Guatemala, 2000

Less

than a week ago, in this same Hall, the President of the

Republic of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo Cabrera,

addressed the Millennium Summit. On that occasion

the President underscored our commitment to the

purposes, principles and values of the Charter of the

United Nations, and presented a summary of our view

of the role of this universal Organization in the twenty-

first century. In closing, he stated:

“In the course of the general debate that will

begin in the General Assembly next week, we

will elaborate further on this vision and how it is

reflected in the efforts we are making

domestically.” (A/55/PV.3)

I am honoured and pleased to deliver what our

President promised.

I shall address two issues: first, our Government

programme and the implementation of the peace

agreements, and secondly, our position vis-à-vis some

of the items on the agenda for this session. Before

doing so, I wish to pay tribute to the Minister for

Foreign Affairs of Namibia, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, for

his vigorous conduct of the last session, and

particularly for his resolute work in the preparation for

the Millennium Summit. We are pleased that

Guatemala had an opportunity to cooperate in this

undertaking.

I also wish to congratulate the President very

warmly on his election to preside over our debates. I

have no doubt that his recognized diplomatic and

political experience will enable us to obtain the best

results.

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I begin with a few words on the peace process in

my country, to which the United Nations has made

such a significant contribution. December 1996 saw the

signing, following a protracted period of arduous

negotiations of Agreements that brought to an end four

decades of a fratricidal war that had tragic and lasting

consequences. Our political party was not a signatory.

However, during the electoral campaign it affirmed,

that it accepted the Agreements as a State commitment,

and President Portillo confirmed that in the speech he

made on taking office. Similarly, our Government is

fully committed to complying with the provisions of

the Agreements, and indeed to extend their scope to

incorporate new matters, such as democratizing access

to credit.

We value highly the presence in our country of

the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala,

and request the Assembly's cooperation for the

extension, in due course, of its mandate until the end of

2003.

It is important to note that the purpose of the

Peace Agreements coincides with our own Government

programme in many areas, such as unrestricted respect

for human rights; consolidation of a full, participatory

democracy; subordination of the armed forces to the

civil power; development of a multi-ethnic,

multicultural and multilingual society; strengthening

and modernization of the justice system; reform of the

State; and, above all, an adequate response to the

unsatisfied demands of the majority of Guatemalans for

more and better social services, adequate incomes,

better-paid jobs and equality of opportunity. In other

words, the Peace Agreements constitute a suitable

frame of reference for the programme of our

Government, which aims not only to fulfil, but to

improve on them.

Our economic and social programmes for the

period 2000-2004 fit within this frame of reference, as

does the political covenant, which seeks to increase the

participation of all sections of civil society in the

public policy decision-making process. These

programmes also seek to reconcile the difficult

economic situation that we face with our commitment

to carry forward a vigorous process of economic

expansion for the benefit of all Guatemalans — above

all, the neediest. We are, in other words, grappling with

the classic dilemma of having to meet the requirements

of a macroeconomic adjustment while coping with the

imperative need to reactivate the economy.

At the centre of the national debate about how to

overcome this dilemma is a process of intersectoral

accommodation that we call the “fiscal covenant”,

which aims to fulfil one of the commitments in the

Peace Agreements, namely, raising the tax take in

Guatemala by 50 per cent between 1995 and 2000.

The arduous and lengthy negotiations that have

been conducted in this connection are about to come to

fruition with the adoption of a set of measures which,

once the commitment has been honoured — admittedly,

a couple of years late — will provide financial support

for implementing the other undertakings laid down in

the Peace Agreements.

We intend to establish the necessary bases so that

in the period 2001-2004 we may secure dynamic

growth of the economy, with the resulting generation of

decent, gainful productive employment together with

higher levels of savings and investment.

We shall invest in the future by according priority

to the work force, particularly in the areas of health and

education, including multilingual education.

We shall carry out new productive activities in

those areas where we feel that we have comparative

advantages to offer at the international level.

We shall stimulate the institutional environment

necessary to facilitate the efficient functioning of the

market through competition without privileges and the

competitiveness of enterprises, all within the

framework of absolute respect for labour law.

We shall devote special attention to combating

poverty, by decentralizing the public administration

and working closely with those who are to be the target

of our policies.

Now turning to our international relations, and

bearing in mind those issues dealt with at the

Millennium Summit, I wish to mention the significant

advance achieved in the process as we seek to resolve

our historic dispute with Belize. With full regard for

the principles of peaceful settlement of disputes

between or among States, we have reached a new stage

whereby dialogue has been chosen as the means to

settle differences. On 31 August, within the framework

of the regional body to which both States belong,

namely the Organization of American States (OAS), a

body of facilitators, appointed by each party, has been

set up. The facilitators enjoy full independence in the

performance of their duties. Their chief aim is to work

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out and propose courses of action to advance the legal

resolution of the dispute. These are significant steps

towards creating a peaceful environment, the adoption

of confidence-building measures and a future-oriented

or forward-looking outlook.

Similarly, we ratify, our deep commitment to

supporting Central American integration, as well as our

commitment to the rest of Latin America and the

Caribbean. Our Government has taken important

initiatives in the area of regional and subregional

integration. Evidence of this is the tripartite declaration

adopted last May by Guatemala, El Salvador and

Nicaragua in order to give fresh impetus to Central

American integration.

The question of migrations is also an important

branch of our international relations, one where

Guatemala bases its policy on the principle that

whatever the legal status of migrants may be, they are

human beings fully entitled to rights under the law and,

as such, capable of invoking the full range of human

rights. Evidence of this is the fact that during his visit

to the United Nations in connection with the

Millennium Summit, the President of the Republic,

signed the International Convention on the Protection

of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of

their Families. The best way to discourage migration is

to create sources of employment in the countries of

origin. The industrial countries, therefore, must

dismantle all kinds of barriers so that developing

countries are enabled to export commodities and not

people.

I should now like briefly to explain our thinking

on those main items that will be discussed in the

Assembly at its fifty-fifth regular session.

First, I wish to restate our full backing for the

United Nations, as expressed by President Portillo last

week, since the Organization is the highest

embodiment of multilateralism. We are persuaded that

the Organization will have a crucial role to play in the

twenty-first century. I attest to the tangible contribution

that the United Nations has recently made in my

country as regards both the consolidation of peace and

in cooperation for development through the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United

Nations agencies.

Secondly, we also wish to observe that it is

necessary to adapt the Organization to the exigencies

of globalization and to this post-cold war era. It is up to

us, as member Governments, to promote this

adaptation in various spheres such as

intergovernmental bodies, efficiency and effectiveness

of the Secretariat, the setting of priorities in the

programme of activities and the financial strengthening

of the Organization.

Of the pending reforms, the one which has

received most attention is the Security Council. Can

there be any doubt that its membership or its methods

of work must reflect the prevailing circumstances of a

contemporary world? There is no need to be frustrated

at the lack of progress in prior sessions of the General

Assembly in connection with the reform of the Security

Council. We appreciate that there are differing

viewpoints in this regard and, of course, differences

tend to stalemate or paralyse action. But this should not

prevent us from redoubling our efforts to make this

absolutely vital organ of the United Nations more

effective, more representative of the Members of the

Organization as a whole and more transparent in the

way it operates. To achieve those ends we advocate,

among other things, expansion of the membership of

the Council as well as an exercise of the veto in strict

conformity with the Charter. We feel that, at any rate,

regular use should be subject to review by the General

Assembly and, in extreme instances, by the

International Court of Justice in the interests of a

genuine rule of law of an international character, thus

avoiding abuses.

Thirdly, we are convinced that we need to

strengthen our collective capacity to prevent and settle

conflicts, both across borders and domestically. We

believe that the recently submitted report by the Panel

on United Nations peacekeeping operations offers an

excellent point of departure for this purpose. Our only

preliminary observation on the matter is that

strengthening the United Nations capacity in this area

should not be carried out at the expense of our

economic and social activities. Rather, should we

decide to implement the recommendations of the Group

of Experts, then the time will have come to put an end

to an ill-conceived policy of zero growth of the United

Nations budget. As President Portillo stated:

“If we want the United Nations to be a first

class institution, we must learn to provide it with

the necessary financial support.” (A/55/PV.3)

This brings me to a fourth point that has gained

considerable prominence in the agenda for this session.

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I refer to the controversial question of revising the

scale of assessments both for the regular budget and for

the peacekeeping counterpart. Our position is very

straightforward. We agree that the relative situation of

many countries has developed over the years and this

warrants a revision of the way in which we share the

burden of financially maintaining the United Nations.

At the same time, however, we feel that the most

important criterion for fixing the scale of assessments

is ability to pay. The relative participation of countries

in the gross domestic product of the world continues to

provide a basic yardstick. There is also justification for

weighting this yardstick on the basis of certain special

considerations, such as, for instance, recognition of the

special situation of the least-developed countries on the

one hand, and, on the other, of the special

responsibility that should be assumed by the permanent

members of the Security Council for maintaining

peace.

In fifth place, as regards general disarmament, we

emphasize the need to advance towards total

elimination of nuclear, chemical and bacteriological

weapons; illicit trafficking in small arms, and the use

of anti-personnel mines and explosive devices. In

respect of these matters we strongly support all

practical action being undertaken by the United

Nations to achieve these aims as well as those designed

to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones in all parts of

the world.

In the sixth place, we offer our full support for

and active participation in the main events scheduled in

the coming years. Among them, I wish to single out the

high-level intergovernmental event on financing for

development and the World Conference on Racism,

Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related

Intolerance.

In the seventh place, in an increasingly

interdependent world, multilateral diplomacy has a

crucial role to play in the struggle against

environmental degradation. As Guatemala is a party to

the main global environmental treaties, we reaffirm our

commitment to the maintenance of ecological balance.

Finally, we feel the United Nations should

continue to concern itself with what we have called the

great unfinished task of the twentieth century:

eradicating world poverty. Together with the

multilateral financial institutions, our Organization

should play a crucial role in ensuring that the benefits

of globalization are widely shared by all countries.

This calls for action at the level of each country, but

also at the international level.

Similarly, by way of general comment, we wish

to reiterate, before this Assembly, that Guatemala, in

its very flesh, has experienced fratricidal confrontation.

That is why Guatemala has the moral authority to

insist, before God and man, that peace reign among all

the peoples of the world, particularly between the

separated brothers of China and Taiwan. We therefore

appeal for the continuation of talks in order to achieve

an outcome that will fulfil the aspirations of the

Chinese people on both sides of the Strait, reached

through peaceful, free and democratic means.

Likewise, we trust that a prompt solution to the

Middle East conflict will be found and that situations

of tension in the African continent and other parts of

Europe will be overcome, as well as among any other

fraternal people of the world who are victims of

violence and discord.

I wish to conclude my statement by expressing a

personal conviction. I am persuaded that all human

beings are equal in the eyes of the Almighty, without

distinction as to race, language or creed. I trust that in

that same spirit we shall be able to beginning from this

session to give effect to the guidelines enshrined in the

Millennium Declaration adopted last week.