Central African Republic, 1993

The direction that international relations have

taken today, although to some extent decided upon by States,

reflects, none the less, the limited ability of States to bring

the condition of the world into line with the new

international social realities. If the problems that face the

international community because of this international social

dynamic are to be resolved they must be tackled through

collective, concerted and appropriate action that goes beyond

the national framework. My country is happy that there is

among States a growing awareness of these needs. We

welcome this new direction as the forty-eighth session of the

General Assembly begins.

But before stating my delegation’s views about how to

encourage States to share this new approach - and as we

work in this direction we shall be calling on you, Sir, to

demonstrate your great qualities - we should like to extend

to you the warm congratulations of the Central African

Republic on your election as President of the General

Assembly. We pledge to you our full cooperation, and

express the hope that your work will be crowned with

success.

The wisdom and spirit of compromise with which your

predecessor, Mr. Stoyan Ganev, conducted the proceedings

at the last session earned the full appreciation of my

delegation.

The renewed authority of our Organization is due, of

course, to the determination of Member States but also to the

conviction and methodical, rational and pragmatic action of

the Secretary-General, who has always, and in all

circumstances, endeavoured to work for the purposes and

principles of the Organization. To

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali we pledge the renewed support

of the Central African Republic.

My delegation also welcomes the admission to our

Organization of the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic,

Eritrea, the Principality of Monaco, the Principality of

Andorra and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Their admission fulfils the oft-expressed desire of the

international community to see all the countries of the world

as Members of our Organization and thus strengthen its

universal character. All States, individually and collectively,

must come together to defend the purposes and principles of

the United Nations. It is unacceptable for some States still

to be excluded.

For this reason, in the view of the delegation of the

Central African Republic, today it is important that the place

of the Republic of China in our Organization be

reconsidered. The immense progress made by the Republic

of China in Taiwan in the political, economic and social

spheres has now earned it the right to resume its place here

so that it can contribute, better than it did in the past, to the

flourishing of international cooperation through its active

participation in the United Nations system.

The developments in the international arena we are

witnessing today arise from the process of transformation

that the world has undergone, especially in the last few

years. These transformations affect all areas of international

life, and, fortunately, States are taking them into account as

they manage their international relations, which, to a large

extent, determine the direction our world takes. There is

also an emerging tendency for problems to have world-wide

effects, prompting States to become the guardians of world

interests. This phenomenon is clearly illustrated in

cooperation and concerted action among States in the spirit

suggested by our Secretary-General in "An Agenda for

Peace" in efforts to contribute to laying the foundation for

real peace in the world. Indeed, notwithstanding certain

reflexive and automatic responses the relics of the cold-war

conditions, States today are increasingly determined to do

what they can, on the foundation of the principles of the

United Nations and in cooperation with the United Nations,

in order, if not to eliminate, at least try, to reduce prevailing

tensions in other areas of the world.

My delegation is happy that this approach has now

made it possible for the situation to evolve as it has in

Cambodia, South Africa - where the Central African

Republic supports the appeal by the President of the African

National Congress (ANC), Mr. Nelson Mandela, to lift

sanctions against South Africa - and, finally, in the Middle

East, in respect of which my country pays a hearty tribute to

Mr. Yasser Arafat and Mr. Yitzhak Rabin for their courage,

vision and lucidity in signing recently the historic accord on

mutual recognition. This same desire for cooperation is

needed in order to bring about a positive and speedy

settlement of the problems of the former Yugoslavia,

Western Sahara, Angola and Somalia.

The international gatherings recently held in Vienna and

Geneva, while making it possible to take the measure of the

sad reality of human-rights violations throughout the world,

provided at the same time an opportunity for States to

reaffirm the need for concerted international action with a

view to guaranteeing more securely these values. In

addition, since the Rio Conference, States have shown

greater interest in the question of the environment, and they

have now made Agenda 21 a real platform for cooperation

in this area, which will make it easier to ensure better

16 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

protection of the common heritage of mankind while

maintaining conditions for sustainable development.

This tendency for problems to have world-wide effects,

if systematically managed, would usher in a new era, that of

the triumph of multilateralism, an era in which the United

Nations would bring its authority to bear - as it is trying,

with varying degrees of success, to do today in certain

peace-keeping operations - in other areas of cooperation,

such as cooperation for development. Inadequacies in the

area of cooperation are in sharp contrast to the declared

determination of States to contribute to maintaining balance

in the world in the post-cold-war period. It is, then,

desirable that real solidarity be cultivated among Member

States, which might induce developed countries to support

efforts for development in developing countries, in particular

in Africa.

The economic condition of these countries is constantly

deteriorating from year to year, and they have often come

before this and other bodies to bring their problems to the

attention of the international community, whose response

has, unfortunately, not removed any of the obstacles to those

countries’ development. Those obstacles are, in short, the

continuing decline of prices of commodities, the heavy debt

burden and debt-servicing, negative net financial flows and

strengthened protectionism. If these factors persist, there is

no doubt that the African countries will have increasing

difficulty in overcoming their situation. But these countries

must not be excluded from development, and everything

must be done to encourage their efforts at development.

The duty of solidarity calls for dialogue and cooperation

between the developed countries and the developing

countries in order to ensure fairer remuneration for

commodities and an easing of the debt burden and debt-

servicing. Coordinating efforts at the level of the United

Nations system, among international economic and financial

institutions and organizations and among

non-governmental organizations is required to improve the

situation of the developing countries.

Such activity would be in keeping with the new spirit

that characterizes international relations today and that has

made it possible for some developed countries to support the

democratization process that has begun in some of our

countries, including my own. I should like, in this regard,

to express our deep gratitude to all the countries and

institutions that have so kindly provided us with material and

financial support and sent international observers to help the

cause of democracy in the Central African Republic. We

hope we shall continue to enjoy their concerned assistance

in our endeavour to lay the foundation of our young

democracy, and, from this rostrum, I wish to appeal for

understanding.

My delegation believes that the time has come to bring

about genuine democratization in the decision-making bodies

of the United Nations, the Security Council in particular, the

membership of which must be adapted to the new realities

of the world.

The great developments in science and technology have

today reduced our world to a global village where each and

every one of us must feel directly affected by all the

problems that exist on the various levels of international life.

The trend towards the globalization of problems that has

become evident as a result of this ought to be maintained so

that States can take up the challenge of defending peace by

promoting the development of human rights.

Forty-eighth session - 8 October l993 17

For the Central African Republic, this challenge can be

successfully taken up if we fully respect the principles of the

United Nations.