Dominican Republic, 1982

I should like first to express to Mr. Hollai on this occasion my

sincere congratulations on his unanimous election to the

distinguished office of the President of the thirty- seventh session

of the General Assembly and also to extend our congratulations to the

other members of the General Committee. The presidency of the General

Assembly constitutes a singular honour to the Member State that

occupies it, as well as to its regional group. My delegation also

congratulates Mr. Kittani, who presided over the thirty-sixth session

of the General Assembly with great success. My delegation also wishes

to express its gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez

de Cuellar, whose experience and hard work in the service of the

United Nations have already been clearly demonstrated, and represent

for the countries of the American continent a source of legitimate

pride and satisfaction. The report which he has submitted to the

General Assembly is brilliant, and is proof of this; of the many

documents that the Organization produces, only a very few are as

important as this call to reflection. His words not only enumerate

the great problems that oppress the world, but also propose solutions

to these grave and multiple problems. With the sincerity and emotion

essential to the task of considering the fate of peoples, the

Secretary-General has made recommendations that do not shrink from

criticism of and alternatives for the action of bodies within the

United Nations itself, such as the Security Council. His considered

and valuable presentation has won the support and general approval of

world opinion, and my delegation supports it fully.

The Dominican Republic is conscious of the complex and serious

problems affecting the international community that are being debated

at this session, and of the fact that those problems require measures

commensurate with their seriousness and urgency, We are confident

that within the framework of the law and the principles of the

Charter will be possible to adopt the measures that can lead to a

better and more just international order.

It is for me a source of great satisfaction to participate in the

Assembly as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the new

constitutional Government of my country, inaugurated on 16 August of

this year. The Government headed by President Salvador Jorge Blanco

assumed office in the Dominican Republic through the free and

sovereign will of our people, expressed in free elections.

This Government is the result of the institutional strength of a

country that has been fulfilling its democratic vocation through

constant struggle and great sacrifice. During the last 20 years we

have not only removed the obstacles that checked our democratic

development, but we have also overcome situations that affected our

standing as a sovereign nation.

The Dominican Republic is now enjoying a period characterized by the

consolidation of its political democracy and is facing the urgent

task of promoting economic development and social justice. At this

time, within our institutional framework and with full respect for

human rights, ideological pluralism and absolute freedom, the

Government intends to make those changes and reforms that are

necessary to strengthen our economic democracy, one of the most

legitimate aspirations of developing countries.

We consider it appropriate to point out those accomplishments because

we firmly believe that the continuous and strengthening exercise of

democracy in a small country such as ours, belonging to the group of

third world nations, is an example to be proud of and strengthens our

national purpose to achieve our own destiny without interference.

The political stability of Dominican Republic has created conditions

which enable us to increase our effective participation in

international relations, and to that end we offer our full

co-operation in the search for peaceful solutions, strictly adhering

to the principles of international law and of the Charter, at a time

when great conflicts and tension are shaking the international

community. This activity will be exercised within our sovereign

rights, without prejudices, inflexible positions or hegemonic

constraints.

The strengthening of the traditional bonds of friendship that join us

to certain countries will not be an obstacle to the substantial

broadening of our frontiers in the vast and complex field of

international relations, in as far as this is required by our

national interests. Above any other consideration, the unchangeable

norm of our conduct in the international community will be absolute

respect for and adherence to the legal and moral principles sustained

and supported by the nations which together with ours form the

Organization.

In his inaugural speech as constitutional President of the Dominican

Republic, Mr. Salvador Jorge Blanco outlined the attitude of his

Government in international affairs in the following words: "We

declare ourselves men of America, an essential part of an

international community full of heroic deeds, an integral part of the

new world searching daily for a collective existence, of the union of

wills and efforts dedicated to the defense of social justice, to the

struggle against underdevelopment. "In these difficult moments for

the countries of the third world the solidarity of the people of

America is necessary and urgent and requires mutual support to help

them overcome their pressing problems of subsistence and their

terrible economic and political problems. In these difficult times,

America, our Magna Patria, as it was called by Pedro Hennquez Urena,

should be a spearhead to thwart the constant menaces of a world

holocaust and should be a bulwark of equilibrium in the concert of

nations of the world." Within this new spirit, the Dominican

Government has decided to exercise further its traditional vocation

for peaceful action and to participate as an active element in the

search for solutions to the conflicts presently afflicting our

brother countries of Central America, and we are also prepared to

collaborate in alleviating the international tension that affects

other nations in the Caribbean basin.

This attitude on the part of the Dominican Government is reflected in

the decision to offer our immediate support for the purposes

expressed jointly by the Presidents of Mexico and Venezuela in a

letter they addressed to the President of the United States of

America, to the Council of Government of Nicaragua and to the

President of Honduras, expressing their concern over the tense

situation existing between the latter two countries.

In this instance the Dominican Government did not confine itself to

simple support but expressed its willingness to participate, in

whatever useful way it could, without detriment to the principle of

non-intervention, in any effort to normalize relations between those

two brother countries.

This position on the part of my Government had already been expressed

in the joint declaration issued in Santo Domingo on 16 August last by

the heads of State of Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize and

the Dominican Republic, on the express initiative of my Government,

in which those distinguished statesmen ratified their support for the

fundamental principles of international law, which include the

sovereign equality of all countries, respect for their independence

and the territorial integrity, respect for the principle of

non-intervention, non recourse to threats or use of force to resolve

international conflicts, ideological pluralism, the

self-determination of nations and respect for and faithful compliance

with international treaties.

The declaration emphasizes: "within the framework of the different

proposals for peace in the Central American region and the mechanisms

to implement them, rejection of violent solutions, negotiations and

dialogue are necessary for the solution of this crisis, a solution

which must be the exclusive product of a common will and effort, with

a view to promoting democracy, economic development and social

justice."

Moreover, we also made a cordial appeal to those democratic countries

interested in the establishment of peace to apply their best efforts

to achieve that end. For my country that declaration forms part of a

profound commitment. We must help to stop the present bloodshed and

thus avert the possible danger of cruel and extended confrontations.

For our brother nations of Central America we desire the full

exercise of human rights. We consider it just and urgent that these

countries be able to choose freely their own destiny and to devote

their energies to full economic and social development.

We must emphasize that there is perhaps no other region as cohesive

in its geography, its history, its ethnology, its economy and its

culture as the Caribbean. This region is characterized by the

coexistence of traditional and emerging States. However, due to

causes alien to the interests of its peoples, interchanges among the

countries of the region have not been achieved to the extent that we

would desire and welcome. The Dominican Republic has special

characteristics which make it an ideal bridge for the realization of

such exchanges among Caribbean countries, especially at a time when

we are strengthening our relations with the region's new States.

For the Dominican Republic it is not Utopian to believe and to say

that the Central American and Caribbean region must become a zone of

peace, of balance, stability, pluralism and the total rejection of

military solutions.

This year there occurred in the South Atlantic a deplorable event

that disturbed the region but brought about solidarity in support of

the just territorial claims of a brother nation.

An invariable aspect of the foreign policy of the Dominican Republic

is our opposition to all forms and vestiges of colonialism in any

part of the world. This has been a firm and consistent position

expressed on innumerable occasions and in different international

forums. Within the Organization, from the very outset, the Dominican

delegation has constantly supported all anti-colonial recommendations

and measures and has with clear determination contributed to the

worthy process of decolonization that has been realized by the United

Nations.

Throughout its history the Dominican Republic has been a peace-loving

country. This position is unchangeable and is universally recognized.

We believe that peace is the common goal of all mankind, the highest

of social values, the indispensable norm for a harmonious and

civilized life within each country and internationally.

We therefore address a cordial appeal to the Republic of Argentina

and the United Kingdom to resume within the framework of the United

Nations the necessary negotiations that will through dialogue and

understanding permit a dignified, honourable and permanent solution

to the conflict through the peaceful mechanism available to sovereign

States under the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

We consider it appropriate to point out that this deplorable

experience has deeply affected public faith in the effectiveness of

the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, signed at Rio de

Janeiro in 1947, as a proper instrument for the preservation of peace

in our hemisphere and has once again demonstrated the urgent need to

enrich and strengthen the system of collective security in that part

of the world with the same firm will and resolve manifest in Bogota

when the Organization of American States was founded there.

The Dominican Republic expresses its deep concern at the grave

economic crisis affecting the international community, which is

characterized by a reduced rate of economic growth, a deterioration

in the terms of trade, the stagnation of trade, a decrease in the

prices of raw materials, high interest rates and increasing

protectionism by the industrialized nations, together with the

reduction of international economic aid and co-operation. To give

just one revealing example, the increase in the gross national

product barely reached 1 per cent in the industrialized countries for

1980 and 1981, and it will probably be at zero in 1982. This has

produced a considerable increase in unemployment and thereby a drasticreduction

in the demand for the products and raw materials on the export of

which the existence of the third world depends.

Although this problem affects all countries, it is undeniable that

the countries within the underdeveloped group that do not produce oil

are those that suffer most as a result of the present international

economic crisis. In fact, in real terms, the prices of our

commodities have reached the lowest level recorded in the last three

decades and are substantially lower than those that prevailed during

the recession of the mid-1970s. The most important consequence of

this situation for the underdeveloped countries that do not produce

oil is that in most of tl.cm real per capita income has been

drastically reduced for the first time since the Second World War.

This situation has created a grave imbalance in the external sector

of our economies characterized by high deficits, for which we have

been compelled to compensate with unprecedented increases in our

foreign debt. This high level of debt today constitutes one of the

most serious threats to the financial stability of many nations. We

want to use this international forum to request the flexibility that

the international banking community must show as regards the

repayment of those debts, because it must be remembered that they

have been caused by a very unusual economic situation.

We support the conclusions set forth at the recent meeting of the

World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Toronto stressing

the enormous responsibility now facing the main industrialized

countries as regards the recovery of their economies, the reduction

of present interest rates and reversal of the present isolationist

trend so as to bring about closer and more generalized international

co-operation.

We also propose the study and identification of proper

recommendations to curtail the increasing protectionist trend in

industrialized nations, which manifests itself in the establishment

of unjustified trade barriers that obstruct international trade and

limit the expansion of markets for the products of the third- world

nations.

In other words our delegation considers that the North-South dialogue

must be awakened from its present stagnation and be activated as an

instrument for frank discussions concerning the contradictions

between the developed and the developing worlds. The present

condition of the international economy reveals symptoms similar-too

similar to be ignored- to those that existed before the world

depression of the 1930s, whose disastrous consequences we all know.

Let us pledge that during the current decade, through global

negotiations within the framework of the Organization, those

indispensable measures required for the achievement of the much

awaited new international economic order will be taken and make it

possible for us to live in a more secure and just world.

As we examine the problems that affect the international community,

we cannot forget the danger posed by the policies of increasing

armaments pursued by the super-Powers. Our concern increases when we

observe with anxiety and frustration the paralysis of negotiations on

disarmament and the fact that we cannot foresee the establishment of

a new order that will give peace to the world. It is a paradox that

while the great nations argue over formulas to reduce the tremendous

power of their forces of mutual destruction new installations with

nuclear missiles of incalculable efficiency are being set up on their

territories. If this latent menace became reality, it would imply the

total destruction of the world that we live in. The danger becomes

greater with the outbreak of limited conflicts in sensitive areas of

the world, conflicts that could easily become uncontrollable and

result in a nuclear holocaust.

In this situation of extreme danger to all mankind, there is an

urgent need for all Member States to act together to create the

proper climate for constructive dialogue between the big world Powers.

One of the dangers is the explosive situation of increasing violence

in the Middle East which during recent decades has been a negative

factor for the prospects for balance and peace in the world. The

seriousness of the situation has been made tragically evident by the

recent horrible massacre of Palestinian refugees in the camps of

Lebanon, a dreadful act of genocide that has shaken the conscience of

the entire international community. Our Government has publicly

emphatically condemned that horrible massacre, and has demanded that

international bodies prevent its repetition and determine

responsibility for it.

Our voice has joined those of other nations clamouring for an

effective guarantee of the integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon, an

unfortunate country with which we have very cordial relations. We are

aware that the problems in that area of conflict have demonstrated

that the Palestinian question is one of the decisive factors in the

crisis. We believe that no permanent, serious solution can be reached

if we do not provide a mechanism that assures the Palestinian people

the exercise of its inalienable right to self- determination, which

has been recognized by the United Nations.

Similarly, we reiterate our policy that any serious attempt to

achieve peace and coexistence in that tormented region must take into

account Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which, among other

things, affirms the State of Israel's right to exist.

We regard as timely and essential to the peace effort the proposal

made by the Secretary-General to convert the Security Council into a

world forum where "all the parties concerned" in the problem of the

Middle East may sit at the same negotiating table.

The Dominican Republic feels closely linked to the Arab world by the

strong connections created by the historical emigrations to our

territory of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian citizens, who have

enriched the cultural, social and economic heritage of our country

over the years. Consequently, my Government has affirmed its

determination to establish or strengthen political, economic and

other ties with many of the countries of the Arab world, within the

framework of international law and the principles of the Charter.

The war between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran, an unfortunate

confrontation between two Moslem countries, is a cause of deep

concern to us. We hope that a solution will be found in the near

future, one restoring peace and making possible a policy of

good-neighbourliness, with the full guarantee of reciprocal

rights-within the framework of the United Nations, of course.

Fundamentally, the composition of the Dominican people is the product

of an interracial union of Indians, whites and blacks. The result of

this ethnic mixture is a mixed race of which we are truly proud. The

Dominican Republic reiterates in this world forum that for us any

kind of discrimination or segregation, any attempt to separate the

population on racial, religious or other lines, is a crime against

humanity. Therefore, we reject the policies and practices of

apartheid. We take this opportunity to affirm that the Dominican

Republic condemns without reservation violations of human rights in

whatever circumstances and wherever they occur.

Our profound conviction on the matter and our resulting firm

rejection of such attempts have a special meaning at this particular

time, when we have just inaugurated in the city of Santo Domingo a

monument to Brother Antonio Montesinos. A magnificent work

architecturally and sculpturally, the monument is a gift from the

Government of Mexico to the people of the Dominican Republic. Brother

Antonio Montesinos proclaimed in a sermon in our island in 151l "By

what right and with what justice do you keep these Indians under such

horrible servitude? Are they not men? Have they not rational

spirits?" That was his cry of concern from Santo Domingo, the first

act in defence of human rights in the new world.

On 12 October, Hispanic Day, our President, at the inauguration of

the monument, recalled that pronouncement and its far-reaching

consequences when, in the presence of President Jose Lopez Portillo

of Mexico,he said: "The rights of man, which, under another name,

Brother Antonio Montesinos fought for, have been a permanent guiding

light for the Dominican people. Even in those dark days when liberty

was denied to us, the pursuit of freedom became the principal motive

which unified our wills, criteria and actions. Only time has

separated those historic moments of the struggle for liberty and

democracy in our country. Our political democracy, today fully

achieved, may be the great answer to those struggles and to a full

awareness of them, and the role this plays within our continent.

Geographical differences do not prevent us from recalling the

struggles of other peoples, however distant they may be from the

Antilles. We support the efforts of the people of Namibia to regain

its independence. We also express our concern about foreign

interventions in Afghanistan and Kampuchea. We hope that through

peaceful dialogue and the use of the machinery provided by the

Charter the Korean people may be able to secure their desired

unification into one sovereign State.

At this time, when territories are the source of still-unresolved

conflicts and problems, the seas may contribute to the well-being of

the world. We are now witnessing the humanization of the seas through

the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea that

declared the sea-bed to be the common heritage of all mankind. The

Conference was one of the great successes of the General Assembly and

proof of this body's effectiveness within the United Nations. Since

1973, when the Conference on the Law of the Sea began, it has been

working with a new vision of international law and co-operation and

is laying down rules that would satisfy our aspirations to abolish

privileges, to protect the environment and to achieve peaceful

coexistence. The new Convention on the Law of the Sea, in

establishing a new and fruitful reality, is an example of the

infinite possibilities inherent in negotiation, good will and mutual

understanding.

Among the social items on the agenda of the Assembly, the Dominican

Republic considers as being particularly relevant those related to

the rights, evolution and development of women as well as to their

participation in the political, social and economic life of their

countries. In this connection, the new Dominican Government has set

up an office for the advancement of women within a Ministry of Social

Welfare as a first step towards integration of the different aspects

of human advancement. We express our deep satisfaction at the fact

that our country has been selected as host to the International

Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, whose

formal installation will take place early next year in Santo Domingo

and for which the Dominican Government has already made a substantial

appropriation.

We are confident that the report the Secretary- General will submit

with regard to this matter, which has already been endorsed by the

Economic and Social Council, will prompt other Member States to

contribute to the support of this Institute and thereby assure the

fulfilment of its important functions.

Under the present difficult international circumstances, cultural

co-operation-widely debated and defined at the World Conference on

Cultural Policies, known as MONDIACULT, organized by UNESCO in

August-is evoked to strengthen the ties that exist between peoples.

There can be no argument that all cultures have the same dignity and

equality; that freedom is necessary to all intellectual and artistic

creation; that all patrimonies, be they architectonic, written or

oral, need to be protected and that those values are the bedrock of

an interdependence freely assumed but carefully preserving identities

and receptive to new sources of enrichment.

The Dominican Republic, which suffered for a long time from cultural

isolationism, now wishes to develop communication in education,

science, literature and art, provided such dialogues between cultures

are established on a basis of respect and reciprocity, of recognition

and a receptiveness that assures interchange in the true meaning of

that word. We wish to strengthen regional ties, the mutual

recognition of cultures, the resources and unique expressions of the

peoples of Central America and the Caribbean. To this end, the

Dominican Republic has proposed the celebration of the First Biennial

of Visual Arts in the Caribbean, to be held in Santo Domingo, a

recommendation that was approved by the General Assembly of

MONDIACULT.

However, this wish for a greater closeness to the countries of our

region and Latin America does not diminish the lively interest of the

Dominican Republic in extra-continental cultural co-operation and the

recognition of great historical events of the past that still loom

large today. We refer to the fifth centenary of the discovery of

America, and we are grateful to the Spanish Foreign Minister for

mentioning in his statement the Dominican Republic's initiative in

proposing that the United Nations General Assembly declare, in a

universal context, that 1992 be proclaimed the Year of the Fifth

Centenary of the Discovery of America.

The United Nations was founded on the ruins of that great catastrophe

that history has called the Second World War. The Organization was

conceived to guarantee international peace, to develop friendship

among peoples, to assure self-determination and to promote, through

international co-operation, their social, economic and cultural

development. The Organization was conceived in support of human

dignity, on the basis of respect for the rights and fundamental

freedoms of all mankind without distinction as to race, sex, language

or religion. The Organization was conceived to prevent the third-and

probably the last-world war.

We often forget that the founders, our predecessors who signed the

Charter of San Francisco, did so in the name of peoples, not in the

name of States or Governments. This is not a semantic artifice, nor

is it a legal subtlety. It is simply the living expression of a deep

longing for peace and solidarity that was born in the universal

conscience in those dark days. I believe that many of the problems

arise or worsen because Governments sometimes ignore the real

aspirations of their peoples. People have among themselves

spontaneous affinities, natural and pure, that are deeply rooted in

their cultural origins and common ideals. Those affinities transcend

the boundaries of circumstantial antagonisms that are characteristic

of the strict exercise of government. AH Governments, regardless of

ideology or of geopolitical location, would render a great service to

the Organization's vocation for peace should they decide to stimulate

the development of those affinities, whose roots are found in the

very depth of human awareness. A simple examination of the agenda of

the Assembly, a mere study of the multiple conflicts that divide the

international community, the anguish expressed by the brave

declaration of the Secretary- General in his memorable report, will

surely prove that we have not yet reached these ideals. However,

those harsh realities must not frustrate us to the point of losing

faith in the Organization, for if we have not been able in many cases

to prevent or to solve conflicts, we have at other times had

successes that constitute true triumphs for mankind.

In this connection, it should be pointed out that if the fear of a

nuclear holocaust is still the gravest threat to mankind today, there

is no better hope of preventing it than that offered by this exalted

forum, open without discrimination or prejudice to all the peoples

and nations of the world.

The imperfections of the Organization must not shatter our faith in

it. On the contrary, they Should inspire us to overcome them, thus

strengthening our confidence in its capacity to fulfil its

objectives. This is the best contribution we can offer to the future

of mankind.