Chile, 1993

I am particularly pleased to congratulate

Ambassador Insanally on his election to the presidency of

the General Assembly, which does honour to the Group of

Latin American and Caribbean States. We know that he has

long-standing close personal ties to Chile.

It has been our lot to witness and to be a part of events

of far-reaching significance in the history of mankind. The

political, technological, economic and social changes that

have shaken the world over the past 10 years are beginning

to take root, and as they do so the enormous influence they

have had on the establishment of new forms of behaviour,

new values and new institutional schemes is becoming

apparent.

The maintenance of democracy as the single paradigm

has brought with it beneficial influences, although for some

the establishment of this system of coexistence has given

rise to upheavals which are not yet over. But we can afford

a measure of realistic optimism if we fix our attention on

other developments. The beginnings of an agreement

between Palestinians and Israelis are a tangible example of

this. Another is the awakening of South Africa to true

democracy. The spirit of consensus that is beginning to

spread throughout the world is a consequence of the

democratic paradigm. Against this new backdrop, the

United Nations has a vital role to play.

At this juncture, then, there are grounds for optimism,

and we have a duty to be optimistic. For only in being

optimistic will we be able to overcome the reluctance of

some and the temptation of others to take refuge in

fundamentalism. It is also imperative for us to take a firm

stand against a kind of rigidity of approach which is gaining

ground in the world. This is the tendency to treat systems

as if they were incontrovertible truths. It is the transfer of

dogma to sciences that are not at all exact. And this is

happening at a time when advances in human knowledge are

demonstrating precisely that what is vital today is to open

our minds to reason and to distance ourselves as far as

possible from dogmatism.

We are living in a world which has ceased to be

foreign. No human reality is alien to us. No suffering is

remote. No triumph of intelligence is a private matter. But

globalization does not mean uniformity. What is more,

without respect for differences, it would cease to have the

vigour it exhibits today. Its competitiveness would be lost,

and the concept of one world would inevitably find itself on

its deathbed.

This is the world in which we have to live and move,

a world plagued by disturbing yet, paradoxically, stimulating

contradictions. It is in such a world that we must strive to

seize the opportunity to take positive initiatives, without

prejudices, and come closer to the innermost reality of man.

This is why we are now striving to make progress in the

defence of universal humanitarian law. This concept is

inherent in the new vision of the world, and Chile comes

forward as its most resolute proponent. It is this concept

which has led the "Blue Helmets" in the past three years to

take on as many missions as they conducted between the end

of the Second World War and the beginning of the 1990s.

The United Nations troops serve the invaluable objective of

peacemaking and rebuilding coexistence, a task which we

must perform if we are to meet adequately the need to strike

the proper balance between local sensitivity and global

sensitivity.

The number of problems that are worldwide in scope

has greatly increased. Whether through rigidity in the

application of the system or through shortcomings in the

system itself, we are witnessing some tragic consequences.

Millions of human beings are suffering from poverty. Nor

is the tragedy confined to the poor nations. We are

witnessing a worldwide social crisis. It has left its mark on

the developed countries as well. Social marginalization is a

reality which has taken on truly disturbing dimensions

hitherto unknown in those latitudes.

Chile’s present Government has always viewed

economic development as inseparable from social

development. We see the economy not as an end in itself,

but as a means by which humanity can attain happiness.

This is our objective, and this is what has led President

Patricio Aylwin to assign the priority to dealing with what

we have termed the social debt. This term encompasses the

recognition that society as a whole must accord to the poor.

This idea has gained ground. As a result, the Chilean

initiative regarding the convening of a world summit for

social development has been positively received. The

meeting, to be held at Copenhagen in 1995, will be a

tangible demonstration of this concern on the part of the

United Nations.

My country is confident that we will make every effort

necessary to ensure that the Copenhagen meeting arrives at

appropriate and specific solutions. The environment is

favourable, which makes us feel that we shall be able to

conclude the summit with an "agenda or programme for

people", one essential element of which must be broader,

more effective and more united international cooperation.

Today’s world poses questions which must be answered

without delay. Poverty, hunger and other social scourges are

perceived as aberrations. Their eradication is the task of the

38 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

international community as a whole. In this task, the United

Nations will play a decisive role. It has the capacity to take

the leadership, which means channelling international

cooperation.

Furthermore, we recognize that the United Nations has

a fundamental role to play in dealing with the relevant

issues.

In the specific field of international peace and security,

my country has repeatedly stressed its support for the action

taken by the Secretary-General, and Chile advocates the

strengthening of his role, particularly with respect to

preventive diplomacy. We hail his report "An Agenda for

Peace" as a valuable and significant aid to Governments.

We look forward with interest to the forthcoming publication

of an agenda for development, which we intend to consider

with the greatest enthusiasm.

In the same spirit of cooperation, we have conveyed to

the Secretary-General suggestions regarding the benefits that

might derive from an increase in the number of members of

the Security Council. Because of the great importance of

that body, any change that is proposed should reflect the

very clear political will of the majority. I want to put great

emphasis on this point. We view the changes in the Security

Council as part of a wide-ranging exercise aimed at

strengthening the United Nations. No reform can be viable

if its sole aim is to grant some degree of political

recognition to certain emerging Powers. The aim of our

proposal is that appropriate account be taken of the new

international reality. At the same time, it seeks to reflect the

increase in the membership of the Organization since the last

time the Council was enlarged.

In our suggestions to the Secretary-General, we indicate

the need for the reform to result in a limited membership.

This will enable us to ensure efficiency and to achieve our

objectives of democratization. In this context, we feel that

it is important that the various regions of the world be duly

represented. This will enable us to combine the idea of

democratization with the balance that is essential.

Regarding the right of veto, we agree with many

nations that this is not a democratic means of

decision-making. For this reason we wish to make it clear

that we are opposed to its being extended to new permanent

members of the Council. In line with these ideas, Chile has

raised the possibility of the Council’s comprising permanent

members, permanent members without the right of veto,

regional members with an extended term, and non-permanent

members.

Still in the context of the protection of democracy, we

cannot fail to mention that at the regional level too new

circumstances have led to changes in the instruments

available to the Organization of American States (OAS).

Clear evidence of this is the Santiago "Commitment to

democracy and the renewal of the inter-American system"

approved at the General Assembly of the OAS held in the

capital of Chile in 1991. This new approach has already

yielded results. The OAS has achieved successes that would

previously have been impossible in the region - particularly

in the field of the protection of democracy and human rights.

Of concern to us, together with steps in these two

sensitive areas, is decisive action for the protection of nature.

Currently, Chile holds the chairmanship of the environment

commission established within the organization.

In addition, my country has joined in the effort to

combat drug trafficking. Accordingly, we support various

initiatives aimed at drafting new legal instruments to combat

this scourge effectively.

Likewise - returning to the world scene - we attach

special importance to the process of restructuring in the

economic and social sector. This will raise the possibility of

saving millions of human beings who are currently

marginalized, living in minimal security conditions. In our

view, cooperation for development should become one of the

most solid pillars of the international agenda for the twenty-

first century. We shall continue to put forward ideas and to

support initiatives, in the Group of 77 and any other body,

that will serve to advance the negotiations.

President Aylwin’s Government has striven to make

international cooperation a reality. We have participated in

various activities within the programme of technical

cooperation between developing countries. Currently, we

have projects in 43 countries, and 70 institutions from the

public and private sectors are participating in them.

There is an active current of cooperation with our

neighbours in Central America, the Caribbean and South

America. Also under way are projects that link us with

Mexico. Similarly, we have programmes with the People’s

Republic of China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Recently, contacts have been established with African

countries and with South Pacific island territories. All of

this forms part of a deliberate policy aimed at strengthening

links with the Latin American and Caribbean nations and at

establishing close ties with all developing countries.

Forty-eighth session - 27 September l993 39

An outstanding feature of the major changes taking

place throughout the world is the important role being

assumed by the Pacific basin in political, economic and

strategic terms. Chile is a coastal State of that ocean, and

our identification with the basin is one of the most

innovative elements in the foreign policy being pursued by

President Aylwin. We have made a sustained effort to

associate ourselves with the main agreements on cooperation

in the Pacific region. Since 1990, Chilean business has been

participating actively in the Pacific Basin Economic Council,

and since 1991 Chile has been a full member of the Pacific

Economic Cooperation Council. We hope also to join the

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, as we view this

as an important means of promoting the liberalization of

regional and world-wide trade. In this effort we have

received valuable support from the States members of the

Association of South-East Asian Nations, and for this we are

grateful.

In another context, I cannot fail to take this opportunity

to mention an issue that is of special significance to the

developing world. I refer to the Uruguay Round of the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The

renewal of these negotiations provides some grounds for

hope. The so-called Dunkel text is very far from meeting

our legitimate aspirations, although it does constitute a major

advance in the current situation. Unfortunately, nonetheless,

it embodies a number of limitations on genuine freedom of

trade.

The most difficult issue in the Uruguay Round has been

trade in agricultural products, which, for the nations of Latin

America -for developing countries in general - is of vital

importance. Hence our lively interest in what is happening

in GATT. Insistence on intransigent positions, which

objectively impede world trade, creates insurmountable

barriers to development - a situation to which we cannot

remain indifferent.

Chile has fully discharged its commitment to the

collective security system. We regard this United Nations

initiative as highly appropriate in the current international

situation. My country has participated in a number of

peace-keeping operations. It has sent military observers to

the Middle East and to the frontier between India and

Pakistan; police officers to El Salvador; air force personnel

to Kuwait; and army personnel to Cambodia.

In discussing this issue, we cannot overlook the

financing difficulties that peace-keeping operations are

facing. We support the steps being taken by the

Secretary-General of the United Nations to overcome these

problems.

Unquestionably, however, in our view, any discussion

of peace is incomplete if it does not refer to the progress

made in relation to disarmament. The Convention on

chemical weapons is a significant achievement. We trust

that the work initiated with a view to the signing of a

comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty will follow the same

course.

At this forty-eighth session of the General Assembly, I

wish briefly to evaluate the results Chile has achieved in

some of the areas to which it attaches priority in the

restoration of democracy.

Let me refer first to our reintegration into the

international community. In the multilateral sphere, we can

point to the generous support of our peers, which has

enabled us to become members of the Economic and Social

Council, the Commission on Human Rights, the International

Law Commission and the Executive Council of the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and

to the election of our Ambassador to the United Nations,

Juan Somavia, as President of the Economic and Social

Council and Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the

World Summit for Social Development.

In keeping with its mandate, President Aylwin’s

Government sees human rights as another of the objectives

towards which its actions are directed, both domestically and

in foreign policy. The latter aspect reflects a traditional

position of our country: that of encouraging respect for

international law and promoting peace and justice. At the

same time, however, it is the least we can do by way of

reciprocating the enormous solidarity the international

community has extended to the Chilean people at the most

difficult moment in its history.

It will be the task of the General Assembly at this

session to begin the implementation of the agreements

contained in the Plan of Action adopted at the second World

Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna at the

beginning of this year.

Along with its re-emergence on the international scene

and its protection of human rights and democracy, Chile has

set itself the goal of working for effective regional

integration.

Here, too, we can point to major achievements. Our

relations with our Latin American and Caribbean brothers

40 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

could not be better. Agreements that have already been

signed and various others that are in the drafting stage -

some 220 agreements and treaties in four years - bear

witness to this fact.

To that same end, we have worked for the

strengthening of the Rio Group; we currently have the

honour to be coordinating its temporary secretariat. That

institution is the embodiment of a modern approach to

international relations. It embodies the will of the region in

its relations with individual countries or groups of countries

outside the region. This forum for political consensus

already has significant achievements to its credit on various

levels. Moreover, it is a clear demonstration of what we can

aspire to if we manifest imagination, political openness and

realism.

Special mention needs to be made of the understanding

we have reached with our neighbours. The understanding,

generosity and vision of the future exhibited by the Heads of

State of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Chile have allowed us

to settle issues which in some cases had been dragging on

for more than a century. While respecting our respective

traditions and abiding by the inviolable principles of

international law, including non-intervention and the sanctity

of treaties as the source of rights, we have nevertheless

understood that, as the twenty-first century approaches, it

will be useful to exchange ideas about our national

aspirations, inasmuch as they promote the maintenance of

peace.

It is a great honour for me to be addressing the

forty-eighth session of the General Assembly. The four

years I have represented Chile in this important forum,

whether accompanying President Aylwin or personally, have

been an enriching experience.

The period in which we have the good fortune to be

living demands increasingly dynamic and effective

responses. The world is moving towards a new structure

which will undoubtedly afford us the possibility of moving

ever closer to satisfying the needs of human beings. But

whether we can make this a reality will depend on the

intelligence with which we confront the future.

I have every confidence in the rich sap that nourishes

this spreading tree, which shelters us all. The United

Nations has before it a glorious future in working for the

cause of peace. But that future will be possible only if we

demonstrate the imagination to be bold, the knowledge to

move ahead, the love to understand that to strive for the

common good is always a viable option, the solidarity to be

more human and the wisdom not to repeat the mistakes of

the past.

Members of the Assembly, my good wishes go with

you.