Thailand, 1993

On behalf of the

Government and the people of Thailand, may I extend my

warmest congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as

President of the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session.

I am confident that you will provide the Assembly with the

necessary leadership and direction in this period of systemic

change in the international order.

I also wish to congratulate Mr. Stoyan Ganev of

Bulgaria for having guided the forty-seventh session of the

Assembly to a successful conclusion.

Allow me also to express our admiration to and support

for Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for his untiring

efforts in guiding the United Nations through this period,

when the Organization is being called upon to undertake

peace-keeping activities around the globe on a scale

unprecedented in its history. I also wish to congratulate him

on his vision, so lucidly expressed in his report, "An Agenda

for Peace." We look forward with anticipation to his

forthcoming report on an agenda for development.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome, as full

Members of the United Nations, Andorra, the Czech

Republic, Eritrea, Monaco, the former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia, and the Slovak Republic. We sincerely believe

that these States’ assumption of their rightful places in the

family of nations will further strengthen the universal

character of the United Nations.

Before proceeding further, may I, on behalf of the

Government and the people of Thailand, convey profound

sympathy to and express solidarity with the Government and

the people of India following the massive destruction and

loss of life that resulted from the devastating earthquake last

week.

With the end of the cold war, a new spirit of friendly

cooperation prevails in South-East Asia. The international

settlement of the Cambodian problem means that, for the

first time in recent memory, the region is free of major

armed conflict. With a view to constructing a new regional

order of peace, harmony and prosperity, we the countries of

the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are

seeking to intensify various cooperative efforts among

ourselves and with our neighbours and our friends outside

the region.

ASEAN was born in Bangkok more than 26 years ago,

when the cold war was at its height. Now, at the end of the

cold war, ASEAN has attained the political and economic

standing to play a greater role in the affairs of the region

and beyond. Thailand will assume the ASEAN

chairmanship this year, and it looks forward to working with

all concerned, both within and outside the Association, to

advance the causes of peace and prosperity in South-East

Asia.

As the ASEAN member geographically closest to the

rest of South-East Asia, Thailand is in a unique position to

serve as a bridge to our non-ASEAN neighbours. Thus, my

Government wholeheartedly welcomes the accession by the

Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and

Cooperation, which sets the broad framework for enhanced

cooperation in South-East Asia. We earnestly hope that the

day is not too distant when Laos and Viet Nam, together

10 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

with Cambodia, which is on the path towards rejoining the

international community, will become full members of

ASEAN.

In seizing the opportunity to help to forge a new

regional order of cooperative peace and common prosperity,

ASEAN is increasingly appreciative of the function of

multilateral diplomacy - particularly the enhanced

cooperation between ASEAN and the United Nations.

For well over a decade, Cambodia has commanded the

attention of the world. ASEAN and the United Nations have

been working closely with each other to secure a durable

political settlement of the Cambodian problem. In

Cambodia, the United Nations has just undertaken one of the

most comprehensive peace-keeping operations in its history.

The Organization - essentially through the United Nations

Transition Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) - must be

congratulated for organizing the massive repatriation of

Cambodian refugees from neighbouring Thailand and the

crucial elections that resulted in the creation of a

democratically elected majority Government in Cambodia,

thus enhancing the prospect of national reconciliation. I

should like to express my Government’s appreciation to Mr.

Yasushi Akashi, to his colleagues and to the men and

women of UNTAC for successfully fulfilling their mission

of helping to restore peace to Cambodia. Above all, our

warmest congratulations go to the courageous Cambodian

people themselves and, in particular, to His Majesty

Samdech Norodom Sihanouk for his vital role in the

restoration of the Cambodian nation.

Besides facilitating the return of more than 300,000

Cambodians to their homeland, Thailand had cooperated

with the United Nations from the outset. We participated in

the mine-clearing and road-building operations in western

Cambodia, and, as I speak, Thailand is working closely with

UNTAC in implementing the withdrawal of the remaining

UNTAC personnel. Thailand will continue to participate in

the international community’s efforts to rehabilitate

Cambodia. To this end, we welcome the success of the

International Conference on the Reconstruction of Cambodia

that was held in Paris in September this year. With the

return of peace and normality to Cambodia, we are confident

that the country will resume its rightful place in the South-

East Asian family of nations. Thailand pledges its friendship

and cooperation to the newly elected Government of

Cambodia as it embarks on the path of nation-building.

In the post-cold-war world, the changing concept of

security provides further impetus for the regional role of the

United Nations. In the present era, security is defined in far

broader terms than in the past. In particular, the

non-military aspect of security has assumed greater urgency

than, and now takes precedence over, its military dimension.

It is now seen more as a confidence-building process than as

a process of either defence or deterrence. Activities to

"reassure" other parties, political dialogue and similar

arrangements to engender and enhance mutual understanding,

mutually beneficial collaborative efforts to solve common

problems, crisis-management mechanisms and other

preventive measures could all be subsumed under the

heading of security.

Such a concept of security, particularly at the regional

level, fits in well with the preventive-diplomacy approach.

This is one area in which there is potential for the United

Nations to define its role as being to strengthen and facilitate

regional cooperation and understanding.

Naturally, all efforts in this regard must be undertaken

within a multilateral framework. The collaborative agenda

for preventive diplomacy would include conflict forecasting,

conflict avoidance or prevention, conflict management, and

the prevention of conflict escalation. In this regard, my

Government welcomes the Secretary-General’s excellent and

comprehensive report "An Agenda for Peace", which

represents new thinking and an innovative approach to

strengthening the role of the United Nations. Moreover, my

Government is heartened by the enthusiasm that Member

States have shown for the report. Our next step must be full

and speedy implementation of the recommendations put

forward in the report, as well as those contained in various

Security Council documents and in General Assembly

resolution 47/120, which was adopted at the last session.

A mature and self-confident ASEAN is in a singular

position to enhance the role and effectiveness of the United

Nations in South-East Asia - particularly in the areas of

preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace-keeping and

peace-building. In the aftermath of the cold war, the success

of the United Nations depends very much on close

cooperation with countries in target regions. Put simply, the

United Nations needs all the help it can get. Regional

organizations can help to identify potential conflicts and,

together with the United Nations, contain them before they

erupt. Cooperation between the United Nations and a

regional organization with a solid track record - such as

ASEAN - can compensate for the weaknesses of any

organization acting singly.

To explore how best the Association of South-East

Asian Nations (ASEAN) could act in accordance with the

recommendations contained in "An Agenda for Peace",

Forty-eighth session - 6 October 1993 11

Thailand has initiated and organized, in collaboration with

our ASEAN partner Singapore, a series of international

workshops on ASEAN-United Nations cooperation for peace

and preventive diplomacy.

The rationale behind this initiative is simple enough.

The threat to international peace, actual or potential, often

arises out of a certain specific region. With cold-war

constraints on United Nations regional intervention removed,

the Organization is in an ideal position to cooperate with

ASEAN to ensure peace and stability in South-East Asia.

The foundation for such cooperation already exists.

The ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East

Asia forms the basis for a new code of conduct in the region

and was endorsed by the forty-seventh session of the

General Assembly.

Other factors may also favour United Nations

preventive diplomacy in South-East Asia. One of these is

the regional presence of the major Powers. Under certain

circumstances, the United Nations provides a framework for

action by major Powers. A case in point is Japan’s

peace-keeping role in the region under the United Nations

Transitional Authority in Cambodia. Arrangements could

thus be made for these nations to play a "legitimate"

crisis-prevention role involving, for example, political

dialogue and mediation. Similarly, the regional economic

development imperative may add impetus to United Nations

regional involvement. The Organization has long been in

place in South-East Asia in this regard. Its development

commitments to and development efforts in the region have

been evident in the location there of various United Nations

regional bodies.

The next step will be to work out specific functional

arrangements for ASEAN-United Nations cooperation. It is

anticipated that the third and final workshop, to be held in

Bangkok in January 1994, will come up with suggestions on

appropriate mechanisms for fostering the conditions for

regional peace and prosperity through closer cooperation

between ASEAN and the United Nations.

The improved outlook for greater economic cooperation

in the region is manifest in the enthusiasm for economic

networking. Within ASEAN we have set up the ASEAN

Free Trade Area (AFTA) to intensify intra-ASEAN

economic cooperation and attract outside investment. The

countries of South-East Asia are taking up the challenge of

forging economic linkages through various schemes known

as "growth triangles", "growth quadrangles" and "special

economic zones". These linkages will help further promote

the spirit of friendship and cooperation and serve to provide

a nucleus for greater interaction with other parts of the

world.

A livable world is a world in which governmental

development strategies can be implemented in a favourable

international environment. The international economy must

provide a supportive climate for achieving environment and

development goals. Among others, we must further pursue

the liberalization of global trade policies, promote the

efficient allocation of the world’s resources, make trade and

environment mutually compatible, and provide adequate

financial and technical resources to developing countries.

These measures are prerequisites for creating a more

prosperous world, where countries share their wealth in a

liberal trading system and where fair competition is

guaranteed by broadly accepted rules. For this reason, my

Government believes that an early and successful conclusion

of the Uruguay Round is imperative to revitalizing world

trade. Thailand joins our ASEAN partners in welcoming the

renewed determination and commitment of the industrialized

countries at the recent Group of Seven meeting in Tokyo to

resolve remaining problems and to conclude the Round by

the end of this year.

Balanced world development is not only an enlightened

aim, it is the foundation for the enduring progress of all

societies. And this should be the basis for reactivating

North-South cooperation. It should mark a new beginning

in international development cooperation based on the

principle of the Cartagena commitments. It must go beyond

aid to embrace partnership and reciprocal responsibilities. It

must address global and regional concerns by meeting local

needs.

The global consensus reached at the Earth Summit in

Rio de Janeiro last year has equipped us to take collective

action to meet new priorities. We have built the consensus

to pursue development which goes beyond economic growth.

It is development in a comprehensive sense, guided by

principles of equality and justice, and underpinned by social

and ecological responsibility. As we, the leaders, proclaim

change, we must demonstrate our political conviction

through national policies that are in line with the

international consensus.

My Government is fully committed to the

implementation of the United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development (UNCED) agreement. Our

national development plan for 1992 to 1996 reflects our

determination to achieve sustainable development. My

12 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

Government has taken various necessary administrative and

legal steps to integrate the environment with development

and to implement the programme of action as reflected in

Agenda 21.

As my Government is the first elected Government

following the May incident of 1992, we are more keenly

aware of the intimate links between democracy,

development, and human rights. Hence, democratization

must be accompanied by sustained efforts to further the

cause of human dignity and freedom.

Forty-five years ago, Thailand joined the international

community in adopting the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights. Since then, the international community has

achieved a number of positive results in the protection and

promotion of human rights.

From the time of the first International Conference on

Human Rights in Teheran in 1968, the international

community has assumed new responsibilities not only to

protect but also to promote human rights. The time has

come to work on the prevention of human rights abuses.

Last June, the World Conference on Human Rights in

Vienna concluded with a consensus document. The Vienna

Declaration brings together views on fundamental rights, and

serves as a universal basis from which the international

community will proceed. Thailand reaffirms its commitment

to and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms

as set out in the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action.

The task before us now is to implement the

recommendations of the Conference. In this regard, the

United Nations has a central role to play. The Organization,

with the collective efforts of its Member States, must

strengthen the mechanisms for allocating sufficient human

and financial resources to carry out the activities required of

it.

Before I conclude, may I emphasize that Thailand has

been fortunate enough to have the benefit of the guidance

and wisdom of their Majesties the King and Queen in all

spheres of national life. Indeed, our monarchy has been the

symbol of national unity, a beacon of hope and the ultimate

source of strength in the hearts of all Thai people.

Mr. President, let me conclude my statement by

wishing you every success in your new responsibilities. You

have a long and important session of the General Assembly

ahead of you. I have no doubt that you will fulfil your

responsibilities with great dignity and distinction.