Turkey, 1993

At the outset, I wish to

congratulate Ambassador Insanally on his election to the

presidency of the General Assembly. The fact that he was

selected to guide our deliberations signifies the confidence

that Member States have in his well-known professional

qualities. I am sure that, under his guidance, the present

session of the Assembly will tackle the issues on its agenda

with courage and realism.

I would also like to place on record our appreciation for

the competence and wisdom of his predecessor, His

Excellency Mr. Stoyan Ganev, and for his outstanding

performance in steering the work of the General Assembly

during an eventful year.

My delegation takes joyful pride in welcoming Andorra,

the Czech Republic, Eritrea, Macedonia, Monaco and the

Slovak Republic to the family of nations. We believe that

their admission represents yet another milestone in further

consolidating the universality of this Organization. There is

no doubt that our community will be enriched and

strengthened by their contribution to the realization of the

ideals of the United Nations.

The excitement and hopefulness of 1989 already seem

to be part of a distant past. We both welcomed and were

unprepared for the events that marked the dramatic end of

the cold war. They generated a tidal wave of optimism

about the future of international relations. Fervent talk about

a rapidly changing world was the order of the day when we

entered the present decade. Little was done, however, to

determine and shape the dynamics and scope of the change.

It was more or less taken for granted that this change would

turn out to be for the better. That did not prove to be the

case. Accordingly, the creation of a new, desirable

international system continues to top the political agenda as

the most challenging task of our times.

The past 12 months have demonstrated yet again that

the new world in the making might at times be as dangerous

as the old, if not worse in certain respects. Nevertheless, we

should resist the impulse to indulge in a dark pessimism for

which there can be no legitimate cause. The crucial phase

of history we are going through calls for reflection and

positive action, not a defeatist mood. The international

community should not stand by in desperation and watch

conditions deteriorate. It must display the will to redirect

the course of history towards our expectations. There

definitely exists a political space for constructive initiatives

and a basis for cooperative action to that end.

It is the United Nations which defines and guards that

political space. Indeed, the United Nations is the foremost

symbol of modern internationalism. In these turbulent post-

cold-war years, hardly a day passes without the Organization

Forty-eighth session - 30 September l993 35

being called upon to take the lead on some important task.

These tasks include missions for preserving or restoring

peace and security, the upholding of the rule of law, and

missions to ensure the survival of mankind, to help save the

environment, to combat social scourges and to rescue the so-

called failing societies.

Since the cold war drew to a close and the conflicts of

the transition era rose to the fore, United Nations

peace-keeping operations have undergone considerable

expansion in terms of their functions, size, geographical area

and degree of complexity. This process has occurred in

tandem with the rapid evolution of the international

landscape. The same background conditions have prompted

the emergence of preventive diplomacy, peace- enforcement

and peace-building as new concepts awaiting urgent

translation into practical and mutually supportive instruments

at the disposal of the international community. Turkey’s

response to this urgency is reflected in our contribution to

peace-keeping operations

As highlighted in the Secretary-General’s report entitled

"An Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277), effectively managing of

the crises currently confronting us and responding adequately

to the challenges ahead call for the elaboration of a shared

vision for the future of our Organization.

In this connection, the focus of priority attention should

be the Security Council. Today, the prestige and credibility

of the United Nations depend more than ever on the

effectiveness of that principal body. There is a widespread

call for the Security Council to become more responsive to

the needs of the current international scene. This can be

made possible only by making the Council more

representative of the new geopolitical realities. In other

words, the post-cold-war environment requires a fresh

approach towards the Council’s renovation and restructuring.

Hence, the discussion on the twin themes of equitable

representation and membership enlargement is very timely.

Turkey firmly believes that enlarging the Security

Council membership would enhance its effectiveness.

Enlargement should not be conceived of only as an increase

in the number of members, but should also envisage the

creation of a new category of seats to be held by States that

could be qualified as semi-permanent members.

Semi-permanent membership in the Council could rotate

among a specific number of States designated according to

certain objective criteria: population; geopolitical posture;

economic potential; record of contribution to the

maintenance of international peace and security; and

equitable geographical distribution. Since Turkey fully

meets these criteria, it considers itself qualified as a

candidate for that new category of membership.

A Security Council more responsive, representative,

transparent and accountable is a requirement inherent in the

spirit of Article 24 of the Charter. Hence, the

democratization of its structure would ensure more active

participation in the Council’s work. The moral ground for

the full implementation of the Council’s resolutions would

thereby be strengthened.

Few, if any, would contest the fact that it was the

tragedy of Bosnia and Herzegovina that dispelled the

euphoria prevalent during the earlier period of the post-

cold-war era. Genocide and "ethnic cleansing" were the

hallmarks of the tragedy. They were conducted with

impunity. We could neither halt, nor roll back the Serbian

aggression. Nor could we alleviate, in earnest the suffering

of the survivors.

The example of a civic State, embracing all its citizens

as equals, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religion, was

given to us in Bosnia where a mature multicultural

civilization had evolved over many centuries. No lament

over its destruction at the hands of ethnic chauvinism could

be exaggerated. Moreover, denying the Bosnians the means

for their legitimate self-defence amounts to a failure in due

support for democracy against tyranny. A most serious blow

has been dealt to the moral essence of international law and

to the contemporary principles of conduct among nations.

Any document endorsing the consequences of

expansionism, genocide and "ethnic cleansing" cannot usher

in real peace. No peace throughout history has been lasting

when based on rewarding injustice, aggression and racism.

We cannot relieve our conscience by fabricating realpolitik

excuses for our inaction and silence. Appeasement is no

policy, but partnership in wrongdoing.

The stakes in Bosnia are much higher than those related

to the survival of the Bosnian State and its people. They

include the validity of our hope to do away with ethnic and

religious warfare in the future. The betrayal of Bosnia as a

multicultural, multi-ethnic State, invalidates this hope - and

with it the fundamental principles of our Organization. If

we allow dictatorship and adventurism to get away with the

crimes they have committed in Bosnia, the post-cold-war

disorder may worsen. Continued denial of the right of the

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina to defend itself

aggravates the responsibility of the international community

for what is happening there. Should Bosnia and

Herzegovina disintegrate, not only the Balkans and Europe,

36 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

but the whole world, will eventually suffer the bitter

after-effects.

Turkey will continue to pursue actively the course of

justice and legitimacy to support the brave people of Bosnia

and Herzegovina in their struggle for survival and

democracy.

The sinister success of Serbian expansionism in Bosnia

has emboldened aggressors elsewhere. A tragedy of similar

proportions is occurring in the Caucasus, where Armenians

have occupied a fifth of Azerbaijani territory. Peace and

stability in a sensitive region neighbouring Turkey has been

seriously undermined. Security Council resolutions 822

(1993) and 853 (1993), calling for the immediate,

unconditional and complete withdrawal of the occupation

forces, are being ignored.

It should be borne in mind that short-term military

opportunism is not compatible with long-term interests.

Moreover, it is fraught with unpredictable dangers. Neither

in the Balkans nor in the Caucasus - nor, for that matter,

anywhere else - will Turkey ever accept the acquisition of

territory by force. Unless such gross violations of

international law are prevented and the principles of the

United Nations Charter vigorously upheld, the present

turmoil and confusion cannot be replaced by a just and

peaceful order.

It is with these thoughts in mind that Turkey strongly

endorses the observations made by the Secretary-General,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in his statement on 30 August

last, at the sixty-sixth session of the Institute of International

Law in Milan. There he appropriately referred to ultra-

nationalism and micro-nationalism as two of the greatest

dangers menacing today’s international society. He

underlined that, by strengthening the nation State as the main

subject of international law, multilateralism preserves the

world community from these two great perils. His

admonition that

"Ultra-nationalism today may still be a temptation, at

times, for a number of major Powers nostalgic for the

period of hegemony"

is of particular relevance at this juncture of post-cold-war

developments.

Indeed, the darkening shadows of ultra-nationalism and

micro-nationalism, ethnic chauvinism and neo-racism have

loomed like phantoms behind the scenes in the crises that

have erupted during the last two years. The international

community has to cure itself of these diseases. We should

not let irredentist, hegemonic tendencies plague our future.

The newly emerging geopolitical pluralism of Eurasia has to

be kept alive with a moral commitment to the quest for

global democratic interdependence.

Most of the threats to international peace in our time

are bred in climates of intolerance. We have to develop a

new mind-set for the recognition and acknowledgment of

other peoples’ right to be different. We have to enlarge our

capacity for give and take.

Tolerance is the foundation of civil society. To build

a just and peaceful world order, such societies must

proliferate. To that end, we need to promote a culture of

tolerance all over the world.

In this spirit, and as a follow-up to resolution 47/124,

Turkey will submit during the current session a draft

resolution proposing the proclamation of 1995 as the United

Nations Year for Tolerance. Adoption of that draft

resolution would help to accelerate the pace of the efforts

made in the struggle against all forms of fanaticism,

fundamentalism, discrimination and persecution.

Forty-eighth session - 30 September l993 37

Tolerance and social development are correlated

concepts. Accordingly, my Government attaches great

importance to concerted action at the global level aimed at

solving social problems and easing the tensions they cause.

Hence, we are amply satisfied that the Chilean initiative for

the convening in March 1995 of a World Summit for Social

Development has borne fruit. Turkey will prepare for this

Summit in earnest, and looks forward to contributing to its

success.

In this connection, Turkey welcomes the Secretary-

General’s latest report on the work of the organization, in

which he courageously addresses the gravity of the situation

stemming from the difficulty in raising funds for

development aid experienced since the end of the cold war.

He accurately observes that the poorer countries no longer

hold the same interest for the rich as they did in the previous

decades of ideological competition. My Government

believes that activities for development are just as important

as peace-keeping operations. Indeed, it is those activities,

including their humanitarian assistance dimension, which

provide the foundations for global peace and security.

Turkey, stretching its budgetary means to the utmost,

continues to be increasingly active as a donor and

contributor in the fields of economic and humanitarian

support and solidarity.

Since the beginning of 1992 we have implemented an

economic assistance package amounting to $2,893 million.

The package includes technical assistance, project financing,

training grants and soft loans, made available to 32 countries

in four continents. We are firmly committed to continuing

our efforts in this domain. To increase efficiency in terms

of coordination, we have set up the Turkish International

Cooperation Agency.

Over the same period 28 countries in three continents,

stricken by natural and/or man-made disasters, have received

humanitarian aid worth a total of $213 million from Turkey,

in cash or in kind, as well as various forms of relief and

accommodation for refugees.

Offering as they do a gloomy general picture, the past

12 months are nevertheless not totally bereft of reasons for

optimism, which include: the processes culminating in the

restoration of democracy in Haiti and Cambodia; the positive

developments leading towards the building of a democratic,

united, free and non-racial South Africa; and the peaceful

evolution of Eritrea to independence. A new diplomacy for

democracy seems to be making headway. All of us must

bring our full energies to bear on this phenomenon so that

it may gain momentum. That momentum, in its turn, will

give impetus to the consolidation of peace, because

democracies seldom fight each other.

The only way to advance towards democracy is

progressive and sustained democratization. The distance

covered in this process is measured by the degree of respect

for human rights and the rule of law. The convening of the

World Conference on Human Rights earlier this year enabled

the international community to identify clearly the

indispensable common denominators needed in the building

of pluralistic civil societies. The Conference re-emphasized

the importance of the global task of promoting and

protecting all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and

confirmed the commitment of the international community

to securing the full and universal enjoyment of those rights

through increased and sustained international cooperation and

solidarity.

The Vienna Declaration includes a comprehensive

definition of terrorism as any activity aiming at the

destruction of human rights, fundamental freedoms and

democracy, threatening the territorial integrity of States and

destabilizing legitimately constituted Governments. We

strongly endorse the call by the Conference to continue

taking the necessary steps to prevent and combat terrorism.

The historic breakthrough achieved in the Middle East

peace process holds the promise of concord and cooperation

not only between the Palestinians, Israel and their Arab

neighbours, but on a much wider regional scale. Its positive

ripple effects may set in motion multi-dimensional dynamics

that could transform an entire area, stretching from the

Atlantic to the Gulf and from the eastern Mediterranean to

the Indian Ocean, into one of harmony, dialogue and

co-prosperity.

As a country that neighbours the Middle East, has a

record of constructive involvement in the region’s affairs and

good traditional ties with all the parties to this dispute,

Turkey hails with the utmost satisfaction this momentous

shift from enmity towards reconciliation.

The momentum so gained should be fully utilized.

Irreversibility of the process is not enough; the process must

advance at an accelerated pace towards the ultimate

objectives defined in Security Council resolutions 242 (1967)

and 338 (1973).

The wise, far-sighted and courageous architects who

designed this blueprint for rebuilding amity and peace in the

Middle East may, as ever, rest assured of Turkey’s firm

38 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

support for and contribution to their mission. We are

committed to assisting their endeavours in every way.

Three years after the outbreak of the Gulf crisis the

people of Iraq are still subjected to hardship. This

regrettable situation results from the Baghdad Government’s

reluctance to comply fully with the requirements of the

Security Council resolutions relating to the Gulf War

settlement. Compliance would tangibly demonstrate Iraq’s

interest in resuming its place in the international community.

However, we cannot remain indifferent to the suffering

of the people of Iraq. My Government firmly believes that

the international community must urgently consider

imaginative ways to break this vicious circle.

Turkey has been forthcoming in providing Iraq with

humanitarian assistance since 1991. By the same token, we

have decided to launch a new humanitarian assistance

programme worth $13.5 million aimed at the entire needy

population of northern Iraq. Our approach is without

prejudice to Iraq’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Along with the Iraqi people, a number of countries,

particularly Iraq’s neighbours, are also exposed to the

adverse effects of the continued economic sanctions. The

international community should also devise a set of measures

aimed at redressing their mounting losses.

My Government is concerned over the worsening

situation in Jammu and Kashmir. We wish to see the

dispute between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue

resolved through the resumption of sustained dialogue. To

that end, Turkey will continue to support Pakistan’s

endeavours in pursuit of a negotiated settlement of this

long-standing problem.

As to Cyprus, it is certainly not my intention to indulge

in a consideration of the past. I am quite aware that this is

not the time, not would it be profitable, to enter into

recriminations over history. What is important is to

understand the issue correctly while acknowledging the facts

underlying the present problems and the profound mistrust

between the two communities. We must take careful

account of those problems and the present difficulties, but

we must build for the future.

Today the Cyprus question has reached a stage where

the common desire and purpose of the international

community is to promote an early and comprehensive

solution. To that end, the Secretary-General continues his

mission of good offices. As ever, Turkey supports the

Secretary-General’s efforts aimed at bringing about a freely

negotiated, just and viable settlement. No doubt the

realization of that objective requires a display of goodwill,

understanding and patience by both negotiating partners in

the island. Moreover, it also calls for a carefully balanced

and determined approach in order to heal the profound

mistrust driving the parties apart. It is with such

considerations that Turkey has endorsed the concept of

confidence-building measures, the scope and contents of

which must be acceptable to both communities.

Whatever the reasons that may still divide the two

sides, the negotiating process must continue. It is high time

for all concerned to display realism and act with vision in

search of a negotiated, durable solution.

At present a campaign is under way for early general

elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We

earnestly hope that once the elections are over the Turkish

Cypriot side will again be able to continue to play its

constructive role in the negotiating process.

Turkey lies at the very epicentre of several regions

making up the most turbulent part of the Northern

hemisphere. We are actively engaged in the post-cold-war

search for new approaches to build peace through

multilateral action. Our objective is to reinforce the

international security system. Only the United Nations can

provide legitimacy to regional arrangements and institutions

should the latter decide to act in the fields of militarily

backed preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping and peace

enforcement.

All three of those categories of action are in demand on

Turkey’s periphery. My Government deploys all of its

available assets to help defuse and resolve these crises. We

strive to create and consolidate interlinked areas of solidarity

and processes of cooperation.

In that effort we proceed from two basic tenets. First,

we believe that the evolution of the international

environment towards a better future is not only desirable but,

in certain conditions, also possible. Secondly, we are of the

opinion that such a future may materialize only through the

reinforcement of respect for the rule of law along with the

universal observance and implementation of the principles of

democracy and tolerance.

The United Nations was created to preserve peace.

However, it cannot be expected to help resolve the collective

security problems of our times unless its Member States are

willing and prepared to assume their responsibilities as

Forty-eighth session - 30 September l993 39

upholders and enforcers of the United Nations Charter and

the contemporary norms of international behaviour.

With the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the

Organization to be celebrated in two years’ time, all of us

here must admit that the main objective defined in the

Charter, namely, "to save succeeding generations from the

scourge of war," has not yet been achieved. In the

strengthening of peace and security our immediate task is

fully to mobilize the potential of the United Nations for

resolving regional and local conflicts, which have

proliferated since the end of the cold war.

For the future well-being of all nations, it is high time

to act with the vision and forbearance that peace requires.

Turkey stands committed to continue making its own

contribution to attaining that objective.