Ukraine, 1992

I should like to extend sincere congratulations to you, Sir,

on your unanimous election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its

forty-seventh session.

I am especially pleased to see in this high post a representative of

Bulgaria, a country that is linked to Ukraine by geographical and ethnic

proximity and by centuries-old ties of friendship, cooperation and

good-neighbourly relations.

I should also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to your

predecessor, Mr. Shihabi, who made tireless efforts to strengthen the role of

the General Assembly.

We greatly appreciate the contribution that was made to the

implementation of radical transformations in the United Nations by

Mr. Perez de Cuellar, the former Secretary-General. His successor,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, has embarked on the course of deepening the

reforms, with the firm intention of enhancing the role and authority of the

Organization, in response to the needs of our time. We will support these

undertakings in every possible way.

The current session of the General Assembly is being held during a period

of profound and truly epoch-making transformations on our planet, which have

included in the formation of a new world order the potential of the new States

built on the ruins of the last empire in the history of mankind.

The disintegration of the bankrupt totalitarian system, resulting in the

largest increase in the membership of the United Nations in recent years,

opened the way for the triumph of genuine freedom and democracy in vast areas

of Europe and Asia and for the realization of the inalienable right of peoples

to self-determination and has made it possible to place human rights at the

focus of the policies of many newly emerged States.

The people of Ukraine demonstrated through the centuries its firm desire

for independence and its aspiration to a national, political and economic

renaissance. For hundreds of years Ukrainians' drive for freedom was subdued

by giving them miserable pittances or by the use of violence and repression.

But today, for the first time, our people have set out on the path leading to

the temple of independence, and no one will ever make our people deviate from

that historic path.

In August of this year we solemnly marked the first anniversary of our

independence. That pivotal event in the life of our people was celebrated as

the triumph of democracy and freedom. And today we are facing a task of great

proportions: to build a democratic Ukraine governed by the rule of law, to

revive the strength and intellectual potential of our people, to be worthy of

the memory of our ancestors who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for

independence.

The fresh winds of change make it necessary to take a new look at the

Charter of the United Nations, to activate fully its enormous creative

potential and to free international relations from the burden of suspicion,

hostility and the renewal of violence. The shortest way to that goal is

through international relations based on common sense and on respect for

freedom of choice, in keeping with the centuries-old principles of

international law which are clearly understood, widely recognized and

consistently applied.

As early as the seventeenth century the celebrated Spanish theologian and

philosopher Francisco Suarez observed that although States are not combined

into a single political body, they are obliged to help one another and to

maintain and defend law and peace, since that is imperative for the benefit of

all mankind. A State that violates the law and disregards international

agreements is thereby undermining the foundations of its own future

tranquillity.

The same vital philosophical ideas were also expounded by

Hryhory Skovoroda, a Ukrainian philosopher, writer and thinker of the

eighteenth century who stood for purity in public order and who inspired

belief in the inevitable triumph of truth and justice.

We attach great importance to strengthening the role of the United

Nations in settling conflicts and resolving disputes. Although the threat of

total military confrontation has receded, the tragic developments on the

territory of former Yugoslavia, in Nagorny Karabakh, in Georgia, in the

Dniester region and in other areas give us warning that local conflicts are

fraught with serious danger.

We believe that joint efforts by the international community can

eliminate the deep-rooted causes of these conflicts, which are linked to

unresolved national issues, to irresponsible appeals for the review of

existing State frontiers, to economic hopelessness, to political egocentrism

and to the messianic ambitions of some States seeking to create zones of their

own special interests in certain parts of the world. The task of the United

Nations is to establish a structure for interaction that would guarantee the

security of every Member State.

Our country can contribute to the attainment of that goal. In the year

that has passed since the proclamation of our independence, Ukraine has

traversed the road from a quasi-State within the former USSR to a universally

recognized European State. Having joined the leading international political,

humanitarian and monetary-financial institutions, our country has assumed full

responsibility for securing its own foreign-policy interests and its external

economic interests.

Without claiming any special status in the world, we want to occupy a

place in the international community worthy of our people, our history and our

potential. We can make and we want to make a constructive contribution to

international cooperation.

Ukraine welcomes the changes in the political and military structure of

Europe, where we are seeing the key role in maintaining peace and stability

shift from military deterrence to political mechanisms. These changes have

ensured the success of the process of the Conference on Security and

Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and the possibility of shaping a new security

model on the continent based on close interaction between the European

States. I would like to emphasize that the orientation towards Europe is one

of the main driving forces of our foreign policy; we intend to intensify the

dynamics of our relations with European States and with their regional

structures.

We intend to pursue a serious, pragmatic and result-oriented policy with

respect to the United Nations. That is why the Ukrainian Parliament decided

to send a military contingent to take part in the United Nations peace-keeping

mission in the territory of former Yugoslavia. Today Ukrainian soldiers are

continuing to do their duty with honour and dignity in that suffering land.

Their mission has won universal support and recognition.

The transition of the contemporary world to a system of global

integration, multipolarity and partnership demands the creation of a new

concept of strategic stability based on a substantial and balanced reduction

of existing arsenals of weapons to the dimensions of reasonable sufficiency

for defence. The results achieved so far in bilateral efforts to limit

armaments should be supplemented by new multilateral agreements, whose

universality would provide the necessary level of confidence, strengthening

trust in their implementation.

We welcome the completion of the convention on the complete prohibition

and destruction of chemical weapons. For Ukraine, which does not possess,

produce or stockpile chemical weapons in its territory, signing the convention

is one of the priorities in the field of disarmament.

The question of eliminating all nuclear weapons is of fundamental

significance for us. We are convinced that, with a well-adjusted system of

collective security based on the Charter of the United Nations, it will be

possible to prevent any aggression or, if necessary, to suppress it through

joint efforts.

Ukraine, which suffered the full effects of the Chernobyl disaster, is

supporting with even greater determination the international campaign for the

complete renunciation of nuclear testing and for the assumption by every

nuclear-weapon State of an obligation not to be the first to use nuclear

weapons.

Simultaneously with its proclamation of independence, Ukraine opted to

become a State possessing no nuclear weapons. Of course, Ukraine is not the

only country in the world which has chosen non-nuclear status. But our

uniqueness lies in the fact that we voluntarily took on the burden of

eliminating hundreds of strategic and tactical nuclear warheads inherited from

the USSR, a choice which has huge financial implications.

Having set out on the path of reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons,

we count on strict international guarantees of our national security against

the possible threat or use of force by any nuclear State. I should point out

that this is by no means a rhetorical question for our newly independent

State, and we consider it in our own special context. Naturally, we count on

understanding for our position.

Ukraine intends to accede in the very near future to the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; it will place all its nuclear power

plants and all fissionable materials under the supervision of the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

We actively support the idea of creating a nuclear-free zone in the Black

Sea basin. As is known, in the agreement between Ukraine and the Russian

Federation, signed on 3 August of this year at Yalta, the two major Black Sea

States officially declared the desirability of pursuing a policy aimed at

making the Black Sea a nuclear-free zone and a zone of peace and cooperation.

We regard the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe as the most

important element of a new security system in Europe. The entry into force of

the Treaty will make it possible to accelerate the process of European

disarmament, to remove the remaining imbalances in armed forces and to

eliminate unpredictability from the military and strategic situation on the

Continent.

The successful conclusion of negotiations on reducing the numbers of

military personnel and on implementing the provisions of the Vienna Document

on Confidence- and Security-building Measures opens new opportunities for

strengthening stability in Europe. Together with other European countries, we

welcome the conclusion of the "open skies" agreement as an important step

towards mutual trust in military activities.

Against the background of definite changes for the better in the area of

arms limitation and disarmament, issues of strengthening international and

regional stability take on special importance.

Ukraine greatly appreciates the contribution made by the United Nations

to the settlement of conflicts in the "hot spots" of the planet and its

endeavours to restore peace to the Balkans and to normalize the situations in

Cambodia, Cyprus, Central America and southern Africa.

The experience acquired in this sphere proves that the most efficient

actions are preventive actions aimed at lessening tension before it is

transformed into open conflict between the opposing parties. The use of the

methods of preventive diplomacy must become a priority feature of United

Nations activity today. We support the ideas of the Secretary-General in this

regard and the pragmatic proposals set forth in his report "An Agenda for

Peace" (A/47/277).

The normalization of the situation in the Persian Gulf, with the direct

participation of the United Nations, is facilitating the intensification of

efforts aimed at settling the Arab-Israeli conflict. Ukraine believes that a

constructive dialogue on this problem at the current session of the General

Assembly can foster the process of forging specific agreements that started in

Madrid.

Ukraine welcomes efforts aimed at stopping the violence in South Africa,

and calls upon the Government and the representatives of all political forces

in South Africa to continue resolutely the process of peaceful settlement.

A few words about Ukraine's economic situation. The imperial system

completely exhausted Ukraine's economy and unbalanced our economic

mechanisms. Ukraine inherited a predominantly obsolete technology, a backward

infrastructure, the burden of foreign debt, a lack of skilled managerial

staff, low living standards for the population and galloping inflation.

However, we are convinced that independence, the development of democracy and

juridical institutions and the implementation of far-reaching political and

economic reforms will enable us to weather the transition to a market economy

without critical social upheavals during the transition period and will create

the necessary conditions for the integration of Ukraine into the system of

world economic relations.

In carrying out the tasks before us, we must rely primarily on our own

strength, on the talent and industriousness of our people. But at the same

time, we greatly appreciate outside support for our efforts: foreign

investment, and the furnishing of financial and advisory assistance and

expertise by the most developed countries of the world and by international

organizations.

We call for concerted action to overcome the consequences of the

Chernobyl disaster, a tragedy unprecedented in the history of mankind, and for

joint efforts by various countries in solving the complex and unparalleled

problems it caused. We hope that the present session of the General Assembly

will yield solutions appropriate to the scope of that tragedy.

Our economic difficulties, the foreign debt inherited from the former

Soviet Union and the Chernobyl factor make it impossible for Ukraine to meet

fully its financial obligations to the United Nations. However, I wish to

state that this problem is constantly being given attention by the Parliament

and Government of Ukraine.

At the same time, Ukraine cannot agree to a merely mechanical approach to

the question how the contribution of the former Soviet Union is to be

apportioned. We strongly object to the decisions taken at the last session of

the Committee on Contributions that, contrary to the existing criteria,

recommended increasing Ukraine's contribution for the next year by over

50 per cent. We shall strive for a radical revision of the system used for

formulating the scale of assessment, bringing it into conformity with the

present-day realities, levels of development and ability to pay of Member

States.

The pressure of economic problems is naturally bound to influence the

social situation in our country. However, our efforts to promote respect for

international standards in the field of human rights and protection of the

interests of national minorities were instrumental in avoiding ethnicity-based

conflicts in Ukraine. At the same time, we understand the concerns expressed

from this rostrum regarding "discriminatory practices", against Ukrainians and

all other non-indigenous nationalities, which are growing stronger in some of

the new States that have emerged in the territory of the former USSR. We hope

that all States in whose territory Ukrainians reside will demonstrate genuine

concern and consideration for their cultural, linguistic and religious needs.

That hope was voiced with full force in the statements of the

participants in the World Forum of Ukrainians, which recently brought to Kiev

thousands of representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, who had been forced to

live far from their native land.

At a time when human lives are at stake and people are dying of famine in

some parts of the world, the problem of humanitarian aid should play a key

role in the activities of the United Nations and of its social and economic

organs. Our country, in the light of its own past, is devoting special

attention to this question.

Another humanitarian problem requires special attention because unless it

is resolved, it will stand in the way of strengthening the principles of

civilized relations in international life. I am referring to the question of

prisoners of war. While supporting the steps taken by the new leadership of

Afghanistan in establishing peace and reconciliation in that country, I should

like to appeal to it to do its utmost to ensure an immediate search for and

arrange the unconditional return of Ukrainian nationals who are still being

kept prisoner or are missing in action. At the same time, we call upon all

States in whose territory prisoners of war are being held to make the humane

gesture of releasing the victims of military conflicts. This would also

contribute to the success of the forthcoming World Conference on Human Rights.

In my statement, I have touched upon some unresolved issues that are

preventing us from moving ahead. However, none of these problems, we believe,

can impede the renaissance of the United Nations stimulated by the end of the

cold war and the resulting favourable changes in the world. I can assure

everyone present in this hall that Ukraine is determined to participate in the

work of the United Nations which will continue to remain a crucial element of

our foreign policy, and we will do everything possible to ensure that the

Organization enters the next millennium as an effective instrument in building

a better world.