Laos, 1993

First of all, I would like on behalf of the

delegation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to

congratulate you, Sir, most warmly on your unanimous

election to the presidency of the General Assembly of the

United Nations at its forty-eighth session. We are familiar

with your great diplomatic skills and your patience and

perseverance and therefore feel certain that you will guide

the work of this session towards a successful conclusion.

12 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

I would also like to convey our wholehearted

congratulations to the Secretary-General of our Organization,

His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for the tireless

and efficient efforts he has exerted in discharging his

important responsibilities over the past year. We wish him

every success in the accomplishment of his complex and

difficult tasks at the head of our Organization.

The Lao delegation also extends a welcome to the

States that have recently become Members of the United

Nations: the Principality of Andorra, Eritrea, The Former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Principality of

Monaco, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic.

Their presence among us certainly enhances the universality

of the United Nations.

The present session of the General Assembly has begun

at a time when the international situation as a whole is

evolving in a positive direction, conducive both to dialogue

and to cooperation between States. None the less, the

genuine peace that peoples the world over have so long

awaited has not been attained. From East to West, from

North to South, sizeable and often tragic conflicts keep

breaking out. It is true that some of them have been

successfully resolved, but many others, of an ethnic, racial

and religious nature, are arising in various parts of the world

and are raging unabated, rendering the world situation fragile

and precarious.

In Europe, the situation in the Republic of Bosnia

remains tense and even explosive, and could threaten both

regional and global peace and security. In flagrant defiance

of international humanitarian law, crimes such as "ethnic

cleansing", mass rapes, torture and deliberate bombing of

civilian targets continue to be committed against the innocent

Bosnian people. Given the gravity of the problem, all the

parties to this painful conflict should show the courage and

the sense of realism necessary to reach a just and equitable

political settlement freely and as quickly as possible, and

thereby contribute to the restoration of peace, security and

normalcy in that country and in the entire region.

In South Africa, the conclusion of an agreement on the

date of the first multiracial elections and the establishment

of the Transitional Executive Council constitute an important

stage in the efforts of the people of that country to build a

united, democratic and non-racial South Africa.

Nevertheless, the overall situation in the country remains

fragile. Sadly, we still witness an upsurge of acts of

violence and of discord in many parts of the country.

Therefore, political, social and racial order must be restored

so that the reforms thus begun can continue, at an

accelerated pace.

In Somalia, the evolution of the situation is still

disquieting. It is vital that the international community find

just and lasting solutions to this problem in accordance with

the rights and aspirations of the Somali people.

In the Middle East, an important step has been taken in

the quest for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of

the Israel-Arab conflict. The Lao delegation is pleased at

the mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation

Organization (PLO) and Israel, as well as the Gaza-Jericho

autonomy agreement which was signed in Washington on 13

September 1993. We hope that that agreement will help the

various parties to the conflict to establish a climate of

mutual trust and in this way to find a comprehensive

settlement that is just and honourable for all, in the

framework of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and

338 (1973) and other relevant United Nations resolutions.

In western Asia, despite the signing last March at

Islamabad of a peace agreement between the Afghan parties

in conflict, Afghanistan remains the theatre of civil war. In

the interests of national concord among Afghans, of the

reconstruction of their homeland and of the peace and

security of the entire region, we appeal to all the parties

concerned to put an end to their conflicts.

On the Korean peninsula, there is still an atmosphere of

mutual distrust in the military sphere. We welcome the

tireless efforts made by all the countries concerned,

including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to

ensure that the Korean peninsula is a nuclear-weapon-free

zone. It would be in the highest interest of the entire north-

east Asian region and of the world if peace, stability and

cooperation were to be achieved.

In South-East Asia, the countries of the region generally

enjoy good relations, and this is opening up a new era for

the broadening of their cooperation, day by day, in many

fields of shared interest. For the first time my own country,

the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, participated as an

observer in the Ministerial Meeting of the countries of the

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), held

recently in Singapore. We are pleased at this important

meeting with the countries of ASEAN which has given new

impetus to our joint efforts to promote cooperation in

different fields among the peoples of the region.

Our delegation is also gratified by the historic events

that have taken place in Cambodia, our immediate

neighbour. The promulgation of the new constitution by His

Majesty King Samdech Norodom Sihanouk and the

establishment of a new Government in that country will open

the way to peace, stability and national harmony, thus

Forty-eighth session - 11 October l993 13

contributing to the strengthening of cooperation and

friendship in the region.

In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 1992 was a

year of many achievements. Our gross national product

increased by 7 per cent over 1991; our rate of inflation is 10

per cent, compared to 14 per cent in 1991; and the rate of

exchange in general has stabilized. In other words, the

multi-ethnic Lao people is seeing a gradual improvement in

its standard of living. From a political standpoint, our

country has experienced solid stability, and we intend

vigorously to continue our effort to promote democracy and

our people’s collective decision-making power, in

accordance with our country’s historical and cultural realities

and with its level of economic and social development.

At the beginning of 1993, the National Assembly

endorsed our national plan for socio-economic development

through the year 2000. Under this plan, the Lao

Government has set for itself two major objectives.

The first is aimed at meeting the most urgent daily

needs of our population, especially of the ethnic minorities

that live in the mountainous regions; bringing about a

gradual rise in their standard of living, both material and

cultural; and ensuring political and social stability in the

country.

The second is to promote the development of

agriculture and forestry in concert with the development of

services and of industry, especially in the field of

hydropower, one of the areas of potential growth in our

country; to develop more forcefully our market economy,

create internal savings, stabilize State finances and work

steadily towards financial autonomy; and to strengthen our

efforts at development of human resources in order to create

conditions conducive to national development in the

immediate future and for the years to come.

In order to realize this plan, we will endeavour to

achieve an average growth rate of 8 per cent, to maintain

economic and financial balance, to preserve stability of

prices and of rates of exchange, and to keep the inflation

rate no higher than 10 per cent per year. The Government

will continue its policy of broadening cooperation with other

countries and in this regard hopes to have the support and

assistance in all respects of the international community.

According to the United Nations World Economic

Survey, production at the international level should increase

by only 1.5 per cent this year and 3 per cent in 1994,

compared with .6 per cent in 1992: a very weak recovery of

growth in general terms. This weak recovery, especially in

the industrialized countries, entails a continued decline in the

demand for export goods from the developing countries and

a more abrupt decline in the prices of their raw materials,

which are of vital importance to their economies. Bearing

in mind the interdependence of the components of the global

economy, it would be wiser for the developed countries to

attach greater importance to the developing countries and to

commit themselves truly to international cooperation founded

upon revitalization of the economy and development in the

interests of all.

The problem of the environment, because of its

importance in its relation to development, is still at the

forefront of global concerns. We are still witnessing the

pollution of our air, seas and oceans, abrupt climate changes,

a steady depletion of the ozone layer, and desertification in

many parts of the world. It is time for the developed

countries and the developing countries to strengthen their

international cooperation effectively and to take forceful

measures to protect the environment, in accordance with

their respective responsibilities and capacities and with the

well-known Agenda 21, adopted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in

1992.

As for the drug problem, my delegation is pleased that

the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly will devote

special meetings to this subject. We intend to contribute to

its consideration in view of the importance of this problem

and its implications in the world at large and in our own

country.

The question of promoting human rights and

fundamental freedoms still occupies a central place on the

international agenda. Because it is so important and so

sensitive, this question requires serious consideration on the

basis of the principles of non-selectivity, objectivity and

impartiality. To this we should add that the historic,

cultural, political, social, economic and religious realities of

each country need to be taken into account. From this

standpoint, we are on the whole satisfied with the results

obtained at the recent World Conference on Human Rights,

held in Vienna, Austria, from 14 to 25 June 1993.

With the end of bipolarization, it is important that

States place their hopes in the United Nations, which is truly

intended to be universal and institutional, capable of

maintaining international peace and security, of promoting

development and of having law and justice prevail the world

over. So that it can live up to its new responsibilities, the

Organization must also build its new structure. A

revitalized, restructured United Nations made more

democratic in its decision-making process, particularly in the

14 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

Security Council, will certainly be able to play its rightful

central role in the management of international affairs.

States and peoples all over the world, large and small alike,

powerful or weak, rich or poor, could benefit greatly from

such a development.