Guinea, 1993

I

am delighted to be addressing the General Assembly as the

people of Guinea commemorate a historic date: 28

September 1958, the day on which Guinea, by a unanimous

vote, chose national independence and sovereignty, thus

accelerating the process of liberation of the African peoples.

It will be easy, then, to understand the pride and

pleasure I take on this anniversary in conveying a message

of peace and friendship from the people of Guinea and from

their President, General Lansana Conté.

I join previous speakers in congratulating Ambassador

Insanally on his dazzling election as President of the General

Assembly at its forty-eighth session. I wish also to assure

him of my delegation’s complete support as he carries out

his responsible tasks. His personal qualities, his wealth of

experience and the valuable assistance of his fellow-officers -

whom I also congratulate - bode well for the success of our

work.

I wish also to convey to the President of the Assembly

at its forty-seventh session, His Excellency Mr. Stoyan

Ganev of Bulgaria, my great appreciation for the skill and

dedication with which he guided the work of that session.

Finally, my delegation highly appreciates the

praiseworthy efforts made by the Secretary-General, His

Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who has worked

tirelessly to build and maintain peace in the face of all the

obstacles in his way.

The independence of the sister republic of Eritrea and

its admission to membership of the Organization were a

source of great relief for its people and of genuine

satisfaction for the international community. I welcome

Eritrea and wish it great success in its difficult task of

national reconstruction.

I welcome the admission of Eritrea, and that of the

Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Principalities of Monaco

and Andorra; this confirms the increasingly universal

character of our Organization.

The end of the cold war radically changed world

geopolitics through a rapid series of often unforeseeable

events. While it is possible to believe that the threat of a

global conflagration has been lifted, we note with dismay the

proliferation and exacerbation of armed conflicts that are

causing immense loss of life, great destruction of

infrastructure and property, and severe suffering among

civilians suffering the agony of exile, famine and sickness.

What a paradox! On the one hand, the international

community is making intense efforts to prevent or contain

armed conflicts, and on the other hand international action

is not being provided with the resources it needs to eliminate

the causes and the manifestations of those conflicts. That is

a salient feature of today’s international relations.

Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 33

In short, more resources are needed to restore world

peace.

None the less, it is reassuring that recent history has

favoured the renaissance of the United Nations; thanks to

changed attitudes and perceptions, the Organization has truly

become the guarantor of peace at a difficult moment in

international relations.

The positive trends that we have seen here and there in

finding solutions to political problems ought to have

promoted an improvement in the economic and social

situation in many countries. However, in most developing

countries, that situation has instead deteriorated seriously.

The increase in the number of international forums debating

development programmes has unfortunately not made it

possible to reverse the trend towards the imbalances that I

have mentioned.

Today, world savings are under severe pressure. What

is happening is that the supply of capital for development is

inadequate relative to the ever-increasing demand from the

African countries, especially if we take into account the new

needs of the Eastern countries, which are in the throes of

transition. The world economic crisis is still going on; it is

aggravating the disparities and the already precarious

conditions for development being experience by the third

world countries.

For Africa, this crisis has been heightened by drought

and desertification, by the stagnation - for which, read

reduction - in official development assistance, by the

deterioration in terms of trade and its corollary, the marked

drop in export earnings, by the counter-productive effects of

structural adjustment programmes and by the external debt

burden.

Allow me to place a particular emphasis on this last

issue. Members will recall that the seriousness of the

indebtedness problem led the African Heads of State or

Government to propose holding a special summit on African

debt. This problem is today still as widespread and as acute

as it was before, despite the relief measures undertaken by

some creditors. The international community must be

persuaded of the fact that so long as the question of

indebtedness is not studied in a global, concerted manner,

the socio-economic development programmes of the third

world will be put in jeopardy as a result.

The lack of resources for development has as its

corollary the mass exodus from the countries of the South to

the countries of the North; indeed, the only viable solution

to this migratory phenomenon lies in economic recovery in

the countries of the South.

Environmental problems - the relationship between man

and his environment - have in recent years quite rightly been

a major concern of the international community. Do I need

to stress the fact that man, through his nature-destroying

activities, has heightened the progressive degradation of our

world to the point where the alarm bells we hear today are

sounding?

In the past, man was essentially a passive spectator of

the natural wear and tear on the ecological system. Today

he has become the main player in the destruction of the

natural environment through the combined effects of the

inappropriate design and implementation of a number of

programmes, through the improper use of science and

technology and as a result of runaway population growth.

In contrast, real development must also embrace

protection of the environment and the ecological balance.

This is precisely why my delegation is emphasizing the need

for follow-up to the decisions in the Rio Declaration and

Agenda 21. Environmental protection is a common

responsibility; all nations must contribute to it.

Environmental damage, whether man-made or from natural

causes, spares no region on Earth.

My country, which used to enjoy good rainfall and was

called the watershed of Western Africa, is concerned to see

its rainfall and the rate of flow of its natural watercourses

diminish. This is why my Government is interested - in

more than one sense - in the negotiations that are taking

place within the high-level Commission on Sustainable

Development on drafting an international convention to

combat desertification and drought in the countries that are

being seriously affected.

The persistence of a number of political crises,

including those in southern Africa, Somalia, Liberia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina and elsewhere, is a threat to the peace and

security of mankind.

Fortunately, there is positive progress in South Africa,

where a clear awareness appears to have taken hold

concerning the vital need to build a democratic and multi-

racial society. The establishment of a Transitional Executive

Council, as well as the demonstrations for peace by civilian

society and a certain degree of political awareness, are cause

for optimism, despite some reluctance.

34 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

This remarkable improvement in the political climate,

which has been achieved, inter alia, as a result of the spirit

of compromise shown by the various political players, makes

it possible, in my delegation’s opinion, for the economic

sanctions against South Africa to be lifted, as president

Nelson Mandela of the African National Congress himself

has requested.

That being the case, there is reason for great

satisfaction in the activities of the Organization of African

Unity (OAU) which, through its observer missions and its

Ad Hoc Committee on Southern Africa, has contributed

greatly, in collaboration with the United Nations, to the

peaceful change that has taken place in South Africa.

In Angola, after lighting a glimmer of hope, the process

of national reconciliation seems to be blocked by the

increased fighting resulting from UNITA’s intransigence.

But only observance by the parties of the Bicesse Accords

and of the election results will allow the Angolan people to

regain peace and security. The Security Council’s decision

on 15 September 1993 recommending the application of

sanctions against UNITA must be strengthened and

implemented strictly, because only constant firmness with

UNITA and its leader will make it possible to put an end to

this painful civil war that is sowing death and destruction.

With regard to the Western Sahara, the parties

concerned must cooperate with the Secretary-General and

with all willing parties in order to implement the peace plan,

which is vital for there to be a happy ending to this crisis.

For almost four years now, Liberia has been the theatre

for one of the bloodiest civil wars on our continent. The

refusal by some of the parties to the conflict to compromise

has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people

and considerable material destruction, not to mention the

massive outpouring of refugees and displaced persons, in

particular into neighbouring countries, including my own,

which is at present harbouring some 600,000.

However, it is a source of comfort to note that the

negotiations held in July 1993 in Geneva, under the joint

auspices of the Economic Community of West African

States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations, with the support

of OAU, have made it possible to involve the various parties

to the conflict in constructive dialogue, the only way of

finding a lasting solution to this dreadful crisis.

The signing by the parties concerned of the Geneva

Accord under the auspices of ECOWAS on 25 July 1993 at

Cotonou means, I hope, that conditions have now been

created for a definitive return of peace and stability to this

country and to the subregion. But let there be no mistake:

to achieve lasting peace, the expansion of the ECOWAS

Monitoring Group to include African troops from outside

ECOWAS, strengthened by the presence of international

observers, is one of the guarantees to bring about the process

of assembling troops, disarming the belligerents and holding

democratic elections in order to achieve a return to normal

constitutional life.

The Somali conflict is becoming ever more tragic. The

international community must undertake joint, effective

action. In order to achieve a rapid political solution, it is

essential to halt the sudden escalations that are complicating

the situation in Somalia. The United Nations must resume

its peaceful calling in the face of the many acts of violence

that are trying both the Blue Helmets and the Somali

population.

The Security Council must decide on a new strategy if

the last obstacles in the way of pacification are to be

overcome and if the mission entrusted to the United Nations

Operation in Somalia is to succeed. My Government calls

on all parties to the conflict in Somalia to make their

contribution to the success of the political process now under

way towards the restoration of peace and security in fraternal

Somalia.

In the Middle East, after a period of hatred, turbulence

and hesitation, the parties to the conflict are moving

progressively towards lasting peace.

The signing on 13 September in Washington of the

agreement on autonomy for Jericho and Gaza, marking the

mutual recognition of the Palestine Liberation

Organization (PLO) and Israel, resulted from the courage

and political realism of the two parties. Guinea, as a

member of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable

Rights of the Palestinian People, welcomes this happy turn

of events.

For my country peaceful coexistence between the State

of Israel and the Palestinian State, under the leadership of

the PLO, must be a constant. After Jericho and Gaza, the

liberation of all the other territories would then promote the

consolidation of relations between the two communities.

The march towards global peace in this very sensitive

region is to be encouraged and supported by assistance from

the international community, with a view to the socio-

economic development of the Palestinian State.

Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 35

In the Gulf, in order to prevent a new confrontation the

international community must ensure that Kuwait and Iraq

respect the conclusions of the Boundary Demarcation

Commission, which by Security Council resolution 833

(1993) laid down definitively secure and inviolable borders

between these two countries.

The relaxation of tension in Cambodia resulting from

the success of the elections is putting an end to the long

years of martyrdom endured by the Cambodian people.

There is reason to be happy over the positive results of the

efforts by the international community in this area. Respect

for the Paris Agreements will be the guarantee of lasting

peace and will facilitate the work of national reconstruction

in that country.

With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the scale of

organized killings for irrational reasons, such as "ethnic

cleansing" and religion, and the prolongation of the conflict

highlight the divisions in this nation - which until recently

was strong and united - caused by the end of the cold war.

After many efforts, the three communities involved in

the conflict have still not achieved a stable peace.

Unfortunately, the law of the jungle continues to prevail in

the face of the impotence of some and the indifference of

others. There will be true security and lasting peace in

Bosnia and Herzegovina only after serious negotiations

guaranteed by the international community in general and by

the States of the subregion in particular.

With regard to the Korean peninsula, the international

community must support the peaceful reunification of the

two States there.

Africa, like other parts of the world, is at an important

moment in its history, a time of the democratization of its

society and its institutions. The success of this process of

qualitative change requires, none the less, taking into account

the historic, social and cultural realities of States in order to

generate harmonious and lasting development.

The Republic of Guinea has taken important steps along

this road. Its achievements include ratification of the

majority of the African and international Conventions on

human rights and humanitarian law; the adoption of the basic

law in our country which calls for a presidential regime,

separation of powers, the primacy of law, political pluralism

and decentralization; the establishment of a Supreme Court

to ensure, among other matters, that there are no

irregularities in balloting; the entry into operation of the

National Communication Council, whose job it is to ensure

the freedom of the press and free and equal access by all

political parties to State communications media; and the

determination of the Government to organize just and open

elections. The presidential balloting will take place on

5 December next, to be followed by elections to the

legislature.

In our view, these efforts at democratization in Guinea,

as in most other African countries, should have increased

support from development partners to guarantee their

success.

The convening of a series of international conferences

in 1994 and 1995, particularly those regarding population,

women and social development, confirm the interest of the

international community in improving the economic and

social situation of the most vulnerable sectors of our

populations. The same is true of their participation in

development.

The year 1993 has seen the international community

take a more active interest in the emergence of an era of

peace and universal respect for human rights.

Two conferences testify to that. Last June in Vienna,

and more recently in Geneva, we gathered together to think,

to evaluate what has been done, to consider prospects for the

future, in order to eliminate the causes of suffering, and to

reaffirm our faith in the dignity of the human being.

None the less, the absence of international machinery

for the prevention and punishment of serious violations of

human rights makes any protection measures ineffective.

My Government therefore considers that the creation of a

permanent international court with penal powers would be an

important step in the protection and promotion of human

rights.

Such a jurisdiction, by making inevitable the

punishment of the perpetrators of such violations, would

make existing international law more effective.

However, we must eliminate from international affairs

any tendency to be selective with regard to human rights, in

the form of discrimination over which cases should be

denounced or over the sanctions that should be applied.

Moreover, the existing link between human rights and

other aspects of social development requires the elaboration

of national programmes capable of promoting: protection of

the family, which is considered to be the basic unit of

36 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

society; the integration of women into development and their

participation in the management of public affairs; the

protection of vulnerable categories of people - children, the

aged and the handicapped - by establishing conditions

favourable to the development of their personalities; and

efforts to combat the production, consumption and illicit

trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances through

international cooperation, harmonization of national

legislation and ratification of existing international

Conventions.

Along with these measures, effective strategies must be

evolved to combat the pandemic of AIDS, which, because of

its ravages, is a great scourge and a threat to mankind’s

survival.

The progress achieved in disarmament must be pursued

in the hope that the resources thus released will contribute

to the recovery of the world economy.

In his report on the work of the United Nations and in

various communications the Secretary-General has described

the Organization’s financial situation as being a matter of

great concern. The situation is paradoxical. At a time when

the United Nations is entrusted with new tasks to be carried

out in the service of peace and development the vital

resources needed for those tasks are diminishing. We pay

tribute to the Secretary-General and to encourage him in

applying austerity measures and in restructuring to increase

the effectiveness of the United Nations system.

My delegation strongly urges Member States to honour

their financial obligations by paying regularly and on time

their assessed contributions in order to ensure the

functioning of the United Nations and allow it to play its

role effectively.

I hope that the message I have just delivered is one of

persistence and hope. This message, based on the realities

of the changes in the post-cold-war world and the divisions

those changes have caused in some parts of the world, urges

the Organization to implement new and dynamic strategies

with a view to establishing a new world order based on

equality, justice, peace, cooperation and respect for

democratic values.

This persistence demands sustained efforts to

democratize international relations. The mode of operation

and structure of some bodies in the United Nations system

must be revised; the decision-making bodies must be

streamlined and have an equitable representation of States

and regions.

This persistence is the basis of our hope, a hope of

mastering our collective future on the threshold of the

twenty-first century, a hope that all people will move

together towards peace, the development of nations and the

promotion of human rights. Our collective survival depends

on our solidarity and the effectiveness of our actions to

transform that hope into a reality in international relations.