Myanmar, 2002

At the outset, I would like

to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan

on his assumption of the presidency of the fifty-seventh

session of the General Assembly. I am confident that

his diplomatic skill and expertise will bring us to a

successful outcome. I would also like to express our

gratitude and appreciation to his predecessor, His

Excellency Mr. Han Seung-soo, for his leadership and

valuable contribution during the previous session.

May I also use this occasion to warmly welcome

Switzerland as a new Member of the United Nations,

and East Timor, which is soon to become a Member. I

am confident that the work of the Organization will be

enriched by the addition of those two new Members.

The increasing membership of the United Nations truly

reflects the fact that States are placing greater trust in

the relevancy and the work of the Organization.

We live in challenging and dangerous times.

Conflicts in various regions threaten global peace and

security. The danger posed by terrorism has become a

global phenomenon. Millions of people the world over

remain mired in the vicious circle of ignorance,

poverty and disease. The United Nations plays an

indispensable role in our collective endeavour to

overcome those daunting challenges.

The Charter of the United Nations provides us

with the bedrock principles for maintaining peace and

security. Those principles — sovereignty, territorial

integrity and the non-threat or use of force —

contribute to multilateralism and have deterred global

conflagration for nearly six decades. Those principles

must remain inviolate if we are to meet the daunting

challenges that confront us. Only through multilateral

action can we hope to overcome those challenges.

Myanmar strongly believes in the United Nations and

the multilateralism it represents as the best guarantee

of global peace and security. We therefore share the

view of the Secretary-General, who has said that “All

States have a clear interest, as well as a clear

responsibility, to uphold international law and maintain

international order” (A/57/PV.2).

Terrorism poses a threat to all of mankind. Only

through our collective endeavour can we hope to

overcome that menace. Pursuant to Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001), we have taken necessary

actions to combat terrorism. Myanmar was also among

the first countries to report to the Security Council's

Counter-Terrorism Committee on their actions against

terrorism. It promulgated an anti-money-laundering law

in June with firm provisions to help suppress terrorism.

Myanmar has submitted to the Committee a second

report, together with relevant documents, reflecting the

legislative and executive measures that we have taken to

give effect to the resolution. Here I wish to reiterate

that Myanmar is against terrorism in all forms and

manifestations and that it will extend full cooperation

to the international community to fight that menace.

It is in our power to make the world a better place

— a world of peace, a world of prosperity and a world

free of conflict. To do that, we must do away with

hatred. We face numerous challenges today. We must

work together in a cooperative spirit to overcome the

dangers and meet the challenges that confront us, be

they imposed by nature or induced by man.

Throughout the ages the world has experienced

many natural catastrophes and calamities, including

those resulting in the extinction of dominant species.

But the greatest danger we face today is not from

nature, but is caused by man.

It is therefore not only pertinent, but also vital, to

recall that the teachings of Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ

and the prophet Mohammed all emphasize love and

compassion as the guiding light to bring hope to all

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mankind. If we want a better future for mankind, we

must take to our hearts the teachings of those great

religions. We should let love and compassion guide us.

Only by doing that can we overcome our evil instincts

such as hatred, anger and the desire for revenge. We

must all do away with animosity, jealousy, excessive

pride and self-centred behaviour.

Many tragedies today, including the tragic events

of 11 September, have their roots in hatred, animosity

and violence. It is those negative forces that we must

address and overcome. Violence cannot be overcome

with greater violence. That would only drive the world

towards a vicious circle of increasing conflagrations

and calamities. Only a reign of love and compassion

can put out the raging fire of hatred and violence. It is

not in hatred, but rather in love and compassion, that

our future lies. Through the peaceful settlement of

disputes we can find greater security for us all.

The United Nations and the principles it

enshrines is best placed to guide us to that path. The

United Nations is the light that can guide us to the path

of love, tolerance, compassion and caring. The United

Nations was born out of our desire to live together in

peace with one another as good citizens of the Earth. It

should not be used as a vehicle for inciting hatred.

We live in an age of unprecedented prosperity,

but that prosperity is not shared by all. While some

nations enjoy very high standards of living, the

majority remains in poverty. The poor countries, either

because of resource constraints or a lack of capital and

technology, or because of conflicts, cannot hope to

attain development without international cooperation.

Because of their innate weakness and an unfavourable

international economic environment, they will, if

unassisted, remain forever mired in poverty. Poverty

breeds discontent and despair — ingredients that could

lead to a vicious circle of conflicts and violence.

In Myanmar, which was subjected to untold

sufferings as a result of insurgencies for more than four

decades, we are now actively promoting an end to

conflict and bloodshed. We are also striving to

eradicate poverty. We are building a modern and

developed nation where peace, prosperity, justice and

democracy flourish. That is a process that has achieved

significant progress. It is our fervent hope that our

endeavours towards that end will be helped, not

hindered, and that our efforts to attain national unity

and our efforts at nation-building will be met with

understanding and encouragement.

Because of historical legacies, we still find

ourselves having to address the issue of national unity.

We are building a nation where all our 135 national races

can regard one another as brothers, a nation where there is

equality and justice, a nation that will bring prosperity to

all. Those are the ideals that motivate us; those are the

goals that we are determined to achieve.

It is the goal of our Government to bring to

reality the aspirations of the people of Myanmar to a

multiparty democratic political system. To that end, we

are laying firm foundations so that such a democratic

system will have the strength to withstand any

challenges that arise. We are firmly convinced that only

through those strong foundations can we ensure a brighter

future for our nation. That is a conviction born of our

bitter experiences — experiences of 14 years under

parliamentary democracy and 26 years of socialism.

In this nation-building process, we place special

importance on poverty eradication, particularly in rural

and far-flung areas. In the border areas where the

members of most of our ethnic nationalities reside, we

are implementing a programme of all-around

development. We have established 24 development

zones towards that end. I should like to reiterate that

our relentless efforts in the nation-building process are

motivated by our desire to bring prosperity to all our

national brethren. We are laying the groundwork so

that successive Governments, which will emerge under

the new Constitution, will not have difficulty in

overcoming future challenges. That is a task that we

are endeavouring to accomplish with might and main.

Understanding, cooperation and encouragement by the

international community will hasten the process of

achieving our cherished goal. Ostracism and political

pressure will surely not help, but will rather hinder, our

progress on the path to our cherished goal of

democracy. However numerous the obstacles, whether

we are helped or hindered, we remain resolute in our

determination, for the goal we seek is in fulfilment of

the aspirations of our people: it is our noble destiny.

Cooperation with the United Nations is the

cornerstone of Myanmar's foreign policy. Let me take this

opportunity to apprise the Assembly of the continued

cooperation that Myanmar has extended to the United

Nations. We received Mr. Razali Ismail, Special Envoy

of the Secretary-General, for the eighth time in July

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2002. We provided all possible cooperation in the

accomplishment of his mission. Likewise, Mr. Paulo

Sergio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur of the Commission

on Human Rights, was accorded full and unhindered

cooperation during his visits to Myanmar.

I would also like to share with the Assembly the

headway we have made in combating the scourge of

narcotic drugs. The elimination of narcotic drugs was

designated as a national duty in 1988, and since then

efforts have been redoubled to meet that challenge. A

15-year narcotics elimination plan has been formulated

and is in its fourth year of implementation. The plan is

showing results. The United Nations International Drug

Control Programme and the International Narcotics

Control Board have acknowledged that poppy

cultivation in the country has fallen from more than

90,000 acres in 1999-2000 to a little more than 62,000

acres in 2001-2002.

As part of our concerted effort, the New Destiny

project was launched earlier this year in the regions

where poppy cultivation is concentrated. The main

objective of the plan is to educate poppy farmers, to

distribute substitute seeds, to provide financial

assistance and to enhance law enforcement. As a result,

more than 290 tons of poppy seeds and dried poppy

bulbs have been voluntarily surrendered. The

surrendered poppy seeds and bulbs were burned in the

presence of diplomats and of the international press.

That alone has prevented a potential yield of 55 tons of

heroin with an estimated street value of more than $2.2

billion. In addition, $1.1 billion worth of various

narcotic drugs seized in the country was publicly

destroyed in June in Yangon. Moreover, 26,000 acres

of poppy fields were destroyed in 2000-2001 alone.

Effective legal action has also been taken against drug

traffickers. As a country deeply committed to

addressing the problem of narcotic drugs, Myanmar

also looks forward to contributing to that cause in the

international arena.

We live in an increasingly integrated world. In

this age of globalization, a new partnership between

developed and developing countries is needed more

than ever before. The Millennium Declaration spelled out

targets for developmental cooperation. The Monterrey

Consensus outlined actions to be implemented in key

financial sectors pertaining to development. The World

Summit on Sustainable Development resulted in some

progress and in important commitments. Their early

implementation will lead to a more equal distribution

of benefits in this rapidly globalizing world. It will also

enable us to pass on to future generations a world that

is economically sustainable and environmentally

sound. Myanmar stands ready to work with the rest of

the family of nations to attain those goals — goals to

which we all pledged ourselves in the historic

Millennium Declaration.