Venezuela, 1997

Speaking here on behalf of my country, I wish to

congratulate the new Secretary-General of the Organization,

Mr. Kofi Annan, who, after nine months in his post, now

for the first time faces the responsibility of a session of the

General Assembly, a session that is likely to be noteworthy

and hard-working. Given his vast experience, he is well

aware that the prestige and influence of his important post

derive from the impartiality that places him above all

pressure of interests and raises him to the permanent status

of arbitrator for all and a symbol of the Organization.

I also wish to offer my congratulations to the Minister

for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko,

on his appointment as President of this session of the

General Assembly.

The pace of events today means that subjects that we

considered just last year seem obsolete. Nevertheless, as we

have still not found solutions to the most pressing problems

facing the international community, it is logical to keep

returning to those that are of concern to every member of

that community and to the community as a whole, which

now finds itself in the midst of the most rapid process of

change in history.

Inevitably, therefore, we will again go over, for

example, human rights, the rule of law, free elections, the

war on drugs, corruption, disarmament, terrorism and other

compelling issues that crop up constantly among our

concerns and in our work nowadays.

I must place on record the fact that the Government of

Venezuela has taken measures on all these issues to ensure

increased respect for human rights, to wage war on drugs

and to promote further disarmament and assist in the fight

against corruption. Naturally, it is not easy for any country

to show a clean record. A Government’s good intentions as

regards human rights will always immediately come up

against recurring internal violence and still untamed unruly

elements, as in the example constantly presented by the

audiovisual media in developed countries. But the will

exists and an effort is being made to make Government

agencies increasingly aware of our resolve to protect

guarantee human rights.

I wish to highlight the work done by the first United

Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Mr. José Ayala-

Lasso, and welcome the new High Commissioner, the

former President of Ireland, Mrs. Mary Robinson, to

whom my country wishes every success in the stimulating

but difficult task ahead of her.

With regard to corruption, terrorism and

disarmament, my country, which proposed and was able

to gain approval for the Inter-American Convention —

the first of its kind in the world — in March 1996,

remains steadfast in its efforts to ensure that every

country is aware of the need to punish wrongdoing in

government, wrongdoing that has tended to be treated

with great indulgence. It may not be possible to eradicate

corruption, but timely punishment — by ending

impunity — will make such action risky.

We have been enthusiastic supporters of all

initiatives aimed at limiting the arms trade, in addition to

being aware that there are free markets often beyond

Government control, we are concerned that the

industrialized countries, by lifting embargoes in this field,

may begin moving towards the opposite extreme and

promote the sale of weapons everywhere, under pressure

from the military industry, which has an extremely

powerful lobby.

My country has resolutely backed the programme to

eliminate landmines, hundreds of millions of which have

been irresponsibly and thoughtlessly scattered in

territories on every continent, daily taking their toll of

many innocent victims, particularly children, whose

mutilation by landmines is a constant reminder that we

need to ensure justice for humankind.

The fact that Venezuela has a neighbour where

illegal drugs continue to be planted, processed and sold

places us in the unfortunate position of being part of the

supply route and within an area influenced by drug

money. That is why the Government of Venezuela has

taken every precaution to keep this danger to a minimum.

It fights trafficking on land and sea and in the air, and

has intercepted large shipments of drugs. The official in

charge of all Government action against this powerful

enemy of humankind has been given the rank of Minister.

It goes without saying that we look forward

hopefully to the next special session of the General

Assembly, on illegal drug trafficking, to be held at the

request of Mexico. We hope that it will produce clear

solutions that will enable us to wage a more successful

war on this scourge and, above all, put an end to money

laundering, where Government efforts have so far been

least successful.

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As the threat of ever more pitiless and atrocious acts

of terrorism has spread around the world and, to no small

extent, here on our American continent, Venezuela has

taken an interest in ensuring that the international

community is made increasingly aware of its

responsibilities in joint efforts to approve a convention for

the suppression of terrorist bombings. That convention is

currently being considered by the General Assembly, in a

body that should be completing its work shortly.

When the Inter-American Convention against

Corruption was approved, we voiced our hope that, given

that the disregard for of ethical standards that has fostered

this crime has been a worldwide and not a strictly

American phenomenon, the subject would one day be taken

up by the United Nations in order to produce an

international convention giving voice to the concern felt by

all countries over this problem and harnessing the general

willingness to put an end to impunity. The day seems to

have come when the Member States of this Organization

will work together to do away with the tolerance

encountered on all continents towards this canker afflicting

politics and administration; a canker whose breeding ground

is not underdevelopment, but the moral decay of the State

and society; a canker that seriously and increasingly hinders

the trade that is a necessary part of economic globalization.

My Government has welcomed the idea of changes not

only in the structure, but even in the philosophy of this 50-

year-old Organization. Since the lives of the peoples of this

world have undergone such profound changes, it would be

inexcusable for the United Nations, which represents them

all, to remain untouched.

We have considered the various plans for reforms and

watched the efforts made by the outgoing President of the

General Assembly over these past few months to achieve

some, at least, of the essential changes to the system during

his term in office. And, although we believe this issue to be

both timely and urgent, we do not feel that there is

imminent consensus on the suggested changes which, above

all, relate to membership on the Security Council. In any

case, it is only fair to recognize the serious efforts being

made to end the stagnation within this Organization and

launch the debate that is just beginning.

Venezuela supports an increase in the number of

permanent Members on the Security Council, provided

there is no discrimination of any kind and that there is due

regard for the interests of the international community,

including fair representation of all geographical regions, in

line with other new circumstances.

We feel that there are great expectations and high

hopes that the Secretariat will become more efficient and

that the Organization’s burden of projected expenditures

may be eased. It is also essential that Member States pay

their contributions on time. None of us can refuse to

honour a freely accepted obligation, nor make payment

conditional in a way that presents a threat to the equality

of States and the dignity of the world forum of which we

are a part.

My country’s position, however, is not limited to

this alone. It goes beyond an analysis of the opportunities

and rules of the veto to the elimination of the veto

altogether. It has to do with the reform of the Secretariat

itself and with economic and social issues, especially

funding for development, as envisaged in the relevant

document. That is why we feel that consideration should

be given to the ideas recently expressed by both the

Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement as regards

not only this subject, but also consensus on the other

reforms.

Venezuela supports the convening of an international

conference on financing for development, in cooperation

with international financial institutions, to propose

innovative and bold mechanisms in this area. Such

mechanisms must include the mobilization of capital

resources for investment in non-industrialized countries

while at the same time, opening the door to the

opportunities offered by the private sector.

Non-governmental organizations — increasingly

active in today’s world — could contribute even more

towards attainment of the aims of the Charter of United

Nations in this field of action. My country has launched

an intensive round of consultations with these

organizations in what it has called a “Dialogue between

senior Government and non-governmental organizations”,

so as to draw up a plan for the promotion, protection and

observance of human rights in Venezuela.

We welcomed the Convention on the Law of the

Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses as

a well-conceived initiative. That is why Venezuela played

an active role in the various stages of the drafting of the

document, which required years of work, and led to the

successful conclusion of a document that includes

virtually all the provisions on this subject that exist in

international law. My country signed the Convention

yesterday and we call upon other countries to do the

same.

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As Venezuela has always been in favour of the

establishment of an international criminal court, we wish to

draw attention to what the international community has

done to deal with and punish international crimes against

peace and security, first with the creation of ad hoc courts

and then with the creation of a permanent body such as that

court. By thus institutionalizing and centralizing the

political will of States, we will help prevent the possibility

of the winners in a conflict from being tempted to become

the judges of the defeated.

This seems the appropriate time and place to mention

the Ibero-American community of which Venezuela is a

part and the five hundredth anniversary of Christopher

Columbus’s only landing on continental America in his

voyages.

Since 1991, 500 years after the discovery of America,

thanks to an initiative of the King of Spain, the 21

countries that proudly share the honour of being members

of the Ibero-American community have met once a year, in

a different city each time. I say “proudly” because in their

colonial endeavours both Spain and Portugal took a

missionary approach. While imposing their political power

and territorial government, they also disseminated

Christianity and passed on with conviction their European

civilization and culture. Thus in Spanish and Portuguese

America, the mixing of blood and cultures took root,

making our world a different one, a world characterized by

social egalitarianism, religious tolerance and a strong and

deeply rooted freedom. The effects of this situation, which

defines and unites American existence from north to south,

makes this community stand out. It does not set it apart

from others, but, in this era of globalization, it affirms the

very particular features of Ibero-American identity.

This idea has evolved well, beginning in Guadalajara,

then continuing in Madrid, Salvador de Bahia, Cartagena,

Bariloche and Santiago. The seventh summit meeting will

be held on Margarita Island in my country.

As the host country suggests the key topic for

discussion at each meeting, the President of Venezuela,

Mr. Rafael Caldera, has proposed the general heading of

“Ethical values of democracy”, a suggestion that has been

accepted with great enthusiasm.

The Governments of Venezuela and the other 20

countries of Ibero-America insist that it is not enough to

have formal democracy if corruption is rampant, if

inefficiency persists, if justice is not effective, or if the

action taken by the democratic sectors is neither

satisfactory nor transparent.

Thus, this general topic encompasses other very

specific issues having to do with social justice, human

rights, electoral transparency elections, the sincerity of

political parties and, unavoidably, truth in information.

That is the nucleus of the agenda for the meeting to be

held on 8 and 9 November on Margarita Island.

It is not out of place to explain to this Assembly that

there are good reasons for this agenda. The economic

changes and the political upheavals of our world have

wreaked havoc on the set of values that was, until

recently, the foundation on which people’s lives rested.

The weakness of social justice is pathetic. In more

than a few countries, unavoidable macroeconomic

adjustments have affected vast numbers of people who are

victims of injustice and who are unable, both mentally

and physically, of coping with these changes, leaving

them even worse off than they were before. Something

must be done to improve the lot of these multitudes

during a transition that, although necessary, is still

painful.

The subject of human rights, which I mentioned

briefly at the beginning of my statement, is vitally

important, and it would not be surprising if some day it

were to replace “democracy” as a term and as a concept.

Certain statements on this subject may have been

exaggerated in the heat of the moment. But the truth is

that we must march firmly forward towards a time when

every human being, without exception, feels for his fellow

man the same respect that he asks for himself. This is a

matter of education, training and will on the part of

Governments, so that the bad examples from the more

developed countries that are passed on by the media do

not lead the developing countries to continue violating

these rights.

Despite the fact that democracy has taken root in

virtually all the countries in our region — seemingly the

desideratum of our times — it now faces a variety of

dangers, such as elections rigged by international

organized crime. The most specific and dangerous case

has to do with the influential role that drug trafficking

and money laundering now play in elections, allowing

crime to become closely entwined with political power.

My country’s position in this regard is to warn

political parties to make sure their electoral campaigns are

13

transparent by keeping these campaigns short and to the

point so as to avoid any improper financial influence.

Democracy is, by its very nature, a system of political

parties. There is no democratic system without political

parties. Yet it is obvious that the downfall of democracy is

often due to carelessness on the part of the political parties

on which it is based, when, setting aside the ethics of

service, ideology and efficiency, they are tempted to take

advantage of the resources of the State using the pretext of

lengthy, complex and costly election campaigns. It would

seem that the time has come to return to the old political

ideas or to invent new means of expression in order to heal

and revitalize democracy.

Many people reacted by voicing doubts and fears

when the subject of the people’s right to truthful

information was raised. Media groups have even claimed

that this proposal is full of hidden dangers. Nevertheless,

the straightforward intent of this proposal is to strengthen

the influence of the media at a time when they are virtually

the first estate. We consider this right to be the counterpart

to the media’s right to carry out their activities in absolute

freedom, given the fact that society legitimately aspires, in

turn, to be properly, accurately and truthfully informed.

In an era in which the media have the most amazing

technologies at their disposal — such as those providing

instantaneous communication — there can be no

explanation for information that distorts, embellishes or

tampers with the truth. All the power that we give the

media, essential for the values of democracy, would be lost

if the media were to step outside their role and begin

voicing opinions instead of reporting or made themselves

part of the day-to-day debate of ideas.

What Venezuela hopes to achieve by this debate is to

make clear the responsibilities that each actor must play in

a democracy, and the media are very important actors. That

is the reason for this initiative: to warn and caution them,

not by suggesting rules, but by appealing to a sense of

responsibility, prompted by their own conscience, with

regard to the worthy part that information must play in

building a safe and trusting society.

Following on from comments I made at this year’s

Ibero-American Summit in Venezuela, I wish to mention

the five-hundredth anniversary of the day when Christopher

Columbus set foot on continental America, in August 1498,

at the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela. Until then the feats of

exploration by the discoverer of the New World had been

limited to the islands of the Caribbean. He was not

absolutely sure that he was actually standing on

continental soil when in 1498 he reached Macuro, a small

village on the eastern coast of Venezuela, but he certainly

wondered as he witnessed the thrust of a strong current

that overcame the gentle waves and gave proof of the

presence of a great river, the Orinoco. This was an

extremely important event for my country, which we plan

to commemorate properly. It was the only time the great

admiral stood on terra firma, which he called “Land of

Grace”. In making this announcement, we hope the global

community will join us in our celebration.

In closing, I wish to express Venezuela’s faith in the

ability of the Organization to act as a permanent arbitrator

for peace and development. There is a greater need every

day for the United Nations to act as the voice and

conscience of humanity, but never as the spokesperson or

tool of any group, region or interest other than the

community which created it and of which it is the core.