Argentina, 1995

Our presence here at the fiftieth session of the

General Assembly holds a very special meaning. On this

occasion, we are not gathered here simply to reenact the

annual ritual of exchanging views and official national

positions on the principal problems that encumber the

international agenda. These first 50 years during which

the Organization has carried out its noble task have been

marked by successes and disappointments.

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As President Menem said in this very forum a year

ago, the real situation in the world today offers a balance

of light and shadow in which encouraging signs of

convergence exist alongside other signs that seem to point

to the persistence of injustice and disagreement. The search

for a delicate balance of peace and security with

development and social justice is the goal which we must

constantly pursue. This search must be translated into

concrete facts which demonstrate on this anniversary,

through the actions of each and every Member State, the

extent to which we have faithfully respected the spirit and

the letter of the Charter.

At this historic moment, my country has chosen

actively to involve itself in the resolution of serious

international crises through the concerted action of the

United Nations.

The tragic situation in the Balkans has found

Argentina present in solidarity, through its troops, in search

of a space for dialogue and understanding after five years

of blood and fire. Today we are witnessing the rebirth of

hope, starting with the recent Geneva agreements and those

that were signed yesterday. We hope that the peoples of the

new republics of the Balkans can, once and for all, begin

life again in peace after such enormous suffering, so much

violence and so many unnecessary deaths.

The Middle East has suffered the attacks of

extremism; yet the peace process initiated in 1993 forges

ahead. On behalf of the people and the Government of

Argentina, I pay a tribute to the leaders of Israel and the

Palestinian people, who, despite provocations and the

legitimate grievances of those who suffer, have managed to

fix their eyes on the future and continue the task of

concluding agreements on each of the points that comprise

the complex agenda for peace in the Middle East.

We cannot forget our African brothers and sisters, who

have been affected by situations in which political struggles

and the survival of the least fortunate are combined in a

most dramatic fashion. It is precisely in those situations that

we must reaffirm our contribution and our solidarity,

because we cannot remain indifferent to the suffering and

deprivation of so many human beings without neglecting

the commitments dictated to us by the Charter and imposed

upon us by human solidarity. To the extent of our ability,

we maintain our participation in the solution of such

problems as those of Western Sahara, Mozambique and

Angola, a neighbour country of ours in the South Atlantic

with which we will cooperate actively in the United Nations

Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III).

The case of Haiti warrants my particular

consideration, since it deals with an issue that directly

affects our region of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Today, I would like to express the Argentine

Government’s great pleasure at the successful process that

culminated in the adoption of Security Council resolution

940 (1994). Only through that resolution could the

Government legitimately elected by the Haitian people be

reestablished — a Government which, with moving

endurance and commitment, is restoring institutional

normalcy and again moving ahead on the road to

economic development.

Argentina is proud of its character as a Latin

American nation. In just a few days, we will have the

high honour of hosting the Fifth Ibero-American Summit,

at which all the nations of our region, together with their

respective mother countries, all linked by a common

history and culture, will set an inspiring example of

dialogue and cooperation in the search for solutions

adapted to our present reality. It is precisely this reality

and the prospects we envisage for it that make us look

with optimism to a Latin American future based on

democracy, peace and integration.

The Argentine commitment to peace was recently

demonstrated once again through the active exercise of

the role mandated to us, together with Brazil, Chile and

the United States of America, as guarantors of the 1942

Rio Protocol, in an effort to bring the peoples of Ecuador

and Peru together once and for all.

Building upon political and economic stability,

ambitious mechanisms for integration have been designed

that contribute to consolidating the opening of our

economies, the transparency of our markets, and the

growth of commercial exchange with other regions — in

short, the creation of the conditions necessary to secure a

better future for our peoples.

In our case, we have made the Southern Cone

Common Market (Mercosur) a priority in our foreign

policy, with the understanding not only that its

strengthening will boost our economy and those of its

member countries, but also, and most especially, that it is

thanks to this open approach that the men and women of

our country and our region can come together today in an

atmosphere of economic growth after so many years of

disillusionment and frustration.

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In Argentina, we place special emphasis on the

following principles: good governance; the struggle against

corruption; discipline in fiscal matters; accountability in the

management of public finances; respect for human rights;

legal equality for foreign investments; and full authority for

institutions within the rule of law. These are the principles

that form the framework designed to give a greater boost to

economic activity as a necessary motor for the well-being

of the Argentina people.

This framework of recovery and harmony within Latin

America, however, raises important issues which remain

unresolved.

In the South Atlantic, the dispute concerning

sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South

Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime spaces has

not yet been resolved. We will not cite yet again the

numerous resolutions in which the General Assembly and

the decolonization Committee have categorically and

repeatedly stated their position on this matter. Let me

simply recall that all of these include a clear and direct

appeal to the two countries involved — Argentina and the

United Kingdom — to reach a negotiated settlement of this

dispute. This appeal from the Assembly remains unheeded,

despite the willingness we have constantly shown and the

excellent relations that bind our two countries. This makes

the issue even more baffling.

In spite of this, we maintain a cooperative effort with

regard to the exploitation of fishing resources in the area in

an attempt to protect the biomass and at the same time

ensure that significant economic activity continues.

With regard to oil, given the non-renewable character

of the resources and the existence of a consolidated

international doctrine which proscribes the unilateral

exploitation of disputed resources, we are reaching a

temporary understanding that allows us to engage in further

exploration and exploitation while avoiding the creation of

new sources of tension which might discourage initiatives

from the private sector.

This very morning we and the United Kingdom

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,

Malcolm Rifkind, signed a joint declaration which will

allow us to move forward together in this spirit.

With respect to the inhabitants of the islands, I repeat

our determination to guarantee total respect for their way of

life, their culture, habits and institutions.

The dispute over the Malvinas Islands will not

disappear as if by magic. The peaceful recovery of the

exercise of full sovereignty over all the territories in

dispute and the surrounding waters, and respect for the

way of life of the islands’ inhabitants, are today part of

Argentina’s Constitution, on which there was consensus

across the entire political spectrum of my country. Only

rational dialogue, without any a priori conditions from

either party, will permit us to make progress towards the

final implementation of the resolutions of the Assembly

and of the Decolonization Committee.

At the end of this year Argentina will conclude its

term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

In our two years as a member we have witnessed

numerous situations that have required an immediate

response on the part of the Council. Responding to these

situations has not been an easy task, and at times the

serious problems that have given rise to them have failed

to receive full attention. Nevertheless, the Council’s

response has confirmed on each occasion its character as

the central and indispensable instrument for the

maintenance of international peace and security.

Our commitment to the work of the Council has not

been limited to its discussions; it has extended to

Argentina’s contribution to peace-keeping operations, the

largest in our region. Our presence in the former

Yugoslavia, in Cyprus, Mozambique, Haiti and Kuwait —

to name but a few operations — is tangible proof of our

concrete, and not just rhetorical, contribution to

international peace and cooperation.

In recent days much has been said about the process

of reform of the Security Council. If anything has been

proved by the extended deliberations of the ad hoc Open-

ended Working Group established for this purpose, it is

the extreme difficulty of finding a formula, acceptable to

everyone, that does not introduce imbalances into the

region.

In our delegation’s view, the fundamental task in this

respect is to protect and improve the efficiency and

expeditiousness of the Council. In order to achieve this,

a careful, limited increase in the membership would be in

order, should there be the necessary consensus. This

increase could be supplemented with a new procedure

aimed at achieving a greater representativeness, which, by

means of rotation mechanisms, would enable several of

the most interested countries of different regions, as well

as those which stand to wait many years before joining

25

the Council, to take part more regularly in its deliberations.

We believe that those countries which are legitimately

interested in taking part in the daily construction of a stable

and peaceful world order could fulfil their aspirations in

this way.

Moreover, further changes in the procedure of the

Council should be introduced in order to increase its

transparency and strengthen the process of dialogue and

exchange of information. Over the past two years we have

actively promoted such progress, being convinced that the

contribution of the international community to the solution

of its crises would be facilitated if all its members had

more criteria and information on which to base their

decisions.

This matter is of undeniable importance, since the

Security Council is the body ultimately entrusted with the

maintenance of international peace and security. This

requires that we proceed with the utmost care, searching

relentlessly for consensus.

This year has been marked by the positive contribution

to international peace made here in New York, when the

179 States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons (NPT), decided to extend it

unconditionally and indefinitely. We are concerned about

the ongoing nuclear-test programmes. Therefore, we look

forward to the prompt conclusion of the comprehensive

nuclear-test-ban treaty, without exceptions or permissible

thresholds. Likewise, we hope that the Conference on

Disarmament will address without delay the negotiation of

a convention banning the production of fissionable material.

It is encouraging to note the increased awareness of

what the Secretary-General has rightly called the

“international humanitarian crisis” of anti-personnel mines.

We trust that the 1981 Convention on inhumane weapons

will be strengthened as a result of the meeting to be held in

Vienna in the next few days.For our part, in addition to

supporting the Assembly resolutions on the subject, we

have declared a unilateral moratorium on mine production,

and with regard to a case which affects us directly — the

mines planted by our armed forces on the Malvinas Islands

in 1982 — we have offered our cooperation and financial

help to the United Kingdom for their removal, which is

proceeding with the greatly appreciated cooperation of the

United States.

Apart from the struggle for the non-proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction, new challenges to peace and

stability, including international terrorism, have emerged.

Today no one can feel safe from the action of groups

which are international in structure and very often rely on

the active or passive support of certain States. Almost

every day gruesome attacks reflect the reality of this new

threat, which calls for a determined and unequivocal

response by the international community.

We have drawn this issue to the attention of the

Security Council, and we are confident that as a result

urgent action at the national, regional and international

levels will be taken to promote legislative harmonization

and cooperation in the judicial, police and even

intelligence spheres, in order to halt this insidious

manifestation of terror.

However, the pressing challenges requiring

international action are not restricted to the domain of

security. Emergency assistance activities and the

subsequent stage of rehabilitation for development

constitute a priority task for the United Nations. For this

reason, in 1994 we proposed the “White Helmets”

initiative, which aims to deliver assistance in cases of

extreme urgency and to mobilize resources for specific

instances of extreme poverty. We are pleased to note that

the initiative was adopted by consensus in resolution

49/139 B, with the formidable support of 67 co-sponsors.

In the future we will further define details of the

initiative, which has already been implemented in very

successful pilot projects in our region. We hope to extend

this initiative to other parts of the world where even

greater need is experienced.

From a historical perspective, 50 years may not be

many, but they are not insignificant in the life of an

international organization that every day has to address

numerous and complex issues. Today we find the United

Nations committed to the solution of international crises

which affect international peace and security, a far cry

from the marginalization of the Organization during the

cold war. The United Nations is actively involved in

advances on great social issues by means of international

conferences such as those of Vienna, on human rights;

Cairo, on population; Copenhagen, on social matters; and

Beijing, on women.

These meetings reflect the new and vigorous stage

reached by multilateralism, which elicits universally

accepted responses to the great currents of sustainable

human development, and acts in strict conformity with the

provisions of the Charter, under which the promotion of

human welfare, development and dignity are harmonious

26

and mutually complementary priorities. We remain actively

committed to work to achieve these priorities in the

framework of the United Nations, thus renewing the

commitment of 1945, towards which the current reform

process will make a substantive contribution, with the same

faith we had then, nourished by decades of cooperation.

The year 1995 is not only the year that marks the half

century of the United Nations. Two years ago the General

Assembly, in its resolution 48/126, declared 1995 the

United Nations Year for Tolerance. It occurs to me that the

forefathers of the United Nations must have had the idea of

tolerance deeply etched in their minds when they set the

foundations of this unique endeavour.

International reality reminds us how often we forget

tolerance, how often we reject, proscribe or ignore others

for what they are, think, say or do, or simply for existing.

May this anniversary be a timely occasion to remember the

need to reaffirm in our minds, in the education of our

children and in our acts, tolerance, and, with it, the culture

of peace.