GENERAL ASSEMBLY HEARS NINE SPEAKERS ON GLOBAL, REGIONAL OUTLOOK

Press Release
GA/9777

GENERAL ASSEMBLY HEARS NINE SPEAKERS ON GLOBAL, REGIONAL OUTLOOK

The effects of overpopulation and unregulated development would undoubtedly create new pressures on the environment in the coming century, Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, told the General Assembly this morning as it continued its general debate. Small island States, vulnerable to such phenomena as global warming, the rising water level and the increasing scarcity of water resources, were particularly concerned.

Regarding the question of Cyprus, he said reference had been made to so-called “realities” in Cyprus. The one and only reality was the imperative need for peace and reconciliation through a mutually acceptable solution within the parameters of United Nations resolutions.

He appealed to the Turkish side to capitalize on the current favourable environment in order to reach a comprehensive settlement, based on Security Council resolutions calling for a bi-zonal, bi-communal Federal Republic of Cyprus, with a single sovereignty, citizenship and international personality, comprising two politically equal communities.

Luvsangiin Erdenechuluun, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, said the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X) had underscored the need to create a legal environment to facilitate transit traffic for landlocked developing countries, improve transit infrastructure and increase efficiency of trade by eliminating transport and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

He said his reaction to progress in the area of arms limitation, disarmament and non-proliferation could at best be called as mixed. He appealed to the key States to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). He favoured such steps as de-alerting of nuclear weapons, removal of nuclear warheads from delivery vehicles, and joint undertaking by the nuclear-weapon powers of a pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons.

Also addressing the question of disarmament, the representative of Yemen said the world was still acquiring large quantities of weapons of mass destruction that endangered international security and stability. He affirmed the international community’s call for pressure on Israel to adhere to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to submit all its nuclear installations to international supervision.

Mohamed El-Amine Souef, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Comoros, Irakli Menagarishvili, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Hugo Tolentino Dipp, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, and

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9777 26th Meeting (AM) 21 September 2000

Paulina Garcia De Larrea, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, also addressed the Assembly.

The representatives of Tajikistan and the Federated States of Micronesia spoke as well.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. to continue its general debate.

General Assembly Plenary - 3 - Press Release GA/9777 26th Meeting (AM) 21 September 2000

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate. It was expected to hear from speakers from Yemen, Mongolia, Comoros, Georgia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Tajikistan, Cyprus and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Statements

ABDALLA AL-ASHTAL (Yemen) said his country was committed to supporting the leadership role of the United Nations and believed in the purposes of its Charter. It also supported moves towards the renewal and development of inter- State relations and bringing them into line with new global phenomena. In that connection, the Republic of Yemen reaffirmed its offer to host the Fifth Conference of New or Restored Democracies, to be held in 2003.

The Republic of Yemen was proud to have placed practical reliance on the principles of peace and stability in the resolution of its border issues with three neighbouring States, namely the Sultanate of Oman, Eritrea and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its reliance on those principles lent conviction to Yemen’s strong desire and long-term efforts to achieve a resolution of the problems that had accumulated in Somalia. The Republic of Yemen believed that the peace sought by the peoples was a peace based on justice and equality. Accordingly, peace in the Middle East should be based on the restoration of all legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent State on Palestinian national soil, with Jerusalem as its capital.

The world was still acquiring large quantities of weapons of mass destruction that endangered international security and stability. Yemen affirmed the international community’s call for pressure on Israel to adhere to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to submit all its nuclear installations to international supervision. Having due regard for the implementation of United Nations resolutions concerning Iraq, Yemen urged the need to end that tragic situation by lifting the embargo. It welcomed all resolutions calling for the reform of the United Nations, including the expansion of the Security Council and the enhancing and strengthening of the role of the General Assembly. He was confident that a united stand and sincere endeavours would guarantee the success of the current Assembly session.

LUVSANGIIN ERDENECHULUUN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, said the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis had made it more evident that the process of globalization ought to be managed so as to make the best of its opportunities and diminish its negative effects. The crisis had also confirmed that internal policies were not sufficient to ensure sustained economic growth in the era of growing interdependence. In a globally liberalized trade and financial system, structurally disadvantaged countries needed help in withstanding powerful, often destructive, external forces.

The tenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X) had underscored the need to create the legal environment to facilitate transit traffic for landlocked developing countries, improve transit infrastructure and increase efficiency of trade by eliminating transport and bureaucratic bottlenecks. Mongolia, Russia and China had agreed to conclude a transit traffic framework agreement. The upcoming meeting of governmental experts of landlocked and transit developing countries and development institutions would play a critical role in strengthening a common framework for action, he said.

Northeast Asia was a region where the interests of the big and powerful intersected, where the leftovers of the cold war era were discernible, and where territorial issues awaited their positive solution, he said. This summer’s historic inter-Korean summit and other developments might well impact positively on the situation in Northeast Asia as a whole. Due to its historical and geopolitical realities, it was probably the only subregion lacking a government- level mechanism where security issues could be discussed collectively. The time had come to start thinking about the possibility of engaging in a dialogue, based on the free exchange of views, on the framework of such discussions.

His reaction to progress in the area of arms limitation, disarmament and non-proliferation could at best be called mixed, he said. He appealed to the key States to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The urgency of that call had become even more compelling in the light of activities that could seriously undermine the nuclear non-proliferation regime. He favoured such steps as de-alerting of nuclear weapons, removal of nuclear warheads from delivery vehicles and joint undertaking by the nuclear-weapon powers of a pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. He welcomed the Secretary-General’s proposal to convene a major international conference aimed at identifying ways of eliminating nuclear dangers.

MOHAMED EL AMINE SOUEF, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Comoros, said that among the dangers facing the world today were the danger stemming from war and conflict; the danger of increasingly frequent terrorist acts; dangers stemming from flagrant violations of human rights; the danger of natural disasters and environmental degradation; the danger of serious illness and extreme poverty; the danger of marginalizing poor countries and the danger of external indebtedness. The African continent was confronted with a deteriorating economic situation that was further aggravated by the negative effects of globalization and the burden of external debts. Being a small island developing State, Comoros faced the same situation. Despite the challenges, the Government was determined to lift Comoros out of the abyss of underdevelopment and to find means and ways to create favourable conditions for development.

Although bilateral and multilateral partners had already proved very helpful, he called upon them to redouble their efforts to help Comoros develop and avoid the negative impact of globalization. Turning to the conflicts dividing the African continent today, he appealed to the warring parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region to intensify the search for peace. The recent positive developments in Somalia and the establishment of a transitional Government were welcome, he said.

The separatist crisis in Comeros’ neighbouring island of Anjouan threatened peace in the region, and had done so for three years. The intransigence of the Anjouans had forced the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to take firm measures, intended to be implemented gradually. Economic sanctions against Anjouan had failed to restore reason, and the people of Anjouan were suffering tremendously. Aware that the sanctions primarily affected the civilian population, the President of Comoros had decided to initiate direct negotiations aimed at achieving national reconciliation. Last August, the joint Declaration of Fomboni was signed between the two parties, aiming to preserve the unity and territorial integrity of Comoros.

The Fomboni Declaration specified that the new Comorian grouping was the sole entity recognized under international law, and that the international community recognized the frontiers of Comoros. A schedule had been set, laying out the stages of the process leading to a referendum which would ultimately reflect the future of Comoros. Today there was hope in Comoros, hope that the problem would be solved in a peaceful and democratic manner. He trusted that reason would prevail among the Anjouan separatists, and that they would realize that maintaining the territorial integrity of Comoros, the four islands in the archipelago, would be beneficial for all. Reconciliation was a long process, and required resources. He therefore appealed to the international community to support the reconstruction and national reconciliation plan formulated by his Government and the World Bank.

IRAKLI MENAGARISHVILI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, said that intrastate conflicts had become the major threat to international peace and security. As the Secretary-General's Millennium Report recommended, a reshaping of the United Nations approach to peacekeeping was needed to meet the challenges of that new global threat. The triangle of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East was alive with destabilizing factors, meriting closer attention by the international community. The periodic failures of United Nations peace efforts took such forms as the ethnic cleansing of the predominantly Georgian population during the tragic events in Abkhazia, highlighting all the flaws of “selective peacekeeping”. Well-intentioned United Nations efforts had sometimes been delayed in conflicts outside the immediate vicinity of the world community.

Georgia supported the Secretary-General's proposal to increase the effectiveness of United Nations peace efforts, he said. It welcomed further enhancement of the United Nations Standby Arrangement System and improvement of the rapid deployment capabilities of the Organization. Furthermore, the United States’ proposal for reconsidering the scale of financial assessments for United Nations peacekeeping was of great significance. He added that he stressed the issue of peacekeeping because it directly related to the most sensitive problem for Georgia in the past seven years -- that of aggressive separatism in Abkhazia.

He reiterated that peaceful resolution of the conflict was the only acceptable option for the Georgia Government, and he thanked the United Nations and the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General for their efforts in support of the peace process. But as of yet there were no tangible results. Recently, according to the terms of the relevant Security Council resolution, a document on the distribution of constitutional competencies between Tbilisi and Sokhumi had been drafted, and he was at a loss to understand what stood in the way of its timely endorsement.

The key to more effective United Nations peace policies in the region lay in closer collaboration and synchronized action with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other European structures, he said. The dilemma of “humanitarian intervention” could be described as being inherent in the transition from the international to a global world. The international community should establish strong and efficient preventive mechanisms within the Organization to combat gross and systematic violations of human rights. That might obviate the need for the extreme step of humanitarian intention.

HUGO TOLENTINO DIPP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, said that freedom and equality of all States and peoples were the cornerstone of genuine peace and harmonious development in the international community. Despite technological advances and the increase in wealth in certain countries, two-thirds of the world population lived without freedom or equality. Globalization was not a new phenomenon, he said. It was merely the continuation of a century-old process which had led, on the one hand, to prosperity in some countries and, on the other hand, to the coexistence of a developed and an underdeveloped world. Facing the impact of globalization, the people of developing countries were determined to see an end to their marginalization and to achieve a better future -– aims that were vigorously spelt out at the Havana South–South Summit and the Millennium Summit.

Prerequisite for achieving those aims was the fight against inequalities, the gradual liberalization of markets in developing countries and the elimination of protectionism. The impact of opening markets too abruptly could be seen in the experience of the Dominican Republic, where thousands of small enterprises went bankrupt as a result of forced competition with industrialized countries. Developing countries would not be able to benefit from globalization until there was sufficient international support to allow them to realize their economic and social objectives, he said. It was a joke in poor taste to talk grandly of globalization while developing countries were left to face the brunt of globalization’s negative impacts.

Today, it was not only globalization which posed a threat to developing countries, but also the immense and enduring burden of external debt. His country was convinced that certain aspects of globalization and external debt were, in fact, two sides of the same coin. The indifference encountered when bringing up those issues implied a definite lack of solidarity, cooperation and political will. Only the total cancellation of external debt would give developing countries the opportunity to catch up on lost time. Free-market forces, production subsidies and technical regulation must not become the characteristics of globalization, he said.

On the subject of solidarity, he said, it was impossible not to mention Haiti. Haiti deserved generous international assistance. The Dominican Republic alone could not carry the burden of mass immigration of several thousands of Haitians. He hoped that a solution could be found to the problem, a solution which respected human rights and was based on sound migration policies.

PAULINA DONOSO GARCIA DE LARREA, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, said that the political developments of the past decade had ushered in a new global process. The creation of major economic regions had had a major impact on social change the world over. Inequities had grown and social cooperation had deteriorated. The Millennium Summit was an opportunity to discuss the challenges of the new international order. All States must work in tandem to insist that the process of development should benefit all people. Within that context, the United Nations had a crucial role to play in bringing about a just outcome. The Secretary-General was to be commended for coordinating the Millennium Summit, which laid out the challenges of the United Nations in the years ahead.

Globalization and poverty must be tackled, she said, and Ecuador was going through an acute crisis. Internal and external factors had compounded one another, had dealt a severe blow to the country and had a considerable impact in terms of poverty. The Assembly had to find a way to reduce the debt burden of the highly indebted poor countries. Ecuador had made great efforts to achieve a just and lasting solution to the problem of its external debt. It trusted that fairness would characterize the ongoing process of debt reduction. The albatross of debt was still one of the major obstacles to reducing poverty. There must be an economic institutional order that gave an outlet to the most vulnerable countries, and in that undertaking, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) must play the leading role. Ecuador appealed to the international community to support the UNDP in carrying out its international activities.

Ecuador supported the strengthening of the Andean group of nations. It shared the concern of the international community over the continued degradation of the environment and the inadequate compliance with commitments made by States at the Rio Summit. The phenomenon of drug trafficking was another matter for the international community to tackle. The problem threatened all societies, and required an international effort to eliminate it.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, peace and disarmament were crucial issues. Ecuador resolutely condemned the use of force between States, in conformity with the United Nations Charter. Ecuador also deemed it necessary to reform the Security Council in order to ensure greater transparency in its work and to make it more democratic. Another area needing reform was that of United Nations peacekeeping operations. It was indispensable to strengthen the capacity for joint action so that the use of force could be applied, in compliance with Article 7 of the Charter. However, human rights had to be respected. It was unacceptable for one or more States to represent themselves as acting for the whole international community and to apply a non-existent right of interference based on the concept of humanitarian intervention. Ecuador remained committed to multilateralism. The challenges of the new century required the contribution of all States. Only in that spirit could the achievements of the United Nations in the new century be guaranteed of success.

RASHID ALIMOV (Tajikistan) said that after the first multiparty plural elections in his country’s history, held in February, Tajik society was laying down a solid foundation for sustainable democratic development. Tajikistan was fully aware that a huge job of post-conflict peace-building awaited it, and hoped that support of and assistance to Tajikistan would be intensified. Humanitarian assistance was of particular importance, because in spring and summer the whole territory had been affected by a drought on a scale unprecedented in the twentieth century. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), every second citizen of Tajikistan was inadequately fed. His country greatly appreciated the appeal made by the Secretary-General for food assistance to affected sections of the population, and thanked the States that had responded to the appeal.

Today, the world stood close to the line beyond which destruction of the ecosystem was irreversible. The common objective of the international community should be to meet the ever-increasing needs of human development in the economic and social spheres, with a gradual restoration of natural ecosystems to conditions that would guarantee environmental sustainability. Alongside long- term problems such as climate change and desertification, new ones were emerging. One of them was freshwater. By 2050, according to some forecasts, the population of the planet would not have an adequate water supply. The initiative to proclaim the year 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater, put forward by Tajikistan a year ago, was specifically aimed to meet that challenge. He hoped that the relevant resolution would be adopted by consensus by the fifty-fifth session.

The situation in Afghanistan endangered regional and international security, he said. As a result of the inter-Afghan crisis, the country had been transformed into a stronghold of international terrorism and had become the world leader in drug production. Tajikistan was firmly convinced that there could be no military solution to the Afghan crisis; any victory by any party to the conflict would be temporary and would not lead to the establishment of peace and stability. Only the United Nations, in cooperation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was capable of untying the tight knot of the Afghan crisis. He expressed his hope that additional measures to be undertaken by the Security Council and the international community would help extinguish the fire of war. Otherwise, the terrorist and narcotic threats to regional and global security emanating from Afghanistan would continue to grow.

IONNIS KASOULIDES, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, said that countless United Nations reports had made clear the concern regarding continuing degradation of the environment and the imperative need for global policies in the pursuit of sustainable development. The effects of overpopulation and unregulated development would undoubtedly create new pressures on the environment in the new century. Small island States facing vulnerabilities such as global warming, rising water level and the increasing scarcity of water resources were particularly concerned.

He said that one area of major concern was the increasing number of refugees and internally displaced persons throughout the world. His country had experienced the tragic consequences of mass displacement and ethnic cleansing. The vast majority of displaced populations -- more than 22 million, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- were women and children who were particularly vulnerable to gross violations of their human rights. The international community had an obligation to secure the right of return of those refugees to their places of residence more forcefully, he said.

Decisions by the Assembly and the Security Council called for the restoration of the territorial integrity, unity and independence of Cyprus, and the withdrawal of Turkish troops and settlers. How could it seriously be claimed that the Turkish military force which had occupied 37 per cent of Cypriot territory for the last 26 years was “a force of pacification or liberation”? he asked. Reference had been made to the so-called “realities” in Cyprus. The one and only reality was the imperative need for peace and reconciliation, through a mutually acceptable solution within the parameters of United Nations resolutions.

His country had come to the fourth round of proximity talks with flexibility and the political will to reach a solution, as prescribed by the United Nations. He appealed to the Turkish side to seize the moment and capitalize on the current favourable environment in order to reach a comprehensive settlement, based on Security Council resolutions calling for a bi-zonal, bi-communal Federal Republic of Cyprus, with a single sovereignty, citizenship and international personality, comprising two politically equal communities.

MASAO NAKAYAMA (Micronesia), speaking on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum, noted that the ocean occupied a central place in the lives of the people of the Pacific Islands. Preservation of that resource -- which constituted the world’s highest marine diversity -- was critical to their future economic development. The oceanic area under the control of the islands was rich in fishing potential, but required careful management and monitoring to address illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing as well as environmental threats. The Foreign Ministers of the Pacific Forum had met in August following the political crisis in Fiji and the social unrest in the Solomon Islands, and had committed themselves to a number of fundamental principles.

In addition to increasing incidents of civil unrest, the region was facing new threats from international financial and cyber-crime, people smuggling, and the challenge of preventing and controlling communicable diseases and the HIV/AIDS virus. Agenda 21 and the Barbados Programme of Action on Small Island Developing States remained the basic guideline for protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development. High priority was given to the international effort to have the Kyoto Protocol come into force at the earliest possible date. Small island nations of the Pacific faced unique constraints to development, as most had subsistence-based economies with a narrow export base.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) remained the world’s most significant international opportunity for negotiation on trade and commercial issues. The Pacific Island Forum would establish a Forum delegation in Geneva to improve cooperation in the WTO. The delegation would actively engage in the policy

debate about the best ways to ensure that trade reform delivered outcomes which would contribute not only to economic growth, but also to the advancement of development and social equity objectives, and improved environmental outcomes. Global information economy promised great opportunities, but it also demanded new skills and technology. Efficient and effective communications services were of critical importance in achieving economic and social development. Education and training were fundamental to enhancing the adaptability of Pacific Islanders to economic reform in a rapidly changing region.

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