Uruguay, 1993

Mr. President, Uruguay wishes to express its satisfaction,

and its trust in you, upon your election as President of the

General Assembly and as a representative of our region.

Your capabilities are recognized by all, and your sense of

impartiality and justice are the best guarantee of success in

the important work entrusted to us.

We also wish to congratulate the Secretary-General on

his work over the last year, which was clearly described in

his report to the General Assembly. His personal leadership

and decisiveness certainly contribute to international peace

and security.

Finally, we are happy to welcome the Czech Republic,

the Slovak Republic, the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia, Monaco, Eritrea and Andorra as new Member

States. We are pleased to see this confirmation of the

Organization’s dedication to universality and openness, as

Forty-eighth session - 4 October l993 13

given form in Article 4 of the Charter, to which Uruguay has

always adhered.

Ideological concepts are today lagging behind a reality

that persists in reaffirming the validity of freedom as a point

of reference in every effort to regain and preserve human

dignity. The great challenge of our time is to find a

collective answer to the dizzying changes that are occurring

as this century comes to its close. The technological

revolution and the spread of democracy are the two factors

that will empower humankind in its most genuine flowering.

In the political field, the new international order that we

are seeing emerge is nourished by the fall of political and

military blocs, the collapse of ideological borders and a

deepening of disarmament. Cooperation is replacing

confrontation. The elements of power are being reallocated

in the light of the new variables that offer a renewed

challenge to the multilateral organizations in the international

arena.

In the economic field, technological development has

replaced traditional comparative advantages with

competitiveness and excellence. Quality is the basis for the

production of goods and services. These trends, if stripped

of their human element, would be little more than a

materialistic expression lacking the necessary sense of

solidarity. A new order cannot be summed up simply as a

reallocation of the outward expressions of power. The

global nature and the interdependence that characterize

international relations today find their ethical content and

legal expression in the continuing validity of the fundamental

principles of international law.

In this context, we are facing today new horizons and

better prospects for understanding between nations. In this

respect, we hail with particular satisfaction the peace reached

in the Middle East between the State of Israel and the

Palestine Liberation Organization, and we welcome it as an

example and symbol of the new era of cooperation which

nations must carry forward on the threshold of the new

century.

Also, within the Latin American region, Uruguay is

pleased to point to the consolidation of the peace processes

in El Salvador and Guatemala. This has been achieved

through the efforts made by their peoples and Governments,

with the constant support of the international community.

The practice of direct diplomacy, with mechanisms for

political consultation and coordination, has been successful.

In this context, Uruguay wishes to stress the role played by

the Organization of American States in the grave crises

suffered by Peru, Guatemala and Haiti.

We can add little to a diagnosis on which we all agree.

Our responsibility lies in our capacity to propose solutions,

both in our own domestic spheres and internationally; this is

a challenge that every generation faces, taking national

feelings as the basis for a leap forward towards prosperity

and the expression of the international community as a basis

for the credibility that nurtures the hopes of the great

dispossessed majorities.

Uruguay wishes here to emphasize three particularly

important issues: the relationship between international

trade, development and political stability; the new

articulation of the concept of collective security; and, lastly,

the problems of human rights and the environment as part of

broadening the concept of integral development.

The dissoluble interdependence between development

and political stability is obvious. Freedom in its most

complete expression admits of no ambiguous interpretation.

And, just as human rights cannot be subject to the whims of

Governments, neither can free trade be limited by the

pressures of national or sectoral interests. Political freedom

and free trade are two sides of the same coin.

The opening of markets between developed and

developing countries cannot therefore be seen as a zero-sum

exercise; rather, it is an undertaking of benefit to all.

Greater competitiveness powers the process that begins with

growth, is strengthened by a better distribution of wealth and

is consolidated by the credibility of democracy and its

institutions. This shared responsibility makes no allowance

for double-talk from any side.

In our capacity as Chairman of the Negotiating

Committee of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement

on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) at the ministerial level, we

wish to express our concern over the obstacles in the way of

14 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

concluding the Round. After seven long years of

negotiations, certain trends continue to obstruct the

multilateralization process. Bilateral negotiations are

curtailing opportunities for reaching a comprehensive,

balanced result that takes into account all the interests at

stake, and particularly those of the developing countries, in

accordance with GATT’s own norms.

For several years now Uruguay has been working hard

to make structural adjustments in its economy. Policies to

make trade more open, both domestically and internationally,

have been put in place with the aim of modernizing the

industrial sector, facilitating technological innovation and

increasing competitiveness so as to achieve, in the final

analysis, a more efficient integration into the world economy

and world trade.

Deregulation of production, reform and modernization

of the public sector as well as strict fiscal adjustments aimed

at balancing the use of the country’s financial and monetary

resources have supplemented external liberalization policies

which have placed us among those who have reduced tariff

and non-tariff barriers at the fastest rate.

This great effort of adjustment carried out by Uruguay

- in a similar fashion to many other developing countries -

has been achieved not only in the framework of deep social,

economic and political difficulties, but has also been

undertaken unilaterally without any compensation at all from

its partners in the international system, especially the more

developed countries.

Thus Uruguay emphasizes once again its firmest

rejection of all protectionist policies which continue to be

applied by some highly industrialized countries. These are

clearly incompatible with the rules of GATT and with the

status quo commitments agreed at the beginning of the

Uruguay Round. At the same time, they are a disincentive

for the efforts made in the framework of democracy to

strengthen institutions and to have an appropriate social

dialogue.

It is disquieting to witness the behaviour of many

countries which preach the virtues and benefits of the free

market and economic liberalism but at the same time close

their borders to trade from countries whose well-being

depends to a significant degree on access to such markets.

Therefore, Uruguay calls once again and most

emphatically on all nations, especially the major trading

partners, to make possible a successful conclusion of the

Uruguay Round negotiations, in which comprehensiveness

and balance are values to be preserved in a strengthened

multilateral framework.

In this context, Uruguay also believes that regional

integration is the best path towards international

participation. Today nothing can be done individually.

Interrelationships exist between large economic blocs; no

country can escape that reality.

The creation of economic blocs must be interpreted as

a consequence of a process of integration and liberalization

of world markets. Blocs are a tangible approximation, an

intermediate step, to the goal of free trade, the ultimate goal

of GATT. Furthermore, this is the thrust of Uruguay’s

resolute participation in the Southern Cone Common Market

(MERCOSUR) and of the integration efforts of the North

American Free Trade Agreement, the Group of Three, the

Andean Pact and the bilateral agreements within the Latin

American Integration Association.

Uruguay recognizes that the new concept of

international security includes institutional, legal and political

aspects. From an institutional standpoint, we must avoid

extensive use of the powers of the Security Council based on

a sense of pragmatism that might undermine the criteria

governing the delicate balance between the main organs of

the United Nations. The disappearance of bipolarity enables

a new political reality to pervade the Council’s decisions. If,

on the one hand, the traditional situations caused by the cold

war have been unblocked, on the other hand, there must be

careful control of the trend towards possible excesses of

power by those nations enjoying a privileged situation.

Uruguay shares the thoughts of the Secretary-General

expressed in paragraph 80 of his document "An Agenda for

Peace" (A/47/277):

"The powerful must resist the dual but opposite calls of

unilateralism and isolationism if the United Nations is

to succeed."

The General Assembly must reassert its authority on the

basis of the Articles of the Charter which define its functions

and powers. In the area of peace and security, the General

Assembly’s constitutional limitations are set out in Articles

12, 24 and 36 of the Charter. These we abide by.

Nevertheless, its primacy is clear in the economic and social

areas.

To revitalize the General Assembly is to identify its

original mandate, reaffirming its areas of authority and

giving this organ, in which we are all permanently

represented, stronger involvement in the Organization’s

Forty-eighth session - 4 October l993 15

activities. This is the way to contribute to equity and the

balance of power established by the Charter. We also

believe in strengthening the International Court of Justice,

both in its administrative and consultative functions.

What I have said does not weaken our support for

adapting the Security Council to the new international reality

by reforming its composition and working methods. This

process must gain general consensus and respect the

principle of the sovereign equality of States. Only in this

way can we ensure greater representation, transparency and

efficiency.

We also believe that all this energy for renewal must be

injected appropriately into the Organization’s bureaucracy.

The United Nations is the sum of its organs, including its

specialized agencies. An improvement in efficiency must go

hand in hand with possible global transformations. We must

strive to rationalize our operational systems in order to

streamline administrative procedures, which often amass

through inertia hundreds of initiatives which wander

aimlessly, at great cost, through the machinery of an

insatiable bureaucracy.

International security also finds its most genuine

expression in strict compliance with international law. In

this context, which is fraught with uncertainty and

unpredictable events, the principles of self-determination,

non-intervention, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the

observance of good faith in the fulfilment of international

obligations must be interpreted not as concepts that are

vague or not properly drawn up by a naive legal system, but

as the pillars of international relations.

It is also out of political realism and pragmatism that

Uruguay turns to the law as the main shield for its defence.

Our former Ambassador to the United Nations,

Dr. Carlos María Velázquez, has said that the small

countries

"need to know, for reasons of our true national interest,

how far we can go and - most important - where we

can be taken. Respect for the law and international

behaviour that follows legal rules are the only path

towards a consolidation of the values of culture,

freedom and dignity."

Uruguay, true to its tradition, continues to interpret

Article 51 of the Charter strictly and continues to claim the

compensation to which it is entitled under Article 50 as a

consequence of the losses caused by the Gulf War. It does

so not only for material reasons, but because it believes that

collective security is based on the credibility of the rules that

regulate it.

Just as Uruguay is a jealous guardian of the principles

of international law, it is genuinely open to all those

undertakings which, in fulfilment of an international

mandate, constitute an indispensable contribution to world

peace and security. Thus, we believe that peace-keeping

operations are an essential part of the multilateral policy of

the United Nations, without prejudice to the necessary efforts

being made in the field of preventive diplomacy.

Uruguay has increased the number of armed forces

personnel placed at the disposal of the United Nations. The

numbers are highly significant in relation to the country’s

population and the size of its military. It has also expressed

to the Secretary-General its readiness to host regional

training centres for United Nations peace-keeping forces.

Our armed forces adopt a professional approach to

peace-keeping missions, in which they are representatives of

the international community. It gives them satisfaction to

see their efforts contributing to establishing peace between

States and to regional and national reconciliation, as in

Cambodia, where, at last, democratic values and respect for

human rights prevail.

We are concerned, however, over the risk of these

operations’ being discontinued because of delays in the

payment of countries’ contributions. It would be contrary to

the principle of universality if, owing to these difficulties,

only countries with vast financial resources could participate

in such operations.

We believe that this policy of collective security must

be supplemented by a policy of disarmament and a universal

ban on nuclear weapons. The signing of international

non-proliferation agreements and the adoption of the

Convention banning chemical weapons, which was signed in

Paris last January, constitute progress in this field - progress

that we endorse. We are also pleased to highlight the

contribution of our neighbours Argentina, Brazil and the

Republic of Chile through their implementation of regional

agreements aimed at ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear

energy and the non-proliferation of all types of weapons of

mass destruction.

Stability and balance are threatened by poverty on a

vast scale - widespread and critical poverty. Social

16 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session

development implies giving priority to social expenditure,

but only where this is made possible by real growth,

allowing for a reduction of the voluntary sector that is

developing in many of our societies. Collective security, as

well as ethics, must be taken into account in our approach to

this entire problem. Uruguay therefore attaches great

importance to Chile’s welcome initiative in the convening of

the World Summit for Social Development, to be held in

1995. This will provide a great opportunity for serious study

of the scope of the concept of social development.

The ultimate beneficiaries of the integral development

of the nations of the international community must be man

and his environment. We therefore wish to highlight here

the importance of action on issues related to human rights

and preservation of the environment.

At present, technology and international peace and

security are based on a narrow interpretation of the concept

of human rights. Words and speeches are useless if, as

President Clinton suggested, while we are gathered at this

General Assembly thousands of children in the world are

dying of hunger. What of the essence of democracy can we

rescue if, as in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in many other

places, we look on helplessly as people indulge in behaviour

that we thought had been eradicated for ever?

The concept of human rights - their intrinsic worth and

nature - is not affected by political, religious, sectional or

even State interests or considerations. The ethical heritage

of contemporary international society cannot allow

concessions in the defence of these rights and principles.

Any concession would affect the credibility of the

institutions and values of freedom and human dignity as the

bases of democracy.

During the Vienna World Conference on Human

Rights, the States parties solemnly reaffirmed their

commitment to promoting respect for and protection of those

rights. In this context, our country supports the

establishment of a high commissioner for human rights, in

the framework of the international system.

Moreover, Uruguay repeats President Lacalle’s

statement to the Secretary-General of our country’s

willingness to help in the evacuation of children who are

innocent victims of hatred and intolerance. We hope that

inertia will not prevail over political decisions or human

sensitivity. Those who suffer and die in the midst of

collective insanity must not be held hostage to bureaucratic

structures. If this happens, the documents approved at the

World Summit for Children in September 1990 will have

been relegated to the rhetorical scrapheap of its meetings.

Integral development implies careful consideration of

the problems of the environment. The concept of sustainable

development requires a link between environmental issues

and economic and social issues. In this context, States must

undertake bilateral and multilateral commitments, by means

of conventions, going beyond mere statements. This is also

an aspect of the North-South dialogue and of action to deal

with the conflicts of interests that it entails. Uruguay has

incorporated in a cross-border agreement with Brazil the

concept of responsibility for environmental degradation. It

wishes to reiterate the need to establish a legal system to

resolve environmental disputes through codification of

international environmental law, in the spirit of the

resolution adopted at the Rio Summit in 1992.

Finding a way to force States to accept responsibility

for non-compliance with the rules for protection of the

environment continues to be the basis for a fair relationship

between the industrialized countries and the developing

countries.

Such are the main issues of concern to Uruguay. In the

framework of all the ambivalence, all the areas of light and

shadow in the international arena, we are taking part in this

session of the General Assembly - as we have done since the

foundation of the United Nations - in the hope that deeds

will be shown to be more eloquent than words.