Laos, 1997

In accordance with tradition,

I take this opportunity to begin by congratulating the

President most warmly on his assumption of the

presidency of the fifty-second session of the United

Nations General Assembly. His unanimous election,

which has placed him in this highly responsible post in

this important international arena, is a warm tribute to his

country, Ukraine. I wish him every possible success in the

discharge of his difficult duties.

I would also like to congratulate his predecessor,

Mr. Razali Ismail, Permanent Representative of Malaysia,

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on his dynamic presidency during the last session of the

General Assembly.

The Lao delegation also wishes to express its

appreciation to Mr. Kofi Annan, our new Secretary-General,

for his good work so far. His first nine months at the helm

of our Organization have been a time of strenuous effort

and resolute action aimed at reforming our universal

Organization to make it more effective and better suited to

meeting today’s challenges. To our new Secretary-General,

we express our sincere wishes for success in shouldering

his weighty and great responsibilities.

The general trend towards dialogue and cooperation

between States and peoples for the progress of humankind

in this new era continues to characterize international

relations. Clearly, we are delighted because on the whole

this is highly positive. However, in several regions of the

world we still witness persistent tension and conflict, due

to interference in the internal affairs of States; the

implementation of policies aimed at hegemony over

developing States; and tribal, ethnic, religious and other

divisions. This situation of tension and conflict is a

potential threat to peaceful coexistence and harmony

between States, and may even jeopardize the current

atmosphere of international cooperation to promote

development. In the interests of world peace, a sine qua

non for the promotion of socio-economic development, we

should work together patiently and resolutely, to find

realistic and appropriate solutions as soon as possible.

In Europe, the peace accords signed in Dayton on 14

December 1995 opened the door to resolving the painful

and destructive conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We

truly hope that the parties concerned will sincerely and

strictly honour their commitments in order to preserve the

fragile peace and cooperation in that region.

In some African countries tribal and ethnic conflicts

continue to rage, causing serious harm to their peoples. We

express our sincere sympathy to the peoples of these

countries over the untold suffering they have had to endure.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic considers it

imperative that the international community, and in

particular the countries concerned, redouble efforts to

resolve these disputes as quickly as possible.

In the Caribbean, multifaceted cooperation between the

States of the region continues to grow, thus contributing to

peace and security in that part of the world. In this context,

it is time the United States of America made greater efforts

and undertook reasonable negotiations with the Republic of

Cuba to resolve their differences, in the interest of both

the American and the Cuban peoples and in the interest

of regional and global peace.

In the Middle East, the establishment of the

Palestinian Authority, in accordance with the Washington

accords signed in 1993, marked a crucial stage in the

search for a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict, which dates back over 30 years. The

peace process which had been set in motion is now

confronting grave difficulties, as the recent violence

clearly demonstrates. The Lao People’s Democratic

Republic expresses its grave concern regarding this

situation. We very much hope that the parties

concerned — Israel and the Palestine Liberation

Organization — will show great wisdom, and even

greater restraint, and will engage in serious negotiations

to resolve their problem, thus contributing to restoring

peace and stability to this sensitive region.

In the Korean peninsula, the implementation by the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United

States of America of agreements that had been concluded

and the recent opening in New York of preliminary

quadripartite talks on peace in Korea are important stages

in the efforts to ease tension and confrontation in that

region. In this context, the Lao Government and people,

while welcoming the efforts of the parties concerned,

express their unswerving support for the legitimate

aspirations of the Korean people to live in peace and

achieve the peaceful reunification of the Korean

homeland.

In South-East Asia, efforts to strengthen economic,

cultural and other cooperation and improve the settlement

of disputes by peaceful means are clearly priorities.

The admission of the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic and Myanmar as fully fledged members of the

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on

23 July last was a historic event of great significance. It

is our firm hope that an ASEAN of 10 will become a

reality in the near future and will contribute to

strengthening our region, and making it more prosperous,

in the interests of peace, stability and cooperation in Asia

and the Pacific, and in the world at large.

Another problem which has aroused international

concern is the recent event in Cambodia. Fortunately, the

current Government has been able to restore normality in

accordance with the country’s legislative procedures. The

international community, including the Lao People’s

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Democratic Republic, continues to recognize and respect

His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk as Head of State of

Cambodia. It is our hope that all countries and the United

Nations will also respect his royal authority.

In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, political

stability continues to be solidly guaranteed. The multi-

ethnic Lao people are living in solidarity and unity — a

fact which ensures social harmony. In accordance with our

Constitution, the fourth elections for the National Assembly

will be held in mid-December. That election will once

again demonstrate the fervent patriotic spirit of the Lao

people and the development of its democracy towards the

establishment of a State of law, a State of the people, by

the people and for the people.

In the economic sphere, implementation of the renewal

policy, which began in 1986, has made it possible for our

economy to experience sustained growth, with an annual

rate for the past five years of approximately 7 per cent.

Unfortunately, this year, my country suffered equally

sizeable losses because of natural disasters and the

repercussions of financial recession in South-East Asia.

Nonetheless, cooperation between Laos and the

international community remains very strong.

Parallel with its admission to ASEAN, the Lao

People’s Democratic Republic continues to strengthen its

relations of bilateral cooperation with neighbouring

countries in the region and in the world on the basis of the

principles of equality and mutual interest. In order to ensure

the sustained development of the national economy, the Lao

Government has taken important measures to integrate its

economy and its market with those of the region and of the

world. This integration is of great benefit to national and

foreign investors thanks to the country’s economic and

other potential such as its geographical location, in relation

to major regional markets, its transit role, its role as a

supplier of hydroelectric power to neighbouring countries

and export producer, using the country’s raw materials, and

its innumerable natural tourist attractions.

Following up its endeavours and successes of the last

10 years through the implementation of its renewal policy,

the Lao Government firmly intends to continue its policy of

developing the country on the basis of a market economy

and broadening relations of cooperation with the

international community. Its aim is to extricate the country

from its state of underdevelopment by the year 2020 and to

establish a preliminary basis for its gradual transformation

into an industrialized, modern country under the slogan

“Building a strong and prosperous country, ensuring the

well-being of the people, forming a civilized and fair

society”.

The world economy is seeing some signs of growth.

Nonetheless, this growth falls short of expectations. We

witness growing inequalities between developing and

developed countries. The international economic

environment in terms of access to markets and financial

resources granted on preferential terms for development

purposes is, in general, in decline. Faced with this

situation, the developed countries must spare no effort to

take the necessary steps by coordinating their

macroeconomic policies in order to bring about a

recovery of the world economy thanks to a stronger

liberalization of trade, which would contribute to

establishing an international economic environment more

favourable to development.

The problem of drug abuse remains a subject of

international concern. My country has taken many

national and international measures with a view to

contributing to the global effort to eradicate this scourge

from the face of the earth. For the first time, in May, the

Lao People’s Democratic Republic was unanimously

elected a member of the important Commission on

Narcotic Drugs by the Economic and Social Council. We

are profoundly grateful to the international community for

this demonstration of confidence and support and we will

make every effort to discharge our responsibilities

honourably.

Last June, after over three years of hard work, the

General Assembly adopted, without a vote, An Agenda

for Development. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic

is pleased at its adoption, which it regards as an important

stage in the effort to build a real partnership between the

developed and developing countries. The Agenda for

Development, a highly valuable document, provides a

foundation of principles, objectives, measures and actions

which can serve as a guide to Member States in the

global approach to development questions in the

immediate and long term and at the national and

international levels.

That June, the General Assembly met in special

session to review the implementation of Agenda 21 five

years after the Rio Summit on environment and

development. At the conclusion of that session, a follow-

up programme on the implementation of Agenda 21 was

adopted without a vote; the importance of that

implementation, inter alia, to the eradication of poverty

in the years to come was stressed. The international

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community is therefore called on to exert every effort to

strengthen cooperation to make this programme a reality.

As we near the twenty-first century, the United

Nations — the only universal multilateral body — has an

important role to play in the consideration and management

of international affairs. If it is to be commensurate with that

task, our Organization must adapt to the new dynamic and

complex world. In this context, we express our sincere

gratitude to our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the

important initiatives of his programme of reform, issued last

July, which aim at reorganizing our global body in order to

make it more flexible in its structure and more efficient in

its actions. This very important programme generally tries

to take the interests of Member States into account.

In considering these questions, it is necessary to

emphasize that any reform process must have the primary

goal of strengthening the Organization’s capacities to

promote social and economic development for all States,

particularly the developing among them. At the same time,

this promotion must be undertaken while addressing

questions related to peacekeeping, human rights and

humanitarian activities. It is on the basis of these essential

criteria that we would wish to see the Organization

reformed and revitalized and given an improved structure,

a more democratic regime and a solid financial footing. If

we do so, the United Nations will be able effectively to

meet the new challenges of our times.