Laos, 1996

At the outset, I wish to

express my pleasure at seeing you, Sir, assume the

presidency of the fifty-first session of the General

Assembly. Your election to this very responsible post

attests to the important role of your country, Malaysia, a

country with which the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic has excellent relations of friendship and

cooperation in many areas. Aware of your outstanding

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competence and your qualities as an experienced diplomat,

I am convinced that this session’s proceedings will be

crowned with brilliant success.

I also wish on this occasion to express my sincere

appreciation to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali,

for the outstanding work he has accomplished during his

five years in office in the service of the nations and peoples

of the world.

The strengthening of cooperation for development

among peoples that we have seen in recent years reflects

the general trend throughout the world. In various regions,

however, we must sadly note the persistence of complex

situations and tensions arising from bloody ethnic conflicts

and religious differences.

Even more serious, we are witnessing interference in

the internal affairs of States. Hegemonic policies are

targeted against small States through arbitrary economic

blockades, which constitute new forms of racism and

slavery. This threatens and could destroy harmonious

coexistence among States and peoples. The entire

international community must work even harder to find

ways and means to solve these problems as soon as

possible. This is no easy task. We must all be patient and

resolute. If we work together, keeping equity and justice in

our sights as we have done many times, we believe that we

can reach our ultimate goals.

In Europe, the Dayton Peace Agreement signed on 14

December 1995 to address the problems of Bosnia and

Herzegovina, and the recent ensuing elections, marked an

important stage in the search for a solution to the

distressing and destructive conflict in that country. We

appeal to all parties concerned to show maximum restraint

and objectivity in their sincere and rigorous implementation

of the commitments made, in order to restore peace,

stability and cooperation in that region.

In South Africa, under the resolute guidance of

President Mandela, the South African people are trying to

overcome the aftermath of apartheid and rebuild the

beloved country. We pay tribute to the new South African

authorities for their determination and courage, and hope

that South Africa and its courageous people will enjoy

every success in these difficult undertakings.

In the countries of the Caribbean, economic

cooperation and cultural and other relations have continued

to develop in accordance with the current international

climate, thereby enhancing peace and security in that part

of the world. Given this logical course of events, we hope

that the United States of America will adopt a more

reasonable position in its efforts to solve the ongoing

problem with the Republic of Cuba through sincere

dialogue in order to respond to the legitimate interests of

the two peoples and help promote understanding between

the two countries.

In the Middle East, following the establishment of

the Palestinian Authority in accordance with the

Washington peace accord signed in 1993, the peace

process was a source of great hope. But recently it has

run into difficulties. Events last week in Jerusalem further

compound the situation. We are deeply concerned at the

situation and the Government of Laos hopes that the

coming meeting between leaders of the parties to the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict will help normalize the

situation so that the commitments they made can be

respected in the interest of peace and cooperation in the

region and throughout the world.

On the Korean peninsula, the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea and the United States are rightly

continuing to implement agreements reached, thereby

helping consolidate peace in the region. We welcome this

situation, and the Government and the people of Laos

express their full support for the deep-seated aspirations

of the Korean people for a situation in which a new war

becomes impossible and the peaceful reunification of

Korea can take place on the basis of dialogue and new,

suitable mechanisms that can turn aims into reality.

In South-East Asia, a movement towards peace and

cooperation has gathered strength. Recently, in Malaysia,

representatives of the countries of the region discussed a

planned railroad from Asia to Europe, from Singapore

towards China via Laos. This project would enhance

cooperation in the region. With this in mind, the countries

of the region are trying to work together to solve their

problems by peaceful means in accordance with regional

realities. By remaining true to their policies of peaceful

coexistence and security in the interests of development,

these countries, including the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic, have signed a treaty on the establishment of a

nuclear-weapon-free-zone in South-East Asia. This

historic event is their major contribution. The Government

of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic believes that the

adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

by the fiftieth session of the General Assembly is a sign

of the immeasurable success of efforts made by the

international community to bring about the gradual

elimination of nuclear weapons throughout the world.

5

In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the

economic reform that began in 1986 has borne its first

fruits for our people. Average annual economic growth over

the past five years, from 1991 to 1995, stands at

approximately 6.4 per cent. The inflation rate is generally

stable, thereby helping gradually to raise the living

standards of the multi-ethnic Lao populations. What we

have accomplished has helped maintain political stability

and social harmony. This was why, during its congress last

March, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party gave an

exhaustive account of socio-economic development and

decided to continue reform unremittingly on the basis of a

market economy. It also decided to aim for average annual

national economic growth of 8 to 8.5 per cent and a per

capita income of $500 per year by the year 2000. Currently,

our Government is encouraging the various economic

sectors to develop and is helping foreigners invest in the

potential of the country with a view to laying down

material and technical foundations that can help the country

say goodbye to underdevelopment by the year 2020. This

is a major and arduous task which the Government will

work hard to fulfil.

In its foreign relations, the Government of the Lao

People’s Democratic Republic intends to continue its policy

of peace, independence, friendship and cooperation with all

countries and international and non-governmental

organizations. For now, it will focus its efforts on preparing

the conditions necessary for us to be able to join the

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997.

This will enable the country to develop along the general

lines of other countries in the region and throughout the

world. We are pleased that Cambodia and Myanmar have

indicated that they too wish to join ASEAN.

Positive developments are taking place in the

international economic situation. Some countries are

showing signs of progress. However, there have been no

indications that the world economy will make a speedy and

lasting recovery. Increased interdependence and

globalization in the international economy have both

provided new opportunities and caused new tensions and

imbalances, and have, in particular, increased the

marginalization of developing countries. The entire

international community must act together to ensure that

there will be a more favourable and more equitable

international economic environment in which developing

countries can effectively wage their struggle against poverty

in order to achieve progress throughout their societies.

The right to decent housing for all is essential in

guaranteeing stability and sound development in the socio-

economic sphere. We are therefore pleased to note the

accomplishments of the United Nations Conference on

Human Settlements, held in June at Istanbul. The Lao

People’s Democratic Republic is also pleased to note the

positive results achieved at the ninth United Nations

Conference on Trade and Development, which took place

last May in Midrand, South Africa.

Recently, the World Congress against Commercial

Sexual Exploitation of Children, held in Stockholm,

Sweden, seriously considered the troubling situation in

which every year, more than a million children throughout

the world are victims of abusers of all sorts, and

presented various measures to the international

community to combat this new danger which threatens the

future of the new generation. The Lao Government

supports these efforts and is determined to implement

them in every manner possible.

The problem of drug abuse continues to weigh

heavily on the international community. Because of its

globalization, this problem can be solved only through

effective international cooperation founded on the

principle of shared responsibility. In recent years, the

Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has

formulated a comprehensive programme for drug control

through the year 2000, which consists in a gradual

reduction in poppy cultivation through the implementation

of integrated rural development projects. Given the

seriousness of drugs in our society, we have recently

amended our penal code and laid down more severe

sentences for such offenses. We have achieved a certain

number of satisfying results in implementing this

programme, although a great deal remains to be done.

With the cooperation and assistance of friendly countries

and international and non-governmental organizations, we

hope to be able to make even greater progress in the

future, which will contribute to the international

community’s effort to eradicate this scourge from the face

of the Earth.

The environment is one of the issues to which the

international community attaches great importance.

Developed and developing countries alike have a

sovereign, sacred right to exploit their natural resources.

In exercising this fundamental right, sustained, economic

growth must go hand in hand with environment

protection, and vice versa. Environmental protection

should in no way imply a rejection of economic

development out of fear of damaging the environment. As

the two pillars of lasting development in all countries,

these concepts must be mutually reinforcing. It would be

6

unwise, in our view, to emphasize one at the expense of the

other. Only equal regard for these two aspects will

guarantee the success of any development effort.

We live in a complex and still uncertain world. In this

context, nations and peoples throughout the world accord

great importance to the United Nations, the only universal

multilateral forum for the consideration of world problems.

In order to ensure that it can discharge its great duties, the

institution needs to adapt itself to new world realities. In

this vein, it is essential to affirm the role of the General

Assembly, where all States are represented, as the United

Nations system’s principal organ for deliberation and

decision-making. As for the Security Council, the Lao

delegation believes that it should be restructured and made

more democratic, and that there should be a limited

expansion in the number of its permanent and non-

permanent members according to equitable geographic

distribution and taking into account the relative importance

of the various countries. In an effort to achieve this goal,

certain countries, such as Japan, Germany and India in

particular, should become permanent members of the

Security Council. The Security Council would thus be in a

position to meet the legitimate aspirations of Member

States, and particularly of the developing countries, which

constitute the vast majority of nations on our planet. In this

vein, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, in cooperation

with other delegations, will spare no effort to positively

contribute to the current efforts to strengthen our universal

Organization.