Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 1997

I wish

to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your unanimous

election. I am confident that under your leadership this

session of the General Assembly is well placed to address

the important issues on its agenda.

Commendation is due His Excellency Mr. Razali

Ismail for the balanced and effective guidance he provided

during the just concluded session.

My delegation takes this opportunity to offer heartfelt

congratulations to our new Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi

Annan, on his assumption of such a high and noble office.

He will no doubt bring fresh insights to bear on the

Herculean tasks and problems confronting the United

Nations. We wish to indicate our support for his initiatives

for reforming the United Nations.

In spite of the many achievements of the United

Nations, much remains to be done. The world is still

plagued by poverty, all manner of diseases — some even

defying medical science — terrorism, regional conflict

and the menace of drugs. There can be no real peace or

security if millions of people go to bed hungry. There can

be no comfort if the rich man turns his back on the poor

man and treats him as a statistic. It seems as if the moral

obligation to help the disadvantaged has been totally

abandoned in some quarters.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remains a very

peaceful country, with its cherished democratic

institutions intact. Recently our judicial system, which is

known historically for its integrity, was put under

microscopic examination with a view to discrediting it.

The test results reveal a clean bill of health. This painful

period in our history has taught us many lessons. We

know now that there are friends who will smile with us

while plotting our execution. Today it is true to say that

might is not right and that a small nation like ours can

have the fortitude to withstand attacks even from those

who may have the strength of Samson.

Our banana pains continue to intensify. The

prognosis appears to be very bleak. The recent World

Trade Organization (WTO) ruling has left us dazed and

helpless. The concept of every man being his brother’s

keeper has been shattered.Can we survive? Will our cries

for help go unheeded? What about our neighbours? Are

they deaf or uncaring? I know it now. Money and greed

have been elevated to the status of a religion, and care

and concern are now regarded as a vice. Our future is

now on a life-support system. However, I am confident

that our resourcefulness and faith will see us through.

My delegation welcomes the idea of the

establishment of a zone of peace in the Middle East. We

call on all parties to take urgent and practical steps

towards the establishment of such a zone in accordance

with the relevant General Assembly resolutions adopted

by consensus. We also call for a halt to the distribution

and production of conventional weapons, which have

caused immense suffering, especially in this century.

Recent acts of terrorism have given cause for great

concern. Why should innocent people continue to perish?

The United Nations Charter provides for the peaceful

settlement of disputes. Both sides have rights which must

be respected. Violence can never be a solution. Let us put

reason before bloodshed.

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We should not rush to write the obituary for the

Middle East peace process. The wounds inflicted are not

fatal; the haemorrhaging can be stopped and the process

revived.

I look forward to the day when peace will break out

in that ancient region, when men shall beat their swords

into ploughshares and into pruning hooks their spears.

Our own hemisphere is not without problems. Our

region believes in neighbourly love, and any attempt to

inflict pain and unjustified hardship on any of us affects all

of us. Those who exert pressure, be it economic or legal,

will find no comfort in our bosom. The strategy of

diplomatic isolation has failed. It is clear that in the new

millennium, we cannot do business as usual. In hemispheric

matters, muscular diplomacy should give way to moral

suasion.

During this year both Suriname and Haiti have become

full members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

We take this opportunity to welcome them once again. We

also note the progress made since the reestablishment of

democracy in Haiti, and we urge the international

community to continue to offer technical, material and

financial help. That will enable the people of that country

to deepen the process of democracy and to promote the

country’s sustained economic and social development. I

would like to take this opportunity to express my sympathy

to the Government of Haiti in regard to the recent tragedy

at sea.

In our region, nature has manifested its mighty force,

and the people in Montserrat are now fleeing from an angry

volcano that erupts periodically. Our hearts are with the

people there, and we have done whatever we can to assist.

Efforts to help are continuing at home even as I speak. Let

us hope that the full extent of the plight of the people of

Montserrat is realized by those who are in a position to

make a substantial contribution. Now is the time to stand

up and be counted.

My delegation welcomes the convening in 1998 of a

special session of the United Nations General Assembly

dedicated to the fight against the illicit production, sale,

demand for and distribution of illicit drugs and psychotropic

substances. Those who traffic in this trade can properly be

regarded as merchants of death. International cooperation is

the only way to combat this menace.

I wish at this time to pay tribute to a woman who has

died recently and whose name evokes mystic reverence.

Her legacy is one of compassion. I speak of Mother

Teresa. She embraced the poor, the sick and the suffering,

the favoured and the dispossessed. Her life shows that

even in this cruel world there are still people who are

willing to put others before themselves in unrewarded

service. She lived her religion to the fullest. May she rest

in peace.

It is our hope that the issue regarding Taiwan can be

resolved peacefully. We urge those on both sides of the

Taiwan Strait to hold discussions and negotiate a peaceful

solution in the reunification process to which both sides

are committed. We of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

are very grateful for the assistance we have received from

Taiwan, and we would hope that the international

community would respect its contribution to development

and that it may find its place in the international

community.

My delegation will continue to support the

fundamental rights of all peoples to self-determination.

We are heartened to see the emergence into sovereign

statehood and independence of peoples once under

colonial domination or foreign occupation. We reaffirm

the inalienable right of peoples of Non-Self-Governing

Territories to self-determination.

The reform and expansion of the Security Council is

of paramount importance as we approach the dawn of a

new millennium. My delegation wishes to emphasize that

the ongoing discussions on the reform and expansion of

the Security Council must take into account the principle

of sovereign equality of States and equitable geographical

distribution. There is also the need for transparency,

accountability and democratization.

My delegation has no objection to the inclusion of

additional developed countries on the Council as

permanent members, but we fully support the proposal

that all regions be represented in a permanent capacity,

including Latin America and the Caribbean. The reform

cannot be handled piecemeal. We will not support any

change that does not include Latin America and the

Caribbean Community.

Expansion of the Council must not and cannot be

limited to permanent seats. It is necessary to increase the

number of non-permanent seats to give more countries an

opportunity to serve on the Council within a relatively

shorter time-frame. In addition, we recommend that the

regional non-permanent seats be rotated among the

countries that are desirous of serving on the Council.

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In this process we must remember and be guided by

the word “democracy”. If this body is to have the moral

authority to restore or encourage democracy in some

Member States, it must first become fully democratic.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remains a loyal and

dedicated member of the United Nations committed to

upholding the noble principles of the Charter. Now more

than ever before we must reaffirm our collective respect for

the fundamental principles of the Charter. The small nations

of the world must receive constant reassurances from the

larger nations that their interests will be safeguarded, their

sovereignty respected.

When we speak of the United Nations, we must

project our vision beyond this building. In the end it is our

deeds that will count. Yes, it is what we do to the least of

our brethren. Promises and statements have no meaning

unless they can be translated into action. This body must

never be perceived as a gathering of word merchants but,

rather, as one of action-oriented men and women.

Our planet’s resources are finite, and even the most

economically developed States cannot pursue unilateral

policies in isolation from the rest of the world.

We stand firm in the belief that the United Nations is

still the best hope for the world. This hope must be

grounded in action, in a firm resolve to act decisively in the

best interests of this great institution — indeed in the

interest of all humanity and untainted by the narrow

national interests that have dogged our path during the last

five decades.