PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF URUGUAY

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF URUGUAY

The United Nations was established in 1946 for entirely different reasons than those which are driving the world today, Uruguayan President Jorge Ibanez told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference in New York today.

“The United Nations no longer has the problem of a world divided between Russia and the United Sates, this bipolarity which generated here in the United Nations a whole core of political problems”, said Mr. Ibanez, who was at the United Nations to speak to delegates during the first day of the annual general debate.

What existed now was something totally different from military or political power situations.  Now the world was faced with a huge increase in its population and serious problems of poverty.  “It is not a question of bombs or war or terrorism.  It is a question of the huge difficulties of peaceful survival in a world in these circumstances.”

A correspondent asked for his impression of the statement made to the General Debate by U.S. President George Bush.  Would he have liked Mr. Bush to speak more about the commitment of the United States to the goals of the United Nations, such as poverty eradication or AIDS, rather than focusing entirely on “whether you are with us or against us” on terrorism?

Mr. Ibanez replied that one must bear in mind the United States had been the subject of a tremendous act of aggression.  “Rather than setting objectives for the United Nations, I think that he had to express views about the nature of the events and their consequences for the future of mankind”, he said.

He said Mr. Bush’s comments not only dealt with the events of 11 September, but the way of life and attitudes of human beings on this earth, whatever their religion or location.  “It was an address fraught with emotion, but at the same time one which sent a very clear political message.  Terrorism at any time is an assault on … human individuals, and runs counter to all forms of culture and religion, even those it seeks to defend”, Mr. Ibanez said.

Asked by another correspondent what needed to be done to open up world markets, he replied that, nowadays, everyone realized this was a fact of life and couldn’t be put off much longer. There would be many disputes about it in World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings, but something would have to be done to resolve the problem.

His main ally on that question was the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), but not all countries there were ready for open markets.  It was a question of timing, he said.  Brazil would need more time, for example, given its state of industrial development.

What was currently happening at the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, would be important in determining future steps, he noted. But there were problems.  Japan and the Republic of Korea took perhaps the most negative positions of all towards open markets.  And the United States had a problem with the subsidy issue because lowering subsidies would mean dropping their own.

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