Honduras, 1994

First of all, I am happy to express to you, Sir,

my personal congratulations on your unanimous election to

the responsible post of President of the General Assembly.

We are all the more pleased because your human qualities

and professional skills are certain to make a valuable

contribution to the success of this session of the General

Assembly and because you represent Côte d’Ivoire and

Africa, a brother continent of Latin America, whose hopes

and aspirations we share. Our thanks go as well to your

distinguished predecessor, the representative of Guyana,

Samuel Insanally, who so skilfully presided over the

General Assembly at its forty-eighth session.

From this rostrum, the rostrum of world peace,

which has seen a succession of the most notable

representatives of all the nations, I address the peoples of

the globe on behalf of 5.5 million Hondurans.

Honduras has emerged from the remarkable culture

of the Mayas, who, in centuries past, invented the zero

and developed mathematics, cultivated architecture,

predicted eclipses, and produced an extraordinarily

accurate calendar.

The ruins of Copán bear eloquent and beautiful

testimony to the greatness of a civilization that strove to

keep a written record of all that it did. Today, on the eve

of the twenty-first century, we can barely decipher the

wisdom contained in their petroglyphs. I am speaking,

then, on behalf of a people whose roots go deep down

into history, a people that after some centuries brought

forth such world-class Central Americanists and

pan-Americanists as Francisco Morazán and José Cecilio

del Valle.

Like the Maya, the people of Honduras are deeply

peace-loving, and their democratic calling has evolved

unblemished. In the midst of the Central American war,

Honduras remained at peace. None the less, it was not

spared the harsh consequences of the great Central

American crisis that devastated the region during the last

two decades and from whose aftermath we still suffer.

Notwithstanding the many virtues of the Honduran

people, we are still afflicted by economic, social, cultural

and health problems that hamper development, obstruct the

full exercise of human rights and immerse many families in

dire poverty.

Exactly eight months ago today, I took on the

leadership of the destiny of Honduras through the freely

expressed will of our people. We are preparing the country

for the titanic struggle against corruption, the hard battle

against poverty and the fight against illiteracy, for

stabilization of the economy and for conservation of the

environment.

Peace and development require, above all, shelter,

sustenance, land and jobs for all. They require universal

justice, hope for everyone and promising prospects for

every woman, man, girl and boy.

In the face of all the challenges of the present, we

have opted to implement a moral revolution capable of

straightening out the administration of the State and of

transforming the country peacefully and democratically.

The driving principles and values behind that moral

revolution are larger than my people and Honduras’s

geographical dimensions. The moral revolution, behind

which I throw myself wholeheartedly, permeates our links

with other States and the international legal community.

The moral revolution means good government,

economic growth with equity, transparency in the

administration of the State and decency in the taking of

important decisions and in daily work; it is political

democracy, national identity, lush forests and healthy

children; it is economics with a human face, the theory and

practice of integration with the fraternal countries of

Central America, international solidarity and support for the

peaceful settlement of conflicts; it is, in short, a clear and

resolute step towards mankind’s next millennium.

On the global level we are witnessing the last rites of

the cold war. We have seen the last of the after-effects of

the Second World War, effects that lingered on into this

decade. We are witnessing the globalization of markets and

the resurgence of ethnic groups crying out for their own

identity. We are seeing the unilateral actions of some

States give way to multilateral operations framed by the

legislation of this great world gathering. We see that

colonialism has come crashing down like, in the words of

our national anthem, a black-feathered bird, and that

cooperation among free, sovereign and independent nations

is growing day by day.

We are participants in the historic transformation of

democracy from a national value into a universal one,

from something practised intermittently in certain

countries into a standard form of behaviour for States.

All this heralds a new dawn for mankind. But all

these triumphs, however grand, are still not enough.

The differences between North and South necessitate

a far-reaching dialogue in order that mankind may not be

torn asunder yet again. International cooperation for

peaceful development must take place soon and to a

greater degree than that seen during times of war or

conflict.

Central America is emerging, still licking its

wounds, from the savage blows of two decades of deep

crisis and bloodshed. A quarter of a million dead is the

huge and tragic price that Central Americans paid for the

cold war. Billions of dollars were poured into destruction

and military confrontation between brothers. Now,

unfortunately, only scant resources are being invested in

building new democracies and new economies.

This is a challenge for Central Americans and the

international community alike. Our region is replacing

the agenda of war with that of peace and sustainable

development. Our region - and in this respect my country

is a trail-blazer - is bringing down the curtain on an era

of confrontation and bringing it back up on one of unity

and solidarity. In the era just past we had a lot of help;

but for the one that is opening up we can see very little.

Although our own efforts are the engine of our

development, international cooperation can strengthen us

and speed up our progress. For this reason we call the

attention of the international community to the fact that

all those who contributed to our destruction have a moral

obligation to cooperate in our reconstruction and to help

undo the reversals the region suffered because of the two

decades of crisis.

My Government and people view with profound

optimism the positive turn of events that has taken place

in the conduct of Governments. Louis XIV considered

himself the State: "L’état, c’est moi." Hegel envisaged

the State as God’s path towards the Earth, perfect reason

which never errs. That led to the doctrine of raison

d’état as the motivating force behind the conduct of

Governments. Now, in the post-cold-war period, a new

motivating force is emerging: humanitarian reason. This

change is symbolized by our passage not only from one

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century to the next, but, indeed, from one millennium to the

next. It is, in effect, a thousand-year leap: from

governmental policy based on the interests of the State to

international relations inspired by humanitarian concerns.

In this period of radical transition for mankind, there

are lights at the end of the tunnel: the collapse of various

barriers, the weakening of racial segregation, the casting off

of shackles that had kept different nationalities artificially

bound together, the worldwide spread of democracy, and

the emergence of détente as a feature of inter-State

relations. These trends augur well for the building of a

new world order based on peace, mutual support and broad

tolerance. The growing realization that reason must prevail

over force should prompt our national leaders to convert

those rays of hope into great beacons for the maintenance

of peace, security, democracy and, hence, sustainable

development.

My country and people regard the development of the

new international economic order with stoicism as the

world becomes divided into blocs based on economic and

strategic interests. The nation-State is suffering a crisis of

identity and threats to its sovereignty. We are witnessing

new geopolitical formations in which power is being

transnationalized and the struggle for hegemony is passing

into another dimension. The new structure of the world

economy is marked by the supranational nature of decision-

making in the field of finance and international trade.

If this emerging new international economic order is

not managed prudently, if we do not infuse it with

humanism and morality, we run the risk that in the short

term the already-existing rift in the world between poor

nations and rich nations - what we used to call the North

and the South - will widen further. The following words of

a Honduran poet speak eloquently to this: "The poor are so

many that it is hard to forget them - so many that they

could be the pallbearers of a celestial body."

It is vital to have a more equitable new international

order. Now more than ever, justice in the South is a

prerequisite for peace in the North. The industrialized

States need to demonstrate their readiness to respond to the

economic proposals of the developing countries, which

represent two thirds of the Earth’s people.

These thoughts should serve merely to stimulate our

imagination in the quest for solutions to prevent the

deterioration of our political, economic and social systems.

In the process of globalization, under the banner of

democracy in the political field and the market economy in

the economic field, we have been making intense efforts

at the regional and subregional levels to reduce political

and economic differences among countries and regions on

the basis of the norms and institutions that should guide

our collective life towards a basic model, one fashioned

in accordance with the principles that underpin this world

Organization.

The United Nations must therefore pursue the

analysis and discussion of the major issues that call for

thorough reflection in this process of political, economic

and social globalization. Indeed, there has been a marked

increase in recourse to the United Nations as an

instrument to prevent, avert or halt international conflicts,

and in order to legitimize the right of intervention in the

case of conflict between a State and its population or a

State and the international community - but always in

search of peace, freedom and democracy.

The manifest resolve of the States Members of this

Organization to work in concert towards this objective has

been remarkable and vigorous, but it should be borne in

mind that good intentions are of little use unless

supported by the political will to take the difficult

decisions required by situations such as this. Let the

apologists of violence and those who are nostalgic for

power have no doubt that our political will to avert

regional conflicts is unswerving, and that our political

action is designed to promote stability, legitimacy and the

development of effective democracies.

We share the concern and the distress at the events

occurring in the sister country of Haiti. There is a

pressing need to put an end to this grave situation, which

is an affront to human dignity and to the self-

determination of peoples. My Government supports a

peaceful settlement of the problem and is ready, within its

limitations, to take part in a United Nations peace-keeping

mission once democracy is restored to that fraternal

country.

Just as we felt great satisfaction at the signing, last

year, of the historic mutual recognition agreement

between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation

Organization (PLO), we are gratified by the decision of

the State of Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan to sign the

Washington Declaration of 25 July 1994. It reflects the

aspirations of the two peoples and Governments and seeks

to find formulas for mutual understanding that will put an

end to their substantial differences.

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My Government was particularly pleased to see a

bleak chapter of human history in South Africa end with

the coming to office of a new Government led by President

Nelson Mandela. Today we look forward to seeing the

aspirations to freedom, peace, democracy and development

whose fulfilment that great leader desires for his people

become a reality.

Similarly, though with a sadness that I cannot conceal,

I must say that events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the

tragedy of Rwanda cause us considerable distress and

anguish. These fratricidal conflicts should impel us to act

urgently to eliminate armed aggression, genocide and the

practice of "ethnic cleansing" once and for all. We cannot

continue to waver in implementing Security Council

resolutions. Although this Organization has never played

as big a leadership role as it is playing now, it is also true

that compliance with its resolutions in the framework of

operations to maintain international peace and security has

been put into question.

My Government deeply regrets the resulting tragic

events that have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and

caused a massive exodus of refugees. We therefore urge

parties in conflict to act in a spirit of reconciliation, certain

that the international community will continue to extend

humanitarian assistance to them.

In the case of Cuba, the Government of Honduras

agrees with the overall objective of restoring democracy to

that country, in the framework of the inter-American

system. However, we believe that the policy pursued by

the Government of the United States of America is not

consistent with the need to remedy the critical political,

economic and social conditions prevailing in that brotherly

country, and we sincerely hope that dialogue between the

parties will prevail in this dispute.

The countries of the Central American region have

continued to pursue policies based on resolutions adopted

at presidential Summits, with a view to creating a new

economic, social and political structure for the benefit of

Central Americans. In this regard, at the recent fifteenth

meeting of Central American Presidents, held in the

brotherly Republic of Costa Rica, new circumstances

prompted us to adopt an integral strategy for sustainable

development in the region, a national and regional strategy

which we call the "Alliance for Sustainable Development".

This is a Central American initiative in the political, moral,

economic, social and ecological fields, whose agenda will

be further enriched with the holding of the environmental

Summit in Managua, Nicaragua, on 12 and 13 October, and

the International Conference for Peace and Development

in Central America, to be held on 24 and 25 October this

year in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The International

Conference will be a good opportunity for the

international community, as it did a decade ago in the

midst of a tragic confrontation, to express its solidarity

with a region that has turned war into reconciliation,

conflict into human progress and totalitarianism into

democracy. It would be terrible indeed if the world that

extended its hand to us in those difficult times were to

fail now to help us enjoy the dividends of peace.

We participated with similar enthusiasm and

optimism in the Fourth Ibero-American Summit of Heads

of State and Government in Cartagena de Indias, Republic

of Colombia. As everyone present knows, there was

broad discussion there of aspects of trade and integration

as elements in Ibero-American development. We

attended that important meeting with the political resolve

to tackle the problems that are besetting our countries and

causing dangerous economic and social imbalances, thus

requiring a search for concerted responses that will enable

us to develop machinery to tackle the challenges of the

future more effectively.

In accordance with this commitment, my

Government believes that, although dialogue has been

strengthened, it is even more important to pursue the

policies adopted at that forum. In this context, we

reaffirm our fullest support for the joint initiatives, which

are based on the principles of representative democracy,

the defence and promotion of human rights, respect for

sovereignty and the principles of non-intervention and the

self-determination of peoples.

On a different tack, I should like to inform this

world forum that the degradation of the environment is a

matter of constant concern to us. In this regard, my

Government attaches the highest priority to the search for

a solution to this problem. Mechanisms have been

established to implement the resolutions adopted at the

Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June

1992.

We reaffirm our commitment to promoting a

balanced and integrated approach to sustainable

development, as set forth in the Rio Declaration on

Environment and Development. It is important that the

Assembly expand on that idea and build an awareness of

the world’s environmental unity so that a new relationship

between mankind and nature can emerge, allowing us to

work together for its conservation and survival.

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Regarding this sensitive matter, our National Congress

is currently seized with the Conventions on Biological

Diversity and on Climate Change, with a view to translating

our words into deeds through their speedy debate and

adoption.

My Government wishes to raise one other issue today,

with a sense of full responsibility and an awareness of the

gravity of the effects of the crisis faced by developing

countries and the risks involved for the stability of the

world economy. We must acknowledge the importance of

the signing of the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, as well as the

agreement creating the World Trade Organization, with a

view to strengthening the multilateral trade system. We

trust that these instruments will help to ensure the

liberalization and expansion of international trade for the

benefit of the developing countries.

But if in pursuing this goal the industrialized nations

do not act in accordance with the changes taking place in

international economic relations, efforts within the

framework of South-South cooperation will have to be

stepped up. This is becoming not merely an alternative, but

a fundamental challenge to our capacity to act in these

negotiations, which can stem only from the coordination

and support that impart resolution, continuity and

effectiveness to the actions of the group of developing

countries.

In the context of what the United Nations means to all

of us, my Government has attached the greatest importance

to and has followed with great interest the process of

reform of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly

with respect to the Security Council.

In the prevailing international circumstances and given

the role the Security Council has been called upon to play

in the maintenance of international peace and security, the

reforms that the membership is calling for, in accordance

with the purposes and principles of the Organization, should

be studied thoroughly and adopted with meticulous care.

Any reform in the membership of the Security Council

needs to take into account the criteria established in the

relevant Articles of the Charter. It is essential to respect

the principle of equitable geographical representation, which

would permit us to increase the number of permanent and

non-permanent members democratically and to consider

whether or not it would be desirable to create a new category -

that of semi-permanent member - as has been suggested in

the open-ended working group on the restructuring of the

Security Council established by the Secretary-General.

In this process of change, in addition to the

principles that I have outlined we need to consider what

basic indicators would enable us to set the number of

members at the right level. This is also true of the study

on the veto right, currently enjoyed by the five permanent

members; my Government feels that this right should not

be granted to any category, whether permanent or semi-

permanent. Thus, Honduras is not opposed to the

establishment of new categories provided this is done in

accordance with the principle of the sovereign equality of

States and equitable geographical distribution.

With faith in God, in truth and in justice, I shall now

return to my country to continue building the society we

have chosen and contributing to the attainment of the kind

of world to which we all aspire. May everything work to

the good of mankind.