Kazakhstan, 1996

I wish to congratulate the

President of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session

on his election to his high office. I would like to express

my confidence that he will accomplish his important

mission honourably.

There is no doubt that the fifty-first session of the

General Assembly will go down in the history of mankind

as an important milestone on the world community’s road

to global peace and security. One of the most important

diplomatic documents of our century, the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, has been opened for signing.

On that occasion the President of Kazakstan,

Mr. Nursultan Nazarbaev, made a special statement,

which has been circulated as an official United Nations

document. The people of Kazakstan, having fully

experienced the destructive power of nuclear weapons,

resolutely voted to end the testing of these lethal

weapons. In 1991 the President of Kazakstan, expressing

the wish of his people, made a decision to shut down the

Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Thus, Kazakstan had

already taken decisive measures to ban nuclear testing

five years ago.

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Kazakstan is consistent in its policy of non-

proliferation of nuclear weapons. Recently, we completed

the dismantling of the nuclear infrastructure on the territory

of Kazakstan, thereby eliminating the capability that was,

until recently, the fourth largest in the world.

That is why, when giving their due to all the countries

which have trod the thorny path of preparing this Treaty, I

believe it is necessary to recognize my country’s significant

contribution to this extremely important cause.

However, considerable progress in disarmament does

not, regrettably, guarantee the stability of the present world

order. We still witness some negative impulses destroying

the basis of the relationship between the States which

united more than half a century ago. We have to admit that

with the disappearance of a bipolar world, our planet has

not become safer. On the contrary, the potential for global

conflict has increased considerably increased. That is why

the issue of reforming the United Nations, so that our

common Organization can adequately respond to conflicting

realities of international relations at this juncture, is

becoming ever so urgent.

Reforms are an indispensable element of any system’s

development. They are even more important in the case of

such a universal forum as the United Nations. In his speech

at the Special Commemorative Meeting of the General

Assembly, the President of Kazakstan underscored the

important need to increase the world community’s efforts

to elaborate a conceptual model of a renewed United

Nations. It involves new objectives, tasks and functions of

the United Nations of the next century.

The United Nations, being a genuinely universal

Organization, requires a special approach. It is important to

keep in mind that the United Nations is our common home.

We cannot count on hotels in case of emergency. That is

why United Nations reforms should be approached from

rational positions. We want the United Nations to keep up

with the times and to tap the potential for self-improvement

and elimination of the vestiges of the past. We want the

United Nations structure to be more effective and flexible

in dealing with the problems threatening peace and security.

Supporting the desire of Japan and Germany to become

permanent members of the Security Council, Kazakstan is

in favour of an expansion of the Council’s non-permanent

membership on the basis of an equitable and balanced

representation of all regions. All other proposals should also

be taken into consideration.

Criticism of the United Nations can hardly be a

reason for doubting its ability to function and for shifting

all the blame onto the Secretary-General. I am sure that

we have not yet fully mobilized the creative potential of

the United Nations. This applies first of all to the Charter.

We should carefully reread it, taking into consideration

today’s world order, not to drastically revise, it but to find

additional opportunities hidden in this truly

comprehensive document. It is our opinion that despite

the piles of studies on the legal framework of the United

Nations, the Charter itself contains enormous unexplored

potential for the renewal of the United Nations. Until the

United Nations mobilizes these dormant capabilities it

will create the impression of a dormant Organization

unable to respond to the challenges of today.

We have to take a closer look at those provisions of

the Charter that deal with cooperation between the United

Nations and regional organizations, or, speaking the

language of the Charter, with regional arrangements and

agencies. This kind of interaction would be extremely

effective for the development of an early warning system

and preventive diplomacy. Besides, active cooperation

with regional organizations would be beneficial when

dealing with economic problems.

I would like to recall President Nursultan

Nazarbaev’s proposal to include in the agenda of a future

session of the General Assembly an item entitled “United

Nations reforms — an adequate response to the

challenges of the twenty-first century”.

One does not have to elaborate on the need to ensure

stability and security in the Central Asia region.

Kazakstan, as a strategically important State in this

region, makes every effort to guarantee tranquillity in

Central Asia.

However, the situation in the region defies

straightforward assessment. There are zones of

tranquillity, including Kazakstan, but there are also zones

of conflict. One matter of great concern is the situation in

Afghanistan. Further escalation of the conflict in

Afghanistan could have negative effects on the situation

in Central Asia. We are grateful to the Security Council

for paying attention to the situation in that country. There

is no doubt that the Security Council statement of 28

September 1996 is important for the resolution of the

situation there. At the same time, we urge the Security

Council to take up this item again in order to elaborate

measures to stop the conflict.

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The situation in Central Asia underscores the need for

greater interaction between the region and the United

Nations. Such interaction would cause Central Asia to

become more involved in international cooperation. Central

Asia could undoubtedly contribute to the establishment of

a safer world order.

In this regard, we pin great hopes on the establishment

by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the

Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Economic

Commission for Europe (ECE) of a joint commission for

Central Asia. We appreciate the positive United Nations

reaction to this initiative of our Head of State.

Kazakstan wants to join the World Trade Organization

as soon as possible and is taking concrete steps in this

direction.

We are grateful to the United Nations for its support

of Kazakstan’s proposal concerning the resolution on transit

environment in the landlocked States of Central Asia.

We are also pleased at the positive reaction of the

United Nations to the initiative of the leaders of the three

Central Asian States concerning the formation of a Central

Asian peacekeeping battalion. I would like to take this

opportunity to state that the Central Asian peacekeeping

battalion will be committed to the United Nations Charter

and will serve the ideals and purposes of our Organization.

Four years ago, speaking at the United Nations, the

President of Kazakstan pointed out the necessity of

convening a conference on interaction and confidence-

building measures in Asia. It is with deep satisfaction that

we can report that our quest for peace and security on the

Asian continent is being supported by an ever increasing

number of States. Experts are at work on a permanent

basis. A conference on Asian security took place at the

level of Deputy Foreign Ministers. We are especially

grateful to the United Nations for its assistance in the

implementation of the initiative of our Head of State.

Kazakstan regards the convocation of this conference on

interaction and confidence-building measures in Asia as its

contribution to United Nations global peacekeeping efforts.

Kazakstan fully supports the peace-making activities

of the United Nations in different parts of the world. We

have no doubt that the United Nations should play a

priority role in the maintenance of international peace and

security. Our common task is to prevent United Nations

peace-making functions from being delegated to any other

organizations. The diminished peace-making potential of

the United Nations is not its fault, but its misfortune.

Kazakstan believes that United Nations peace-

making activities could be rendered more effective

through a more precise formulation and strengthening of

the missions’ mandates. They could thereby make a

significant contribution to the resolution of crisis

situations.

When we talk about international issues we cannot

ignore a trend as alarming as the growth of secessionism.

This phenomenon has become one of the major causes of

crisis situations in the world, particularly in the post-

Soviet context. We think that the United Nations must

pay close attention to the destructive consequences of

aggressive secessionism. The time has come to put an end

to the absolute right of nations to self-determination.

Basically, the world has already realized the right to self-

determination; further continuation of this process will

create new trouble spots and lead to more bloodshed. The

current world order should rest on the principles of the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. If we really

care about the stability of the current world order we

must firmly reject any manifestation of secessionism. Our

highest values should be the peace, well-being and

happiness of peoples, and we can achieve these goals not

by instigating peoples to self-determination but by

creating appropriate conditions for the sustainable

economic development of all nations.

From this lofty rostrum it is impossible to ignore

another problem that brings great pain to humankind, a

pain which our country feels especially acutely. I am

referring to environmental disasters. There may be no

other place in the world where such vast territories are

affected by the consequences of these disasters. Indeed,

more than half of Kazakstan’s territory could be declared

an environmental disaster area. However, it is not only a

matter of territories, but people who are still suffering.

The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and the Aral Sea have

become disaster areas of global dimensions. Furthermore,

we should not forget that Kazakstan has been the site of

chemical and biological weapons tests.

All these problems require priority attention from the

United Nations. During economic transition, even large

States cannot cope alone with environmental problems of

such magnitude. It is also important to remember that it

is innocent people who suffer, not the ones who created

or tested these lethal weapons. They are the victims of the

arms race between the two opposing systems, victims of

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the totalitarian thinking of the cold war period. They have

every right to demand the attention of international

organizations and donor countries.

We cannot say that the United Nations has been

indifferent to the consequences of the environmental

disasters in Kazakstan. But, at the same time, we cannot

claim that the victims of these environmental disasters have

felt practical results of the activities of international

missions. We are grateful to the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations

Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank for the

elaboration of large-scale programmes for the rehabilitation

of the Aral Sea zone. At the same time, we are looking

forward to a more active execution of these programmes.

Meanwhile, the situation in this region, as well as in other

environmental disaster areas, remains extremely serious.

Kazakstan welcomes and supports the resolution of the

United Nations General Assembly to convene a special

session on environment and sustainable development in the

middle of next year. We hope that this forum will adopt

meaningful decisions on environmental problems that also

affect our country.

This century, which has witnessed two world wars, the

collapse of the colonial system and the disintegration of the

socialist system, has begun a new phase. This phase has

new dimensions, both geo-political and geo-economic.

In politics, a trend towards the globalization of

international problems has been apparent. With the end of

the cold war, the problems of nuclear non-proliferation have

not been solved. The problem of environmental security has

acquired global dimensions. The globalization of

communications has triggered illegal trafficking in weapons,

drugs and money of giant proportions. A new information

realm has been formed in which national borders have

become merely symbolic.

Previously unknown methods of production have

emerged, increasingly referred to as “computer civilization”.

Scientific research and technological factors have grown in

importance as never before. New technologies have become

the hottest items in world markets. The role of a State in

world economic ties is changing; it is no longer the

dominant institute. International institutes function as

independent international economic entities.

It is with this list of problems, which is far from being

complete, that we are entering the next century. We have

yet to sort them out and find optimal ways to adapt to new

realities which will be facing us in the twenty-first

century. We have to admit that humankind, creating these

problems through its activities, still cannot find adequate

ways to solve them.

That is why we turn to the United Nations. Our

common home is becoming a quintessence of the human

mind. We have to help the United Nations reach a new

level in dealing with global trends. A renewed

Organization, promptly reacting to the challenges of

today, will not only enrich itself but will also give us a

sense of confidence on the eve of the next century.