South Africa, 1997

South Africa welcomes your

election, Sir, as the President of the General Assembly at

its fifty-second session. We congratulate you having

experienced at first hand your skills and role as Vice-

Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid. We

also express our appreciation to Ambassador Razali Ismail

for his tireless work as President of the General Assembly

at its fifty-first session.

May I also congratulate His Excellency Mr. Kofi

Annan on his election as the seventh Secretary-General of

the United Nations. The zeal that the Secretary-General

has displayed in addressing, through his reform proposals,

the difficulties confronting this Organization is

impressive. The Secretary-General’s reform programme

is one that in many respects complements the

intergovernmental process regarding the revitalization of

the Organization.

The General Assembly is well aware of the need to

reform the United Nations. The process of reform should

produce a revitalized Organization capable of addressing

humanity’s vital issues of peace and security. Central to

the process of modernization of the United Nations is the

restructuring of the Security Council to redress existing

imbalances and transform it into a transparent organ

accountable to the broader membership of the

Organization.

South Africa fully supports the Non-Aligned

Movement’s position that there should be no partial or

selective expansion in the membership of the Security

Council to the detriment of developing countries.

The reaffirmation at the Organization of African

Unity’s Harare Summit of Africa’s claim to two

permanent and five non-permanent seats, with the same

powers and prerogatives enjoyed by the current permanent

members in an expanded Security Council, is consistent

with the Charter principle of equitable geographical

representation. If the Security Council is to fulfil the role

of custodian of international peace and security envisaged

for it in the Charter, it must be perceived to be fully

legitimate by States and peoples.

South Africa is therefore of the view that a limited

expansion of only five or six new Security Council seats

will not fulfil the crucial requirement of transforming the

Security Council into a representative organ.

Central to the Security Council reform process is the

question of the veto, which has been a focal point in our

deliberations for the last three and a half years. Indeed,

the democratization of the Council hinges on the veto

being either eliminated or extended to the new permanent

members. Accordingly, the issue of the status of the veto

must of necessity form an integral part of a

comprehensive reform package. Permanent membership

without the veto represents merely a symbolic gesture to

new permanent members which would serve to perpetuate

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an unjust and discriminatory practice and accord them an

inferior status.

I wish to recall that last year in the General Assembly,

I registered South Africa’s disappointment with the slow

pace of the debate relating to the reform of the Security

Council. The time has come for us all to display the

necessary political will and determination in order to reach

agreement on a comprehensive set of measures which will

lead to the creation of a Security Council which is

transparent, democratic, accountable and thus credible and

legitimate.

The fifty-first session of the General Assembly also

witnessed the conclusion of the work of the Open-ended

High-level Working Group on the Strengthening of the

United Nations System. Its notable recommendations

regarding the strengthening of the role and functions of the

General Assembly attest to the importance which we as

Member States attach to this body as the supreme political

organ of the Organization.

It is, however, disappointing that on the issue relating

to the election of a Secretary-General, the Working Group

was unable to reach consensus on the recommendation to

the permanent members of the Security Council to refrain

from using the veto to block the outcome of the election.

As a result of Africa’s painful past experiences under

colonial domination, as well as the abhorrent system of

apartheid, my Government is committed to the final

eradication of colonialism and fully supports the effective

implementation of the Plan of Action for the International

Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. We believe,

therefore, that the Committee of 24 should continue its

work in order to determine the interests of the peoples of

Non-Self-Governing Territories regarding their future

political status. We call on the administering Powers to lend

their full cooperation to the Committee.

South Africa is concerned that intra-State conflicts in

Africa continue to pose a threat to the continent’s stability.

These conflicts lead to loss of life and economic hardships

and are a major stumbling block on the road towards peace

and development. It is a matter of concern that conflicts in

Africa persist despite the commendable efforts of the

Organization of African Unity and of African leaders in

conflict resolution.

We therefore urge parties to the conflict in the

Republic of the Congo to observe the ceasefire agreement

and to make all efforts to ensure that the interim measures

for the holding of national elections in 1998 are instituted.

Similarly, we condemn the coup in Sierra Leone and

implore Member States of the United Nations to support

Africa’s efforts to restore constitutional order by

refraining from recognizing or giving support in any form

to the military Government.

South Africa is committed to the promotion of peace

in Angola, which we believe will contribute to the

consolidation and extension of stability to the whole of

our region of southern Africa. We are therefore concerned

about the failure of UNITA to fulfil its obligations under

the Lusaka Protocol. In this regard, my Government

welcomes the decision of the Security Council to impose

the punitive measures envisaged in its resolution 1127

(1997), as a means of ensuring UNITA’s compliance.

South Africa has followed the unfolding

developments in the Middle East with cautious optimism.

South Africa, and indeed the international community,

welcomed the signing of the Oslo accord by the Palestine

Liberation Organization and the Israeli Government and

applauded it as representing a positive step towards the

full realization of the long-awaited comprehensive and

just settlement in the region. But the decision of the

Government of Israel to construct new Jewish settlements

in Jebel Abu Ghneim has given rise to tensions and has

generated a crisis situation which has reignited conflict in

the region. We all know that this decision is a flagrant

violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and

of the relevant resolutions of this body. It is no doubt an

attempt to change the legal status of Jerusalem and to pre-

empt the final status negotiations.

The inalienable right of the Palestinian people to

self-determination is a prerequisite for achieving a durable

and comprehensive peace. For peace and stability to

prevail, the region requires the unconditional withdrawal

of Israel from all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied

since 1967.

South Africa welcomes the Secretary-General’s latest

initiatives currently under way to seek a lasting solution

to the question of Cyprus. We urge all parties to make

concerted efforts in working with the Secretary-General

and his good offices towards an overall comprehensive

settlement to this question, which has been on the agenda

of the United Nations for more than 30 years.

South Africa attaches great importance to preventive

diplomacy as a means of forestalling the possibility of

conflict. We commend the report of the Special

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Committee on Peacekeeping Operations because it provides

us with measures aimed at strengthening the role of the

United Nations in peacekeeping. We also welcome the

Committee’s 1997 report on peacekeeping operations and

urge the Committee to address the question of the rapidly

deployable mission headquarters and the further

development of United Nations standby arrangements.

South Africa believes that progress on disarmament

issues will create a world free of war. The end of the cold

war heralded a period of progress in disarmament and non-

proliferation, as was evidenced by the entry into force of

the Chemical Weapons Convention and the conclusion of

the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. However, the

re-emergence of maximalist positions in the disarmament

debate retards global disarmament, as demonstrated by the

disappointing progress made at the Conference on

Disarmament this year. Despite the consensual adoption of

a mandate for the negotiation of a fissile-material cut-off

treaty, one of the essential elements for complete nuclear

disarmament, little progress has been made. Nevertheless,

South Africa is encouraged by the large number of States

which have committed themselves to the complete

eradication of weapons of mass destruction by joining

various non-proliferation and disarmament treaties during

the past year. Universal adherence to important

disarmament treaties will pave the way towards a world

free of weapons of mass destruction.

Humanity is faced with the daily threat of harm from

the use of conventional weapons. High priority should be

placed on strategies and policies intended to prevent the

proliferation of conventional weapons and to reduce their

flow to conflict areas. The conclusions reached by the

United Nations Panel of Governmental Experts on Small

Arms lay the foundation for future action by the

international community.

On 18 September 1997, the Oslo Diplomatic

Conference adopted the Convention on the Prohibition of

the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-

Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. The Convention

is a clear and total ban on anti-personnel mines and

establishes a compelling new international norm against this

scourge which has for so long afflicted humanity, especially

innocent civilians, mostly women and children. South

Africa looks forward to the early entry into force of the

Convention and appeals to all States to heed the call of the

international community against these inhumane weapons.

South Africa has often expressed grave concern at the

involvement of its nationals in mercenary activities, because

these activities inhibit the achievement of peaceful

solutions to internal conflicts and destabilize regions.

Consequently, we have drafted legislation to regulate the

rendering of military assistance by private individuals and

companies to foreign Governments and agencies.

The South African Government puts a high premium

on the promotion and protection of human rights as a

cornerstone of its foreign policy. As we approach the

fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights and the thirtieth of the International Year

for Human Rights, we reaffirm our commitment to the

preeminent values of basic human dignity, values for

which we have fought and for which we must continue to

fight. Our peoples deserve no less. In this context, my

delegation supports the recommendation to convene a

world conference on racism and racial discrimination,

xenophobia and related intolerance.

My Government remains committed to addressing

gender inequities. The worst manifestations of these

unequal gender relations are the acts of violence

committed against women and girls. My Government has

pledged itself to preventing and combating this violence

by, among other initiatives, aligning its legislation,

policies and strategies with international instruments such

as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination against Women.

South Africa believes in the strengthening of the role

of the United Nations in the promotion of international

cooperation for economic and social development. To this

end, we welcome those measures in the Secretary-

General’s proposed reform package which seek to

strengthen the capacity of the United Nations and to

revitalize its role in the context of development.

The adoption of the Agenda for Development by the

General Assembly was a milestone in our collective

search for a meaningful global partnership for

development. That the membership could reach agreement

on so complex a matter is testimony to the seriousness

with which States view the issue, and to the dynamics of

consensus-building in fostering a global partnership.

Member States should act to implement the Agenda for

Development in a coordinated manner, by creating

dynamic structures susceptible of successful delivery.

South Africa remains committed to an action-

orientated Agenda for Development which gives priority

to international cooperation for development. Partnerships

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for development, as envisaged also in the Midrand

Ministerial Declaration and Partnership for Growth and

Development, should be established to ensure effective

delivery of assistance to the developing world.

The problems of abject poverty and social deprivation

continue to afflict and haunt many countries, particularly in

the developing world. In order to address this scourge,

which affects least-developed countries in particular,

effective and consistent measures need to be undertaken

within the context of the United Nations Decade for the

Eradication of Poverty.

The issue of external indebtedness continues to

frustrate the ability of the least-developed countries to

promote economic and social development. It is therefore

incumbent upon the international community to address and

find a solution to this problem as a matter of urgency.

One year after the conclusion of the mid-term review

of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of

Africa in the 1990s, we need to take stock and review

progress to see if the requisite resource mobilization levels

are anywhere near being met and whether the central

development goals are in place. As with the mid-term

review of the New Agenda, this would enable the

international community to take urgent and practical action

on behalf of the African continent to eradicate poverty and

underdevelopment.

We in southern Africa, as a region whose potential for

development was hamstrung by the repressive policies of

apartheid, cannot but seek the promotion of our people

through cooperation. It follows therefore that we should be

committed to the transformation of our Southern African

Development Community into an institution which provides

a framework for the promotion of the imperatives of

reconstruction and development. This would enhance the

degree to which, individually and collectively, the region

offers a basis to ensure a better life for all our peoples.

The global partnership for sustainable development

will be enhanced through the transfer of essential and

environmentally sound technologies to developing States on

preferential and concessional terms. The financial resources

and mechanisms necessary for the implementation of

Agenda 21 are still inadequate. Developed countries should

honour their commitment to raise official development

assistance flows to the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent

of gross domestic product. Those few countries which have

achieved this objective are commended.

We encourage the promotion and sustainable

management of the global environment to ensure a higher

quality of life for all. The objective of sustainable

development should be the integration of environmental,

economic and social policies in order to meet basic

human needs and to manage the environment on a

sustainable basis.

The disappointing lack of consensus at the special

session of the General Assembly on the environment held

in June 1997 leaves considerable follow-up action to be

undertaken in order to accelerate the implementation of

Agenda 21. In this respect, the role and importance of the

United Nations Environment Programme as one of the

leading United Nations bodies in the field of the

environment should be strengthened.

We commend the decision to convene a special

session on drugs to deal effectively with the illicit

production, sale, demand, trafficking and distribution of

narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The special

session will offer Member States an opportunity to join

their efforts to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

South Africa strongly favours the early establishment

of a permanent, independent and effective international

criminal court. An opportunity now exists to establish the

court before the turn of the century. We must therefore

redouble our efforts during the forthcoming sessions of

the Preparatory Committee to ensure that the diplomatic

conference in Rome can complete its work successfully.

It is imperative that all Member States continue fully

to support the international criminal tribunals for Rwanda

and the former Yugoslavia. To this end, my Government,

in collaboration with the Parliamentarians for Global

Action, recently hosted an international workshop on

securing State cooperation and compliance with the

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Its purpose

was to review cooperation with the Rwanda Tribunal and

encourage the enactment of domestic legislation by

Member States, thus ensuring that those accused of acts

of genocide are swiftly brought to trial.

My Government welcomes efforts to elaborate a

draft convention to define terrorism. It is our belief that

acts of terrorism must be clearly distinguished from

national liberation struggles in pursuit of the right to self-

determination by peoples subjected to foreign or colonial

domination.

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I should like to take this opportunity to announce to

the Assembly that on 20 August 1997, the South African

Cabinet approved ratification of the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea. South Africa, a country

with considerable maritime interests, will, for its part,

continue to play a meaningful and constructive role in the

governance of the world’s oceans.

The continuing financial crisis of the Organization is

of great concern to my delegation. We fully support the

Secretary-General’s commitment to ending the long and

persistent near-bankruptcy of the Organization. It behoves

Member States to discharge their Charter obligation by

paying their contributions in full, on time and without

conditions.

The lofty ideals that brought us together should

continue to serve as an inspiration for us to strengthen the

authority and capacity of the United Nations as we move

into the next millennium.