Eswatini, 1993

I am delighted and honoured to

have this opportunity once more to address this distinguished

gathering.

I bring with me from the Kingdom of Swaziland the

greetings and good wishes of Her Majesty Indlovukazi and

the whole Swazi nation to our fellow Members and friends.

Before I begin my remarks, I should like, on behalf of

the Kingdom of Swaziland, to express my deep condolences

to the people of India, who have suffered so much in the last

24 hours. Our thoughts and prayers reach out to the families

and friends of the victims of the tragic earthquake as they

struggle to overcome the effects of disaster. May Almighty

God protect all in the region from further suffering.

Mr. President, on behalf of the Swaziland delegation,

let me offer my sincere congratulations on your election to

the presidency of this forty-eighth session of the General

Assembly. Many issues of vital importance to the world

will be discussed during this session, and we are entirely

confident in your ability to lead us to a successful conclusion

in all our deliberations.

We should also like to express our deep appreciation to

your predecessor, Mr. Stoyan Ganev, who guided the

proceedings of the forty-seventh session to such great effect.

We are meeting at a time when our Organization is

faced with a number of concerns, whose challenge to our

resources, and to our unity, is perhaps without parallel in the

48 years of our existence.

We Members are fortunate that our success in meeting

these challenges lies to a large extent on the shoulders of our

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros-Ghali, whose performance

over the last two years has fully justified our confidence in

him. The Kingdom of Swaziland pays a tribute to his skill,

vision and leadership, as we face increasing challenges -

internal as well as external - to our Organization. We are

confident in his ability to act on behalf of us all, as the

United Nations strives to maintain peace and security

throughout this troubled world and as we continue to fulfil

the hopes and wishes of our peoples, through the promotion

of social and economic development in all Member States.

We offer our Secretary-General the fullest support and

encouragement in the difficult times ahead.

Swaziland is delighted to extend the hand of friendship

to our six new Members, including our own African

continent’s newest nation, Eritrea. Earlier this year, we

praised the United Nations-sponsored elections, which

allowed Eritrea a peaceful transition to independence, and

we welcomed it to the Organization of African Unity family

of African nations. Now, that welcome is extended to this

larger family.

The admission of these new countries is further proof

of the importance we place on embracing all peoples within

our Organization: the principle of universality - of

representing all the nations of the world - is one that has

been at the very centre of the United Nation’s existence,

since our establishment in 1945.

All groups of people, all nations, regardless of size or

history, have a contribution to make towards ensuring a

safer, more prosperous world, in which we can live and

work in peace and provide the promise of economic and

political security for future generations.

Just one month ago Swaziland celebrated an event of

great importance in the history of the Kingdom. Twentyfive years ago, on 6 September 1968, we regained our

independence and resumed our rightful place in the world

once more, as a free, sovereign nation.

To mark such an historic occasion, we hosted a large

number of Heads of State and other representatives of

countries from every corner of our globe for three days of

celebration and rejoicing.

While the event was one of great national jubilation,

and an opportunity to give thanks to God for the many

blessings he continues to bestow on us, it was also a chance

to review the progress of the nation’s development; to

examine our successes and failures; and to learn from the

lessons of our first 25 years as a nation reborn.

We were also able to confirm the steps we are taking

to continue in our quest to bring all Swazis once more under

the protection of our leadership. A committee has been

established and negotiations are under way to restore the

land and the people that have been lost to us over the last

century. We shall be keeping this Organization fully

informed of developments.

Most prominent among Swaziland’s blessings have

been the peace and stability we have continued to enjoy

throughout these times of great change and disorder. As a

nation, we confirmed how important a role our unity plays

in preserving the conditions for our stability, and

demonstrated what we could do to ensure that those

conditions will be enjoyed by future generations.

We acknowledged that two factors have contributed

most to our unity: first, the emphasis we have always

placed on those aspects of our national character that make

us unique from others - our traditions, our customs and our

culture; and, secondly, our policy of always acting in

consensus, wherever possible, on issues of national

importance.

These traditional values which continue to guide and

lead us today may seem old-fashioned and out of date in

today’s world. But they have served Swaziland well and

will continue to bind the Swazi nation together for many

generations to come.

I do not wish to give the impression that time has stood

still for us in our remote corner of the African continent -

far from it. Swaziland, too, has felt the winds of change

which have blown throughout the world; and together, as a

family, we have bent to accommodate them, for the good of

the nation as a whole.

One current example is the process of political reform

on which we are embarked.

As I mentioned a few moments ago, Swaziland is

governed by the principle of rule by consensus of the people.

Through the ages, our leaders have ruled with the consent of

the nation, and this principle continues today. So when the

effects of global political reform began to be felt in the

Kingdom, all Swazis were given the opportunity to offer

their individual opinions on the need for change.

The result was a series of recommendations by the

majority of the Kingdom to bring about a number of

democratic reforms, of which the most important concerned

changes in our electoral system to allow direct and

accountable representation in Parliament.

The decision by the people to implement the changes

was announced last October, and the first stage of elections

under the new system was successfully conducted a week

ago. The final stage will take place in 10 days’ time.

Our new-found political maturity has also resulted in

the lifting of certain restrictive measures which, for various

reasons, had been thought necessary in the past.

Forty-eighth session - 1 October l993 3

These moves, and indeed the process throughout, has

been warmly welcomed and supported wholeheartedly by the

international community. More importantly, it has fulfilled

the wishes of the vast majority in Swaziland.

Ahead of us lies the implementation of the other

recommendations made by the Kingdom. We shall take

these steps forward in the way we always conduct business -

quietly, peacefully and with the consent of all our people.

I give this outline of recent reforms in Swaziland not

from any need to justify our actions to the outside world, nor

indeed to gain the approval of the international community.

No, I simply offer it as an example of the importance we, as

a nation, place on our unity, and on the principle of meeting

fresh challenges together, as a family.

Swaziland’s internal policy is mirrored in our dealings

with the outside world. Throughout our history, we have

consistently pursued a policy of encouraging the settlement

of all disputes through peaceful dialogue and negotiation.

We are heartened that this principle is shared by the United

Nations in its attempts to maintain global peace and security.

It is a distressing fact that the challenges facing the

United Nations in this regard have reached a level perhaps

without equal since its establishment at the end of the last

global conflict.

The consequences of the breakup of the former Soviet

Union, in particular, have focused world attention on

continental Europe, where the situations in the former

Yugoslavia and Georgia continue to give us all great cause

for concern.

The horrors of the war in Bosnia reinforce the belief

that we need some way of limiting the effects of tension

before they are allowed to expand and explode.

Swaziland has fully supported the efforts of the United

Nations and the European Community to bring about a

negotiated settlement to the conflict; and we recognize the

work of those involved in the process towards peace.

Special mention must be made of the contribution of

the members of the United Nations Protection Force

(UNPROFOR) in Bosnia, who risk their lives daily in their

courageous attempts to bring relief to the suffering of so

many. We urge the leaders of the three sides to find the

basis for a peaceful settlement before the start of a winter

which many thousands will otherwise not have a chance of

surviving.

Not far away, in Georgia, we have witnessed with

concern the unfolding of another tragedy whose

consequences may well be felt for some time to come.

Swaziland urges those involved, with the support from those

having influence in the area, to learn from the suffering of

Bosnia and to find a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the

dispute that has ruined the stability of a nation which so

recently rejoiced in its new-found independence.

The last two weeks have seen the internal political

struggle in Russia reach a critical point, constituting a very

serious threat to the stability of that great country.

Most countries in the world have learned from bitter

experience that there is no easy path to reform, no certain

blueprint, no overnight success.

As a country with enormous strategic and historical

importance, Russia has held our attention throughout its

often painful transition, and our thoughts are with its people

during this latest internal crisis. Swaziland joins the rest of

the international community in supporting a peaceful

resolution to the constitutional struggle on whose outcome

the peace of the entire region may depend.

Cyprus continues to give cause for concern to my

delegation, fully 19 years after the short but destructive

conflict that brought division to that unhappy island.

Swaziland shares with Cyprus membership in the British

Commonwealth of Nations, and we support the untiring

efforts of our Secretary-General to promote dialogue

between Greeks and Turks so that a lasting settlement,

acceptable to all, may be found.

Closer to home, for many of our brotherly African

countries conflict and internal strife continue to be the

major obstacles in the way of the development of the

continent as a whole. Of particular distress to us in southern

Africa is the appalling disaster which has overtaken our

brothers in Angola, where more tragedies occur each day

than anywhere else in the world. If any country has suffered

enough it is surely Angola. No reason can possibly justify

the scale of the disaster suffered by so many. We therefore

support the measures taken by the United Nations to bring

about an end to the conflict, and we appeal to those

responsible for the continuation of the suffering to allow

sense and reason to prevail. The elections last September

were judged free and fair by organizations of which we are

a member and whose views we respect. We appeal to both

4 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

sides to come together in a spirit of understanding and

compromise to achieve a lasting peace for the whole

country. The efforts of our United Nations Special Envoy

in this difficult and dangerous assignment deserve our fullest

support.

On the other side of our continent, we continue with

grave concern to look on the situation in Somalia, where,

despite the efforts of the large United Nations force and a

large measure of success at the start of the operation, a

formula for lasting peace still cannot be found. Swaziland

gives due praise to the members of the peace-keeping force

as they attempt to maintain the conditions in which food and

medical relief can reach those most in need. Clearly, the

support of the international community will be necessary for

the foreseeable future - despite the enormous drain this will

mean on our limited resources - as efforts are made to help

establish suitable political conditions in the country to

encourage sustainable development.

Despite these setbacks to global peace, the last 12

months have seen considerable successes recorded in other

areas, many of which owe much to the efforts of the United

Nations. In this Hall on Monday, President Clinton spoke

of the determination of his Administration to continue with

the policy of encouraging an end, once and for all, to the

spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Swaziland supports any measure to limit the ability of all

countries to make political use of weapons of mass

destruction, and we call on all the nuclear Powers to give the

initiative the support it deserves.

Of perhaps greatest immediate significance in the area

of global peace, however, was the recent signing of the

peace accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation

Organization. Swaziland joins the rest of the world in

welcoming with enormous relief this sign of real progress

towards peace in the Middle East. We acknowledge those

who have contributed to this first, vital step towards a

settlement of the crisis which has afflicted the region for so

long. In particular, the determination of the two leaders,

Prime Minister Rabin and Chairman Arafat, to bring about

the conditions for a settlement deserves the praise of us all.

Meanwhile, along with the rest of the world, we

recognize that many challenges lie ahead in the process of

reconciliation and peaceful resettlement. Above all, there

must be a firm commitment to the process from all nations

in the region. The responsibility for a successful future lies

as much with the neighbouring countries as it does with

Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Swaziland therefore welcomes the immediate favourable

response to the treaty from many in the region, and we offer

our wholehearted support to the process begun with that

historic handshake. Our hopes and prayers for lasting peace

are with the people of the Middle East.

The successful conclusion of another long-running

conflict owes much to the efforts of the United Nations and

is worth highlighting. The free and fair elections in

Cambodia have, hopefully, brought an end to many years of

suffering by the Cambodian people and fully justified the

support we, as Member States, gave to the process.

Challenges to peace in that country remain, however,

and, while welcoming the moves to unite the people behind

a newly established monarchy, Swaziland is concerned that

any remaining differences be resolved through negotiation,

and not by the means that, in the past, gave rise to such

hatred and division among the Cambodian people.

Africa, too, has experienced encouraging developments

over the past 12 months. Of particular relevance to

Swaziland have been the ongoing peace processes in the

neighbouring countries of Mozambique and South Africa.

Later this month we shall formally begin the process of

returning the tens of thousands of Mozambican refugees to

their homeland. Swaziland has hosted these unfortunate

victims of civil war for many years, with the assistance of

the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We

praise all those who have contributed to the peace effort.

Above all, we recognize the willingness of both sides to

bring an end to the suffering of so many fellow-countrymen.

We therefore acknowledge the commitment to peace of

President Chissano and Mr. Dhlakama, who have given an

example to the leaders of other countries experiencing

internal struggles. We pray that the peace process will be

allowed to run its course, with the assistance of the United

Nations force that is stationed in the country. Swaziland

stands ready to help Mozambique to regain its significance

in the region.

The situation in South Africa - our other neighbour -

too gives some reason for long-term hope of a peaceful

transition to majority rule and the birth of a new South

Africa. This view has been strengthened by the speeches

that President De Klerk and Mr. Mandela made in the

United States last week. The negotiation process has

proceeded in accordance with a tight timetable, and

important successes have been recorded. I refer, for

example, to the recent agreement concerning conditions for

the establishment of the Transitional Executive Council.

Forty-eighth session - 1 October l993 5

The setting of a date for elections - April 1994 - is of

particular importance as it provides a focus for the black

community, which has been denied the vote for so long.

However, major obstacles remain if next year’s election date

is to be met. Prominent among these is the distressing

continued violence in many sections of South African

society. This has resulted in widespread loss of confidence

in the peace process. We appeal to the leaders of all parties

in South Africa to impose the maximum restraint on those

who threaten the real progress that has been made so far.

We pray that reason will prevail and that the existing forum

for peaceful negotiation will be used for the resolution of

any differences.

A matter of equal concern, and with the potential to

give rise to greater problems in the long term, is the absence

from the negotiations of representatives of large sections of

the country. Empty chairs at the negotiating table will result

in an incomplete solution to the problem of creating a new

South Africa. All South Africans must be represented at the

talks, so that each may feel that he is a part of the solution.

Conditions must be found to give all in South Africa,

regardless of race or belief, a voice in the transition process.

In the meantime, in accordance with the wishes of the

majority of South Africans, Swaziland supports the call for

the lifting of the remaining economic and trade sanctions

against South Africa, to enable the country to begin the long

and difficult process of resolving the many development

challenges it faces.

Swaziland looks forward to welcoming a new South

Africa as a major force in the development of the region.

Further north in our continent, the recent signing of the

peace accord in Liberia will, we hope, bring to an end a

long and painful chapter in the history of that unhappy

country. Swaziland endorses the offer of the United Nations

earlier this year to assist in the electoral process. We appeal

to all Liberian leaders to respect the peace process and to

put their faith in the electoral system, so that the country

may begin the task of rebuilding in an atmosphere of

national unity and conciliation.

As we examine the extent of United Nations

involvement in peace-keeping operations around the world,

it is clear that we face major questions about our ability to

cope with future conflict situations. While Swaziland salutes

the courage and dedication of the 80,000 men and women of

the various United Nations forces on assignment in 17

separate operations throughout the world, we support the call

of other Members for a full examination of the way in which

our peace-keeping operations are managed, with a view to

securing the maximum benefit from our limited resources.

We are approaching our fiftieth anniversary, and this is

a suitable moment to review our past performance in this

area and to draw on our collective experience so that in

future peace-keeping roles we may make the most efficient

use of our resources. Swaziland therefore welcomes the call,

in the Secretary-General’s report "An Agenda for Peace", for

discussion of these vital issues during the current session.

At the beginning of my address I expressed the Swazi

delegation’s welcome for the accession of six new Members

as an indication of the Organization’s respect for the

principle of universality. We confirmed that it is a basic

human right of all peoples to be represented at the United

Nations so that the widest possible range of opinions and

experience may be pooled, and the benefits of the

Organization shared by all countries.

The President returned to the Chair.

Yet the Kingdom of Swaziland has enjoyed a long and

happy relationship with 21 million people who believe that

they have had no representation here since 1971: I refer to

the people of the Republic of China.

For the past 25 years the Republic of China has shown

itself to be a true friend of Swaziland. We have benefited

from the experience of development which has lifted the

Republic of China to a position high on the list of

industrialized nations. The rest of the world has been

excluded from that experience and from the positive

contribution that we feel the Republic of China can make to

the international community. It is a contribution that the

Government and the people of that nation have demonstrated

their will and desire to make. And 21 million people feel

that they are denied the right of representation here in the

United Nations by men and women of their own choice. In

the interest of equity and justice, their collective voice

deserves to be heard.

Swaziland therefore supports the call from other

Member States for the establishment of an ad hoc committee

to look into the issue of the Republic of China’s re-entry

into the United Nations.

Following from the issue of basic human rights among

nations, Swaziland attached great importance to our

attendance at the Conference in Vienna last June. We made

6 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

clear the priority we attach to the promotion and protection

of human rights in our own country and the important role

we believe that plays in the maintenance of peace and

stability throughout the world.

The principle of equality among nations is one that has

guided our foreign policy since independence, and we join

other Member States in welcoming the Conference’s

Declaration and Programme of Action. We look forward to

the discussion here in the General Assembly of proposals

agreed at the Conference, and we stand ready to implement

them where necessary.

For many years after independence the Kingdom of

Swaziland enjoyed a period of steady growth and reasonable

prosperity, despite the difficulties experienced by other

developing nations in our region. The world-wide economic

recession and the drought years of 1991 and 1992 meant an

end to the expansion of our economy, and the Kingdom

braced itself for some tough times ahead. As a developing

country we are heavily reliant on the economies of nations

that are more industrialized than ours, and the failure of the

projected world-wide recovery in 1993 has added to our

despair.

We have recognized that there are internal measures we

must take ourselves, and we are active in attempting to

strengthen our industrial and agricultural base; but we

remain dependent on outside support to finance programmes

to help achieve our objectives.

The Kingdom has begun a programme of action for our

own economic development, based on the principle of

national consensus that was so successful in our political

reforms. The United Nations continues to support us in the

planning and coordination of our efforts, and we will need

that support for some time to come if we are to experience

the growth we need for the economic security of future

generations.

One area in which we have been concentrating much

effort is the expansion of our export markets and our trade

relations with other countries. We have therefore been

following anxiously the prolonged process of concluding the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks. We

have a saying in Africa: "When the elephants fight, the ants

get squashed." For our small, developing nation, much

depends on the successful outcome of the talks. We are, in

particular, looking forward to an international trade package

which will take full account of the needs of the developing

nations and will make allowances for current trade

agreements between us and the first world. Another

deadline is just two months away. We appeal to the world’s

major economic Powers to consider the long-term fate of our

people and not to be seduced by the short-term political

advantage to be gained from indecision and delay.

Although we will be heavily reliant on the outcome of

the GATT talks, Swaziland and the other countries in the

Southern and Eastern African regions have followed the

example of other major trading blocs around the world and

formed our own regional common markets. The Southern

African Development Community (SADC), of which

Swaziland is currently Vice-Chairman, and the Preferential

Trade Area (PTA) for Eastern and Southern African States

are models of inter-nation cooperation. Our objective is the

improvement of all our peoples through closer economic and

trade cooperation and development between member States.

Through our membership in these trade organizations, we are

trying to open up more regional markets to complement

those we have established overseas. Our long-term target is

to achieve a measure of regional self-reliance, and it is one

that deserves the support of the developed world. SADC,

the PTA and other arrangements like them will succeed as

long as we can count on the support and commitment of

organizations such as the United Nations. I commend them

to this Assembly.

Swaziland fully agrees with the United Nations in

attaching importance to the concept of sustainable

development among Member nations, and we welcome your

call, Mr. President, for an agenda for development to have

priority focus in this session. In this regard, we intend to

take a full and active part in next year’s conference on

population and development, and the Heads of State summit

on social issues in 1995.

The concept of a holistic approach to development -

taking into account issues such as the environment, human

settlement, population management, productive employment

and the easing of poverty - is one that forms the basis of our

own nation’s policies.

We are working hard to ensure that our development is

sustainable for the benefit of future generations of Swazis -

just as our forefathers made sacrifices to ensure a secure and

prosperous heritage for us.

We therefore welcome any initiative that places

population concerns at the centre of all social, economic,

political and environmental activities and we look forward to

a worthwhile output from Cairo next year and from the

social Summit in 1995.

Forty-eighth session - 1 October l993 7

It has been an eventful and exciting year. The first

steps have been taken towards the resolution of many

long-standing problems, but many challenges remain.

The need for internal adjustments in the administration

of the Organization has been clearly identified and we look

forward to monitoring more effective operations as a result

of the initiatives taken by the Secretary-General. Despite

these, the United Nations can be proud of its record over the

past twelve months and the Kingdom of Swaziland salutes

all those who have contributed to the many substantial

achievements we have recorded.

I should like to give my personal assurance that

Swaziland will demonstrate its confidence in the

Organization by paying its dues on time and with great

willingness in the firm expectation that they will be put to

the best possible use. We urge all other Member States to

take the same attitude so that the Organization might have

the funds available to undertake the programmes of

assistance that are so desperately needed throughout the

world.

In conclusion I should like to take this opportunity, on

behalf of Her Majesty, the Indlovukazi, and the whole Swazi

nation, to express my deep gratitude to the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) and all its sister agencies,

for the many programmes of assistance undertaken in

Swaziland since its independence.

We believe that the United Nations remains the only

truly global forum for confronting the challenges facing the

world today, and the only body with the resources and the

commitment to implement the solutions. The world would

indeed be a more troubled place without the combined

efforts of all of us here.

We take pride in reaffirming our commitment to the

principles and ideals contained in our founding Charter.