Oman, 1982

I should like to convey sincere congratulations

to Mr. Hollai on his election to the presidency

of the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh

session and to express our best wishes to him and

to the officers of the Assembly for success in

directing the work of the Assembly towards the

achievement of our goals. I should like to take

this opportunity to express our deep appreciation

of the great efforts made by the former

President, Mr. Kittani, during the thirty-sixth

session and of the skilful manner in which he

conducted its work and that of the General

Assembly throughout its successive sessions and

meetings this year.

151. The election of the new Secretary-General

has been a source of pleasure to us, considering

his outstanding position and wide experience in

the work of the Organization as well as the

respect and appreciation he has enjoyed for the

tasks he has performed. While expressing our

congratulations to Mr. Perez de Cuellar on his

election by acclamation to his post, we should

like to express our conviction that he is worthy

of this universal trust and to wish him success

in his important work and in realizing the hope

that he may achieve the important tasks entrusted

to him.

152. In reviewing the international situation

and events since the previous sessions, we must

unfortunately conclude that the picture is

gloomy. Most of the problems which we discussed

are becoming increasingly complicated. The views

and hopes which we expressed have to a great

extent not been realized. Many resolutions have

been neither respected nor implemented. Our hopes

for establishing good international relations

based on the principles of the Charter and

international law are still far from being

achieved, and the United Nations—as the

Secretary-General indicated in his report on the

work of the Organization—has not been able to

play its effective and decisive role as envisaged

in the Charter, thus frustrating the hope that

the Organization would be capable of maintaining

peace and security and serving as a forum for

negotiations. We must endeavour to put an end to

this deviation from the Charter, to adhere ,to it

and to its principles, and to revive the concepts

contained in it, which requires making a

collective effort towards establishing peace,

thereby strengthening the ability of the United

Nations to perform its basic, function.

153. The list of problems before the Assembly

at this session is, as usual, diverse,

complicated and long,, but we believe that such a

list should not lead us to despair or make us

give up endeavours towards the achievement of

what we believe is right and fair. We have ho

alternative but to continue our efforts and

co-operation towards achieving the objectives

that we set ourselves, including in particular

the establishment of peace based on justice.

154. As at previous sessions, the Middle East

problem, whose central issue is the Palestinian

question, is the most urgent problem before us.

We all know that the main obstacle to the

solution of this problem is not the lack of

efforts exerted within and outside the United

Nations to solve it, but, first and foremost, the

continued Israeli defiance of the will of the

international community, Israel's flouting of the

very principles governing the Organization.

155. This defiance of international public

opinion and flouting of the Charter and

resolutions is a serious matter, and the time has

come to deal with it. Otherwise, the law of the

jungle will prevail in international relations,

and the remnant of confidence and hope of finding

a peaceful solution to this problem, based on the

principles of international law and justice, will

collapse. This will also weaken the

Organization's ability to find peaceful and just

solutions to the disputes brought before it, as

the Secretary-General stressed in his report.

156. The Sultanate of Oman is an advocate of

peace, and the people of our region, who have

suffered war and instability for a long time,

look forward to an era of security and stability.

The peace that we seek is a peace based on

justice and on the principles adopted by the

Organization. We seek a just and lasting peace

that would put an end to the tragedy of the

Palestinian people and would realize their

legitimate rights to return to their home and to

self-determination. That is why we have

supported, and continue to support, all the

efforts aimed at establishing peace in the

region. The Twelfth Arab Summit Conference, in

which we participated, laid the basis and

provided the guidelines for a peaceful and just

solution to the Middle East problem. Furthermore,

the eight principles representing the Arab

framework for solving this problem not depart, in

general or in details, from the principles that

have already been approved by the United Nations.

157. The recent initiative of Mr. Reagan, the

President of the United States of America,

directed to solving the Middle East problem

contains positive points that might contribute to

the efforts being made to settle this problem.

158. The peace initiative of the Arab States

and President Reagan's initiative create together

a climate conducive to finding a permanent and

just settlement to the problem. We should take

advantage of it and develop it, and the negative

attitude of Israel should not be allowed to

undermine our efforts. However, the Israeli

persistence in frustrating all international

efforts and rejecting all proposals for forward

for solving the problem have led States to

believe in the inevitability of the use of force

in solving political problems involving Member

States. This is a very serious matter.

139. The Israeli aggression against the Arab

sister State of Lebanon, resulting in the

occupation of Lebanese territories and violation

of Lebanon's sovereignty, demonstrates to the

whole world that Israel believes only in the use

of force, and not in peacel Therefore, the

international community must once again censure

these brutall actions and demand that Israel

withdraw its forces from Lebanon immediately,

and, further, that it assist the Lebanese people

to realize their hopes of stability and security.

160. On 20 September 1982 the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs in Oman issued the following

statement about the events in Lebanon:

The Sultanate strongly denounces the barbaric

massacres which have been committed and are being

committed by Israel against unarmed Palestinian

refugees, men, women and children, in the Sabra

and Shatila camps in west Beirut.

These genocidal massacres are a flagrant

violation of international law and the Charter of

the United Nations. They are a dangerous

development, since they have contravened the

spirit of peace and escalated tension and

instability in the area. They recall the mass

slaughter of Palestinians committed at Deir

Yassin and Kafr Qasem by the Israeli authorities

in 1948.

Israel's invasion of west Beirut and its

massacre of defenceless Palestinian refugees, old

men, women and children, were part of a policy of

aggression and expansion which the Israeli

occupation authorities were implementing, with

civilians as their victims. Their actions have

defied all human values and international mores.

Oman calls on the leaders of the world and the

States which were responsible for the evacuation

of the Palestinian fighters from west Beirut, as

well as the international pubic and international

and humanitarian organizations, to shoulder their

responsibilities fully at this crucial stage so

as to stop the inhuman slaughter of Palestinian

refugees.

161. The withdrawal of Israel from the whole

of Lebanon should be carried out immediately in

accordance with the relevant Security Council

resolutions. We express our hope that the return

of the multinational peace-keeping force to

Lebanon after supervising the departure of the

Palestinian fighters will help the Lebanese

Government exercise sovereignty over the whole of

Lebanon.

162. The continuance of military conflict

between the two neighbouring States of Iraq and

the Islamic Republic of Iran is a source of

concern and instability for the entire Gulf

region and represents a threat to all the peoples

there, and indeed to world peace and security,

since it involves innumerable dangers and is

exhausting the greater part of the natural and

human resources of those two States, resources

which could be channelled into economic and

social development.

163. We cannot but associate ourselves with

those who have called for an immediate end to

such human and economic waste and urge that a

peaceful settlement between the two sister States

be brought about as quickly as possible.

164. We welcomed the declaration by Iraq,

within the framework of the League of Arab

States, that it would withdraw its forces from

Iranian territory to the international boundaries

and was; ready to enter into negotiations to end

the war. On the same principle and in the

interest of peace and stability in the Gulf

region, we urge the sister State of Iran to stop

the war and move towards a peace which will take

account of the legitimate rights of all the

people.

165. Despite the numerous United Nations

resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Soviet

troops from Afghanistan, the reiteration of the

same demand by the Islamic Conference and the

Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of

Non-Aligned Countries, which was held at New

Delhi, and the insistence on respect for the

independence, sovereignty and non-aligned status

of Afghanistan, Soviet troops continue to occupy

Moslem non-aligned Afghanistan in complete

disregard of the resolutions of the United

Nations and other international and regional

organizations concerned with this matter.

166. We call once again from this rostrum for

a cessation of the Soviet aggression and the

immediate withdrawal of the Soviet troops so as

to enable the sister State of Afghanistan to

regain control over its destiny and to choose its

own political, economic and social system without

any foreign interference or coercion.

167. In the context of the problem of western

Asia we cannot ignore the deteriorating situation

in the adjacent region of South-East Asia,

namely, the continued occupation of Kampuchea by

Vietnamese troops. In this connection, we hope

that at this session the Assembly will stress the

need to respect the Charter and the principles

embodied in it and the need to find a speedy and

peaceful political solution based on the

principles of non-interference in the internal

affairs of sovereign States and the non-use of

force, as well as the necessity for the immediate

withdrawal of foreign troops, so that the

Kampuchean people may determine their own destiny

free from foreign interference and this region

may enjoy peace.

168. Oman has a historical relationship with

many of the countries and peoples of the African

continent. We therefore share the aspirations of

the peoples of the continent and their hope for a

solution to the grave problems in southern

Africa, particularly that of Namibia. We join the

Africans in denouncing racial discrimination and

we call for further efforts within and outside

the United Nations to ensure that the aspirations

of the African people to freedom and stability

are fulfilled.

169. Because of its geographical position the

Sultanate of Oman is directly concerned with

events in the Horn of Africa. It regrets the

continued attempts to interfere in the internal

affairs of the region. It condemns the acts of

aggression against the Somali sister State and

demands an end to foreign intervention in the

internal affairs of that region lest it should

fall victim to foreign expansionism and attempts

to propagate social systems imported from abroad;

foisting them upon the people of the area with a

view to exploiting their resources.

170. Our concern with events in the Horn of

Africa is closely associated with the security

and safety of the coastal States of the Indian

Ocean. The Sultanate of Oman, as one of those

countries, is concerned for the security of this

area and is therefore in favour of declaring it a

zone of peace, It calls for an end to the

competition between the super-Powers to establish

spheres of influence in the region. As a member

of the Ad Hoc Not Committee on the Indian Ocean,

Oman is anxious to promote the efforts to arrange

for the convening of the Conference on the Indian

Ocean, which is scheduled to be held in Colombo

in 1983, so that the goal of making the Indian

Ocean region a demilitarized zone of peace may be

achieved without further delay.

171. My delegation would like to express its

satisfaction at the adoption by the General

Assembly at its thirty-sixth session of the

Declaration on the Inadmissibility of

Intervention and Interference in the Internal

Affairs of States. It hopes that this

Declaration, which emphasizes respect for this

important principle, will be complied with, thus

guaranteeing the right of all peoples to shape

their own destinies and choose their systems of

government without any outside intervention,

pressure or threat.

172. Oman, like other peaceful States,

attached great hopes and importance to the second

special session devoted to disarmament. We had

entertained the hope that the negotiations and

deliberations conducted during that session would

be successful; but, as we all know, failure to

reconcile the different points of view made it

impossible to reach consensus on the major items

on the agenda of that session, in spite of the

preparatory meetings. We entertained the hope

that the second special session would put into

effect the Final Act of the Tenth Special Session

of the general Assembly, which was adopted by

consensus in 1978. In paragraph 126 of the

document the Members of the Organization

reaffirmed:

their determination to work for general and

complete disarmament and to make farther

collective efforts aimed at strengthening peace

and international security; eliminating the

threat of war, particularly nuclear war;

implementing practical measures aimed at halting

and reversing the arms race; strengthening the

procedures for the peaceful settlement of

disputes; and reducing military expenses and

utilizing the resources thus released in a manner

which will help to promote the well-being of all

peoples and to improve the economic conditions of

the developing countries/'

173. The failure of the negotiations at the

second special session and the subsequent

disappointment to many parties are deplorable and

regrettable. Nevertheless, we have to bear in

mind that the responsibility of the United

Nations in the field of disarmament is a basic

one which emanates^ as we indicated earlier, from

its purposes and principles: to establish , the

bases of peace and to save succeeding generations

from the scourge of war. The United Nations must

urgently continue to assume this responsibility

fully, without hesitation or despair. It is also

imperative to mobilize the collective will to

replace doubt with confidence, so that we can

achieve positive results in this domain.

174. In this connection I should like to

reiterate what the President of the second

special session of the

Assembly said. We should be ignoring reality if

we failed to observe that this session is being

convened at a turning point of the greatest

concern in the field of international relations.

Doubt, conflict, an increasing sense of

insecurity and a tendency to resort to force

still prevail.

173. It is imperative that the international

community now look seriously into the fabric of

relations among States in order to restore the

role of the principles of international law and

respect for the Charter of the United Nations,

for it will be impossible to achieve progress in

the field of disarmament without the fundamental

elements of confidence and respect.

176. Like many other countries of the world,

my country is aware of the increasing importance

of establishing a new international economic

order based on a fair balance between the prices

of raw materials and manufactured products,

taking into account the needs of developing

countries and the need to accelerate their

development. That is why my country continues to

support the decisions taken by the Group of 77

and the efforts made by the Group in this

connection ever since the beginning of global

negotiations on international economic

co-operation for development, endorsed by the

general Assembly at its thirty-fourth session we

should like to emphasize that it is not possible

to find any solution to such problems except on

the basis of a common, universally accepted

approach to the current global economic problems

involving all States, and through agreed

solutions regarded as permanent and fair by all.

177. Since then, to our regret, my delegation

has not seen any positive development in the

global economic negotiations. On the contrary, it

has witnessed a clear general deterioration in

the economic situation in many countries of the

world, and particularly in the developing

countries. The obvious decline in the developing

countries' terms of trade, the large increase in

the cost of capital, inadequate demand for those

countries' exports, frequent resort to the policy

of protectionism, continued application of

stringent and unfavourable terms for the transfer

of technology to those countries—all this has

weighed heavily on the economies of developing

countries, disrupted their economic growth and

led to a sharp increase in their balance-of

payments deficit and foreign indebtedness.

178. Like any other developing country, the

Sultanate of Oman feels the need for such

international economic co-operation and considers

it imperative that the developed countries

increase their aid to the developing countries in

order to raise the level of development in those

countries, relieve their foreign indebtedness,

and demonstrate increased flexibility and

seriousness in the negotiations on the subject.

The Sultanate of Oman feels that the

international community is more than ever in duty

bound to find a solution to the present economic

crisis by devoting every effort to achieving the

objectives and goals set forth in the

International Development Strategy for the Third

United Nations Development Decade. We hope that

we shall soon witness positive results in this

direction in response to the efforts of the

Secretary-General.

179. Oman participated in the adoption of the

final text of the United Nations Convention on

the Law of the Sea, in New York on 30 April, in

spite of the fact that the final text did not

include proposals and views put forward by Oman

during the deliberations of the United' Nations

Conference on the Law of the Sea during the past

few years. We did so out of our belief that the

Convention, in general, is fair to all and would

put an end to the chaotic situation with respect

to the seas—particularly as to exploration and

exploitation of the resources of the sea-bed—in a

way that would serve the interests of humanity at

large without prejudice to the basic rights of

the coastal States.

180. We hope that the States which could not,

for one reason or another, vote in favour of the

Convention will reconsider their positions,

because that Convention is the outcome of long

and continuous efforts exerted over the last 10

years, and it would be a waste of these efforts

not to adopt it. Otherwise, States will resort to

their former practices without any binding legal

restraint defining their rights and obligations

under the law of the sea.

181. Finally, I should like, with reference to

the report of the Secretary-General on the work

of the Organization to express my appreciation of

his account of the situation in the world in

general, and at the United Nations in particular.

It merits attention far beyond that given to

previous reports. It clearly and realistically

reflects our feelings, especially with respect to

the developing countries which, more than all the

others need to see that the United Nations

receives the necessary support to enable it to

fulfil the effective and decisive role clearly

envisaged for it in the Charter. We hope this

report will receive the attention it deserves and

that at the current session the Assembly will

explore effective means of eliminating the points

of weakness in the work of the Organization,

particularly during the last years, so that it

may regain the importance accorded it by the

peoples of the world at its inception.

182. We renew the pledge we made in the Preamble

to the Charter for a serious endeavour to save

succeeding generations from the scourge of war,

reaffirm our belief in fundamental human rights,

in the equality of the rights of men and women,

as well as of nations, large and small, and we

renew our commitment to the principles and

objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United

Nations.