator. Bulgaria, as well as most of the Balkan States, was a country with a working democracy, a free-market economy and the rule of law.

He said the Balkans had paid a high price for the peace in Kosovo. Today the region needed direct assistance for its reconstruction. The priority beneficiaries should be the hardest hit countries and areas. It would, however, be more productive for both the Balkans and the world to adopt a clear vision of the future of south-eastern Europe. That future had no alternative but to transform the Balkans into an integral part of the united Europe of the twenty- first century. The Assembly was the right forum to discuss the issue of how that could be done. The crisis in Kosovo would have spent itself when its effects were wiped out. Citing the obstructed navigation on the Danube as one such effect, he said the international river should not be left to become a new line of conflict. It should play its natural role as a link rather than act as a divide for the continent.

He said the Balkans' crossroad location had been its peoples' curse in the past. In the globalized world of today, it was the greatest blessing. The Balkans should serve as the links between Western Europe and Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea -- one of the most promising regions in the coming century. The Kosovo crisis called for a contemporary re-reading of the chronicles of the Balkan wars by all Balkan peoples. The modern perspective would reveal that those wars had done no good for any country in the region. The new task facing the political elite was to translate those lessons of history into a lasting commitment to peace and cooperation.

FRANCISCO GUILLERMO FLORES PEREZ, President of El Salvador, said that he was just beginning his fourth month in office. His country needed to find its own course, and many paths had been discussed. In recent decades, his region and the world as a whole had achieved certain political freedom. In his country, the people's will had been expressed through the process of democratization. Just seven years ago, the country had been split by fratricidal battle, and now it was a full-fledged democracy. However, in the economic field, his country had not found the same freedom. Protectionism and trade barriers on the part of developed countries were standing in its way. However, El Salvador welcomed a free market, openness and economic freedom. It was important to emphasize freedom in all its dimensions, both political and economic.

The assistance and intervention of the United Nations in his country had been extremely important, he continued, and without its involvement, peace would have been impossible in El Salvador. Hundreds of thousands of his compatriots had had to leave the country during the conflict, but they did not lose their rights when they left and they should be protected. He also wanted to mention that for almost 50 years, his country had maintained relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, and he hoped that that country would be represented at the United Nations.

The topic of operational machinery to promote peace among nations had come before the Security Council many times, but it had not been solved, he said. The promotion of peace called for active participation. Referring to the many countries which had recently suffered from natural disasters, El Salvador stood in solidarity with them and was prepared to provide assistance. In that matter, the international community must put action behind its words.

RINCHINNYAMYN AMARJARGAL, Prime Minister of Mongolia, said that increasing globalization and interdependence made it imperative that the international community redouble its cooperative efforts to meet existing and future challenges and ensure a more secure environment for all the nations of the world. Mongolia supported the idea advanced by the Secretary-General concerning the need to shift from a "culture of reaction to a culture of prevention". In that spirit, Mongolia, next week would sign a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations on standby arrangements, whereby it would pledge to participate in future United Nations operations contributing staff officers, military observers and medical officers.

He said that Mongolia consistent pursued its all-embracing democratic reforms and the transition to a market economy. Neither was easy but the Government and the people of Mongolia were strongly committed to the choice they had made. The thrust of Mongolia's development strategy was to accelerate economic growth through further promotion of macroeconomic stabilization and development of the private-sector economy. The Government paid particular attention to the social dimensions of economic reforms, namely poverty alleviation, reduction of unemployment and protection of the country's population.

Since peace and stability were essential prerequisites for economic development and social progress, arms control and disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, should remain at the top of the world agenda. Mongolia welcomed the outcome of the 1999 sessions of the Disarmament Commission and of the Preparatory Committee for the Treaty Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Last year, he said, the General Assembly adopted by consensus the resolution on Mongolia's international security and nuclear-weapon-free status. That was encouraging and testified to broad international support for its objectives and efforts. "The adoption of the resolution constitutes an important contribution not only to Mongolia's security, but also, bearing in mind it strategic location, to regional security as well", he added. Since only comprehensive arms control and disarmament measures would be effective in ensuring international security, he believed that prompt agreement on a new, comprehensive and non-selective agenda for disarmament would address relevant issues in a balanced manner. Such an agenda should prevent the development and use of new weapons, reducing military budgets and shifting resources towards human security programmes.

CARLOS VEIGA, Prime Minister of Cape Verde, said the end of this decade was marked by a new stage in international affairs. It was also a decade where many expectations had not been met, where there was an increasing complexity of situations and a heightened pace of events. He said he was still not sure whether the international community was any closer to the major solution that had been sought. In the last decade it did not always seem as if the attainment of common aspirations was the driving force. Despite vast intellectual potential, humanity was still incapable of controlling its destiny. There was a need for effective implementation of the concept of international community. That could not be postponed any more. Sustainable human development also had to become a real right for all people.

He said the practice of democracy had seen some progress in this decade and its most visible aspect seemed to be based on the choice of leaders and governments, who through pluralistic and transparent processes, should bring peace, justice and prosperity to societies. Those assumptions, however, were not absolutes. When one looked at individual governments it was clear that command and control of important factors that contributed to the well-being of citizens was lacking. Meeting the necessary conditions then depended a great deal on multilateral cooperation. Today there was also a growing gap between social responsibility -- which was limited in public and political spheres -- and the means for action. The shocking magnitude of poverty must elicit a feeling of revulsion and a desire to correct that situation at all costs.

He said palliative measures should not become definitive solutions. Poverty could no longer be seen as the inevitable by-product of social and economic processes. Poverty had to be attacked and corrected at once. Any discussion of poverty prompted a discussion of the situation in Africa, where the greatest number of least-developed countries were to be found. Africa had been sidelined in its development. Those negative situations had been exacerbated further by conflicts. It was also regrettable to witness the drop in development assistance to Africa. That negatively affected standards of living and resulted in declines in health, education and indispensable infrastructure. It was even worse when official development assistance (ODA) was reduced in small island developing States.

While ODA was not the key to prosperity, it facilitated the human and material conditions that encouraged investment and would help integrate Africa into the world economy, he said. In relation to Africa, many of the steps taken today were limited in content and in the range of countries, and had restrictive eligibility profiles. The magnitude of the long bloody conflict in Angola should be a source of concern to the international community, he noted. There was a need for the presence of necessary conditions to deal with the humanitarian crisis in that country. While reform of the Security Council was key in rebuilding and revitalizing the Organization, there was an impasse on views which ranged from effectiveness of the Council to expansion of the body. How could effectiveness be stressed if there was a refusal to give Africa - 30 per cent of the Organization's membership -- at least two seats.

MATE GANIC, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs for Croatia, observed that the situation in south-eastern Europe had come full circle with the return of the epicentre of the crisis to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Kosovo, where it had started more than 10 years ago. The military intervention of the international community, supported by all the countries in the region, including Croatia, must now be followed up with an appropriate political response. "Just as we joined the international community in condemning violations of human rights, it is clear that energies must now be concentrated on building a lasting and just peace", he said.

He went on to say that, as with other matters that had resulted from the aggression and territorial pretensions of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, bilateral negotiations on the security issue of Prevlaka had been unsuccessful. Simply, Yugoslavia did not want to accept Croatia's internationally recognized boarders. "Only when Yugoslavia accepts Prevlaka as a purely security-related issue -- instead of considering it a territorial dispute -- and refrains from abusing this issue in the internal Serbian-Montenegrin relations, shall a solution be at hand."

Croatia had proposed the establishment of a bilateral security regime as a follow-up to the present one administered by the United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP). Whether as a result of bilateral negotiations with Yugoslavia, a Security Council resolution or even by a unilateral action consistent with the rights and duties of Croatia under international law, the UNMOP mandate should soon be terminated. Further prolonging the mandate would only serve those who wished to stall negotiations indefinitely, which was contrary to good neighbourly relations and the interests of stability in the wider region.

Continuing, he said the key legal issue arising from the disintegration of Yugoslavia was that of succession. As long as that matter remained unresolved, the prospects for normalization in the region would be hampered for all successor States. Responsibility for that state of affairs lay squarely with the Republic of Yugoslavia, he said, which has kept rejecting the conclusions of the United Nations/European Union conference on the former Yugoslavia, as well as the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. The question of succession could only be resolved if its resolution were rooted in the existing body of international law and authority.

To date, Croatia was not fully satisfied with the results of the proceedings concerning the International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Although Croatia had provided documentation and access to alleged crime sites, the indictments handed down by the Tribunal did not reflect the true nature and scope of war crimes committed on both sides of the conflict. The unusual delay in bringing persons in custody before the court had not strengthened the Tribunal's credibility, he said. No one had been charged for the crimes committed against Bosnian Croats, and no one had been sentenced for the crimes committed during the aggression against Croatia, despite ample evidence and 14,000 dead.

NGUYEN MAHN CAM, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, said that unilateral military attacks against sovereign States in the Balkans and the Persian Gulf had set a dangerous precedent, running counter to the United Nations principles and objectives and violating fundamental principles of international law. Peace and security could not be guaranteed unless international law and the United Nations Charter were fully respected and observed. The Organization must consistently uphold its guiding principles and must carry out an in-depth reform. That way, it would be able to prevent any country or regional bloc from resorting to any pretext, including that of human rights, to trample on national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, or interfere in internal affairs of another country.

Development was now an important component of the broad concept of security, he continued. That made every country, regardless of its geographic position, more globally relevant, simultaneously diminishing its peculiarity or isolationism. The United Nations should make sure that globalization did not evolve in a way incompatible with the development needs and levels and the specific conditions of each nation and region. Only then could the widening gap between the rich and the poor be addressed and equality secured. Alleviation of hunger and poverty had turned into a primary task for the United Nations. The target set by the Organization was to halve world hunger and the poverty rate by the year 2015. Towards that end, the use of internal resources of every country was crucial, but external support was also needed. The United Nations could promote North-South cooperation by encouraging the developed countries to provide direct investment and long-term financing, open their markets and grant preferential trade treatment to developing countries.

United Nations reforms should primarily mean the enhancement of the role and responsibility of the General Assembly, he said. The Security Council needed to be more representative, democratic, transparent and accountable. Developing countries must be represented by a permanent member of the Council. With regard to the expansion of the Security Council, his country supported those candidates which could make major contributions to the work of that important organ, such as India, Japan or Germany. Veto power should only be used in accordance with the letter and spirit of Chapter VII of the Charter.

The economies of the countries of south-east Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions had gradually regained their pace of development, he said. The success of the sixth Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Hanoi in December 1998 and the admission of Cambodia had created a 10-member grouping embracing all countries in the region. However, peace and security remained a shared concern for all member countries. He hoped that countries outside the region would cooperate in implementing the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone Treaty. The supportive attitude by China and Russia towards the Treaty was highly appreciated. About the situation in the Eastern (South China) Sea, where incidents still occurred, he said that disputes should be settled by peaceful means through bilateral and multilateral negotiations among parties directly concerned in full compliance with international law, especially the Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1992 ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea. Ongoing efforts by ASEAN to work out a code of conduct in the Eastern Sea represented a constructive measure.

BONAYA ADHI GODANA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, said his country was concerned at the loss of international interest and support for Somalia. The international community should resume active interest and support for that country in order to instil in its innocent people some measure of hope for the future. However, in efforts to assist the Somalis, the territorial integrity of that country must be respected. The crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was of utmost concern because it posed a serious threat not only to the Great Lakes region but also to the rest of the continent. Kenya's offer to host in Nairobi, the proposed Congolese national debate on the political future of their country still stood. The situation in Angola continued to be a source of great frustration. The resumption of hostilities at a level not seen since the signing of the Lusaka Protocol did not auger well for the future.

"We have serious reservations on the evolving view that even the United Nations Charter provides leeway for non-United Nations intervention", he said. "We would like to caution that this approach needs to be carefully balanced with legitimate concerns of sovereignty.” Whatever might be said on intervention, the sovereignty of States remained at the core of diplomatic recourse. Derogation from that principle, in the case of serious humanitarian emergencies, must be made on the basis of the general consensus in the United Nations.

Turning to development issues, he said the crushing burden of external debt on the developing countries was a major obstacle to their development efforts. Another issue that required concerted efforts by the international community was that of poverty eradication. Kenya had launched a Poverty Eradication Plan, which had received some support, and which "we hope will attract wider support to allow us to achieve our goal of becoming a newly industrialized country by the year 2020". Kenya also supported the proposal to hold an international conference on financing for development next year. His country also looked forward to the convening of the first South Summit in Havana, Cuba, next year, a milestone in the strengthening of South-South cooperation.

The changes that had taken place in international relations needed to be reflected in the composition and structure of the Security Council. Sanctions should be imposed in accordance with the Charter and only after all means of peaceful settlement of disputes under Chapter VI of the Charter had been exhausted. He said a thorough study of the short- and long-term effects of sanctions, especially on innocent victims, should be undertaken. The objectives of sanctions should be clearly defined and the sanctions lifted as soon they had been achieved. Sanctions should also be imposed for a specific time-frame. The conditions demanded of the country or party on which the sanctions were imposed must be clearly defined and subject to periodic review. The application of sanctions usually had profound effects not only on the target countries but also on neighbouring countries and other trading partners. Efforts should therefore be made to put into effect Article 50 of the Charter, which referred to the right of third states affected by preventive or enforcement measures to seek a solution by establishing a mechanism or fund or both to provide relief to them. Kenya urged that the sanctions on Iraq be urgently reviewed with a view to their suspension and eventual lifting. "We also hope that the sanctions on Libya, recently suspended, will soon be lifted", he said.

DAVID ANDREWS, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland, said that the international community was now haunted by the collective failure to prevent humanitarian disasters -- including genocide -- and conflicts in many regions. The case for better prevention strategies was overwhelming. Even the costliest policy of prevention was far cheaper that the least expensive use of armed force. It was simply unacceptable that the United Nations should be starved of vital resources for conflict prevention. The international community had not used sufficiently the possibilities that already existed under the Charter, not only in the area of peace and security, but also in the social and economic fields. It was necessary to scrutinize its provisions and use them imaginatively. That could re-invigorate the United Nations, inject a new sense of purpose and a new dynamic. The Secretary-General had powers under the Charter, and his greater empowerment was one practical step that Member States should take.

The world was facing a humanitarian disaster in both East and West Timor, he said. All East Timorese refugees must be allowed to return to their homes. The response which was now under way would help to restore the credibility and authority of the United Nations at a time when it was badly needed. Response to the crises in Africa had been totally inadequate in the past, leading, in turn, to further conflict and new human suffering. Countries emerging from conflict needed to rebuild lives and livelihoods, but many of them were among the poorest Member States. In that context, the extent of the debt burden on developing countries should be highlighted. Some progress had been made within the framework of the World Bank/IMF Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative, but so far it had benefited few. It was necessary to extend it to a larger number of countries with a greater degree of flexibility.

Ireland would shortly assume the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, he continued. It would seek to promote further cooperation between the Council and the United Nations in areas of common interest. Limited steps taken to date on elimination of nuclear arsenals did not amount to a determined process of elimination. Intent on securing a new consensus, Ireland had been among the countries which had launched an initiative "Towards a Nuclear-Free World: the Need for a New Agenda". The approach of the 2000 Review Conference of the NPT underlined the imperative of a fundamental change in approach. New commitment on the part of nuclear weapon States was needed.

Turning to the situation in Northern Ireland, he said that the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998 covered not only constitutional issues and political institutions, but a wide range of other matters essential to conflict resolution. While substantial progress had been made, frustrations and difficulties remained. Overall, Northern Ireland was more peaceful than at any time for a generation. The Governments and the parties had completed all the preparatory technical work to establish the new political institutions envisaged by the Agreement, but it had not yet proven possible to actually establish them. Mutual distrust and lack of confidence continued to linger, as well as doubts about the future. Whatever the short-term difficulties, the Irish Government, in continued cooperation with the British Government, would not cease to work for the implementation of the Agreement.

ANTOINE KOLAWOLE IDJI, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Benin, said that combating poverty should be one of the priorities for the United Nations, for it was a factor of destabilization, particularly in Africa. He could hardly overemphasize the interdependence between peace, development and security. Benin was at peace within its borders and on the international level, but it was concerned over conflicts on the African continent. Prevention, settlement and management of conflicts was particularly important, and he wanted to commend the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for their contribution to the cause of peace. The Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) had also played an important role in dealing with conflicts in its region.

At a time of accelerated globalization, the risk for least developed countries was real. Prospects for the future needed to be improved by implementing the different plans of action adopted by the international community. Debt and the deterioration of trade had created a tragic state of affairs and killed as many people in Africa as had AIDS. Africa had the capacity to stop being the continent of bad news, but to achieve that, it should also become a priority on the international agenda. Strategies and programmes had been laid out, but no plans could have effect if African countries themselves did not undertake responsibility for their future. Transfer of new and appropriate technology, promotion of an open and fair system of international trade, together with encouragement for efforts to modernize and diversify economies, would allow all African countries to enjoy the fruit of development.

In February, Benin had agreed to host a meeting of resident representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which had identified major problems of the continent and recommended a new approach to African development, emphasizing real integration and the prevention of conflicts. It would be regrettable if those highly lucid and relevant findings would not be implemented, because UNDP itself was paralysed by the lack of resources. In the context of those recommendations, his country, as well as other African countries, were undertaking measures to reform and liberalize the economy, stimulate economic growth, combat corruption, preserve peace and stability and establish the rule of law. Another important conference was scheduled to take place in Cotonou in December 2000: it was the fourth international conference of new and restored democracies.

ALFRED MUBANDA, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, said that at the dawn of the twenty-first century, by all standards, the African continent remained marginalized. The economic situation and the living conditions for the vast majority of Africans was a cause for grave concern. The statistics were dismal, he said. Due to a significant decrease in the demand for primary commodities, Africa's export earnings had also been on the decline. Therefore, the challenge before the international community was adopt and implement concrete measures to mitigate the negative consequences of globalization on African economies. The United Nations must take the lead in efforts to restruture the international monetary system to make it more responsive to the plight of Africa and other developing countries. Since transnational corporations would play a pivotal role in that inequitable economic system, the United Nations should take a more active role to regulate their activities. He proposed the revival of the United Nations Centre and the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations to aid in that regard. "

Uganda was wholly committed to the observance in the region of human rights and fundamental freedoms and had placed into the basic law of the country the universal principles of human rights. He went on to say that in a referendum next year, the people of Uganda would exercise their free choice to determine their system of governance. He invited observers and others who might wish to do so to view the referendum when the time came.

He denounced the violence in Rwanda and said that, apart form concerns about Uganda's own national security and territorial integrity, it was unacceptable that gross violations of the right to life should again be carried out in its neighbourhood or anywhere else in the world. "It is vital for us all to recognize the sanctity of life", he said. To that end, he went on to say, Uganda would resist all tendencies which created a situation "conducive to the increase of refugees and displaced persons".

The violence in the Great Lakes region made the creation of the International Criminal Court a matter of profound relevance. The ramifications of the Rwanda genocide continued to date and the region remained a potential "hotbed of volcanic proportions" for new and wider waves of similar violations of human rights. "Once the International Criminal Court comes into force", he said, “it holds humanity's best hope for a new world legal order under which nobody, no matter how high or low, can engage in horrendous crimes with impunity."

He cited the continued instability of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and the Sudan as causes for continued concern in the region and the international community.

Right of Reply

Mr. KHALIL (Sudan), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said he was responding to accusations made by the Ugandan Foreign Minister. Yesterday, Sudan's Foreign Minister reminded delegations of the Buddhist wisdom of ascertaining before levelling accusations. He expressed appreciation for the Ugandan people, with whom Sudan shared blood and historical ties. There had been many decisions in the Assembly on the policies and interventions of the Ugandan regime. Uganda's President had been described as a new Hitler because of the many interventions and conflicts that he had encouraged in the countries of the region. None of those acts were recognized by any international norm of criteria. There was even an item on the Assembly's agenda on Uganda's armed aggression against a neighbouring State.

He said other practices and actions by Uganda had been picked up by the world press. All that country's actions were also covered in Security Council documents. Uganda was providing military support to rebels in southern Sudan and had also rejected all mediation attempts by Libya and Iran. All other attempts had failed because the Ugandan President was the one who had made promises, signed joint statements, then gone back on all his pledges, thereby reaffirming that he had designs in the region aimed at creating instability.

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