Myanmar, 1994

The delegation of Myanmar

would like to congratulate you most warmly, Sir, on your

election as President of the General Assembly at its forty-

ninth session and to assure you of our fullest cooperation

in the discharge of your responsibilities. We are

confident that the wealth of experience and wisdom that

you bring with you will prove invaluable in guiding us

successfully through the present session.

We also wish to express our appreciation to the

outgoing President, His Excellency Mr. Samuel Rudolph

Insanally, for his sagacious and outstanding stewardship

of the previous session of the General Assembly.

In South Africa, four decades of the despicable

system of apartheid have finally been laid to rest. The

election of President Nelson Mandela by the country's

first multiracial Parliament has given birth to a united,

democratic and non-racial South Africa. A nation that

has so courageously overcome such adversity and

overwhelming pressure deserves our support and acclaim

as it faces its future with optimism. I am pleased to see

the delegation of South Africa rejoining us in this

Assembly. Its presence here reflects the momentous

changes taking place in the world today. The concerted

effort to abolish apartheid in South Africa has finally

succeeded. We welcome our brothers from South Africa,

wish them every success in rebuilding their nation and

look forward to working closely with their Government

and people.

The importance of adhering to the five principles of

peace coexistence that form the basic tenets of Myanmar's

foreign policy bears reiteration. Myanmar, together with

the People's Republic of China and India, enunciated

those principles nearly five decades ago. These time-

tested principles have crystallized as the universally

accepted legal norms of inter-State relations. In strict

observance of these principles, Myanmar has never

allowed, and will never allow, its territory to be used as

a springboard for action or threats against another State.

By the same token, Myanmar expects that other nations

will likewise abide by these principles in their conduct of

policy towards Myanmar.

At this time of dramatic and profound changes, the

United Nations represents the best hope for mankind in

the maintenance of international peace and security and in

the promotion of international cooperation in other areas

of human endeavour. Whatever character and shape the

emerging new international order may eventually assume,

we have no doubt that the United Nations will constitute

6

a vital element in that new order and will continue to play

an increasingly important role in international relations. As

we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations,

it is the appropriate time for us to rededicate ourselves to

the purposes and principles of the Charter and to redouble

our efforts to further strengthen the role of the world

Organization. In order to mark this auspicious anniversary

in a fitting manner, we have formed a high-level National

Committee in my country to carry out necessary

preparatory work and to coordinate commemorative

activities at the national level.

Myanmar firmly believes that the United Nations plays

a pivotal role in promoting international cooperation for

development and for the maintenance of peace and security.

There is a close link between peace and development; it is

therefore the view of my delegation that the Agenda for

Peace and the Agenda for Development must go hand in

hand. Now that the cold war is over and the avenues for

peace and development are more pronounced, we would

like to call upon the international community to create a

favourable environment that ensures sustainable

development.

My delegation shares the view that at the present time

the search for security and peace in the world lies in

development, not in armaments. For most people

throughout the world, and particularly in developing

countries, any feeling of insecurity arises more out of

anxieties about daily subsistence than out of the dread of a

cataclysmic global conflict. Underdevelopment creates

poverty, hunger, malnutrition, environmental degradation

and so on, collectively leading to civil strife, ethnic

conflicts and, eventually, the collapse of peace and security.

These problems may in some instances be confined within

national borders; however, some will definitely have

international and even global ramifications and

consequences.

Both “An Agenda for Peace” and “An Agenda for

Development” are top-priority tasks facing the United

Nations, and they deserve equal attention and equal

allocation of resources. United Nations peace-keeping

missions are stretched out across the globe, and United

Nations agencies for development and humanitarian affairs

fan out over an even wider area. Myanmar shares the view

that economic and social developments are prerequisites for

lasting peace and security. We would therefore like to see

a strengthening of the Economic and Social Council in

tandem with the call for a restructuring of the Security

Council to respond adequately to the new challenges of

international peace and security that have emerged in the

wake of the cold war. Fifty years ago, against a political

background that was very different from today's, the

United Nations was born with the purposes of maintaining

international peace and security, promoting development

and safeguarding human rights. Now that the cold war is

over and the international community is free from the

super-Power rivalry that so crippled the United Nations in

the past, the Organization should be restructured to meet

the needs and challenges of the present-day world.

Peace-keeping is an area in which the United

Nations is being called to take on increasing

responsibilities. These operations constitute an important

instrument of the world Organization in the prevention

and containment of conflicts and in keeping peace where

it is most needed. Peace-keeping operations have a

mixed record of successes and some set-backs.

Experience and lessons from past operations should be

carefully reviewed and re-evaluated to ensure the more

effective and proper conduct of such operations. It is

imperative that United Nations peace-keeping operations

be carried out only with the consent and willing

cooperation of the parties concerned and that all aspects

of such operations strictly conform to the principles and

purposes of the United Nations Charter. There is also a

need for such operations to be rationalized, streamlined

and made more cost effective.

In the field of disarmament we are encouraged by

the positive developments of last year. Intensive

negotiations are now under way in the Geneva-based

Conference on Disarmament to achieve a comprehensive

nuclear-test-ban treaty. The steadily increasing trust and

confidence between nuclear- and non-nuclear-weapon

States has provided an opportunity for the international

community to come to grips with the prevention of the

vertical and horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons.

This opportunity should be seized by bringing the

negotiations on the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty

to a successful conclusion in the most expeditious way.

The United States has announced its decision to extend

the moratorium for one year until September 1995. We

believe that such a moratorium, if also observed by other

nuclear-weapon States, would create conditions conducive

to the ongoing process of negotiating a comprehensive

nuclear-test-ban treaty.

The review and extension Conference of the States

Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) is less than a year away. We are of the

view that substantive progress in crucial areas, namely the

comprehensive test-ban treaty, negative security

7

assurances for non-nuclear-weapon States and a ban on the

production of nuclear fissile material in all its aspects, will

contribute to a successful outcome of the review

Conference. A careful evaluation of the progress achieved

in these crucial areas should be made before taking a

decision at the review Conference on the further extension

of the Treaty. Myanmar looks forward to working and

cooperating with other delegations for the successful

outcome of the 1995 review and extension Conference.

While I am on the subject of the NPT, may I take this

opportunity to inform the Assembly that, as a State Party to

the Treaty, the Myanmar Government has decided to sign

the International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards

Agreement and Protocol. The signing of the Agreement

and Protocol will take place in the near future.

Myanmar is also actively taking part in the preparatory

process for the implementation of the chemical weapons

Convention since becoming an original signatory to it.

Like other signatories to the Convention, the ratification

process is currently under way in Myanmar.

The signature on 4 May 1994 of the agreement to

implement the Israel-Palestine Declaration of Principles

marks an important milestone towards a lasting peace in the

Middle East. The recent approval by the Israeli Cabinet of

the transfer of civilian powers to the Palestinians in the

areas of culture, youth and sports, international cooperation,

education, health, social welfare, tourism and finance is

another positive step that will further pave the way to self-

rule by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. We

congratulate the parties concerned for their courage and

mutual accommodation. We are also heartened to note that

both Israel and Jordan are implementing the Washington

Declaration signed by both parties in July. It is hoped that

these initiatives, in the context of both bilateral and

multilateral negotiations, will facilitate and brighten the

chances of lasting peace in the Middle East.

After years of recession and stagnation the world

economy has resumed a modest growth. However, the

recovery remains fragile and uneven, and it is in the

interests of both developing and developed countries to

strive for accelerated growth and sustainable development.

While a number of developing countries have acted as the

main engines of world economic growth, most of them are

beset by a deteriorating economic and social situation.

Developed countries are also facing slow growth and high

unemployment. In this era of growing globalization and

interdependence, concerted efforts by the world community

are urgently needed to resolve the acute economic and

social problems.

We welcome the Secretary-General's report, “An

Agenda for Development”, as most timely and

appropriate. The report has highlighted economic growth

as a crucial dimension of development and has singled

out a supportive and favourable international economic

environment for sustained growth. We fully share the

view that the advancement of developing countries is

being hindered by such obstacles as external-debt

problems, declining external resource flows, sharply

deteriorating terms of trade and mounting barriers to

market access. We hope that the programme of action on

the implementation of the agenda will be agreed upon at

this session.

Our aspirations for a new world economic order

which is equitable and non-discriminatory have not yet

been realized. The major challenges of these decades —

acceleration of development, alleviation of poverty,

narrowing the widening gap among countries — need to

be addressed on an urgent basis. We fully support the

call by the Group of 77, the Non-Aligned Movement and

the Assembly for the resumption of the stalled North-

South dialogue. A constructive dialogue based on

common interests and mutual benefits should enhance

international economic cooperation for development.

We also welcome the successful conclusion of the

Uruguay Round, although our aspirations were not fully

realized. We had hoped for an open, equitable and

transparent multilateral trading system which would

benefit all countries. We are most concerned with new

forms of protectionism, particularly the attempts to

impose social and environmental conditions that

discriminate against exports from developing countries.

These protectionist measures will adversely affect world

trade and growth.

We are heartened by the Communiqué issued

following the Naples Summit of the Group of Seven,

which states that the Seven will continue efforts to

enhance development assistance, trade and investment in

developing countries. It states also that the Seven favour

a reduction in the stock of debt and an increase in

concessionality for those countries facing special

difficulties.

My delegation notes with appreciation the report of

the Secretary-General on the status and role of

cooperatives in the light of new economic and social

8

trends and welcomes the recommendations contained

therein. Today, cooperative societies constitute significant

components of the economies of developed and developing

countries alike and play a crucial role in their economic

development.

In my country, we attach great importance to the

cooperative sector as one of the main pillars of our

economy and as an effective means of accelerating

socio-economic development. It is an important part of the

economic strategy of the Myanmar Government to promote

and expand the cooperative sector in our national economy.

As we shall next year be celebrating the centenary of the

establishment of the International Cooperative Alliance, it

is most fitting that the Assembly should proclaim the first

Saturday of July 1995 the International Day of Cooperatives

and that Member States should observe this day in future

years as an annual event.

The Earth Summit held in Rio two years ago firmly

placed environmental issues on the global agenda, and since

then hardly any international meeting has taken place

without calls for common action to save our planet. The

protection and promotion of the environment has emerged

as one of the most pressing issues facing the world. No

longer is the natural world perceived as a vast and

inexhaustible frontier to be explored and exploited. Today

there is growing recognition that the environment is not to

be subjugated, but is to be treated with respect and care.

An increasing number of countries now recognize that

environmental issues warrant as much attention and effort

as issues such as disarmament, narcotics and human rights.

Myanmar is pleased to note that, in all of this, the

region of Asia and the Pacific has not been left behind. A

regional meeting to prepare for the 1995 report on the state

of the environment was held in Yangon in July this year.

This meeting provided senior Government officials with an

opportunity to discuss, in an integrated manner, issues

related to the assessment of the state of the environment at

the national and regional levels.

The region of Asia and the Pacific comprises a large

number of nations differing in size, resource endowment

and stage of economic development. It is a region facing

all the conceivable environmental problems of the world -

deforestation, desertification, climate change, and so on.

While several countries of the region, particularly those in

South-East and North-East Asia, have registered remarkable

economic growth in the last few decades; others have yet

to achieve their objectives.

In many of our countries the eradication of poverty

and greater equity in income distribution remain major

challenges. Poverty and environmental degradation are

closely related. Therefore, the alleviation of poverty is no

longer simply a moral issue; it is a practical imperative.

At the same time, achieving sustainable development will

require that all countries, particularly the developed

countries, change their consumption patterns.

In the past we have tended to focus more on

remedial measures than on the causes of environmental

degradation. But if we are to overcome the challenges

that we face we must deal with the underlying causes.

As in the case of health care, prevention is just as

important as, if not more important than, cure. We must

therefore formulate strategies that will set out to alleviate

poverty and provide the basic needs — food, water,

clothing, shelter, energy and health care — of our

peoples, while protecting the environment.

Aware of the fact that poverty is the fundamental

cause of environmental degradation, we in Myanmar are

concentrating on breaking the vicious circle of poverty

and environmental degradation. With a view to

remedying the situation, the Government launched in

1989 a programme for the development of border areas

and national races. This integrated approach is expected

to generate higher incomes and productivity by providing

employment opportunities and increased welfare.

The border areas, which are inhabited by the national

races, have lagged far behind in all aspects of

development, owing mainly to the difficult terrain and the

lack of an adequate infrastructure. However, the situation

is being improved rapidly. There is extensive building of

roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and reservoirs. The

Government’s support for the development of mini-plants

to generate hydroelectric power will result in the

provision of alternative sources of energy, which will

enable towns and villages to promote rural industries and,

at the same time, lessen their dependence on fuel wood.

This integrated rural-area-development programme

will not only have positive effects on the socio-economic

environment but also drastically reduce the area under

shifting cultivation. The result will be conservation and

the regeneration of forest resources in the fragile

mountain ecosystem.

The sustainable management and conservation of

forests has long occupied a place of pride in Myanmar’s

environmental efforts. Sustainable production from forest

9

resources and the conservation of biodiversity are assured

by a forest working plan and a time-tested selective felling

system. About 50 per cent of Myanmar’s total land surface

is still covered by natural forests. Even though the forest

area is about 33 million hectares, the prescribed allowable

annual cut is less than 3 million cubic metres for teak and

other hardwoods. This volume of commercial extraction is

significantly less than the volume harvested by other

countries in the region.

The Government’s current development activities in

the forest sector include the special project for greening the

nine driest districts of the country; extension of the area

under reserved forests; the establishment of new

plantations; overall reforestation of the dry zone to provide

much-needed timber and fuel wood for rural communities;

and measures to improve the watersheds.

Myanmar attaches high importance to population

issues and recognizes the close link between population and

sustainable development. We participated in the Cairo

Conference, and we heartily welcome the adoption by

consensus of a non-binding 20-year Programme of Action.

Our population-policy focus is on voluntary birth-spacing

to promote the health of mother and child. The Myanmar

Maternal and Child Welfare Association — a non--

governmental organization — is actively carrying out its

assigned task in this field.

Much has been accomplished by the United Nations in

the field of human rights. The Organization’s most recent

accomplishment in this area is the appointment by

consensus, at the General Assembly’s last session, of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The appointment of such an important personage by

consensus testifies to the fact that both the developed and

the developing countries attach importance to the promotion

and protection of human rights, in accordance with the

purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. My

delegation wishes the High Commissioner every success in

carrying out his mandate.

As a responsible Member of the United Nations and

as an unwavering advocate of the values that the

Organization represents, the Union of Myanmar has always

upheld and adhered to the basic norms of human rights, as

enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As is confirmed

by the Bangkok Declaration, the principles of national

sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in

internal affairs should be respected by all nations, and

attempts to use human rights to encroach on the

essentially domestic jurisdiction of States should be

avoided.

In saying this we do not mean that human rights

may be systematically violated behind the barrier of

non-interference. We wish to see human rights promoted

through cooperation and consensus-building, and not

through the imposition of values that we do not share.

We believe that, even as we seek universality of

human rights, we must never minimize or forget diversity

in historical, cultural and religious backgrounds. We are

also against double standards and the temptation to use

human rights as a means of achieving political ends.

The right to sufficient food, clothing and shelter, the

right to a decent quality of life and the right to live

peacefully and in security are often neglected in the

clamour for individual rights. At this delicate juncture in

our history, when Myanmar is in the midst of

transforming itself to a multi-party democracy with a

market economy, the interests of its 45 million people as

a whole must take precedence over the interests of any

individual. Confrontation and incitement to unrest and

instability have no place when the nation is in the process

of reconciliation and reconsolidation.

In keeping with the aspirations of all the national

races, Myanmar is also at present at the critical stage of

drafting a firm constitution. My Government would

certainly not like to see the present momentum of the

constitutional process and the efforts for national

reconciliation impeded in any way, nor can it allow a

return to the chaos and anarchy of the incidents of 1988.

The Myanmar Government does not condone human

rights abuses. In fact, it is totally against them. We have

cooperated fully with the United Nations in every field

and, in this regard, with the Commission on Human

Rights by providing information in connection with

communications and queries concerning the situation in

Myanmar. Not only have we provided information sought

by the Commission, but we have also received the

Independent Experts and the Special Rapporteur appointed

by the Commission on Human Rights. The Special

Rapporteur, Mr. Yozo Yokota, was received in 1992 and

in 1993. In deference to the United Nations and as a

gesture of our goodwill and cooperation, we will receive

him again this year.

10

The Memorandum of Understanding between

Myanmar and the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed on

5 November 1993, setting out UNHCR’s role in Myanmar’s

border development projects, is an illustration of our steady

cooperation with the United Nations and its subsidiary

bodies. It is normal that some issues should arise from

time to time between neighbouring States. In such cases,

we always seek peaceful solutions based on mutual

goodwill, respect and understanding. A case in point is the

matter of transport and movement of people between

Myanmar and Bangladesh across our common border.

Although some quarters tried to exaggerate the situation by

invoking potential regional destabilization, our two

countries were able to resolve the situation in a spirit of

mutual friendship and understanding resulting in the

repatriation so far of nearly 70,000 returnees to their

hearths and homes.

At the initiative of the Secretary-General, Myanmar

decided to establish a dialogue with the United Nations to

exchange views on various issues of common concern. I

should like briefly to apprise the Assembly of the

developments leading to this decision.

During his visit to Myanmar in March this year,

Under-Secretary-General Mr. Rafeeudin Ahmed, Executive

Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia

and the Pacific (ESCAP), delivered a letter and a verbal

message from the Secretary-General to Secretary I of the

State Law and Order Restoration Council. The Secretary-

General, in his letter, made constructive remarks in regard

to the measures taken by the Myanmar Government and

showed keen interest in the developments in Myanmar,

particularly the process of national reconciliation and steps

taken in drafting a firm constitution through the National

Convention. The Secretary-General also expressed his

desire to establish a dialogue with the Government of the

Union of Myanmar to exchange views on the various issues

with a view to considering how the United Nations could

assist in facilitating continued progress towards the

resolution of these issues. Secretary I, in his

acknowledgment, informed the Secretary-General that a

communication would be made on this subject in the near

future.

While attending the Ministerial Meeting of the

Association of South-East Asian Nations in Bangkok, I

transmitted, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs of

Thailand, on 21 July 1994, our initial response to the

Secretary-General. Further to this response, the Myanmar

Government informed the Executive Secretary of ESCAP

that the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar had

been designated to initiate the dialogue proposed by the

Secretary-General at a mutually agreeable date and, in

this regard, sought his advice on the modalities of

carrying out such a dialogue more fruitfully. I am happy

to apprise the Assembly through you, Sir, that I had two

meetings earlier this month with Mr. Marrack Goulding,

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the

United Nations, and that the dialogue between the

Myanmar Government and the United Nations is now

well under way.

The global spread of drug abuse has become a major

international concern in recent years. The evil

consequences of illicit drugs transcend borders and the

threat of illicit drugs can be overcome only with effective

international cooperation. We share the view that

concerted action is needed at the national, subregional,

regional and global levels.

Myanmar has always treated anti-narcotics measures

as a national responsibility. At the national level, the

Government has adopted comprehensive plans for the

effective implementation of drug-suppression measures.

A new law against narcotic drugs and psychotropic

substances was enacted in 1993, encompassing effective

measures against the widening scope of the drug menace.

In our national strategies against drugs, a new approach

was launched in 1988, the key concept of which was to

alleviate the poverty of the peoples of the border areas by

providing them with a means of alternative income, while

at the same time working to raise their awareness of the

magnitude of human misery resulting from drugs. This

approach is being carried out as one of the main

objectives of our master plan for the development of the

border areas and national races. It is evident that the

most effective approach to the eradication of poppy

cultivation would be to implement a comprehensive

programme for the social and economic development of

the national races in the border areas. We have now

established a mechanism for coordinating action against

illicit drugs in all their aspects.

We have also been coordinating our national efforts

with those of our neighbours to ensure a maximum

impact in drug eradication in the region. The Myanmar

Government has signed agreements with the People’s

Republic of China and the United Nations International

Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), as well as with

Thailand and the UNDCP. Bilateral narcotics-suppression

agreements have been signed with Laos and India, and we

aim to work out a similar agreement with Bangladesh. In

11

October 1993, in New York, Myanmar, the People’s

Republic of China, Laos, Thailand and the UNDCP signed

a Memorandum of Understanding which would further

harmonize collective activities aimed at reducing drug

trafficking and production, eliminating poppy cultivation

and reducing drug demand and consumption. There have

been two ministerial conferences at the subregional level in

which Myanmar has actively participated. Myanmar is a

State party to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic

Drugs and to the 1988 United Nations Convention against

Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic

Substances. Moreover, on 7 June this year Myanmar

deposited the instrument of accession to the United Nations

Convention on Psychotropic Substances. We are also

carrying out a series of measures in implementation of the

recommendations contained in the Global Programme of

Action adopted at the seventeenth special session of the

General Assembly in February 1990.

Members of the Myanmar security forces are engaged

in a relentless war against drug trafficking. They may not

be wearing blue helmets like the men and women from

different lands serving as guardians of peace under the

United Nations banner, but the cause for which hundreds of

them have sacrificed life and limb is no less internationalist

and no less worthy. There are those who express doubt

about our commitment to the eradication of narcotics, and

I would ask them: “Which country in the world has

sacrificed the lives of over 190 soldiers, with an additional

350 wounded, in the combat against drug traffickers in a

matter of only four weeks?” With this serious dedication

and commitment in the fight against illicit drugs, we in

Myanmar are ready and willing to cooperate fully with all

our neighbours and the international community for

sustained efforts against this scourge.

Myanmar is a union of over 100 different national

races residing there. Unity among the different national

races is essential for the preservation of our independence

and sovereignty as well as for the economic and social

progress of our country. Since regaining independence in

1948, Myanmar unfortunately has had to face internal strife

started by various armed groups. Because of this, the

country has suffered immensely and lagged behind in

economic development in comparison with other nations of

the region. In these dire circumstances, it is only natural

that the State Law and Order Restoration Council should

attach the utmost importance to the preservation of

independence and the strengthening of unity and national

solidarity among all the national races of Myanmar. Since

it assumed the responsibilities of the State, the State Law

and Order Restoration Council has given priority to the

achievement of national reconciliation.

Beginning in 1989, less than one year after it

assumed responsibility, the Government made overtures

to the armed groups to return to the legal fold. Since

April 1992, the armed forces have suspended military

offensives against the armed groups in the interest of

national reconciliation. Over four decades of internal

strife has not benefited anyone, but has only caused death

and destruction and untold suffering for the people.

No one appreciates peace more than a soldier. It is

therefore most gratifying that a total of 12 groups having

trust in the sincerity of the Government’s offer have

returned to the legal fold and are working together with

the Government for the development of their regions.

These groups are also being provided with the opportunity

to participate in the national political process — the

National Convention — to shape the country’s future.

With the Shan State Nationalities Peoples’ Liberation

Organization, which returned to the legal fold on 9

October 1994, the armed groups in the reconciliation

process now number 13. They will be integrated in the

same manner as previous groups that are participating in

the National Convention.

To the remaining groups that have yet to return to

the legal fold, the Myanmar Government reiterates its call

not to miss this golden opportunity but to join hands in

building a peaceful, democratic and modern union. Guns

have fallen silent in the country as never before in the

history of modern Myanmar, and these groups should

look at the greater interest of the country and work for

the benefit of all the national races, in accordance with

the proclamations they themselves have been making for

so long.

At this juncture, let me turn to another aspect of the

Government’s objectives: the drafting of a firm and

enduring constitution. Towards this end, a National

Convention has been meeting since the beginning of last

year to draft a new constitution. Consensus has already

been reached on the 15 chapter headings for the 104

fundamental principles of the State and for the chapters

on State, State structure and Head of State.

At the resumed session of the National Convention,

which commenced on 2 September 1994, the Chairman of

the National Convention Convening Work Committee

elucidated the points relative to the matter of self-

administered divisions or self-administered zones in the

12

Union, and to constituting the legislative, executive and

judicial branches for detailed discussions and deliberations

among the delegates. As for those who allege that the

process is moving too slowly, let me ask: Is the world

today not full of examples where too much haste has led to

chaos and confusion, even to armed conflict and the

disintegration of nations?

At the same time, let me assure the Assembly that the

State Law and Order Restoration Council has no intention

of unnecessarily prolonging the process or causing delays.

However, a balance must be struck between the need to

reach consensus among the nearly 700 delegates on very

urgent and vital issues, such as the national races, and the

desire for the process to be completed in timely fashion.

Anyone following these deliberations closely will realize

that they lucidly give the lie to the allegations that the

deliberations in the National Convention were orchestrated

by the Government.

At the same time, I wish to indicate to certain

observers that in our society reaching consensus is more

important than debating who is right or wrong or who won

the debate. We would like the constitution to reflect as

much as possible the wishes of the national races, while at

the same time we would be most happy if consensus on the

remaining chapters could be reached as soon as possible.

What the Government has done, and is doing at the

moment, is to ensure peace, stability, law and order while

striving for the economic development of the entire nation

so that the transition to democracy will be smooth and

tranquil.

Today the National Convention is in full session for

further discussions on the fundamental principles to be

enshrined in the new constitution. The very fact that the

new State structure will be a union system is a

manifestation of the consensus that has been reached by the

Convention. The new Union of Myanmar that is envisaged

by the National Convention will be a genuine multi-party,

democratic State in order to bring the nation modernity,

unity, stability, peace and harmony. The new constitution

will have safeguards to guarantee non-disintegration of the

Union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and

perpetuation of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As in the case of other modern Constitutions, the three

organs of government - the legislative, executive and

judicial — will be properly constituted and separated as

much as possible and will be able to exert reciprocal

control with checks and balances among themselves.

Among the fundamental principles already laid down,

independent administration of justice in accordance with

the law, administration of justice in public except where

restricted by law, the right to defence and the right of

appeal will be guaranteed. Furthermore, there will be

constitutional remedies, and the Supreme Court will have

the power to issue writs.

Citizens will be able to enjoy the rule of law, which

is the fundamental legal safeguard necessary for a

democratic State. Because of the separation of powers

envisaged in the new constitution, the judiciary will be

the ultimate guardian of fundamental rights. Freedom of

thought, freedom of expression, freedom of belief,

freedom of worship, freedom to seek a livelihood and

freedom of organization will be guaranteed. There will

be equality of status, equality of opportunity and equality

before the law.

The entire Myanmar nation is currently engaged in

our national endeavour to establish a truly democratic and

modern society in accordance with the aspirations of our

people. We the people of the Union of Myanmar are

doing our utmost to advance the ongoing political and

constitutional process and the current programme of

national economic development in the interest of all our

national brethren.

We have a popular saying in Myanmar:

“As we sow in our deeds, so shall we surely

reap in our future destiny.”

We are therefore fully confident that, with continued

dedication, determination and diligence in our national

endeavour, we will surely be able to successfully establish

a democratic society based on the universal values of

justice, liberty and equality.