Argentina, 1998

Allow me, first of all, to congratulate you, Mr.

President, on your election to the presidency of the

General Assembly. Secondly, allow me to express the

profound regard and warm ties that unite Argentina and

Uruguay, an ongoing relationship that was already under

way at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

We also extend our appreciation to Ambassador

Udovenko for the courage, balance and impartiality he

exhibited during the course of his mandate.

In a globalized world, peace and security, economic

stability and growth are more than ever indissolubly

linked. The economic and financial crisis that concerns us

today should boost our commitment to the economic

reform process which we are carrying out in our region.

Trade and foreign investment are clearly sources of

opportunity and incentives to growth and competitiveness.

But it is also clear that in recent decades the free

movement of capital flows has been one of the main

engines of economic development for many countries.

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In order to dispel its negative effects, globalization

requires educational, social and environmental policies that

benefit all of society in a balanced and equitable manner.

We feel it is damaging to succumb to the temptation of

imposing restrictions on international trade in order to

thwart the spread of economic crisis, or to resort to

hampering or placing conditions on the flow of financial

resources in order to moderate their volatility.

In Latin America, countries such as Argentina have

made sustained and coherent efforts to consolidate their

financial situation, contain the budget deficit and provide

assurances to foreign investment by helping to create a

solid economic environment for the region, which is

increasingly being seen with new eyes.

A few days ago, the Presidents of the Rio Group,

meeting in Panama, expressed their resolve to continue

managing economic policy mechanisms in a responsible

manner that guarantees stability and growth. Accordingly,

financial institutions and those countries with the capacity

to provide assistance should understand the problems that

this critical economic situation presents to countries that

find themselves in the eye of the storm and act accordingly.

The Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR)

is today a model of economic foundations based on

freedom and democracy in which cooperation is the very

essence of the system.

As an illustration of the excellent relations in the area

of security and defense, Argentina pressed for the adoption

of the Political Declaration of MERCOSUR, Bolivia and

Chile as a Zone of Peace, which was signed at the

MERCOSUR summit held in Argentina on 24 July 1998.

The recent nuclear tests in South Asia constituted a

step backwards with regard to regional and global security.

These tests delay the economic development and well-being

of the population. Argentina, together with countries that

have renounced the military use of nuclear technology, has

urged the States of that region to stop conducting tests and

to adhere to the international instruments in force.

Argentina, for its part, has offered to share fully its

experience in peaceful nuclear cooperation. Allow me to

recall that Argentina was the first country that, having

mastered the nuclear fuel cycle, chose to limit its own use

of this technology.

We feel proud of the steps our country has taken in

the last decade related to non-proliferation issues. In the

nuclear field, we ratified the Treaty for the Prohibition of

Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

(Treaty of Tlatelolco) in 1994 and the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1995, and

have become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

In the chemical and bacteriological field, we have

promoted the Joint Declaration on the Complete

Prohibition of Chemical and Biological Weapons — the

Mendoza Agreement — of 1991, a commitment originally

limited to Argentina, Brazil and Chile, which was later

extended to most Latin American countries. We have also

adjusted our domestic legislation strictly to control

exports related to dual-use chemical, bacteriological and

missile-related substances and technologies, in accordance

with existing international instruments. Last July, as a

follow-up to the Mendoza Agreement, we adopted the

Ushuaia Declaration, which established the Southern Cone

Common Market (MERCOSUR) as an area free of

weapons of mass destruction. Hence, Argentina has taken

the decision to assume greater responsibility in this field.

In turn, this decision has allowed us to continue

exchanges of advanced technology.

In relation to conventional weapons, we strongly

support the United Nations Register of Conventional

Arms, to which we regularly provide information. We

also support other important initiatives recently adopted

within the framework of the Organization of American

States (OAS), such as the Inter-American Convention

against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in

Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related

Materials and Other Appropriate Actions. Small arms

constitute another source of international concern. It is

worth mentioning that regional and international seminars

have recently been held in Buenos Aires on this topic.

We are not indifferent to the grave scourge of

antipersonnel mines. In 1995, Argentina established a

moratorium on the export of mines and more recently, in

December 1997 at Ottawa, I had the honour to sign, on

my countryâs behalf, the Convention on the Prohibition of

the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-

Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction.

In our hemisphere we work earnestly and in a spirit

of compromise to overcome all differences by means of

negotiation. As we gradually resolve the few pending

bilateral disputes, we will definitively consolidate our

region as a zone of peace. We trust that in coming

months we shall see important developments in that

regard. Friendship among peoples is the best guarantee

against conflict.

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We are convinced that the United Nations presence in

Haiti, in keeping with the desire of the Government of that

country, will help to consolidate democracy and contribute

to the prosperity of the Haitian people.

The resurgence of terrorist attacks comes as a harsh

reminder that no State is immune to terrorism. My country

firmly supports the initiatives under way to supplement with

new conventions the network of anti-terrorism norms now

in force, leading to enhanced international cooperation and

to establishing the obligation of all States to bring to justice

and punish those responsible for these acts. The Argentine

Government continues to make every effort to clarify the

acts of terrorism committed against the Israeli embassy and

the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.

Let me highlight the fact that on 2 September 1998 the

Argentine Republic signed the International Convention for

the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. Likewise, next

November Argentina will host the second specialized inter-

American conference on terrorism.

Severe global humanitarian crises, usually

accompanied by forced displacement of populations,

constitute another issue that affects international peace and

security. Argentina has joined in the international

communityâs efforts, with bilateral assistance programmes

and with such initiatives as the “White Helmets” initiative.

In that context, intergovernmental and non-governmental

organizations devoting their energies to the solution of this

type of crisis deserve our recognition.

To grow and develop, peoples need to live in peace.

We are dismayed to see that conflicts which could be

overcome, such as those in Cyprus, the Middle East, the

Great Lakes region of Africa, Angola and the Balkans,

particularly Kosovo, persist in spite of the international

communityâs efforts to resolve them. The situation of

refugees, especially children, who are victims of these

conflicts is a source of particular concern.

In 1998 Argentina will mark the fortieth anniversary

of its participation in peacekeeping operations. Our

contribution has cost the lives of Argentine citizens who

helped to make this a more secure and stable world. The

vast experience acquired over these 40 years has been

embodied in the Argentine joint training centre for

peacekeeping operations, and in the Argentine gendarmerie

training centre that specializes in civilian police operations

abroad.

Argentinaâs natural interest in the South Atlantic is

reflected in our participation in the Zone of Peace and

Cooperation of the South Atlantic, which brings together

24 African and Latin American countries from both

shores of the Atlantic. I am particularly proud to

announce that, on 21 and 22 October, Argentina will be

the site of the fifth Ministerial Meeting of the countries

members of the Zone.

Unfortunately, there remains an important unresolved

issue in the South Atlantic: the sovereignty dispute

between the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the Malvinas

Islands, a dispute whose existence has been unequivocally

recognized in many resolutions of the General Assembly

and of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard

to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting

of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, as

well as in various other international forums. I reiterate,

with the same conviction as always, the legitimate and

well-founded rights of Argentina in that long-standing

dispute. And, with the same conviction as always, I urge

the United Kingdom to heed the call of the international

community and observe United Nations resolutions calling

upon both Governments to resume negotiations on all

aspects of this question.

The end of the cold war showed us that far more

complicated problems have been resolved through frank,

open dialogue and with a determination to reach a

mutually acceptable agreement. I see no reason why the

question of the Malvinas Islands should be an exception.

Proceeding on firm footing, we have rebuilt our bilateral

relationship and, for the benefit of the Argentine and

British peoples, have strengthened political, trade and

cultural ties. Evidence of this is the visit which President

Carlos Menem is to make to the United Kingdom in the

near future, for which both parties are engaged in

enthusiastic preparations and which has generated high

expectations at all levels.

Similarly, we have left behind the misgivings and

resentments of the past, learning from our mistakes and

creating a climate of mutual trust in the South-West

Atlantic, which is today enabling us to cooperate in the

conservation of fishery resources and in exploration for

hydrocarbons. That cooperation renders still more

incomprehensible todayâs lack of communication between

the islands and the mainland. There are few places in the

world with such an unnatural situation. It is beyond doubt

that restoring direct ties between the mainland and the

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islands would contribute to resolving the problem. We have

no doubt about this.

Once again, I expressly reiterate Argentinaâs sincere

desire to pursue a frank dialogue without preconditions. We

hope that the British Government understands the full

meaning of our offer and that it will respond accordingly.

To the islanders I reiterate our unwavering commitment to

full and unconditional respect for their way of life, their

culture and their institutions. Our national constitution so

provides, and that is the desire of the Argentine people.

There have been concrete advances on vital questions.

The creation of a permanent international criminal court is

one such example. Similarly, the recent special session of

the General Assembly devoted to the world problem of

drugs adopted innovative documents of great importance.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the adoption

of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the

Crime of Genocide. In these 50 years, the international

community has become aware of the vital importance of

human rights: today it no longer accepts what was once

tolerated.

The deterioration of the environment, in its various

forms, is one of the problems urgently requiring concrete

answers and effective commitment by governments and

civil society. Argentina will have the honour of hosting the

fourth Conference of the Parties to the Framework

Convention on Climate Change, from 2 to 13 November of

this year.

We are convinced that a substantial part of our efforts

to reform the Organization should be geared to designing a

mechanism of closer and more effective cooperation with

the Bretton Woods institutions.

With regard to reform of the Security Council, we

believe that situations born out of the Second World War

cannot prevail indefinitely. It is necessary to find

democratic solutions that will allow for periodic renewal

within the modalities preferred by each region. The viability

of this reform will necessarily depend on the degree of

consensus reached. There are several aspects to be borne in

mind. The first is that the reform must be legally valid,

which means not forcing interpretations of the Charter with

regard to the majorities required by Article 108. Further,

the reform must be founded on political legitimacy. Any

increase in the number of permanent members should allow

for a rotation open to all States of the respective regions.

The crisis of our Organization is fundamentally one of

participation. Many small and medium-sized countries

feel excluded. Only by allowing greater participation in

the Security Council will we be living up to the

democratic ideals of the end of this century.

The vitality of democratic ideals in the region was

confirmed with the signing on 24 July of the Ushuaia

protocol, which reaffirms the democratic clause in the

countries of the Southern Cone Common Market

(MERCOSUR), Bolivia and Chile.

The visit by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan,

to the countries of our region last July was a very

significant event. Argentina had the opportunity to

demonstrate its clear commitment to assuming its global

responsibilities. The Secretary-General recognized this,

especially as regards peacekeeping.