Greece, 1982

Your election, Sir, to the presidency of the

thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly is

a tribute to your outstanding qualities as a

diplomat and recognition of your vast experience.

It is also a guarantee that the work of this

Assembly will be conducted effectively and with

wisdom. Please allow me to congratulate you most

warmly. On this occasion, I should like also to

express my warmest wishes to the outgoing

President, Mr. Ismat Kittani. He has earned the

gratitude of this Assembly for the exemplary way

in which he guided its work, for his constructive

initiatives and for enhancing the prestige of his

high office. It also gives me particular pleasure

to congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Javier

Perez de Cuellar. In this first year of his term

in office he has carried out his mission with

dedication and unusual skill, thereby justly

winning for himself great trust and high esteem.

173. The President of the Council of Ministers

of the European Community, Mr. Ellemann-Jensen,

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, has

presented to the Assembly, at the 8th meeting,

the views of the 10 members of the Community on

the main international problems. I should like

to state here, however, that the foreign policy

of the Greek Government is basically guided by

absolute respect for the principle of the non-use

of force in international relations.

Consequently, we attach great importance to the

promotion of detente and disarmament as well as

of international co-operation. We also support in

the strongest possible terms any effort towards

enhancing respect for human rights all over the

world. At this point, I should like to analyze in

detail the position of my Government on problems

which are of particular interest to Greece.

174. In the first place, there is the problem

of the Middle East. Apart from its major

international importance, it is of special

interest to Greece, not only because of our

geographical proximity to the region where the

crisis is evolving, but also because of the

traditional bonds which link us to the Arab

world. This explains the many initiatives taken

by my Government in the past few months, within

the European Community as well as other

international forums, with a view to promoting

the Palestinian cause and restoring peace in

Lebanon.

175. The opening of the thirty-seventh session

of the General Assembly has been marked by an

appalling crimeóthe massacre of hundreds of

innocent Palestinians in the camps of Beirut.

The precise circumstances of this cold-blooded

slaughter will not be known until an appropriate

inquiry into the matter is conducted.. However,

it is an undisputed fact that the massacre

occurred in an area under the firm control of the

Israeli army. Therefore, Israel cannot escape the

blame for what has happened.

176. My Government has repeatedly condemned in

the strongest terms the Israeli invasion in

Lebanon. When the special United States envoy,

Mr. Habib, managed to arrange a peaceful lifting

of the siege of west Beirut, we felt hopeful that

events in the Middle East might take a

constructive turn. Our optimism was short-lived,

since in the aftermath of the assassination of

the President-elect of Lebanon the Israeli

forces, violating the Habib agreement, invaded

west Beirut, throwing the door open to the

appalling massacre of Palestinian civilians that

followed. My country was quick to request the

Security Council to take adequate and effective

measures to safeguard the civilian population in

Lebanon.

177. However, there are still a few

encouraging signs. I am referring to the Reagan

plan, which could be considered as the first step

of a process which might lead to a solution to

the Palestinian problem. I should also like to

stress in this context the proposals of the

Twelfth Arab Summit Conference at Fez, which were

announced a little later. I emphasize the fact

that the Arab countries which participated in the

Conference were unanimous in putting forward a

series of constructive proposals aimed at a

comprehensive solution which would be

satisfactory for the Palestinians.

178. This is a time for action, not only by

the parties to the conflict but also by the

international community as a whole. The position

of the PLO should be enhanced to enable it to

play a more meaningful part in the peace process

if we do not wish to see the strong feelings of

frustration and despair of the Palestinians after

their recent experiences in Lebanon find their

expression in a new wave of international

violence. In this connection we think that along

with the recognition of the right of

self-determination of the Palestinian people,

including the right to establish their own

independent State, the PLO should be recognized

as their representative, with the right of full

participation in the peace negotiations. In

stating this we think that Israel's right of

existence should be affirmed beyond any doubt,

together with its right to live in peace along

with the other States of the area within

recognized and secure boundaries. Israel should

realize that it will achieve its security not

through the use of force but only through

dialogue and nego-tiations.

Recent events have proved that stability in

Lebanon has a direct bearing upon the search Mr a

peaceful settlement of the Middle East question.

For that reason, as well as for the sake of

solidarity with Lebanon, the population of which

has suffered so cruelly, we must encourage all

steps leading to a stable Lebanon through the

return of normality in that country and the

restoration of the authority of the Lebanese

Government over the whole of its territory. It is

in that spirit that we greet the election of a

new President and earnestly hope that this

development will mark the beginning of a new era

in that country.

180. The problem of Cyprus is of paramount

importance to the Greek Government, both because

of the well-known links between the peoples of

Greece and Cyprus and because Greece is one of

the guarantors of the sovereignty, independence

and territorial integrity of the Republic of

Cyprus under the terms of the 1960 Treaties.

181. The main components of this problem could

be summarized as follows: More than 36 per cent

of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus is

occupied by Turkish troops. Consequently, the

Government of the Republic of Cyprus is unable to

exercise its sovereign rights over the whole

territory of the Republic. Thousands of Greek

Cypriots have been displaced and live as

refugees in their own country. On the other hand,

the Turkish Cypriot minority expresses deep

concern over its own security. Similarly, the

Greek Cypriots are deeply concerned over their

own security because of the permanent threat

which materialized in a dramatic manner through

the Turkish invasion and subsequent occupation of

the island. Moreover, we cannot overlook the

determining factor of the Cyprus problem, namely,

that 80 per cent of the population of the

Republic of Cyprus are Greek Cypriots whereas

only 18 per cent are Turkish Cypriots. Although

eight years have already elapsed since the 1974

invasion, the intercommunal talks, which have

been going on ever since under the auspices of

the Secretary-General, have failed to produce any

results.

182. Faced with those realities and with such

an ominous deadlock, the Prime Minister of

Greece, Mr. Andreas Papandreou, made a

constructive proposal a few months ago the

substance of which is the withdrawal of all

foreign troops from the territory of the Republic

of Cyprus and the expansion of the United Nations

peace-keeping forces, in an effort to allay the

fears that the Turkish minority might otherwise

feel for its security. In this regard the Greek

Prime Minister specified that Greece is prepared

to make a substantial financial contribution in

order to meet the additional expenses that such

an expanded peace keeping force would require.

Once the foreign troops are withdrawn and an

expanded United Nations force is in place, the

conditions will be set for truly constructive

talks to start between the two communities with a

view to achieving a just solution to the Cyprus

problem acceptable to all. The final goalis the

safeguarding of the independence, territorial

integrity, unity and non- aligned character of

Cyprus, in accordance with the relevant

resolutions of the Assembly.

183. The Middle East and Cyprus problems are

not the only ones which have resulted from the

resort to force in contravention of the

principles and obligations of the Charter. Other

major international crises are also the result of

the illegal use of force which has led to the

continuing occupation of the territory of other

countries, notwithstanding the repeated unanimous

condemnations of the Assembly and its calls to

put an end to such occupation, as in the case of

Kampuchea and Afghanistan. Greece has

consistently and firmly condemned all acts of

invasion and foreign occupation, regardless of

who the aggressor is.

184. What I have just said does not mean that

we do not sympathize with the struggle of peoples

which have been denied their fundamental right to

self- determination. It is in this context that

my Government lends its moral support to national

liberation movements. I wish at this point to

express more particularly the concern of the

Greek Government at the situation in Central

America and more specifically in El Salvador and

Nicaragua and at the threat of regionalization of

the conflict in El Salvador. Greece calls for a

negotiated political settlement in El Salvador

and expresses its firm belief that the Frente de

Liberacion Nacional Farabundo Marti and the

Frente Democratico Revolucionario should be

included in such a settlement as representative

political forces.

185. In the same spirit, we condemn in the

strongest terms the continued illegal occupation

of Namibia by South Africa, express our firm

support for the efforts of the Western countries

which make up the contact group and urge them to

do whatever they can to enable Security Council

resolution 435 (1978) to be implemented without

any further delay. It is encouraging that these

efforts have recently led to encouraging progress

and that as a result the independence of Namibia

has come much closer than it has ever been before.

186. The Secretary-General submitted to the

Assembly his courageous, comprehensive and fore-

sighted report on the work of the Organization.

He refers, in no uncertain terms to the decline

of the Organization, and I fully share his

assessment. I feel compelled at this juncture to

express the profound disappointment of my country

at the fact that the United Nations has failed to

contribute to the maintenance of peace and to

protect the sovereignty of Member States. I am

afraid that I am stating the obvious when I say

that if this trend continues the Organization,

which was created to fulfill the hopes and

expectations of mankind, which had been

devastated by the Second World War, will be

transformed into a decorative international

bureaucracy. This is not the moment for me to

deal with the causes of the crisis. However, all

agree that the responsibility of the great Powers

for the decline of the Organization is not small;

nor is that of many States which demonstrate

their contempt for the fundamental principles of

the United Nations.

187. Greece, a traditionally peace-loving

country, has followed with genuine interest

recent developments concerning disarmament, and

particularly the proceedings of the special

session of the General Assembly devoted to

disarmament which was convened a few months ago.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that nobody

denied the urgent need for disarmament, the

special session did not produce the results for

which we all hoped. Nevertheless, it should not

be forgotten that it demonstrated the

determination of all peoples to live in peace,

without the scourge of war. All Governments, and

especially those of the super powers, should

understand the real meaning of this message and

increase their efforts. Practical steps should be

taken urgently to promote detente and

cooperation among States and to open the way for

the adoption of effective measures of arms

control and disarmament. The efforts should be

directed to both nuclear andconventional

disarmament. It is essential to remember that the

former cannot be achieved satisfactorily unless

it is coupled with disarmament in conventional

weapons and other weapon;, of mass destruction.

188. In this spirit we welcome the

negotiations which are currently going on in

Geneva between the United States of America and

the Soviet Union. We earnestly hope that they

will result in positive developments. For our

part, we are opposed as a matter of principle to

the division of the world into antagonistic

blocs. It is an integral part of our long-term

policy to overcome this division. In this

connection we express our appreciation to the

non-aligned movement for its role in furthering

the cause of peace. We cannot but congratulate

its members on their decision to keep away from

the military blocs.

189. Peace would not be complete, however, if

it were not accompanied by respect for human

rights and by the development of economic

co-operation between countries. Democratic

Greece, because of its age-old cultural and

national traditions, is strongly and unshakably

committed to respect fbr human rights. Nobody has

ever been persecuted in Greece because of race,

religion or creed. It is with deep regret,

therefore, that we note that in several

countries people are being tortured, disappear

without leaving a trace or are deprived of their

fundamental rights. Furthermore, some countries,

on the pretext of resisting interference in

their internal affairs, refuse to co-operate with

the appropriate international organs for the

control of human rights violations. Greece

condemns any form of racial discrimination, in

particular the policy of apartheid pursued by the

South African Government notwithstanding the

persistent demands of the international

community that it be ended immediately.

190. The adverse economic situation prevailing

throughout the world has caused a serious setback

as regards North-South issues. The recessionary

tendencies in the developed market economies,

which are far from being resolved, preclude any

immediate relief for the developing countries,

whose already weak and vulnerable economies

should be propelled forward at an acceptable

pace. The North-South dialogue appears to be

moribund. Immobility and stalemate have become

the norm.

191. Thus, it is all the more to be hoped that

at this session the Assembly will finally bring

about the agreement on the launching of the

global negotiations that has eluded us for so

long. The meetings of Cancun in October 1981 and

Versailles in June 1982 represent serious

attempts to give impetus to the global

negotiations. Endeavors in that direction must

continue within the United Nations and should be

the responsibility of all Member States. The

developed world in particular must assume its

appropriate share of that responsibility. My

Government will lend its support to any effort to

that end. It is more than obvious that failing to

narrow the gap between the rich and the poor

nations will only increase political instability

and endanger peace all over the world.

192. The United Nations Conference on New and

Renewable Sources of Energy, held at Nairobi,

represents a global challenge in trying to find

new ways for increased utilization of such

sources of energy. The meeting of the Interim

Committee, which was held in June in Rome, has

created a positive climate for the continuation

of the consultations regarding the implementation

of the Nairobi Programme of Action.?

193. A strong and more vibrant United Nations

should carefully examine possible solutions to

the multitude of economic problems facing the

world today, and the Organization needs to be put

to more practical use.

194. It would be an omission if I did not

refer to the Third United Nations Conference on

the Law of the Sea. Greece, being a maritime

nation, welcomes the conclusion of the work of

the Conference. We consider this an important

development, which will, we hope, greatly

contribute to the solution of existing

differences between countries and strengthen

international co-operation. We urge all States

to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention

on the Law of the Sea?

195. In the course of this statement I have

expressed the disappointment of my country over

the poor per-formance of the United Nations, and

particularly its failure to discharge its major

missionónamely, to help maintain world peace and

protect the sovereignty of its Member States.

However, I feel compelled also to express the

warm wish that the United Nations shall gradually

overcome its weaknesses, so that it manages to

fulfill the mission entrusted to it by mankind.

Despite its many shortcomings, the Organization

remainsóshould remainóa great hope of

peace-loving people the world over. In this

context I assure the Secretary-General that he

will have the earnest support of my Government in

his noble endeavor to restore the prestige and

effectiveness of the Organization.