Brunei, 1997

I

extend my warmest congratulations to you, Mr. President,

on your election. I am sure you will guide us well, and we

look forward to working with you.

I would also like to congratulate our Secretary-General

on the excellent start he has made in answer to the

Members’ call for reform. At the same time, I would like

to thank the outgoing President for his support in this most

important work.

You take office at a critical time, Mr President. There

are obviously no easy solutions to the many challenges

faced by our Organization. But there is one thing I hope we

can all do: be positive and constructive in our approach.

With this in mind, I would like to comment briefly on two

aspects of current United Nations work that particularly

concern us in Brunei Darussalam. The first is peace and

security and the second is the Secretary-General’s reform

package.

On peace and security, we were pleased to have had

the chance to do something to help in the Middle East and

in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But we have been dismayed by

what has taken place this year, particularly in the Middle

East. The current situation is not what we expected. The

disruption of the peace process clearly started when Israel

decided to build settlements in East Jerusalem. This was

bad policy. It was obviously not aimed at helping the peace

process. Thus, we would like to see the Israelis do

something positive to repair the damage done.

We have made our position clear for many years. We

do not wish to return to the past. It is time for more than

words, arguments and resolutions. What we want to see is

a peace process that actually proceeds. Somehow, the

impasse must be broken, and we greatly appreciate the

efforts being made by Jordan, Egypt and the United States

to do that. We encourage them and all countries that can

help to continue their efforts, despite the many difficulties.

Concerning the situation in Bosnia, we have also been

disappointed by the way certain elements continue to

undermine the cause of peace. There are overwhelming

signs from the peoples of Bosnia that they welcome the

new opportunities they have for a normal life. We are

therefore pleased to see the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO) and the United Nations taking strong

action to enforce the Dayton Agreement. In our view,

such action is definitely being taken on behalf of the

Bosnian people. We offer them our full support.

These are just two of the areas where we have seen

setbacks to United Nations efforts. We can add many

others in Europe, Asia and Africa. What is required

everywhere is a determination to resolve all problems

peacefully by means of dialogue and negotiation.

Given that spirit, progress is possible. We have seen

evidence of it in the great efforts being made in northeast

Asia to try to find a solution to the problems on the

Korean Peninsula. The difficult situation in Korea could

affect all of us in the Asia-Pacific region, so we very

much welcome the four-party talks as a way of reducing

tension and building confidence. For the same reason, we

are happy to support the initiative of the Korean

Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO),

since it will help remove one serious threat to peace.

On the question of lasting peace, however, we have

learned to take nothing for granted.

Some causes of instability have been dramatically

highlighted in our own region this year. The recent

attacks on our currencies and our financial institutions

have shocked us all. They cannot be dismissed as mere

ups and downs in the market. It is all very well for

commentators to say so, but this is not good enough; it is

too simplistic. The effect is like a disease, and it goes for

the heart of our economic systems. It seeks out weak

points, and developing countries have limited built-in

resistance.

Yes, we will survive. Our foundations are sound. But

the experience has taught us a lesson. We are realizing

how deeply we are all affected by globalization, market

forces and interdependence. The playing field is anything

but level, and this means that the world organizations to

which we belong must be highly effective.

The most important of these is the United Nations,

and this brings me to the questions I know the Secretary-

General is keen to hear all of us answer at this session:

What do we think of his package of proposed reforms?

Are they going to help developing nations?

My broad reply would be to say that we think the

package is better than the previous attempts to achieve

reform. Overall, it firmly addresses the right questions,

4

and, having long supported the idea of United Nations

reform, we welcome the proposals.

However, we do have a few comments to offer. We

believe they are constructive and hope they will be taken

into account by the Secretary-General. As many others have

remarked, the proposal seems, basically, to be a

management package. It reflects the Secretary-General’s

long experience in the Organization. But good management

principles represent only one aspect of the reforms we need.

We hope that an acceptable consensus will be reached on

matters which especially concern developing nations.

We would like the Secretary-General to make

absolutely sure that nothing is going to weaken the things

the United Nations does so well for ordinary people. The

United Nations work in the field gives the Organization

meaning for millions. We must not let our agencies down.

With regard to the proposals concerning peace and

security, we hope that the Working Group will soon

complete its work on the Security Council. This aspect of

reform will certainly strengthen the Organization as a

whole.

With regard to development cooperation, we welcome

efforts to enhance it. It represents all that is best in

international cooperation. It is also directly linked to the

important Chapter IX of our Charter, which calls for higher

standards of living, full employment and economic and

social progress. Without these, there can be no lasting

peace and security in the developing world.

Lastly, there is the question of financial viability,

perhaps the most important of all if reforms are to be

effective. We find the various proposals interesting, but

what we are concerned about is whether they provide a

long-term solution. We therefore want to give these matters

more thought. Naturally, we rely on the Committee to look

very carefully indeed into the details of any such scheme.

Having made these points, I should like to conclude

by once again offering my congratulations to the Secretary-

General on his work. As I said, it is a good start. When the

work is finished, we hope that the result will be not only

administrative reform but a strong renewal of the deepest

principles of our Charter.

We wish the Secretary-General, and you yourself, Mr.

President, much success in the year ahead. We assure you

that we will do all we can to assist fellow Members in

responding well to what the Secretary-General has rightly

described as unprecedented demands and opportunities.