Peru, 1982

1. I should like at the outset, Sir, to

convey to you the greetings and congratulations

of the delegation of Peru on your well-deserved

election to the presidency of the thirty-seventh

session of the General Assembly. This is

recognition of your personal qualities as well as

a tribute to Hungary, a country which has

participated so actively and so significantly in

the work of the United Nations.

2. My delegation also wishes to express its

appreciation and to convey its congratulations

to Mr. Tsmat Kittani, who at a critical time for

the international community demonstrated his

exceptional abilities as an experienced and

skilful diplomat.

3. You will understand, Sir, with what

satisfaction we greet Mr. Javier Perez de

Cuellar, the Secretary- General. Peru takes pride

in his election and in the contribution that he

is making t^ the cause of the international

community.

4. Since it took office on 28 July 1980 the

constitutional Government of Peru has shouldered

the difficult task of putting into practice a

spirit of democracy in which the effectiveness

of a modem Consti-tution, the interplay of the

branches of government, respect for human rights

and the full enjoyment of freedoms should

constitute the best assurance that we shall

achieve our ideal of making man the supreme end

of our social efforts.

5. Two years have elapsed under the present

Government and Peru takes satisfaction in the

fact that it is fulfilling its aims. Freedom of

expression for all the communications media is

now absolute in our country. The elections that

took place in 1980 were followed in November 1981

by complementary elections at the municipal

level. These indicated increased support for the

party led by President Fernando Belaunde Terry,

which gained 70 per cent of the votes cast at the

national level.

41

6. The problems of the present-day world are

clearly causing serious frustrations in society

to which it is reacting in different ways. The

great majorities opt for political avenues which,

in various ways, seek to find within the legal

order appropriate replies to the requirements of

collective well-being. Unfortunately, there are

also those who react to adversity in irrational,

blind and irresponsible ways.

7. Despite the resolve and efforts of our

Government to promote justice, well-being and

progress within the framework of democratic

principles, some minority groups, seeking to use

violence to introduce an ill- defined political,

economic and social programme, have resorted to

acts which cause irreparable loss of human life

and very serious material damage for a developing

country. The Peruvian people rejects this

criminal activity as shocking to its conscience

and damaging to its interests, for what is

destroyed is lost to all. Our whole country has,

therefore, through its representative

institutions and the broad range of political

parties present in our national Parliament,

condemned terrorism and continues to do so. Our

Government has taken steps to prevent it, in

strict observance of human rights. To that end,

our Government will guarantee public peace with

the necessary firmness, but without overstepping

legal bounds in any respect. Persons involved in

criminal offences have been brought before the

judiciary the independence of which cannot be

questioned for it is the only authority empowered

to decide on the guilt of those involved and to

apply the necessary penalties.

8. His Holiness Pope John Paul II, in his

pontifical message of 1980, reminded us that

building peace is the task of all men and all

nations and that violence is an evil unworthy of

man, unacceptable as a solution to our problems,

contrary to the truth of our humanity and,

indeed, destructive of what it seeks to defend:

the dignity, life and freedom of the human being.

But he told us also: "We cannot sincerely condemn

recourse to violence unless we engage in a

corresponding effort to replace it by courageous

political initiatives which aim at eliminating

threats to peace by attacking the roots of

injustice." That is precisely what the Government

of Peru is seeking to do at the domestic level.

9. Hence, together with the legitimate

exercise of its constitutional responsibilities,

the Government is pursuing a set of activities

designed to bring about improvement in the

depressed economic and social conditions of the

poorest areas of our country, those areas in

which the largest number of acts of violence have

taken place. This poverty is the result of

complex geographical conditions, isolation and

the failure for over a century to address basic

needs. It is being faced through courageous

development programmes that will alleviate the

difficult situation of the people living in those

areas.

10. Peru has signed all the international

agreements on human rights to which it could

accede and the principles of those agreements are

embodied in the new Constitution. Our Government

bases its efforts upon those principles in

bringing about the full realization of each

person and a regime of democracy and social

solidarity. The occasional stories reaching the

international community which attempt to

contradict the spirit of authentic respect for

human dignity in my country today must surely

come as a surprise to those who have had an

opportunity to visit Peru and to witness the

climate of freedom prevailing in my country.

11. In the international arena, Peru has

sought further to achieve ever closer ties with

its neighbour countries, links to which it

attaches particular importance within its

traditional policy of respect for the rights of

others as well as zealous defence of its own

rights.

12. Peru has continued to participate

actively in the processes of regional economic

co-operation and integration. My Government has

supported and resolutely contributed to the

reactivation of the Andean Croup and to promoting

the Latin American Integration Association, as

well as in regional consultations and

co-operation, within the framework of the Latin

American Economic System, which are institutions

to which Peru attaches the greatest importance in

the strengthening and unity of Latin America as

an effective response to the frustrations and

unusual economic measures that the region as a

whole and some countries in particular have

experienced during the recent crisis in the South

Atlantic.

13. Moreover, in order to foster Latin

American integration and co-operation, the Latin

American region must be organized physically. In

this respect, the Bolivarian Highway along the

edge of the jungle, an initiative of President

Belaunde Terry, which has received broad support

from Latin American and Andean countries, is

today in an advanced stage of completion. In the

same spirit, President Belaunde has rescued the

ambitious project of interconnecting the three

major watersheds of the South American continent,

a project which would make it possible to move

large volumes of goods, services and passengers

in the heart of our region. My Government is

confident that, after the technical meeting on

watershed inter-connection which took place last

year in Lima, we will soon be able to undertake

that work.

14. On the other hand, the project for the

creation of a trust fund for the promotion of

horizontal technical co-operation with the

countries of Central America and the Caribbean,

which I presented at the 6th meeting of the

thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly, has

met with broad support from the countries of

that area and from the Administration of UNDP. We

hope that that fund, too, will be established in

the near future.

Similarly, my country is participating in the

necessary deliberations relating to the

inter-American system. It is our view that it has

become imperative to re-emphasize the capacity

for concerted action among the countries of the

region vis-a-vis the only country of the region

which has world-wide interest. This task should

not lead to exclusions of any kind, but rather to

a clearer identification of our interests and a

better representation and defence of those

interests in continental and world forums.

16. The number of critical situations in the

world has increased and, paradoxically, none of

those that have now become traditional has yet

been overcome. The worsening of the situation is

seriously infecting the United Nations, and the

constantly repeated appeals to States to act in

conformity with the principles of the Charter are

no longer sufficient. It has become absolutely

necessary to prevent the spread of a cynical

attitude.

17. The basic elements of this situation are

an alarming tendency to disregard the obligations

of international law, in particular the

obligation to abstain from the resort to

aggression or the use or threat of force;

policies of strength and the maintenance of

spheres of influence or domination; interference

in the internal affairs of States; the

impossibility of getting the process of

disarmament under way, and the frustrations

encountered at the second special session of the

General Assembly devoted to disarmament; the

obstacles that are preventing the establishment

of a new international economic order; the

difficulties experienced in concluding the

process of decolonization; policies of apartheid

and racial dis-crimination; and the crisis in the

United Nations.

18. The Secretary-General has submitted his

report on the work of the Organization, the

importance and scope of which will be recognized

by the world public. This report sums up the

genuine anxiety of our peoples and shows the need

to listen to the voice of reason and morality in

the present dramatic circumstances. The Assembly

will examine various aspects of the report,

debate the proposals it contains and draw from it

the new inspiration the Organization needs for

the preservation of peace and the betterment of

mankind and to ensure that it does not fail as

the depositary of ideals which are beyond its

ability and the will of our Governments to

achieve.

l9. The meagre results of the action of the

Security Council compel us to ask whether the

assumptions upon which the Organization was

founded have been overtaken by events. What is

required is concerted diplomatic action at the

highest level, as proposed by the

Secretary-General, or any other approach which

can ensure that the position of political

privilege conferred upon the permanent members of

the Security Council will be used for the

effective fulfilment of their responsibilities

with regard to international peace and

co-operation. Otherwise we shall have to consider

amendments to the Charter.

20. We hope that the Secretary-General's

firmness in presenting matters to the Assembly as

he sees them and not as we would wish to see them

will serve to promote a debate that will review

the Orga-nization, because our peoples are beset

by a two-fold anxiety: daily survival in terrible

economic and social conditions, and survival as a

species in the face of the increasing probability

of a nuclear conflict.

21. Our region has brought to the Assembly

the question of the Malvinas Islands. Everybody

is aware of our support for the principle of

decolonization of the Malvinas Islands and for

the claim of the sister Republic of Argentina to

sovereignty over that archipelago. This is also

called for in resolutions of the United Nations

and the Organization of American States and in

declarations by the movement of non- aligned

countries. Faithful to its dedication to peace,

Peru has made intense and repeated efforts to

ensure a negotiated solution of the conflict and

will continue to support negotiations between

Argentina and the United Kingdom through the

intermediary of the Secretary-Genera).

22. In Central America there is a growing

tendency towards confrontation, and the

considerable difficulties faced by the peoples

of the area are compounded by forms of foreign

intervention, political polarization and internal

and external armed struggle. It is necessary for

States both within and outside this region,

instead of trying for ideological reasons to

decide how others should organize themselves to

try urgently to provide broad support for their

development.

23. Peru deeply regrets the recent

deterioration of the situation in the Middle

East. We have made clear our rejection of

intervention in and military use of the territory

of Lebanon^ in violation of its indepen-dence and

sovereignty, the persistence of policies of force

and the commission of genocidal crimes against

the Palestinian people.

24. In this world forum, in the name of the

Government and people of Peru, I reiterate our

most vigorous condemnation, as already expressed

by the Chief Executive of my country, of these

acts, which violate the most elementary

principles of human coexistence.

25. Recent developments have clearly and

painfully shown that the question of Palestine

constitutes the central factor of the Middle East

crisis. It is our view that for reasons of

principle, of history and of justice, the

Palestinian people must exercise the inalienable

rights of all people, as recognized by the

Organization.

26. We renew our appeal to all the parties to

the conflict to co-operate in the search for a

comprehensive and definitive political

settlement, taking into account the rights of all

the peoples of the region, within the framework

of the relevant resolutions adopted by the

Security Council and the General Assembly.

27. The stability and well-being of

South-East Asia are linked to the problem of

Kampuchea. Peru is a member of the /It/ Committee

of the International Conference on Kampuchea,

and we hope that the bases established by the

General Assembly, under the auspices of the

Secretary-General, will lead to a negotiated

settlement.

28. We support the steps taken by the

Secretary- General with respect to Afghanistan

and Cyprus. Only with the political will of the

parties will it be possible to achieve just and

balanced agreements which, as in the case of

Kampuchea, presupposes the withdrawal of foreign

troops and self-determination for the peoples

involved.

29. Peru hopes that the question of Korea can

be resolved by peaceful and negotiated means by

the parties.

30. The struggle for independence in

Territories that have not yet overcome

colonialism continues. Namibia must be rescued

from the illegal occupation from which it is

suffering. Peru, an active member of the Special

Committee against apartheid; condemns and rejects

this practice, which is an infringement of human

dignity.

31. The United Nations Convention on the Law

of the Sea' is the fruit of a long and arduous

effort to reconcile the rights and interests of

States in different circumstances by means of

universal rules ensuring the rational utilization

of the ocean areas not as an instrument of

hegemony but as an instrument of justice, peace,

security, co-operation, development and

well-being for all peoples. Each State must now

evaluate the advantages of a legal order, respect

for and implementation of which would protect

their most essential rights and interests both

within and outside zones of national

jurisdiction. My Government is making such an

assessment in the light of certain provisions of

our Constitution and the laws of our Republic. It

will be for the Congress of my country to express

its approval or disapproval of the Convention.

Meanwhile we shall follow with close attention

the statements made by other Governments, in the

hope that the will for justice and international

concord will prevail.

32. Peru will continue to defend its rights

of sovereignty and jurisdiction over its

adjacent waters and the sea-bed and subsoil

thereof to the limit of 200 miles, for the

purposes that have been foreseen since 1947, as

part of its maritime territory and without

prejudice to freedom of international

communication. Furthermore, it will not renounce

the defence of the rules established by the

Declaration of Principles Governing the Sea-Bed

and the Ocean Floor, and the Subsoil Thereof,

beyond the Limits of National Juris-diction,

adopted in 1970 Those principles have been

incorporated in the Convention, according to

which the sea bed and its resources outside the

limits of national jurisdiction constitute the

common heritage of mankind and can be exploited

only for the benefit of all countries, under an

international regime and international machinery.

We shall regard as illegal any use of the

international sea-bed zone by States that have

adopted unilateral legislation or which have

subscribed to agreements of reciprocity contrary

to the principles of the Convention. We trust

that those States will refrain from following a

course whose implications would be very grave in

the area of international law and in the

development of friendly co-operation among

countries, as well as in relation to policies

applicable to other areas of ocean space.

33. The results of the second special session

of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament

are discouraging. Not only was there no progress

with respect to what had been agreed at the first

special session on disarmament, but the consensus

of 1978 itself has apparently been challenged.

34. It is indispensable that all countries of

the international community, particularly the

nuclear Powers, participate in a new effort to

move forward in the complex problem of

disarmament. For its part, Peru will continue to

exert efforts, both internationally and

regionally, to effect limitation of arms

expenditures and to protect Latin America and

other regions of the developing world from the

nuclear threat, in the conviction that the goal

of disarmament will be reached only by approaches

that take due account of the interests of all

parties.

35. We are witnessing a day-by-day

deterioration of the opportunities for diplomatic

negotiation and political agreement. In view of

this, the movement of non-aligned countries

clearly has a role to play. Its objectives and

its reason for existence as an independent

factor in international relations have become all

the more significant and relevant in view of the

grim picture we are facing in all parts of the

world.

36. The international economic situation

could not be more critical. Inflation and

recession continue to be the main features of a

crisis that has ceased to be a mere slump in the

business cycle. While it is true that the crisis

affects everyone, it is also true that we are not

all equally affected. Unemployment is the most

serious social consequence of the international

economic crisis, but the developing countries,

unlike the industrialized countries, find it

difficult to provide help for the unemployed.

Capital goods have continued to rise in price,

in inverse proportion to the prices of raw

materials. Financing for development projects is

becoming increasingly costly and difficult to

find. The industrialized countriesósome more than

othersóare beginning to introduce tariff and non-

tariff barriers which are contrary to the spirit

of free trade that they themselves champion. The

mounting external debt now constitutes for all

countries, industrialized and developing alike,

both a burden and a thread not only to their

economic progress but to the very stability of

the international financial system.

37. Things cannot be allowed to remain as

they are much longer. The international economic

crisis is the result of grave difficulties of a

political and social order fisting the

international community. The sense of urgency

among peoples of the world today is accompanied

by a deep frustration at the lack of

understanding and inability Governments have

demonstrated in finding common approaches to

alleviating the tragic situation facing them.

38. We must prevent despair from setting in,

and we must remove tension in order to facilitate

the solution of grave problems that directly

affect international peace; and security. A

supreme effort on the part of all members of the

international community is required to find a

minimum consensus that will enable them to

reactivate the world economy, at the same time

taking care to prevent the return of inflation.

39. We therefore consider it to be

appropriate to agree on an emergency world

economic plan, in which all States and

international organizations would participate

without discrimination or self-exclusion. To that

effect, my Government will put forward at Session

of the General Assembly, a proposal for the

immediate adoption of such plan, in order to give

impetus to the recovery of the world economy.

40. At the same time, we must continue our

efforts for the construction of a new

international economic order. We must emphasize

that the launching of global negotiations is an

imperative need for the international community

as a whole, in order to rebuild, from the ground

up, the imbalanced system of international

economic relations.

41. My Government recognizes the position

assumed by the developed countries at the

Versailles Economic Summit in June, and is

prepared to co-operate closely W3th the rest of

the countries of the Group of 77, in the

definition of a consensus that would permit the

earliest possible beginning of global

negotiations. In view of the urgency of the

present circumstances, my Government expresses

the hope that at this session the General

Assembly will adopt a resolution stipulating the

beginning of global negotiations.

42. Peru is also aware of the importance of

the sixth session of UNCTAD, to be held next year

in Belgrade. The serious problems faced by the

developing countries make it imperative that that

Conference achieves specific results, especially

in the important areas of primary commodities,

trade, currency and finance.

43. Peru also reiterates its support for the

Integrated Programme for Commodities and the

Common Fund for Commodities, as a central

instrument for the organization of international

trade in such com-modities.

44. My country, as a member of the

Consultative Group of 18, is participating in

preparations for the ministerial meeting of GATT

to be held later this year. We find it

indispensable that that meeting attach priority

to the interests of the developing countries in

view of the reduced benefits that they have

derived from multilateral trade negotiations,

bearing in mind that the process of global

negotiations must not be disturbed.

45. Peru wishes to reaffirm the great

importance of South-South co-operation for the

developing countries and unreservedly supports

the implementation of the Programme of Action

adopted at the High-Level Conference on Economic

Co-operation among Developing Countries in May

1981 at Caracas.^ In this context, we support the

immediate convening of a meeting to establish a

generalized system of preferences among the

developing countries as a practical and effective

means of promoting our economic links.

46. Next year the Republics of America will

celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the

birth of the Liberator, Simon Bolivar, the

founder of nations, a man of his time and of our

time. We hope that his spirit of freedom and

justice will preside over the endeavours of

Governments today and we pay a well-deserved

tribute to his memory and to his work.

47. This thirty-seventh session of the

General Assembly is taking place in particularly

difficult circumstances. It has been many years

since we have seen an economic crisis such as

that of today, in which communication among

States is so charged with anxiety and

discouragement is so prevalent among our peoples.

48. Our country has demonstrated its

dedication to peace, defence of the principles of

law and international conciliation, which we do

not wish to abandon. We believe that the only way

in which the urgent problems of mankind can be

faced and overcome is through negotiation, and we

reaffirm our faith in the United Nations as the

highest forum of the peoples. For all these

reasons, we declare that Peru will spare no

effort to ensure that this session will be

qualitatively different from others more

effective and more committed to the goals of

reconciliation and harmony, peace, freedom, law

and justice.