Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 1992

I should like to

begin by offering to Mr. Ganev my heartfelt congratulations on his assumption

of the high office of President of the General Assembly. He takes up the

presidency at a time when the world is looking with renewed confidence towards

the United Nations. As a politician from an area with a proud tradition of

representative democracy, he has played a commendable role in the vanguard of

the democratization process in his own country and in Eastern Europe. His

unanimous election as President of the General Assembly for the current

session highlights the continuing efforts of his region in its transformation

to market-driven, democratic societies and the global prerogatives of the

post-cold-war era. I am sure that his experience, training and diplomatic

skill will do much to ensure that the forty-seventh session of the General

Assembly is fruitful and constructive.

Let me also take this opportunity to extend to his predecessor,

Mr. Samir S. Shihabi of Saudi Arabia, our best wishes and our appreciation of

the highly competent manner in which he presided at the last session of the

General Assembly.

I take this opportunity also to express to our esteemed

Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, our profound understanding and

appreciation of the efforts he has so far made to achieve for the world body

greater flexibility and enhanced ability to meet the new challenges posed by

the dramatic developments taking place in international relations and, at the

same, to fulfil long-standing mandates.

On behalf of the Government and the people of Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, I pay tribute to Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, whose term of office

expired at the end of 1991. Under his guidance over a 10-year period, the

United Nations shrugged off the negative image of a useless talking-shop and

emerged as an institution whose growing reputation as an effective

peace-keeper has resulted in calls upon it to take on numerous new

responsibilities. Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar did indeed ease the transition

of the United Nations through the changing climate and brought it to the

centre of new-world-order politics. He brought the Organization, with its new

peace-keeping and peacemaking roles, back to its founding mission. We join

the international community in saluting him for his service to the United

Nations and to world peace.

This year the General Assembly has so far admitted 13 States to

membership of the United Nations by acclamation. My delegation wishes to take

this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of

Moldova, San Marino, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The

admission of this significant number of new Members in the Organization is

another major step towards the goal of universality.

My delegation wishes to express its deepest sympathy to the Governments

and the peoples of the United States of America, the Bahamas, the Philippines,

Nicaragua, India and Pakistan, which suffered tragic loss of life and

extensive material damage as a result of the recent spate of natural

disasters. We pray that our own Caribbean region will be spared any more

destruction during this hurricane season. It is our hope that the

rehabilitation process in the affected communities will be swift and will

receive the generous support of the international community.

In the last few years we have witnessed momentous changes in the

international arena. The end of the cold war has raised hopes for a better

and more secure future. The world now faces novel challenges in the quest for

justice, equity and prosperity. In many regions of the world significant

progress has been made towards democracy, as well as towards achieving the

purposes set out in the United Nations Charter. Completion of the process of

dismantling apartheid would make a major contribution to these trends.

However, while there has been positive movement towards the establishment of a

united, non-racial and democratic South Africa, we are perturbed by some

serious differences that have emerged in recent negotiations.

My delegation wishes to express its full support for the call by the

African National Congress for an international investigation of the Boipatong

massacre. We urge all concerned to make every effort to maintain the momentum

of the negotiating process of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa in

order to finalize agreement on the outstanding issues. If negative trends in

South Africa are not reversed my Government stands ready to join in

remobilizing the international community, through all appropriate means, in

the struggle against apartheid. We wish to encourage President De Klerk to

continue the courageous leadership that he has so far given his Government and

urge him not to undermine the historic image that both he and Nelson Mandela

have established.

My delegation has been following the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,

which has shocked the conscience of every human being, irrespective of

national origin, ethnic background, religion or political persuasion. We

condemn the existence of detention centres, especially in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, where civilians are being detained against their will and

subjected to ill-treatment. The odious practice of "ethnic cleansing" must be

firmly rejected and a strong signal sent that the international community will

not passively witness the attempt at the total annihilation of a Member State

by a powerful neighbour.

My delegation welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolutions

770 (1992) and 771 (1992), which are designed to ensure that humanitarian

assistance reaches all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that international

organizations, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross,

have unimpeded access to concentration camps and detention centres.

My delegation has been following with keen interest the negotiations on

the issue conducted under the auspices of the European Community. We believe

that this process must be accompanied by international efforts to put an

immediate end to the violence and that increased pressure should be brought to

bear on all parties concerned to work wholeheartedly for a political

settlement. The cease-fire agreement which European and United Nations

negotiators reached with warring factions in Bosnia is a step in the right

direction.

We are heartened by increased efforts to aid the long-suffering people of

Somalia in the Horn of Africa. We continue to be concerned about the famine

and the condition of human life in sub-Saharan Africa. My delegation implores

the international community to pay the necessary attention to the plight of

these people. We wish to draw attention to, and emphasize, the urgent need

for policy reform that would make it possible to reduce drought through

reforestation, and avoid famine created by wasteful military expenditure.

My delegation welcomes the current peace efforts and prays for a just,

comprehensive and lasting solution to the Middle East crisis, the core of

which, in our opinion, is the question of Palestine. My delegation reiterates

the importance of this issue and calls for the same consistency on the part of

the United Nations that was so evident when the resolutions dealing with the

invasion of Kuwait were before us. It is our hope that the ongoing peace

process will result in a resolution of the conflict based on United Nations

Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). My country firmly

believes that the only durable solution to the historical conflict lies in the

full recognition and establishment of the right of the Palestinians to

self-determination and the corresponding right of the State of Israel to exist

within secure and guaranteed borders. The definition and maintenance of

secure borders at this time in world history has the benefit of modern

technology, as the Gulf war has decisively shown.

After a decade of mediation by the United Nations in the war over

Cambodia, the historic signing of the Paris Peace Agreements by the warring

factions on 23 October 1991 offers real hope for ending hostilities in that

troubled country. We are, however, deeply concerned about the difficulties

which are being encountered by the United Nations Transitional Authority in

Cambodia (UNTAC) in the implementation of the Agreements. My delegation joins

the call for all concerned parties to permit the deployment of all components

of UNTAC in the areas under its control so that it can carry out its full

function in implementing the provisions of the Paris Agreements.

The situation in Haiti remains one of extreme concern to my country. We

have already condemned, in no uncertain terms, the attempted illegal

replacement of the constitutional President, the widespread use of violence,

the coercion by the military, and the violation of human rights in that

country. We feel that because of its critical involvement in the Haitian

elections and its generic role as guarantor of international human rights, the

United Nations has a special responsibility to the people of Haiti, who have

never had the good fortune to enjoy the basic human rights and freedoms that

the international community has agreed are fundamental to human dignity. The

present situation calls for serious attention by the world body, working in

tandem with the Organization of American States. Expressions of concern

should be matched by concrete action. We share the anguish of

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the forces of democracy, and join him in

his impassioned call for action now.

With regard to the political situation in Central America, my delegation

welcomes the Peace Agreement on El Salvador, signed in January 1992 at

Chapultepec. We wish to congratulate Colombia, Spain, Mexico and Venezuela on

the very important role they played in the negotiating process. A profound

debt of gratitude is also owed to Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar for his efforts

in the service of peace in Central America, which are being continued by the

new Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

My delegation is particularly pleased by recent developments in relations

between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the countries of Central

America. The momentum generated by the convening and successful conclusion in

January 1992 of the First Ministerial Conference between CARICOM and the

countries of the Central American isthmus at San Pedro Sula in Honduras must

be maintained.

Guatemala's recognition of the independence of Belize and the

establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries are positive

and welcomed developments, facilitating the deepening of relations between

member States of the Caribbean Community and the countries of Central America.

The Caribbean region, and especially the countries of the Windward

Islands, of which Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a part, have firmly

committed themselves to structural adjustment and other economic reforms

designed to increase their export earnings and competitiveness in the global

economy. In the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, we established free

trade in 1988. In the wider CARICOM grouping, the 1984 Nassau Agreement on

Structural Adjustment and the 1989 Grand Anse Declaration expressed the

urgency which the regional leadership attaches to the transformation process.

Even as we welcome recent hemispheric trade and investment initiatives

aimed at enhancing the mobility of goods and services and creating greater

opportunity for people, my country, as well as others in the Windward Islands

grouping, is concerned that the vital economic interests of small States like

ours are very marginal as the powerful developed countries of the world move

to consolidate their markets in extensive trading blocs.

In this regard the Governments and people of the four Windward Islands

will redouble their efforts to ensure that powerful forces working in their

own interest do not destroy our economies by prematurely reversing the

marketing regime under which we sell our bananas to the countries of the

European Economic Community. We expect the international community to

understand that, with the best will and intention in the world, small,

resource-impoverished islands like ours constitute a special case in economic

development. Nothing has changed these circumstances.

As the international order moves in the direction of free trade, my

delegation expresses the strong conviction that special attention should be

paid to traditional trading arrangements which have sustained economic growth

and democracy in many parts of the world. In this regard we shall continue to

work towards the maintenance of our traditional relationship with the European

Community even as we make the transition towards eventual free trade.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which

brought together the largest gathering of world leaders ever in

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3 to 14 June is now history. We must now

translate 12 days of debates into positive action, or posterity will remember

us for wasting a great opportunity to set the agenda for the preservation of

our environment. As Chairman of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean

Countries during the month of July 1992, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

initiated action within the Group to coordinate the activities of member

countries in follow-up action at the multilateral organizations as well as in

the wider international community.

My Government regards the agreement reached at the Rio Summit as an

important start of a process that could eventually change the way the world

approaches the challenge of fostering economic growth. We are particularly

pleased that issues such as the sustainability of islands, the alleviation of

poverty, the sustainable development of all types of forests, and the

environmentally sound management of solid waste were addressed.

My delegation urges the early ratification of the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological

Diversity, which, it is felt, if honestly implemented could mitigate some

of the hazards which small, island States like Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines and other low-lying coastal developing States face.

My delegation takes note of the renewed commitment made by developed

countries to achieve the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent of their gross

national product for development assistance to developing countries and, where

this target has not yet been achieved, to augment their aid programmes in

order to reach that target as soon as possible or by the year 2000.

It is our hope that the recommended high-level commission on sustainable

development will be established soon so that it can be convened as early as

possible to ensure that follow-up action on the Rio Summit meets the hopes and

aspirations of us all.

Continuing progress towards democracy in many regions of the world, the

obsolescence of the bipolar politics of the cold war, the overall reduction in

military expenditure and the emergence of new States have elicited a positive

response from the world community. The United Nations peacemaking and

peace-keeping roles have increased and broadened considerably in the

post-cold-war era. The world body is providing leadership in these and other

vital areas. Unfortunately, demands for the same leadership in the field of

social development have not been given the same degree of political

importance. The Organization must address this issue as a matter of

priority. It is true that significant efforts are being made at the national

and international levels to improve the standards of living of the world's

peoples but, globally, statistics show that there are today more poor people,

more unemployed and greater social insecurity, especially among the

populations of developing countries.

Social development problems are global in scope and require global

responses. To this end my Government supports the convening of a world summit

for social development at the level of Heads of State or Government in early

1995 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations.

As man's inhumanity to man continues to manifest itself daily throughout

the world, my Government remains mindful of its pledge to promote universal

respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms in

conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. In

furtherance of these goals, my Government will support the establishment of an

effective international system for the protection of the fundamental rights

and freedoms of all peoples, irrespective of race, sex, language or religion.

We hope that this can be achieved at the World Conference on Human Rights

scheduled for Vienna in June 1993.

My delegation is deeply concerned that our region has become a

transshipment point for illicit drugs targeted at the North American and

European markets. We recognize that drug trafficking is an international

problem which affects the institutions and populations of different

countries. My delegation wishes to reaffirm its commitment to increasing

cooperation in fighting the global problem of drugs in all its aspects, be it

illegal production, trafficking or consumption. This epidemic cannot be

allowed to undermine our precious human resources. Accordingly, my Government

will sign the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic

Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

The world is poised on the threshold of a bold new experience in human

history. The possibilities are tremendous but the challenges great. We in

the English-speaking Caribbean, where democracy and constitutional order have

long been institutionalized, are anxious to play our legitimate part, with

full recognition of our condition and the requirements for global

integration. We have been reliable allies in times of struggle and

turbulence. We now look forward to sharing fairly in the dividends of a

durable peace to which we have contributed by our stability and resolute

commitment to liberty and democracy.