Kuwait, 1982

It is a pleasure, Sir, to see you on the podium

conducting the affairs of the thirty-seventh

session, whose agenda includes the most important

issues, issues directly related to the security,

peace, stability and future of mankind; We have

great confidence that your vast knowledge and

experience, and the active role played by your

friendly country in international relations, wi!!

help us, and you, realize our expecta¬tions of

this session. In the name of the Amir, the

Government and the people of Kuwait, please

accept our congratulations on your election.

166. The thirty-sixth session was fortunate in

having been presided over by a colleague who is

dear to you and to us, Mr. Ismat Kittani; he

played a distinguished role and one deserving of

our appreciation and our gratitude.

167. Since this is the first time I have

addressed the general Assembly since the

Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar

took office, I take this opportunity to say again

that my country welcomes his accession to that

high position; we wish him good luck and all

success.

168. Furthermore, I must not let this

opportunity pass without expressing to the former

Secretary- General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, our thanks

and appre¬ciation for his constructive and

dedicated efforts to help establish world

security and stability during his term of office.

We extend to him, too, our best wishes in the

coming years.

169. The world situation has entered on a new

era of complication and confusion, which have

left their mark on the noble values that mankind

has accepted as its constitution, values such as

those of sovereignty, independence, justice,

non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful

coexistence among nations, and the elimination of

the pains and evils inherent in blocs and in

competing selfish interests.

170. The political rivalry between the two

competing camps has led to dialogue and being

replaced by confrontation and estrangement, and

thus has put an end to what was left of the

policy of detente, with its favorable impact on

international relations.

171. The increasing complications of

international relations and conflicts among

various interests have increasingly involved

smaller nations in the spheres of influence of

the super-Powers, to an extent that actually

jeopardizes even the unity, solidarity and

effectiveness of the regional organizations which

have been playing an important role in furthering

the secu¬rity and prosperity of the countries and

peoples of the respective regions.

172. The confusion arising from the ambiguity

of the international situation has had an obvious

impact on the ability and effectiveness of the

United Nations and its various organs,

particularly the Security Council. In his report

on the work of the Organiza¬tion, the

Secretary-General was honest with him, and

accurately described a fact which can no longer

be denied when he talked candidly about the

weakening of the effectiveness and credibility of

the United Nations as an instrument for achieving

peace and preventing war. We realize that the

United Nations has, unfortunately, not been able,

except in a few rare occasions, to act

effectively to maintain peace in the world.

Instead, we note that it has become a stage which

the competing Powers use flagrantly as an

instrument for defending their own interests by

every possible means, to the extent that the

Security Council has been unable to fulfil its

primary responsibility—not because of remoteness

from the scene of events or any reluctance to

exert efforts, but because of the abuse by some

of its members of their right of veto.

Those members, upon whose shoulders rests a

special responsibility for maintaining

international peace and security, have in

addition used their power in the Council to

prevent any collective measures from being

adopted by the international community whenever

such measures would affect any part of their

spheres of influence.

173. There is now a very wide gap between

com¬mitment to the principles and provisions of

the Charter and the actual behavior of nations in

their inter¬national relations. Resorting to the

force of arms and military supremacy as

instruments to solve problems rather than on the

force of truth, justice and interna¬tional values

has impaired the prestige of the United Nations,

which once embodied the hopes of mankind in a

society where security, prosperity, justice and

brotherhood prevailed.

174. The State of Kuwait believes that this

dangerous situation makes it imperative urgently

to consider responsible and serious action by all

the members of the international community to

rekindle the commit¬ment to the principles of the

Organization.

175. Since the beginning of this year the

General Assembly has had to convene several

special sessions to discuss the dangerous

developments relating to the question of

Palestine and the situation in the Middle East.

The Security Council has also met several times

during the same period for the same purpose.

Those two bodies have adopted resolutions, under

the pro¬visions of the Charter, to deal with the

flagrant aggres¬sion perpetrated by Israel

against an independent and sovereign Member

State—Lebanon—and against the displaced

Palestinian people. That people's loss of its

land and legitimate rights and its dispersal and

the suffering inflicted upon it for more than 35

years have been caused primarily by the creation

of Israel itself.

176. As recorded by all the Western news

media, Israel's actions in Lebanon were more

brutal and inhuman than anything ever witnessed

by the world before—a human holocaust which did

not discriminate between men, women and children,

the total destruc¬tion of everything on the land,

under the pretext of security safeguards, a

pretext universally acknowl¬edged to be

fallacious.

177. We wonder what would be the fate of the

world if all nations tried to solve their

security problems in this manner.

178. The horrible massacre which shocked

every¬one's conscience throughout the world has

once again confirmed the dimensions of the blind

fanaticism and the racist Zionist hatred of the

Israeli regime directed against the defenseless,

innocent people in the Palestinian camps, which

had been evacuated by the Palestinian fighters

when they left west Beirut under guarantees from

the United States of America —which is precisely

why that country bears a moral as well as a legal

responsibility for what happened there.

179. Hence the international community is

called upon to do more than express condemnation

or shed tears, because evil forces do net react

to moral prin¬ciples or human feelings. It is

therefore necessary to restrain them by means

that are not beyond the capabilities of the

international community. As usual, Israel has not

respected any agreements, pledges or charters.

Its behavior is not governed by any values or

principles. This is clearly shown by the extent

of its disregard for United Nations

resolutions—which is precisely what has led us to

call upon Member States, after all that has

happened, to suspend Israel's membership of the

United Nations as a first step as well as a

deterrent to force it to obey the will of the

international community.

180. The Arab land, the cradle of divine

revelations which participated in bringing the

principles of peace, justice and brotherhood to

the peoples of the world, is victim today to the

Zionist arrogance of power, with all its American

arms of destruction—an arro¬gance of power that

has caused such frustration among the people of

Palestine and the other peoples of the region

that the resultant explosion threatens tc add a

new element to the present conflict of power and

arms, with the emergence of bitter anger and

mutual hatred.

181. While drawing the attention of the

international community to this dangerous abyss

towards which our region is heading and which

reminds us of the tragic human conflicts of the

ages, we appeal to it firmly to resist this

imminent danger. It is possible to disarm the

hand, but difficult to defuse hatred in the heart.

182. After what happened in Lebanon, Kuwait is

convinced that the independence, security,

territorial integrity and safety of the brotherly

people of that country cannot be a subject for

debate. It follows that the necessary measures

must be taken to compel Israel to abide by

Security Council resolutions 308 (1982) and 509

(1982) calling for its immediate and

unconditional withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

183. The Palestinian people, under the

leadership of the PLO, have emerged from the

latest tragic events much stronger and more

united and cohesive. Through its conduct

politically in negotiations and militarily on the

battlefield, the PLO has proved that it is the

legitimate spokesman of the Palestinian people

and that it is deeply committed to international

responsi¬bility and its role in the preservation

of peace and security in the Middle East.

184. It has become obvious from a whole series

of Israeli violations, such as the annexation of

Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights to the

raid on the Iraqi nuclear installation and the

barbaric invasion of Lebanon, that Israel's

ultimate intention is to achieve one particular

objective which it does not even bother to

conceal—namely, the establishment of Greater

Israel—and its strategy to achieve that objective

has become crystal clear—namely, to use the

flimsy pretext of security as a means of

achieving ' its expansionist designs.

185. In their constant search for a peaceful,

just and honorable solution to the Palestinian

question, the Arab countries were able to

manifest once again, at the Twelfth Arab Summit

Conference, held in Fez, the Arab nation's

capability of living up to the situation by

adopting a series of general principles as an

accepted basis for a peaceful and durable

solution to the Palestinian question which would

safeguard the legitimate rights of the people of

Palestine. Elements of the proposed settlement

were inspired by the Arab countries' sense of

international and historical responsibility and

the principles and bases of interna¬tional

charters, as well as of United Nations

reso-lutions, such as the inadmissibility of the

acquisition of territories by force, the right of

all peoples to full self-determination, free of

any narrow or biased interpretation, the peaceful

settlement of disputes and the Security Council's

responsibility for maintaining international

peace and security.

186. The unanimity shown by Arab heads of

State in adopting the principles of the Fez

Conference offers the international community a

unique opportunity to move ahead on the road to a

new era based on this initiative, which is

rightly considered an important turning point

whose meaning should not be lost on anyone and

which expresses the genuine and firm desire of

the Arab countries to end the conflict and

preserve peace in the area.

187. It was not surprising to see that Israel

rejected those Arab principles, for that

rejection reflects the Israeli strategy in the

Middle East—a strategy based on the consolidation

of the and the impo¬sition of new on the

international community.

188. In our view, the international community

must consider those Arab principles as the

greatest oppor-tunity ever offered to settle the

Middle East crisis and the Palestine question on

a concrete and realistic basis.

189. It is the view of Kuwait that the United

States, in particular, should seriously consider

this Arab ini-tiative, should understand its

meaning and should respond to it positively so

that it will become an accepted fact which will

establish truth, security and justice in a region

where the clouds of injustice and aggression have

been and still are looming. On the other hand,

the group of European countries which had for a

long time sought to participate in any

con¬structive approach to settling this thorny

issue should seriously consider those principles

and should not let the dream of peace in the

Middle East be dashed by the misleading and

deceptive policy of Israel. It is within our

reach to hold on to the ray of hope—to preserve

it and strengthen it so that it will eventually

turn into an impregnable bulwark protecting the

rights of the just and preserving peace.

190. I should now like to refer to what I said at

the 18th meeting of the thirty-sixth session

about the establishment of the Gulf Co-operation

Council, which has now become a fact and which

has proved to be the right and successful

instrument for developing co¬operation among

member States, improving their rela¬tions, and

achieving co-ordination, integration and

interdependence among their peoples in all

fields, thereby serving their mutual interests

and strength¬ening their capability of

participating in the preserva¬tion of peace and

security in that vital area of the world. It has

also stressed another important fact: namely,

that security and stability in the Arabian Gulf

area are the responsibility of its peoples and

countries, which reject foreign interference from

any source and under any pretext and that the

member States alone have the right to defend

their security and maintain their independence.

The Council has also emerged in the field of Arab

relations as a tributary of Arab unity and

solidarity.

191. Kuwait views with great concern the

ongoing war between two Moslem neighbors, Iraq

and Iran, which has exhausted, over a period of

more than two years, the great potential of their

human and economic resources and has exposed the

area more than ever before to the possibility of

intervention by foreign Powers attempting to

impost their hege¬mony and their influence and to

international areas and internal affairs.

192. Kuwait commends the positive initiative

of fraternal Iraq concerning the withdrawal of

its forces to the international borders and the

cessation of hostilities. It views this as an

honest and genuine contribution on the part of

Iraq to put a quick end to the war. We are still

hopeful that neighbouring Moslem Iran will soon

follow Iraq's example in this respect.

193. Kuwait fully appreciates all the honest

efforts exerted by all parties concerned to find

an honorable and just solution to the dispute—one

which would safeguard the rights and dignity of

both parties. But in spite of the fact that those

efforts have, unfor¬tunately, not been successful

so far, we still believe in the necessity of

continuing them and even inten¬sifying them. We

also hope that the supreme interest of

maintaining peace and security in the area will

prevail over all other considerations. We are

con¬vinced that the immediate cessation of

hostilities would create the right climate for

the solution of all problems, in accordance,

above all, with the spirit and ideals of Islamic

brotherhood and with interna¬tional law.

194. The situation on our Asian continent is

still replete with explosive crises that threaten

our peace and security. Foreign troops are still

on Afghan soil, and all the efforts exerted by

the United Nations to reach a peaceful and just

solution to that crisis on the basis of the

various resolutions adopted by the As¬sembly are

foundering. While we appreciate the

par¬ticipation of the parties to the dispute in

the meeting recently held at Geneva under the

aegis of the United Nations, we call for an

intensification of efforts at subsequent meetings

in order to arrive at a solution that will

safeguard the rights of the people of Afghanistan

to self-determination and to establish the

political system they deem suitable, free from

any foreign intervention. We also affirm the

right of the Afghan refugees to return to their

homeland. Kuwait is con¬vinced that none of these

goals can be secured without the withdrawal of

foreign troops from Afghanistan and

non-intervention in its internal affairs.

195. We regret the failure of the efforts made

so far to convene an international conference to

discuss the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a

Zone of Peace. Kuwait has been stressing the need

to convene such a conference because of its

conviction that the peace and security of the

Indian Ocean and the withdrawal of foreign bases

from that area are vital and closely linked to

international peace and security. Kuwait also

reit¬erates its advocacy of the declaration of

the Middle East as a nuclear-weapon-free zone in

order to enable the countries of that region to concentrate

on solving their development problems and

carrying out their economic development

programmes.

196. Like the Middle East, the African

continent continues to be an arena of strife and

conflict that threaten its political stability

and impede its economic progress. The Middle East

is plagued by an aggressive and racist Zionist

regime, while the African continent is plagued by

a similar racist regime that is still being

imposed on the people of South Africa and Namibia

despite all the international attempts to find a

just and honorable solution to their problems.

197. Kuwait reiterates its support for and

solidarity with the people of Namibia in their

just struggle and with the black majority in

South Africa as it struggles against the policies

of discrimination and apartheid being pursued by

the white minority in that country . We salute

and support the front-line States and SWAPO for

their political perseverance in attempting to

find a peaceful settlement to the problem of

Namibia. We also condemn the perverted methods

used by the racist regime in South Africa in its

attempts to obstruct a peaceful settlement to

that problem. Kuwait would also urge the Western

nations to exert the utmost pressure on South

Africa in order to force it to respond positively

to international efforts to achieve a

comprehensive and just settlement to the

situation in southern Africa.

198. Kuwait is also watching the development

of the situation in Eritrea and hopes that a just

solution that will guarantee that the people of

Eritrea attain their national aspirations can be

found.

199. In a few months the Seventh Conference of

Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned

Coun¬tries will convene in the Indian capital.

The movement non-aligned is still? 20 years after

its creation, facing tremendous challenges; it

requires from its members an increased adherence

to its principles and ideology. By taking the

initiative of not acting as host to the Seventh

Conference, Iraq has proved its earnest desire to

maintain the unity and effectiveness of the

movement. Kuwait believes that States members of

the movement should avoid being drawn into the

conflict between the great Powers, which seek to

polarize those States towards one camp or the

other. Kuwait also feels a special interest in

the forthcoming Conference in India and hopes

that its results will reflect the aspirations of

the third world.

200. We cannot fail to note the sense of

disillusion¬ment felt by the international

community at the failure of the second special

session on disarmament. The continuing

development of weapons of mass destruc¬tion, the

continued conducting of nuclear tests and the

continued stockpiling of huge quantities of

weapons has exposed the lack of political will on

the part of the Powers involved to create a

favorable climate for disarmament.

201. Kuwait believes that the economic

problems facing today's world are for the most

part caused by the tremendous costs of the arms

race. We therefore call upon the United Nations

to refuse to allow itself to be impeded by the

temporary set-back of the failure of the second

special session and to continue its attempts to

achieve the cherished aspirations and dreams of

mankind.

202. Through its long experience in

contributing to the development of third-world

countries, Kuwait realizes that the achievement

of development in the developing countries is

primarily the responsibility of those countries.

That responsibility, however, does not release

the advanced countries from their commitments to

the developing nations and, conse¬quently, a

formula should be worked out to co-ordinate,

follow up and implement the activities of

economic co-operation among the developing

nations them¬selves, on the one hand, and between

them and the developed and advanced nations on

the other. While Kuwait fully appreciates the

efforts that were made during the past year to

launch global negotiations to achieve economic

co-operation, it expresses its disap¬pointment at

the many obstacles being placed in the way of

such negotiations by the developed nations, which

continue to look upon this vital matter from the

viewpoint of their selfish interests.

203. The Third United Nations Conference on

the Law of the Sea made important specific

progress when it adopted the draft Convention

which the Conference had been debating for more

than 10 years. Kuwait, aware of its international

responsibility, appeals to all nations which have

not yet approved this Con¬vention to join the

rest of the international community in its common

conception of the organization and utilization of

all the important and vital aspects of the

Convention in the best interests and for the

prosperity of mankind. Kuwait hopes that this

Con¬vention will be ratified as soon as possible.

204. The delegation of Kuwait, while sharing

the concern of the international community over

the current international political and economic

situation, is convinced that it is imperative to

continue the dialogue and intensify the bilateral

and multilateral contacts among all nations. This

concern for interna¬tional peace and security, as

expressed by all Mem¬ber States, makes us fully

confident that, given honest intentions and

explicit goals, it will be possible to realize

our hopes in the establishment of co-operation

among peoples and to avoid the evils of wars and

disputes. Progress and prosperity will thus come

closer and be more significant.