El Salvador, 1997

On behalf of the people and Government of

El Salvador, I should like to convey to you, Mr. President,

our congratulations on your election to preside over this

session. To your predecessor, Mr. Razali Ismail of

Malaysia, we extend our gratitude for his efforts and

initiatives aimed at making progress in the modernization

of the United Nations.

We commend the Secretary-General for his

remarkable work during the first year of his term and, in

particular, for the progress made in reforming the Organization.

More than five years after the signing of the peace

accords in El Salvador, we can state with satisfaction that

we have fulfilled and achieved the objectives that we

agreed to. The far-reaching changes that have taken place

in Salvadoran society have received universal recognition,

as they represent one of the most successful

undertakings of greatest scope carried out with the

support of the Organization.

Our Government’s responsibilities and obligations do

not end with compliance with the peace agreements, but

continue throughout time and space with a view to

safeguarding the achievements that we have registered in

the areas of democratization and respect for human rights,

and also to meet the priority needs of Salvadoran society.

We Salvadorans are dedicated to building a new

El Salvador, attacking at their root causes of poverty and

social marginalization and promoting a fairer and more

equitable society.

The successful conclusion of the peace processes in

Nicaragua, El Salvador and, recently, Guatemala and the

establishment of democratic Governments have created a

situation conducive to regional stability, transforming

Central America into a region of peace, freedom,

democracy and development. Central America has made

great progress in demilitarization and in the strengthening

of civil society, holding free, transparent and pluralist

elections; integrating former combatants into national

political processes; strengthening democratic institutions

and the rule of law; and implementing a development

programme whose central focus is the human being.

In the face of globalization and the processes of

economic openness and regionalization, we need to be

even more creative in tackling present and future

challenges. For this reason we are reviewing the Central

American institutional system so as to make it possible

for us better and more effectively to take our place in the

new world order.

The aspiration of the peoples of Central America to

pursue a common destiny through the reunification of our

greater nation has always been latent among our peoples.

It is becoming increasingly clear that unity is the best

road for Central America to take so that it can

successfully tackle the challenges of the coming

millennium. It was in this spirit that on 2 September we

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signed the Nicaragua Declaration with a view to speeding

up the process of unification. Today we come to share our

resolve to pursue political union in Central America. We

want the international community and the United Nations

to be witnesses to our efforts, and before them we commit

ourselves to do all that is within our power to achieve this

objective. In order to achieve this goal, we ask that friendly

countries and multilateral institutions continue to support us

and to provide timely assistance, so that our national and

regional efforts can complement one another, and to enable

us to have at our disposal an effective mechanism for

realizing our aspirations.

I should like to comment on issues of far-reaching

importance on the agenda of the General Assembly that are

vital for the Organization itself. We stand convinced that

the principles of the Organization remain valid and that it

is a unique, sui generis institution, essential and

irreplaceable in the international system, and that its reform

is necessary in order to adapt it to the demands of the new

international order. With respect to the proposed reforms

put forward by the Secretary-General, my Government

supports the institutional changes that will be necessary for

the Organization efficiently to respond to the common

problems faced by our nations.

For the United Nations to function better, it must be

able to rely on adequate and predictable financial resources.

It is the responsibility of Member States to fulfil our

financial obligations, which cannot be subject to any kind

of conditionality, so as to safeguard the independence,

impartiality and credibility of the Organization’s activities.

Reform of the Security Council is necessary in order

to overcome the imbalances that exist in its current

composition. We support an appropriate increase in the

number of permanent and non-permanent members, so that

the Council will be representative of the number of

Members that the Organization now has. These new

members should have the same rights and obligations and

be designated in conformity with the principle of

geographical distribution, so as to include developing

countries in both categories. We believe it particularly

important to devote attention to the Council’s working

methods and procedure so as to ensure that the decision-

making process is participatory, democratic and transparent

and involves effective coordination among all the organs of

the system.

The United Nations was created to be universal in

nature. Therefore all peace-loving States that accept the

obligations enshrined in the Charter should be Members of

it. For this reason, we reaffirm our support for the just

aspiration of the Republic of China on Taiwan to rejoin

the Organization on the basis of the principle of

universality, which is the distinguishing mark of the

United Nations.

In conclusion, I wish to state that the people of

Central America are grateful for the work of the United

Nations in the process of peacemaking, democratization

and development in Central America. We recognize the

efforts that the Organization is continuing to make to

promote international peace and security by seeking to

settle conflicts by peaceful means and in accordance with

the principles of international law.

On the threshold of a new century, nations are facing

tremendous challenges. We invoke the aid of God so that

peace, freedom and human values may prevail among the

peoples of the earth.