Latvia, 1998

Allow me to congratulate the

President of the General Assembly on his election and to

wish him success in discharging his duties. I wish us all a

constructive fifty-third session of the General Assembly.

In 1995, the United Nations system commemorated its

golden anniversary. This year, the United Nations celebrates

the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights. This is a major

accomplishment for humankind. The Declaration has

inspired the development of a reliable and effective

international system for the protection of human rights.

At the time of the adoption of the Universal

Declaration, Latvia was under Soviet occupation. The

Soviet Union did not respect human rights, even though

it participated in the preparation and adoption of the

Declaration. I will mention one example among many

violations of human rights: three and a half months after

the adoption of the Declaration, the people of Latvia,

including myself, experienced the largest of several

deportations. Tens of thousands of people, even elderly

people and children, were deported to the gulag. This left

a lasting mark on the collective consciousness of the

people of Latvia and significantly altered the demographic

situation.

During the period of occupation, the people of

Latvia were unable to utilize fully the human-rights

protection system of the United Nations. That situation

changed as Latvia restored its independence. In the seven

years since Latvia became a Member of the United

Nations, it has benefitted from the moral and political

support of the largest international organization.

Immediately after the restoration of independence,

our nation had to achieve the removal of a foreign

military force. This process was helped by two General

Assembly resolutions and the good offices of the

Secretary-General. I am pleased to announce that less

than a month ago the last military installation of the

Russian Federation in Latvia — the early-warning radar

station in Skrunda — was closed. This event illustrates

that international institutions can constructively assist in

the fulfilment of bilateral agreements. Cooperation

between Latvia and the United Nations has been rich in

accomplishments. The experience gained in the United

Nations community has helped us in our democratic

development.

At present, Latvia is paying particular attention to

economic and social development. Latvia is experiencing

healthy economic growth at present. Latvia has one of the

highest rates of growth in gross national product and one of

the lowest rates of inflation among European Union

candidate States. It has a balanced budget, and expects to

have one next year also. This creates justifiable optimism

that the process of accession to the European Union will

continue successfully.

The development of an integrated society is a national

priority. This is a complicated task because the Soviet

regime intentionally created a situation in which Latvians

almost became a minority in their own country.

Nevertheless, Latvia is dealing resolutely with this task. By

the end of the year the Government will have completed the

elaboration of a programme for the integration of society.

This programme will stimulate the development of a civil

society and provide more opportunities for the learning of

the Latvian language. When implemented, the programme

will permit all residents of Latvia to participate to an even

greater extent than at present in public and civic life.

Already Latvia ensures broad opportunities for the

development of the culture of various ethnic groups and for

education in their mother tongues.

This past June, Latviaâs parliament adopted a far-

reaching decision about changes in the citizenship law.

Most of the major political forces support these changes in

the citizenship law. Shortly, the people of Latvia will voice

their opinion of these changes in a referendum.

Cooperation with United Nations institutions,

especially the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP), has enhanced the social and economic welfare of

Latviaâs inhabitants. The UNDP has helped our country

resolve sensitive and important issues of integration. On

behalf of the Government of Latvia, I would like to express

gratitude for the assistance provided by the UNDP in

enhancing the welfare of Latviaâs inhabitants. The

successful cooperation should continue.

The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights spurs a consideration of Latviaâs possible

contributions to the human-rights protection system. As a

first-time member of the Commission on Human Rights

beginning next year, Latvia will support the promotion of

human rights as a priority of the United Nations, and the

Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights as the

primary institution for that task. Latvia believes that the

priority role of human rights requires increased funding.

Latvia has decided to continue to support financially the

project for the development of national human rights

institutions.

On the country level, I may note the National

Human Rights Office which has operated actively in our

country for several years and which is the first institution

of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. The Office was

established with the support of the United Nations. Latvia

desires to continue this constructive cooperation with the

United Nations. In support of the reform package

proposed by the Secretary-General, the Government of

Latvia will establish “United Nations House”. By the end

of the year a building in Riga will be the home of five

institutions of the United Nations system.

It is significant that during the golden anniversary of

the adoption of the Universal Declaration, the United

Nations diplomatic conference in Rome adopted a

decision to establish an international criminal court.

Latvia supports the establishment of an effective court

and hopes that an overwhelming majority of United

Nations Member States will do likewise.

The best protection for human rights is a world in

which peace and security prevail. The bipolar order, with

its characteristic threats to peace and security, is gone.

However, the world is still unsafe. International terrorism

and crime are growing, access to weapons of mass

destruction is growing, ethnic conflicts exist, and threats

to the ecology of our planet are mounting.

In order to solve these problems, the enhanced

participation of the United Nations, including the Security

Council, is essential. To fulfil its role effectively, the

Security Council must reflect the real balance of the

worldâs economic and social power and use skilfully the

resources available to it. Latvia reiterates its continued

support for an expansion of the Council that would result

in the equitable representation of small States and all

regional groups.

As I speak from this rostrum, I appreciate the rare

opportunity to address the shapers of world political

opinion. We, the leaders of the United Nations Member

States, must realize clearly that the highest mission of the

United Nations is service to humankind. The United

Nations should become a universal Organization. It will

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retain credibility in the eyes of the world only if the results

of its efforts are clearly evident.

A prerequisite for this credibility is the ability to

condemn and deter those who have violated internationally

accepted norms of behaviour. The United Nations has

shown the ability to do this on many occasions. I believe

the time has come for world society to evaluate one of the

most inhumane regimes of this century — Soviet

totalitarianism. I take this opportunity to call upon

victimized peoples to commence a joint effort to evaluate

its legacy. The people of Latvia have endured the horrors

of Soviet and Nazi occupations and therefore have the right

to appeal to world society to do everything in its ability to

avert the future appearance of similar scourges.

We live in an era when the human mind has created

much that is useful for promoting mutual respect and

understanding in our everyday lives. I hope that the results

of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly will be

a lasting investment in shaping the United Nations for the

next millennium.