Ecuador, 1992

I wish to

congratulate you, Mr. President, on your well-deserved election to guide our

endeavours during this session of the General Assembly.

Similarly, I extend to the Secretary-General my congratulations on his

having assumed his important office at a time when the international community

is going through substantial changes, and when it needs, in that high post, an

experienced and brilliant diplomat such as he. He has succeeded

Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, an illustrious Latin American who

discharged the duties of the office with great effectiveness, as the new era

required.

My presence here, so soon after assuming the Presidency of my country,

must be taken as a clear sign of the enormous importance we attach to the

United Nations, its principles and its work, which is increasingly

far-reaching and truly valuable, work that is essentially that of keeping the

peace and, also, of course, bringing about the economic and social development

of all the peoples on Earth. The latter task is particularly important for

Ecuador, which is striving to overcome underdevelopment and achieve decent

living conditions for its people, particularly the great majorities. To that

end, we have begun to restructure the State, and we have already prescribed

some economic measures that will require sacrifice on the part of my

compatriots, but that will soon have positive effects.

The current international situation, stemming from the end of the cold

war, could be said to oscillate between disappointment and hope. There seems

to exist something more than a truce between ideological rivalries, which we

hope will lead us to a truer understanding among nations; and with the

lessening influence of the private interests of individuals and nations, we

hope it will give way to an international equilibrium which will allow us to

forge ahead, together, towards universal, stable and lasting peace.

That circumstance explains the special importance of the fact that, in

international life, respect for the human being has assumed top priority and

man finds himself exalted, raised to heights never enjoyed until a few decades

ago. But the continued enjoyment of such a position, despite the

discontinuities still existing in certain corners of the world, requires the

constant political commitment of States, which, fortunately, is widespread, to

the unconditional implementation of the constitutional and conventional norms

that reinforce that conquest at its various levels.

Speaking of human rights, my Government is firmly and irrevocably

resolved to apply, both domestically and internationally, a policy of full

respect for, and defence of, those very rights, in consonance with the dignity

of man, as a tribute to his spirituality and in clear recognition of his

transcendental values. Respect for human rights is not a gracious concession

that Governments make to their peoples, but rather an unwritten, intrinsic

obligation of democracy and civil life. The opposite is barbarism, the denial

of some men by others; it is the action of the few who, using the power given

to them by the community for the common good, distort it and turn it into the

supreme evil of pitting man against man. My Government will use any and all

means in the prevention against such ignominy.

Moreover, one can see that the world community has emphasized, out of a

concept of solidarity, not only the promotion of human rights but also the

rendering of humanitarian assistance to those most in need of it, and has

found itself searching for ever more effective mechanisms to extend such

assistance to all corners of the Earth, wherever violence or natural disasters

continue to breed hunger and despair.

Despite the fact that we find ourselves in an ever more interdependent

world where it is essential that cooperation not be linked to specific

political interests, a world where integration is and must be the language

which best expresses the hopes of peoples, we still face positions that

prevent economic relations from being equitable to and supportive of

developing countries within the effective exercise of the principle of

international free trade, towards which my Government is working and will work

according to a plan.

The success of this new course will depend greatly not only on immense

domestic efforts but also on the necessary alignment of the theory of

international solidarity with the real, sincere and favourable response of the

international community, and on the understanding of the industrialized

countries concerning the need to settle, on mutually agreeable terms, the

problem of the external debt of the least developed countries, whose burden is

another of the serious difficulties preventing those countries from developing

and attaining better living standards. It would be most promising were an

agreement reached on the mechanisms for alleviating this problem, which is at

the same time economic and financial, and a problem whose repercussions in the

social and political fields no one now denies. Among such mechanisms, those

aimed at converting external debt into investment, especially in development

projects, both social and economic, should be pressed forward.

Fortunately the dark atomic threat is disappearing. The agreements and

undertakings which, with a new vision of the very destiny of mankind, have the

aim of eliminating nuclear arms, are a source of hope. At the same time, they

can be the means by which, by eliminating the enormous waste of resources, we

may help to solve economic and social problems and embark upon a process of

frank cooperation with nations that are in the greatest need of help to raise

their standards of living.

Notwithstanding these positive advances and these undertakings, we look

to the future with concern, as the new situation resulting from the historic

circumstances of the last two years has not managed to prevent the outburst of

bloody regional conflicts. Nationalist extremists have produced the

phenomenon of the exceptionally violent disintegration of States, and in such

a climate new calamities and hardships have arisen.

A responsible approach to the common obligations of mankind is now more

important than ever before. The world has shrunk physically and in terms of

human relationships. The problems of a particular State affect other States

in various ways and make it necessary that we take remedial action in a spirit

of solidarity.

Meanwhile, the old problems of disparity between an economically powerful

world, embracing a limited number of countries, and the developing world,

comprising the bulk of mankind, continue to worsen. Insufficient funding for

development has become endemic, making necessary decisions on a global basis.

Moreover, the insufficiency of funding means that all States must carry a fair

share of the load. Without help, poor States cannot free themselves from

their condition of impoverishment, and they cannot partake in the enjoyment of

a life of dignity, free from the fear of insecurity and poverty. For this

reason, we firmly support the convening of an international conference on the

financing of development, in order to alleviate in some way the situation of

the great number of States that urgently need extensive economic assistance.

Felipe Herrera, the Chilean to whom Latin America owes so much, used to

speak of the "mystique of urgency" that we must regain. Today I pay tribute

to his memory. The social problems are urgent, and we must press the

international organizations to provide funds accordingly and, in this regard,

to demonstrate flexibility in keeping with each country's stage of development.

We are convinced that international trade, conducted in a transparent,

non-discriminatory manner and on equitable terms, will be an important force

in the revitalization of the world economy and will therefore be important to

the developing countries. It is paradoxical and serious that the countries

that are the greatest advocates of the elimination of trade barriers maintain,

and even create new types of, protectionism and discrimination that make it

difficult for the products of developing countries to gain access to their

markets. This applies at present, for example, to bananas. And all this is

taking place in the interdependent world that I mentioned at the beginning of

my statement.

In 1962 or 1963, as the representative of the Inter-American Development

Bank, I spoke here about social questions. I believe that once again the

United Nations must give these questions urgent attention. Economic

development is important only insofar as it meets human needs. It is time all

great social problems were better understood so that the United Nations might

draw up an international programme of action to serve as the basis for the

conference on social questions that it has been decided to convene.

Preservation of the environment, which is linked inextricably to

sustainable development, is of enormous importance because of its national and

international impact. The Stockholm Declaration of 1972 represented the first

international step towards the establishment of basic universal principles for

the protection of the world's environment. Since 1972 significant efforts

have been made to stop pollution of land, seas and air and to prevent

desertification and deforestation and other types of ecological damage.

However, the constraints of reality made new initiatives necessary, and

these culminated in the Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de

Janeiro in June 1992 a landmark event whose basic aim was to achieve

agreement on certain programmes aimed at arresting the steady deterioration of

the environment. Let us hope that the outcome of that Conference will be

generally beneficial and will help to guarantee the future development and

well-being of mankind. My Government is ready to take action to improve the

environment of its own country and to contribute to universal efforts to

preserve nature.

But I must emphasize that although the developed countries, which are

mainly responsible for the deterioration of the environment, have a particular

obligation, it is other countries that are being asked to make the sacrifice

of restricting the exercise of their legitimate right to use the wealth that

nature has given them. It is necessary to seek due compensation jointly,

especially in the shape of financial aid and technological cooperation.

Ecuador, having become a transit country and an operational bridgehead

for the drug trade, understands that drug trafficking, money laundering and

related crimes are particularly harmful to young people, threaten democracy,

produce an unnatural economy and, above all, damage the moral values of

nations. We condemn drug trafficking in all its forms, and, while we do what

we can to combat it, responsibility must be shared by the producer countries

and the consumer countries. Thus we support the timely initiative of the

President of Colombia, who, from this rostrum, suggested that a United Nations

conference on illicit drugs be planned and convened with all the urgency that

this matter demands.

Unresolved economic and social, as well as humanitarian and ecological,

problems of overriding importance continue to be a source of instability, and

they carry the seeds of damage to international relations and even of conflict.

For those reasons, the Council requested the Secretary-General to prepare a

special report, appropriately titled "An Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277).

As a fresh contribution to previous efforts within the United Nations,

whether to strengthen international security, promote good-neighbourly

relations between States or to further the use of procedures to ensure he

peaceful settlement of disputes, and with the constant aim of maintaining

peace, this new Agenda introduced by the Secretary-General has some creative

aspects and offers innovate alternatives for States to consider notably, the

one he has so aptly termed "preventive diplomacy". As the well-known popular

saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. My country,

which is profoundly peace-loving by vocation and abides by the international

principles of peaceful coexistence, supports this felicitous initiative by the

Secretary-General, which will surely alert the nations to new opportunities

for understanding and valid options for settling their disputes.

Peace is not a blessing bestowed on us through the simple desire to live

together peaceably: the need to cooperate in good faith while respecting the

fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter is also important. Peace

is the result of a universal awareness that it is only by making a genuine

contribution to the common weal, to the law of States, and with growing

activities in solidarity and with international justice and equity that peace

can grow and establish itself. Only in this way will peace be an integral

part of the harmonious development of our peoples and of their security.

A few weeks after my Government's inauguration, I came to this forum, the

General Assembly, to make known not only my country's general ideas about the

world situation but also the principles which it has traditionally applied and

will continue to apply in its international policy and, at the same time, to

reiterate Ecuador's determination to contribute, as resolutely and

wholeheartedly as possible, to the establishment of a permanent and

constructive peace among all people.

The people of Ecuador loves peace and believes in justice. My Government

earnestly desires to maintain friendly relations with all countries and most

of all with its neighbours; this is, of course, the natural result of

Ecuador's deep-seated feelings, which, historically speaking, been expressed

since the birth of the Republic, and are part of its character.

Ecuador, as representatives in this General Assembly will already be well

aware, is sincerely determined to solve its territorial problem with Peru.

The beginning of dialogue between the two countries' Heads of State was a

major step forward in this quest: it overcame the political taboo that had

prevented Ecuadorians and Peruvians from discussing this situation in cordial,

frank and constructive terms, without ignoring legitimate national interests

and studying the obvious opportunities for joint development.

It is my pleasure to inform this world forum that I am determined that

the handling of the territorial problem with Peru - which, for so many years

past has been a source of mistrust, concern and even discord between our two

countries will be directed towards transforming the mutual suspicions of the

past on the basis of justice and realism, in cooperation and with our efforts

dedicated to the development of our impoverished peoples.

Our two countries, so alike on many counts, can and, above all, must find

a just, honourable and realistic solution to the territorial dispute, which

will mean a real process of economic integration. That is why, on the very

day my Government took office, I said, in the presence of

President Alberto Fujimori, that Ecuador would steadfastly continue to speak

clearly and frankly, in an atmosphere of harmony and mutual respect with the

help of the four countries which have historically been most closely

associated with Ecuador and Peru on this matter over the last 50 years, and

with the eminent participation of His Holiness John Paul II, in order to reach

a permanent solution to this territorial dispute as soon as possible. This

will enable Ecuador and Peru to extend a hand of friendship from the Pacific

to the Amazon, which was discovered by an expedition that set out from Quito.

In fact, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and the United States of America have

been cognizant of the territorial crisis besetting Ecuador and Peru and have

been witnesses in good standing of the hard times of sacrifice and suffering

for my country; they know the history of the formation of our Republics, the

misfortunes of their independence and of the subsequent years. They know

about the origins and the epics of our peoples, about our rights and the

events that have gone to weave the pattern of our history. For all those

reasons, in a most special way, these four sister countries are destined to

contribute to the search for just and creative initiatives to encourage

Ecuador and Peru to overcome this territorial problem once and for all in

short, to enable' them, with vision and courage, to write their common history.

What can I say about the invaluable aid and assistance that His Holiness

the Pope has given many countries, guided always by his vocation for peace and

understanding between governments and peoples, particularly those of deep

Christian faith? With his enlightened thought, as set out in the encyclical

"Centesimus Annus", he has exhorted us to take specific steps to establish or

consolidate international structures designed to seek peaceful solutions, and

has reminded us that arbitration is an appropriate method of resolving

conflicts which would otherwise keep nations unnecessarily estranged.

That is why my predecessor, President Rodrigo Borja, quite rightly

suggested, from this very rostrum, that His Holiness the Pope should offer his

most valuable assistance, which would without a doubt be of great

significance. In different terms and in another context, the President of

Peru, during his official visit to Ecuador in January 1992, also stressed the

singular importance of His Holiness's cooperation.

In my inaugural message to my Government on 10 August last, I

acknowledged that our views on these matters might differ from those of the

Government and President of Peru; but that is precisely why it is important

for there to be a frank and sincere dialogue between our Governments and

peoples which dialogue would be the more significant for the fraternal aid

of the four countries and the succour and assistance of the successor of Saint

Peter.

In conclusion, my Government and country are more convinced than ever of

the immense contribution being made by the United Nations in the various

fields of vital importance for humankind. I am personally honoured to recall

that my father was the first Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to this

Organization when it was taking its first steps in San Francisco. The

Government of my country trusts that the noble objectives of peace and mutual

understanding between all nations near and far, which have come notably to the

fore in recent times, will eventually bring us good results which will make it

possible for the world to enter the twenty-first century renewed and with its

international relations restructured under the seal of law, justice and

sustainable development for all peoples.

I am quite sure that this General Assembly, by resolutely serving these

interests, will bring us noticeably closer to the goal we all wish so much to

reach. Let us embark upon this new path.