Sierra Leone, 1982

At the outset, on behalf of the Government and

people of Sierra Leone, I would offer Mr. Hollai

warm felicitations on his unanimous election as

President of this thirty-seventh session of the

General Assembly and express my delegation's

confidence that under his able guidance the

session will be a successful one. We are aware of

his distinguished record as Deputy Minister for

Foreign Affairs of his country, and we have no

doubt that his experience adequately equips him

for the posi¬tion he has now been called upon to

assume.

135. I would also express my delegation's

gratitude to his predecessor, Mr. Kittani, for

his efforts and contributions at the last session

of the Assembly.

136. This is the first opportunity I have had

per¬sonally and publicly to congratulate Mr.

Perez de Cueliar on his election to the high and

exacting office of Secretary-General. Of course,

the Government of Sierra Leone communicated its

felicitations and good wishes through the usual

channels immediately after his election.

137. The United Nations was founded on the

ashes of global destruction which made man

resolve that force would never again be used save

in the collective defense of our common good.

Regrettably, over the years we have strayed from

the goals and ideals that inspired the efforts

culminating in the founding of the United

Nations, a fact which has contributed to the

increasing and heightening of global tension and

insecurity on an unprecedented scale, and we have

failed to establish the scheme for collective

security planned by the founding fathers of the

Organization.

138. Today there is a recrudescence of resort to

unilateral force by States. This is in total

disregard of the scheme and provisions of the

Charter and the Organization. As a consequence

the world today faces a massive betrayal of

faith, whether it be in the problems of divided

nations, the situation in Southeast Asia,

Namibia's accession to independence, or

recognition and affirmation of the inalienable

right to self-determination of the Palestinian

people. States or groups of States increasingly

resort to special arrange¬ments in total

disregard of the collective pledge we made 37

years ago "to save succeeding generations from

the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime

has brought untold sorrow to mankind".

139. This phenomenon manifests itself today in

an unprecedented global arms race wherein nations

large and small pursue the elusive goal of

national security in the strength of national

arms. This goal has so far proved illusory, and

after two special sessions of the General

Assembly devoted to the question of disarma¬ment,

it remains illusory.

140. It is this need for the reaffirmation of

faith in the basic principles and ideals that

gave birth to the Organization that has impelled

the Government of Sierra Leone to seek the

inclusion in the agenda of the thirty-seventh

session of the Assembly of an item entitled

"Implementation of the collective security

provisions of the Charter of the United Nations

for the maintenance of international peace and

security". This is both an exercise in practical

utility and a reaffirma¬tion of faith. On the one

hand, it will demonstrate to those who are minded

to resort to unilateral force that the rest of us

can and will stand up to them; on the other, it

is a reaffirmation of our faith that only in our

collective security and its maintenance and

pursuit lies our individual safety and salvation.

Perhaps at this stage it is timely to recall that

it was the failure of the international community

in another era to observe these imperatives that

resulted in the demise of the League of Nations.

We do not want to reap another harvest of failure

in the United Nations.

141. Indeed, we feel at one with the cri de

caeur of the Secretary-General when he bemoans,

in his report on the work of the Organization,

the fact that the procedures and methods

collectively agreed upon are blithely ignored and

set aside in pursuit of national parochial

interests when it comes to the maintenance of

international peace and security. We support histimely

call for measures to strengthen the integrity and

credibility of the Organization and to restore

its effectiveness.

142. It is for that reason that I want to

commend to the Assembly's attention and

consideration the modest proposal of the

Government of Sierra Leone.

143. This year has certainly been a

particularly chilling one for the forces of

international peace and co-operation. We have

witnessed, in succession, a retreat in the ranks

of two important international organizations that

together complement the endeavors of the United

Nations in strengthening the delicate fabric of

international peace and security. I refer to the

seeming paralysis affecting the OAU and the

non-aligned movement, which this year had caused

to abandon their important meetings because of

dif¬ferences among their members.

144. In the case of the non-aligned movement,

the regrettable war between Iran and Iraq—two

important members of the movement—forced it to

postpone the Seventh Conference of Heads of State

or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, which was

to have been held in Baghdad this year. Happily,

the resilience of the members of the non-aligned

movement and their dedication to the ideals and

principles of peace have enabled them to agree on

New Delhi as a new venue. For this, the

Government of Sierra Leone wishes in advance to

express its appreciation to the Government and

people of India for their readiness to serve as

host to that important meeting in the fine and

historical tradition of India as a defender of

the values of the non-aligned movement.

145. We can only hope that these developments

will have brought home to the two warring

countries of Iran and Iraq the inescapable and

compelling necessity to bring their hostilities

to a speedy end.

146. In the case of the OAU, it is evidently

the admission to membership in that organization

of the Sahraoui Arab Democratic Republic that has

pre¬cipitated the crisis. It should be realized

that this is an issue on which there are strong

and deep-seated feelings among members of the

OAU. That is why the Government of Sierra Leone,

which only recently had the exacting but

rewarding task of serving as Chairman of the OAU

Assembly of Heads of State and Government,

believes that through patient and con¬structive

dialogue and respect for the rights and

posi¬tions of the parties to the Western Sahara

question, coupled with the determination of every

African country, we can and should make the OAU

functional again.

147. In that connection, Mr. Siaka Stevens,

President of the Republic of Sierra Leone,

recently addressed certain modest proposals to

the current Chairman of the OAU Assembly,

President Daniel Arap Moi of the Republic of

Kenya, in order to reactivate the orga¬nization

so as to enable it to continue its work,

complementary to that of the United Nations, of

advancing the frontiers of peace and co-operation.

148. A review of the politic:' landscape of

our world infuses the observer with nothing but

deep gloom and foreboding, accentuating the

extent to which we have strayed from the path we

charted for ourselves some 37 years ago.

Persistent violations of the basic principles of

international relations have led to foreign

aggression and occupation, domination and

interference in the internal affairs of States.

Indeed, never before in recorded history has the

incidence of violence and the readiness to resort

to violence been so high as it is in our time. We

are witnesses to ugly scenes of political

rivalry, needless violence, social injustice and

a steady, inexorable degradation of human values.

149. It was with shock and dismay that we

received the news of the massacre in the refugee

camps of Shatila and Sabm in Lebanon of innocent

and defenseless Palestinian men, women and

children whose only crime was to hunger for a

State of their own. These atrocities have rightly

offended and revolted the con¬science of

right-thinking men and women throughout the world.

150. The state of affairs in the Middle East

is a classic manifestation of that betrayal of

faith I referred to earlier and a further

demonstration of the extent to which we have

strayed from the goals we set ourselves

sometimes. In 1947, it may be recalled, the

Assembly adopted resolution 181 (II), positing

the partitioning of Palestine into both a Jewish

entity and a Palestinian entity. That measure,

though it smacked of usurpation to the Arab

population of Palestine at the time, was none the

less a visionary and humanitarian act by the rest

of the international community, under the shadow

of the gruesome spectacle of Auschwitz, Treblinka

and Dachau, to provide a homeland for an ancient,

gifted and much-maligned people. Thus was the

State of Israel created with the imprimatur of

the interna¬tional community. Today, what do we

see? Arrogance, self-righteous defiance, even a

denial of faith and the human stirrings of the

emotions that made Israel itself possible. The

rest of the world is not against the State and

people of Israel, but against the obdurate,

inflex¬ible, short-sighted and misguided policies

of the present Israeli leadership.

151. The present Israeli authorities, against

massive international public opinion, have

continued on their dangerous course of presenting

the world with various faits accomplis—with the

annexation of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and

the extension of Israeli settle¬ments on the West

Bank and the Gaza Strip. Those are measures which

the Government of Sierra Leone totally rejects; I

reiterate its condemnation.

152. Recent activities, by way of proposals to

find a solution to the Middle East problem, will

be enriched, be more acceptable and prove

enduring if they are particularly faithful to the

spirit of resolution 181 (II): namely, the need

to have in Palestine both an Israeli State and a

State for the Palestinians, both together, with

other States in the area, living in peace and

security. It is in that spirit that we welcome

the recent proposals by Arab leaders at the

Twelfth Arab Summit Conference in Fez.

153. There is no magic formula for a solution

to the Middle East problem; this, we submit, is

the key to the problem, and a solution is not so

impossible to achieve. AH that is required is

vision, courage and flexibility on the part of

Israel, for Israel cannot claim the right to live

and deny that right to the Palestinians.

154. We take this opportunity to proffer to

the Government and people of Lebanon our deep

sympathy on the loss of lives and destruction to

property it has been their lot to endure through

historical and geographical circumstances,

resulting directly from the lack of a

satisfactory settlement to the Palestinian

problem. And while we wish the new Government of

Lebanon well, in the hope that it will

consolidate the national unity of that country,

we want to emphasize the necessity to preserve

and observe the independence, sovereignty and

territorial integrity of Lebanon—and this applies

particularly to Israel— and to reiterate our

rejection and condemnation of Israel's recent

activities in Lebanon, especially in Beirut.

155. Still on the subject of the Middle East,

the situation in the Gulf continues to give cause

for con¬cern. The Iranian-Iraqi conflict has

intensified since the last session of the

Assembly. We have witnessed another massive

offensive recently by both parties to the

conflict, in the mistaken belief that one side

can impose its will by force of arms on the

other. We renew our call on both parties to

harken to the summons of peace by the

international community, in various forums, and

to arrive at a lasting soluhon to their problems.

156. A return to normalcy is yet to be

achieved in Afghanistan and Kampuchea. This is

because respect for and observance of the

principles and purposes of the Organization are

still to be achieved. We are con¬cerned over the

inhuman conditions prevailing in those countries,

resulting in the exodus of peaceful citizens to

neighbouring States to seek refuge, a situation

that has created in its wake, enormous social and

economic problems for those countries. We

reiterate cur belief that it is the

imprescriptible right of the people of Afghanistan

and Kampuchea to work out their own destinies

without let or hindrance by foreign inter¬vention

or domination.

157. My Government is concerned about the

problem of divided nations, for we believe that a

people can only realize its fullest potential in

unity and peace. It is in that spirit, therefore,

that the Government of Sierra Leone looks forward

to the resumption of nego¬tiations aimed at a

peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula.

For we believe that in unity the valiant and

historic people of the Korean peninsula will have

greater contributions to make to our world in the

search for solutions to our problems.

158. In the same vein, we hope that now that

the intercommunal talks on Cyprus have resumed,

and at an accelerated pace, there will soon

emerge a formula for peace acceptable to both

sides and in consonance with the territorial

integrity and independence of Cyprus. We urge all

those who can contribute to helping this process

to do whatever they can to ensure its progress.

159. Even as we talk about the problems of

divided nations, we are still confronted with

peoples yearning to be free. A particular

responsibility of the Organi¬zation in this

regard is the accession of the people and

Territory of Namibia to independence. When the

Security Council adopted resolution 435 (1978),

we thought that we were on the eve of Namibia's

inde¬pendence; but today, four years later, the

process seems to be caught in the welter of

negotiations that quite frankly do not have

anything to do with the problem. The linkage of

the presence of Cuban troops in Angola to the

issue of Namibia's independence is, in our view,

extraneous and quite unrelated to the issue of

self-determination for the Territory of Namibia

and the cessation of South Africa's illegal

occupa¬tion thereof. This is all the more evident

when it is recalled that almost from its

inception the United Nations has been concerned

about the fate of the Terri¬tory of Namibia, even

long before Angola's indepen¬dence and well

before the advent of Cuban troops therein.

160. Regrettably, the process of Namibia's

accession to independence is, at one turn or the

other, attended by delay, vacillation,

subterfuge, and sometimes even plain double talk.

It is the view of the Government of Sierra Leone

that Security Council resolution 435 (1978)

remains the sole basis for the accession of

Namibia to independence. Therefore, to bring in

the question of the presence of foreign troops in

neigh¬bouring territories is to us but a further

betrayal of the goals which the authors of

resolution 435 (1978) themselves postulated in

the highest organ of the Organization.

161. This is also, sadly, a further

manifestation of the departure from the goals we

set ourselves which often compounds the problems

of our world. Namibia must be free. We therefore

want to take this oppor¬tunity to urge all States

Members of the United Nations, especially the

authors of resolution 435 (1978), to help us and

themselves keep faith with our common pledge to

ensure that Namibia achieves inde¬pendence

without further delay. Enough is enough.

162. In South Africa itself the racist

Pretoria regime pursues with reckless abandon its

policy of disregard for the revulsion felt by the

rest of the international community at the

abomination that is apartheid. The black majority

of the inhabitants of that unhappy country

continue to be denied in the daily round of their

lives their very essence and dignity as human

beings, simply on the score of the pigmentation

of their skin. We have heard about recent moves

even by the very practitioners and proponents of

to temper its rigors and harshness. But the

absurdity of the exercise explains its lukewarm

reception, even by its supposed beneficiaries. I

refer here to the so- called constitutional

proposals for power-sharing by Indians and

so-called Coloureds in a presidential council is

a system which represents the negation of man's

humanity and cannot be modified but must be

wholly extirpated. In defiance of world public

opinion, the Pretoria regime continues to constitute

a threat to international peace and security.

Today we stand helpless while the independent

neigh¬bouring States fall victim to South

Africa's predatory activities, acts of

aggression, sabotage and destabilization.

163. Moreover, in furtherance of these

despicable policies, South Africa resorts to

brutal methods of political assassination, even

against victims who take refuge from it in

neighbouring countries.

164. Such activities cannot be allowed to go

on unchallenged and unchecked. We therefore call

for the comprehensive application of the

provisions of Chap¬ter VII of the Charter, to

remove the threat to interna¬tional peace and

security that South Africa represents. For,

without doubt, to allow South Africa to continue

with abandon its depredations represents a

further betrayal of that collective pledge we

made to "reaffirm faith in fundamental human

rights, in the dignity and worth of the human

person, in the equal rights of men and women".

165. Even as the world is faced with a

depressing and deteriorating political climate,

we can draw no comfort from the burning economic

problems which all coun¬tries, developed and

developing, are going through. It is clear that

the developing countries, by virtue of the

fragility of their economic structures, have had

to contend to a more serious degree with the

devastating and far-reaching effects of global

economic tremors. Evidence of this has come out

with forceful emphasis and candor in successive

reports on the current world economic situation

by development and finan¬cial institutions.

166. For most, if not all developing

countries, the prevailing economic circumstances

can be referred to as a nightmare from which they

cannot escape without immediate substantial

assistance. Stagnant, and in some cases

declining, economic growth, low productivity,

poor and diminishing returns for in¬creasing

export of their raw materials, high interest

rates, diminishing financial flows from bilateral

and multilateral sources, intolerable debt

burdens running at some $600 billion and the cost

of servicing this burden are fetters on an

economic wheel that is gradually grinding to a

halt in the third world, con¬demning thereby two

thirds of our world to a life of misery and

squalor.

167. Let it be recalled that one of the

purposes and principles of the United Nations is

that it should be a centre for the harmonization

of the actions of nations in the achievement of

international co-operation for the solution of

various problems, particularly of an economic

nature. This explains the relentless efforts

within the halls and organs of the Organization

to ensure the establishment of a new

international eco¬nomic order.

168. When, three years ago, by General

Assembly resolution 34/138, it was decided to

launch the global round of negotiations, high

hopes and expectations were aroused in the

majority of mankind that at last the real

problems of the world in such crucial areas as

money and finance, trade and development and

natural resources and energy were about to be

grappled with in a meaningful and constructive

manner and within a more comprehensive framework

of mutual interests, underscoring the aspirations

of both rich and poor nations.

169. Unfortunately, those hopes and

expectations have so far not been realized, even

though at the International Meeting on

Co-operation and Develop¬ment at Cancun last year

commitments were made at the highest political

level by a cross-section of the international

community. We wish to emphasize here and now our

earnest belief that it is time that the global

negotiations were got under way.

170. We appeal to and urge all countries not

to allow short-term and ephemeral national

interests to spoil the chances of these global

negotiations. My coun¬try, for its part, is ready

and willing to do everything in its power to

promote understanding and co-operation between

all nations, North and South, East and West, in

order to contribute towards the establishment of

a new and just international economic order from

which all countries, developed and developing, will

assuredly stand to benefit.

171. As the sixth session of UNCTAD

approaches, ft is our earnest hope that Member

States will work towards conducting meaningful

exchanges in that forum and the adoption of

effective decisions that will enhance our

collective well-being. We have no doubt that the

agenda which has been adopted will render such

discourse possible.

172. On behalf of the delegation of Sierra

Leone I take this opportunity to thank the

Government and people of the Socialist Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia for generously agreeing to

host that session.

173. With regard to the forthcoming

ministerial ses¬sion of GATT, it is my

delegation's firm belief that that organization

can serve as an effective instrument of economic

advancements and as a catalyst for interna¬tional

trade, particularly in the developing countries.

We therefore hope that the forthcoming session

will give positive consideration to such topical

issues as protectionism and structural

adjustment, preferential trade treatment and

trade in commodities, with the aim of finding

more acceptable and just solutions to these

problems. My country will endeavor to play its

own part in this respect.

174. One of the most urgent problems requiring

solution, particularly in Africa, is related to

the produc¬tion of adequate, secure and sustained

food supplies for that continent's growing

population and the development of agriculture in

general. It is significant that, while the world

food situation is generally said to have taken a

turn for the better, the only exception in this

happy trend is Africa. No one can deny the will

and readiness of all African countries to find

solu¬tions to their food and agricultural

difficulties. However, with the greatest number

of poor and least developed countries, Africa

cannot succeed in doing this alone without

sufficient aid from the international community.

With an annual population growth estimated at 2.5

per cent, a decline in food production of 1.2 per

cent in the 1970s and an even worse projec¬tion

for the 1980s, Africa and the international

com¬munity will be required to mobilize

tremendous resources in order to arrive at

solutions commensurate with the seriousness of

the issue and the magnitude of the task.

175. One common denominator in all the

economic issues I have highlighted is the need to

translate our avowed commitment to the principles

of interna¬tional co-operation and development

into practical measures to make such co-operation

meaningful and productive. In this connection, my

Government has noted with considerable

disappointment the downward trend in the flow of

financial resources, both bilateral and

multilateral, particularly over the last few

years, to development agencies such as the World

Bank and UNDP.

176. This tendency weakens the effectiveness

of those bodies, on which many developing

countries depend for supplementary resources in

their struggle for survival and social and

economic progress. Further, it puts in doubt the

well-accepted norm of friendly multilateral

co-operation, the linchpin of which has, over the

years, been the provision of financial grants and

concessionary loans by the developed to the

developing countries, not out of charity but out

of enlightened self-interest, based on our

interde¬pendence.

t44

177. The role which agencies like UNDP, FAO,

the International Fund for Agricultural

Development and the World Bank, to name but a

few, are playing in the fight against poverty,

malnutrition, ignorance and the omnibus problems

of underdevelopment, cannot be over-emphasized.

It therefore behoves all nations, big and small,

in a position to do so to reawaken in themselves

that spirit of internationalism which for a long

time characterized the ideals of international

co¬operation and adopt measures that will

strengthen the fabric of United Nations agencies

for co-operation for development, and at the same

time give true meaning to the noble concept of

friendly relations among nations.

178. My delegation considers it appropriate to

high¬light once again the crucial role which we

believe multilateral financial institutions such

as the Interna¬tional Monetary Fund [IMF] and the

World Bank and their affiliated agencies can play

in the establish¬ment of social justice and

international peace and security, given the right

kind of understanding and appreciation of all the

issues at stake in their bid to help developing

countries.

179. However, it seems somewhat unreasonable

to suggest that the only way to cure the ills of

developing nations, which by nature and often

because of factors outside their control are

weak, is to administer to them medicinal doses

which have more debilitating and sometimes

destructive effects. It is therefore our candid

hope that these institutions will continue to

review their policies and practices towards

countries which stand in need of their aid, with

particular reference to the individual

circumstances and situa¬tions peculiar to these

countries.

180. A review of the world economic situation

would not be complete without reference to some

of the issues which are of immense importance for

the acceleration of growth, not only in the

developing countries but in the world as a whole.

The international community, including the

specialized agencies of the United Nations system

and non governmental orga¬nizations, should be

unrelenting in their search for practical

solutions in the fields of health, science and

technology for development, the environment,

industrialization, new and renewable sources of

energy, population control, and development and

economic co-operation among developing countries.

181. It is gratifying to note that all these

questions appear as items on the agenda of this

session. We hope that they will be attended by

free, fair and frank exchanges in the interest of

restructuring and revi¬talizing the global

economy to our collective benefit.

182. At the 10th meeting of the thirty-sixth

session I acknowledged that some time ago the

Assembly had, with wisdom, recognized the need to

give par¬ticular attention to the most

economically dis¬advantaged States in the

international community, which have come to be

known euphemistically as the least-developed

countries. The prospects of these States, even in

the midst of booming prosperity in other parts of

the world, became at best uncertain and their

very survival precarious. It is most depressing

and self-defeating to acknowledge that the number

of such States continues to increase, whatever

the criteria applied. I am forced to report that

in Sierra Leone our economic situation has

worsened, the purchasing power of our exports has

progressively diminished and there has been, in

real terms, a reversal against us in both the

terms and the balance of our trade with our

trading partners. All this made it necessary for

the Economic and Social Council to take a long

hard look at cur situation and, in its resolution

1982/41, to recommend that Sierra Leone be

classified as a least-developed country. I want

to take this opportunity here, if I may, to

commend the Council's recommendation for approval

at the appropriate time, and to express the hope

that, given the resilience of the Sierra Leonean

people, coupled with the concerted efforts of

their Government and with the co-operation of the

international community, this classification may

be only temporary.

183. After some eight years of negotiations,

we note with satisfaction that the Third United

Nations Con-ference on the Law of the Sea will it

is hoped, be brought safe home to harbor this

year with the meeting of plenipotentiaries to

sign the Convention on the Law of the Sea.^ This

document, which has been painstakingly

negotiated, represents a new order for the oceans

and reassuringly demonstrates that with

co-operation and goodwill the United Nations can

and, indeed, should be the centre for harmonizing

the actions of nations in the rationalization of

the rules and procedures that should govern the

management, exploitation and use not only of this

important aspect of our environment, but of other

facets of our lives as well.

184. The successful completion of this venture has not

only enhanced the reality of international

co-operation, but it should also—and rightly

so—advance the prospects for global co-operation

in other vital areas of our one world. It is in

this spirit that we would reiterate our appeal to

the Government of the United States to stay with

the rest of the international com¬munity and to

approve this important instrument.

185. In the face of the unhappy world

political and economic situation in which we find

ourselves today, all nations—large and small,

rich and poor—are indissolubly linked. It is now

therefore more pressing than ever before that we

answer the summons to international peace and

co-operation in its various aspects. In this

venture, all the nations of the world should

reaffirm their resolve to adhere to the spirit

and essence of the United Nations. When all is

said and done, the United Nations symbolizes

mankind's efforts at pursuing a better world

order. The path to the attainment of that goal

has often been rugged, tedious and sometimes

almost impassable. Never-theless, mankind has

been persistent in its endeavors to pursue

undaunted, within this edifice, its quest for

peace, security and economic well-being. For we

realize that it is only within the United Nations

that we all, together, can hope to achieve a

peaceful and affluent world. For its part, the

Government of Sierra Leone, here and now, pledges

itself anew to uphold the principles and

objectives of the Organization.