Cyprus, 1995

I should like to begin by

extending to you, Sir, my warmest congratulations on your

election as President of the General Assembly. This is not

merely a recognition of your long experience and your

outstanding ability and diplomatic skill, but also a reflection

of the esteem in which your country, Portugal, is held in

the United Nations. We are certain that under your able

guidance the work of this very important session of the

General Assembly will be a landmark in the history of the

Organization.

I should also like to pay a warm tribute to the

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, for the determined leadership which he has

demonstrated on vital issues and for his reports on the work

of the Organization, which have already resulted in the

adoption of a series of measures, providing working tools

for the activities of the United Nations. Cyprus is

particularly grateful to the Secretary-General and his

dedicated staff for their untiring efforts to find a just and

lasting solution to the question of Cyprus on the basis of

United Nations resolutions.

In April 1945, when it was obvious that the world

was breaking up into two armed camps, delegates from

the then independent nations met to create a world

organization capable of building an era of peace and

international cooperation out of the chaos and conflict of

the Second World War. They drafted the United Nations

Charter, a document of principles and norms, aimed at

effectively dealing with aggression and improving human

rights and economic and social conditions for people

everywhere.

For five decades the spirit of the Charter was kept

alive under very difficult circumstances, even when in

many cases the United Nations took the blame for the

failings of its Member States. It is an indisputable fact

that the United Nations, despite its shortcomings, has

managed the transforming of colonies into independent

countries, restoring democracies and promoting the rule

of law. It has also been successful in resolving conflicts

in many parts of the world — in Namibia, in

Mozambique, in Angola, in Cambodia, in Central

America and in the Caribbean — and it has provided the

inspiration for the drafting of major arms-control treaties.

Its peace-keepers have saved thousands of lives, fed

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millions of people, and helped to restore a degree of

normality in areas of conflict.

Equally, it has played an important role in promoting

human rights and stimulating economic recovery, monetary

stability and growth in the developing world. Furthermore,

over the past 50 years there has been a series of United

Nations-inspired conferences which dealt with major issues

that vitally affect the peoples of the world. More recently,

United Nations-sponsored conferences, including the Earth

Summit at Rio, the Vienna World Conference on Human

Rights, the Cairo International Conference on Population

and Development, the Copenhagen World Summit for

Social Development and the Beijing Fourth World

Conference on Women, have left their indelible imprint on

the history of mankind. On the other hand, there have been

reversals — in Rwanda United Nations efforts failed to

avert genocide, and in Somalia the tragedy continues.

Equally distressing is the unabated bloodshed in the

Balkans, while United Nations efforts on the problem of my

country are still to bear fruit.

Fifty years of existence provide an important

opportunity to look back, to reflect on both our successes

and failures. But it is also an opportunity to look forward,

to determine where we can and should go from here,

especially now, when the cold war, now ended, has

regrettably generated a wide range of security problems

stemming from economic, political or social tensions or

issues of nationalism. The complex nature of the challenges

calls for multilateral action and an integrated approach.

Drawing from the lessons of the past and the challenges of

the present, we must open up new ways to use the

mechanisms provided originally by the Charter.

In this context, the continuing debate on the Agenda

for Peace has stimulated new thinking about the particular

changes needed to re-equip the United Nations for its role

in this field, so as to vindicate the vision of its founders.

From this rostrum I have had the opportunity to present in

some detail our views on the proposed conceptual

orientations. I do not need to stress that my country is fully

committed to these goals. The recent history of Cyprus can

be seen as a case study, demonstrating the need for such an

initiative and the importance of further expanding its

concepts.

Under the United Nations Charter disarmament and

arms control are integral parts of international peace and

security. Though for decades progress towards disarmament

and arms control was made impossible by the rigidities of

bipolarization, the latter’s demise has now opened up new

possibilities.

In the last two years we have witnessed major

achievements, the most important of which was the

decision to extend indefinitely and unconditionally the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,

along with the strengthening of the review process for the

Treaty and the adoption of a set of principles and

objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

Furthermore, we will soon be entering into commitments

for the conclusion of the comprehensive test-ban treaty

and the negotiation of a treaty banning the production of

fissile material for nuclear purposes. These should be seen

as products of the momentum which has built up in the

disarmament field since the end of the cold war. We

share the view that much still needs to be done in the

areas of both non-conventional and conventional weapons,

for, as long as military threats to security exist, the

disarmament and arms-control process will continue to be

an essential element of international security.

The reduction of forces and armaments alone cannot

provide for or guarantee international security, but it can

reduce the risk of an outbreak of military conflict and can

contribute to confidence-building and conflict resolution.

In this context, I would like to remind this body of my

proposal for the complete demilitarization of the Republic

of Cyprus: the withdrawal of the Turkish occupation

forces, the disbanding of the National Guard of Cyprus,

the handing over of all its arms and military equipment to

the custody of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force

and the placing into a United Nations account of all

money saved from the purchase of arms, to be used for

infrastructure development projects beneficial to both

communities. I feel that our proposal reflects not only our

good intentions but also the spirit of the times.

Unfortunately, it was rejected by Turkey.

Genuine security also includes economic well-being,

protection of human rights and environmental

sustainability. All these dimensions function together, in

an interlocking and mutually reinforcing way, as

foundations of peace. There is much concern today that

the United Nations should have an agenda and working

method of direct relevance to the economic and social

needs of societies in which individuals or groups are

deprived of their freedom or of the basic necessities on

which human life depends. Newspapers and television

screens air these needs daily. The international

community’s ability to offer a decent and secure existence

to all its citizens is called into question by the numerous

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human tragedies, atrocities of war, terrorism, traffic in

illegal drugs and long-term ecological degradation of our

planet.

It is self-evident that global cooperation and effective

action is a sine qua non for effectively combating these and

other evils tormenting world society. Our most important

goal must be the implementation of our existing

commitments, as provided for in the Charter. In placing the

emphasis on this, we are setting no modest objective. What

we should recognize is that the body of principles and

commitments which have been built up over the last 50

years cover the full range of civil, political, economic and

social issues.

Our task should be to reduce the obvious gap between

accepted principles and everyday practice, to apply these

principles without discrimination and at the same time to

consider ways of strengthening further the existing

mechanisms. In this context, we must face up to the

problem of holding to full account those who flout the

authority of the United Nations, persistently refuse to

respect the rights of others and choose to disregard the

international commitments which they have freely accepted.

When I speak of the need to uphold the authority of

the United Nations, I feel entitled to use as an example the

experience of my country and its people. Since 1974, when

Turkish forces invaded Cyprus, 37 per cent of the territory

of the Republic has remained under military occupation by

Turkey. The Turkish occupation troops, instead of

withdrawing after repeated calls by solemn Security Council

and General Assembly resolutions, are increasing in number

and modernizing their military equipment, thus posing not

only a serious threat to the security of our region but also

a challenge to the authority of the United Nations. The

Secretary-General has stated in his reports to the Security

Council that the area of Cyprus under occupation by the

Turkish forces is the most militarized area in the world.

Another point of particular concern to us is the

massive violation of the human rights of the displaced

persons who were forcibly evicted from their homes by the

Turkish occupation forces and whose homes and property

have been usurped by illegal settlers imported from Turkey

to Cyprus in an effort to change the demographic

composition of our population and colonize the part of

Cyprus occupied by the Turkish forces. All these flagrant

human rights violations have been committed against my

country despite a number of General Assembly and

Security Council resolutions calling on all States to respect

the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity

of the Republic of Cyprus and to avoid any actions which

could change the demographic structure of the island.

Turkey’s defiance extends also to resolutions calling

for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the Republic of

Cyprus, the return of the refugees to their homes under

conditions of safety, the humanitarian issues of the

missing persons and the implementation of the third

Vienna agreement, regarding the living conditions and

welfare of persons in enclaves in areas under the control

of the Turkish occupation forces.

On this solemn occasion, I wish sincerely to express,

on behalf of the people of Cyprus, the Government and

myself, deep appreciation for the solidarity offered us by

the Assembly. I ask that its most valuable support be

reinforced with added emphasis, for it is high time the

resolutions of the United Nations on Cyprus were

implemented if a just and lasting solution is to be arrived

at without further delay. We must remember that failure

to uphold international law and respect for human rights

in one situation sets a precedent for similar failures

elsewhere, with often catastrophic consequences. Recent

experiences have demonstrated this all too blatantly.

At every turning point in modern history, nations

convene to shape a new world order. This is another such

historic turning point, and the United Nations is the forum

for the world order we must build. We have, I believe, a

collective responsibility to understand the nature of the

new, post-cold-war role of the United Nations, to continue

our effort towards the institutional reforms needed to re-

equip the United Nations for its role and to make

commitments of the human and financial resources

necessary for the United Nations to carry out effectively

its mission. We believe that the topics of prime

consideration should include the restructuring of the

Security Council, the system of international security as

provided for in the Charter, the further development and

implementation of the basic concepts of An Agenda for

Peace and An Agenda for Development and the finances

of the United Nations.

It is now generally accepted that the Security

Council’s membership must be increased so as to become

more representative of the Organization’s membership. It

is also recognized that it has to improve the effectiveness

of its decision-making to deal with the challenges of

international security in the future. Openness in its

proceedings, democratization in its decision-taking

procedures, and broader consultation by the permanent

members with non-permanent members and with those

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outside the Council whose interests are affected by a

particular issue before it, will contribute to the effectiveness

of this all-important United Nations body.

On the other hand, we should ensure that the General

Assembly, the universal organ of the United Nations, where

the sovereign equality of Member States is democratically

depicted, be fully respected and utilized more, if we are to

serve well the peoples of the world.

It is of paramount importance to recognize that, for

peace and stability to be maintained and for democracy to

be rooted, economic and social development is

indispensable. That is why we welcome the efforts of the

United Nations to answer social and economic problems,

though the United Nations was created primarily as a

political body to address political issues. Today, however,

more than ever, we must face social and economic

challenges, for it is not enough to bring forth the end of

strife and violence. It has been correctly said that if we

contain violence but ignore poverty we will sooner or later

discover that we have simply traded one misery for another.

The historic Middle East accord offers a good example

in this respect, where what has been achieved in the course

of the peace process should be cemented by the economic

support of the international community, thus ensuring a just

and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Never in the history of mankind has the awareness of

interdependence and globalism been so strong as it is today,

and never has mankind had so much technological know-

how at its disposal. Building upon the accumulation of 50

years of United Nations experience in multilateral relations

and the everlasting principles and ideals of the United

Nations Charter, we can and must do everything within our

power to bequeath to coming generations a better world,

where security, democracy, human rights and prosperity

prevail and are shared by all.