Laos, 1995

The unanimous election of

Mr. Freitas do Amaral to preside over this historic session,

the fiftieth, of the General Assembly is a well-deserved

tribute to his country, Portugal. Aware of his talent and his

many political activities at the national and international

levels, I venture to believe that under his guidance this

session of the General Assembly will be successful.

On this occasion, I also wish to pay tribute to, and to

congratulate, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Secretary-

General of our Organization, for his vigorous efforts in

carrying out his very responsible functions for the

maintenance of peace and for the promotion of

development throughout the world.

The international situation is still complex and in a

state of flux. Ethnic, religious and border conflicts still

raging in various parts of our planet continue to haunt the

international community. Despite numerous efforts to

resolve those conflicts, there is no indication that we are

anywhere near the goals we have set for ourselves. Bearing

in mind past lessons and experiences, we should engage in

informed reflection, undertake appropriate actions and act

together to find reasonable and peaceful ways to meet these

challenges. The realities of the world today show that it is

not easy to create an atmosphere where peace and justice

prevail, because this involves a noble, difficult and long-

term duty, a duty that requires, at one and the same time,

patience and resolution, which the international community

as a whole is called upon to provide, is in the interest of

the nations and the peoples of the world.

In Europe, the conflict in the Republic of Bosnia and

Herzegovina, which has caused great suffering to its people,

remains without a final solution. The 60-day cease-fire

agreement just concluded by the parties involved in this

painful conflict is undoubtedly a new stage in the search for

a global peace. This agreement also requires that other

efforts be made, with a maximum of wisdom and restraint

and a readiness to restore peace and stability in this

region of the world.

In Africa, after long years of struggle, the apartheid

system finally has been abolished. Like all other peoples

that love peace and freedom in the world, the Lao people

are very happy about this event. We wish ever-greater

success to the new South African authorities, under the

wise leadership of President Nelson Mandela, in their

tireless efforts to build a new South Africa, united, non-

racial, democratic and prosperous.

Still on the subject of Africa, the Lao people hope

that the ethnic conflicts and violence still raging in some

countries of the continent will be peacefully resolved in

order to preserve unity and to promote national harmony

and development in their respective countries.

In the Caribbean, the overall situation is favourable

to the promotion of mutual understanding as well as to

the development cooperation between the countries of this

region. In this context, the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic believes that it is high time that the economic

blockade decreed unilaterally against Cuba be lifted in

order to contribute to the promotion of peace and stability

and cooperation between the peoples of this region,

without any discrimination whatsoever.

In the Middle East, the conclusion this past

September of the agreement between the Palestine

Liberation Organization and Israel, which deals with the

extension of autonomy to the West Bank region, marks a

new, positive step in the implementation of the

Declaration of Principles signed in Washington in 1993.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic hopes that the

Middle East peace process will continue to move ahead,

in the interest of lasting peace and of cooperation for

development between the peoples of this region.

In the Asia-Pacific region, countries of that region

have exerted many laudable efforts to ensure the

maintenance of peace and security and promotion of

cooperation for development. These efforts enjoy

increasing support from the various peoples of the world.

The initiative to create a Regional Forum for the

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is

another important gauge of the depth and strength of the

confidence and cooperation in this part of the world.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic welcomes

the positive results of the implementation of the

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agreements which have been reached between the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United

States of America and which have contributed to improving

the situation in that region. At the same time, the Lao

people fully support the ardent aspirations of the Korean

people to the peaceful and independent reunification of

Korea.

As an integral part of the community of South-East

Asia, one of the regions recognized for its activities in

favour of maintaining peace and cooperation in the region

and in the world, my country, the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic, has made a worthy contribution to that effort

designed to make that region one of peace, friendship and

cooperation as well as a nuclear-weapons-free zone. In its

effort at national construction, my country has also had new

success. Last year, the economic-growth rate reached the

level of 8 per cent. The volume of foreign investment has

increased, thus contributing to the improvement of the Lao

people’s living conditions. More important still, political

stability and social order in the country are now solidly

guaranteed. At the present time, the Lao government is

working actively to carry out, under market mechanisms,

the development strategy to the year 2000, which would

promote economic growth along with social development,

the development of human resources and sustainable rural

development, while giving great importance to

environmental protection and the protection of the rights

and the interests of women and children.

In the international arena, the Lao Government will

continue to apply its consistent policy of peace, friendship

and cooperation with all countries. For the time being, it is

concentrating its efforts on establishing the necessary

conditions for it to become, in the near future, a full-

fledged member of ASEAN. We hope that the countries of

that organization, other friendly countries, and international

organizations will provide assistance and support for our

efforts.

In recent years, the world economic situation as a

whole has shown a somewhat positive trend. None the less,

the majority of the developing countries still face economic

difficulties stemming from many causes. The Lao People’s

Democratic Republic believes, therefore, that in order for

interdependence to be of equal benefit to all, we should

resume as quickly as possible North-South dialogue in

order to promote cooperation for development. At the same

time, every effort should be made to find the means to

settle as quickly as possible the debt problem of the least

developed countries, in order to create conditions

favourable to their development.

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic attaches great importance to the implementation

of the Programme of Action adopted by the Social

Summit — the first of its kind — which was held last

March in Copenhagen. My Government hopes that the

international community will work together to implement

that Programme and to promote socioeconomic

development, which would allow mankind to live in

conditions of peace, security and justice.

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic believes that the success of the Fourth World

Conference on Women, held in Beijing this past

September, created a favourable political, economic and

sociocultural atmosphere for the full participation of

women in development. We will thus continue to promote

and ensure rights to equality between men and women —

rights that are clearly specified in our Constitution. We

will also continue to mobilize and to help the women of

ethnic minorities to participate fully in the development

process, as both players and beneficiaries of the fruits of

growth.

In the current international situation, even though

East-West confrontation has ended, mankind none the less

continues to be concerned by the danger posed by the

existence of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass

destruction. It is imperative that joint, effective measures

be taken to reduce this danger and eliminate it forever. In

this context, the Government of the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic supports the initiative of the

countries of South-East Asia to make this region a

nuclear-weapon-free zone.

The question of the promotion of human rights and

of fundamental freedoms continues to have a high priority

on the international agenda. In considering this question,

a large number of countries are concerned at the trend to

deal only with the civil and political aspects of human

rights and to use them to interfere in the internal affairs

of other countries, which would violate the rights of

peoples to self-determination. Bearing in mind the

intrinsic characteristics of each nation, the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic believes that only a global and

balanced approach to this sensitive question would serve

the cause of human rights and would meet the legitimate

interests of all peoples.

We are meeting today at a time when the United

Nations is actively preparing to celebrate its fiftieth

anniversary. This commemoration should be for us all an

unprecedented opportunity to review the Organization’s

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performance over the past five decades, with the goal of

enhancing the effectiveness of its role in the economic and

social development of peoples and in the maintenance of

world peace. In a new international context, the United

Nations, and in particular its Security Council, should be

restructured and democratized in order to become a reliable

and upright body enjoying the confidence of all nations and

capable of solving global problems. In this spirit, the

delegation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic will

continue, together with other delegations, to make its active

contribution to the strengthening of our universal

Organization.