Malawi, 1996

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Let me begin, Sir, by

extending to you my heartfelt congratulations on your

election to the high office of President of the fifty-first

session of the General Assembly. Malawi holds you and

your great country, Malaysia, in very high esteem. Your

election to preside over this important session, soon after

the special commemorative session, surely demonstrates

the confidence that the international community as a

whole has in you and your country. I have no doubt that

you will guide the deliberations of the Assembly to a

successful conclusion.

Let me also pay tribute to your predecessor, His

Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal, for

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the very skilful manner in which he conducted the

deliberations of the fiftieth session. As we all know, the

earlier part of that session coincided with the

commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United

Nations, an occasion which attracted an unprecedented

gathering of world leaders as well as other high-level

representatives. In spite of the demands which the

ceremony imposed on the Organization, Mr. do Amaral met

the challenge with admirable tact and tenacity. To him we

wish to say “well done” for a job brilliantly executed.

The fiftieth session of the General Assembly was a

milestone in the life of the United Nations. It not only

symbolized the coming of age of the Organization but gave

delegations an opportunity for serious reflection and

appraisal of the various aspects of the Organization and its

operations. It was therefore not surprising to us that reform

was, and continues to be, the main theme of the

deliberations.

My delegation is pleased to note that reform of the

Organization is being pursued with vigour and a renewed

sense of direction. Indeed, we cannot wish away the

inspiring words of wisdom that came out of the statements

of the world leaders who addressed the Assembly during

the Special Commemorative Meeting. The United Nations

needs to be strengthened for it to respond fully to the many

political and economic challenges that face the world today.

We all agree that now is the time for the Security

Council to be democratized in such a way that its

composition corresponds equitably with the increase in the

membership of the Organization. Its working methods and

procedures also need to be enhanced in order to bring about

more transparency and accountability. The continuing

debate on this subject has clearly revealed to us the

essential issues to be dealt with. We are encouraged by

what seems to be an emerging spirit of accommodation on

the subject. It is our sincere hope that the hurdles that

remain ahead will be surmounted in the same spirit of give

and take. More significantly, it is necessary to bear in mind

that while the relevant Working Group is open-ended in

space, it is not open-ended in time. The sense of urgency

with which world leaders addressed the question of reform

during the commemorative ceremony demands that work on

this matter move forward resolutely.

Even the most reformed United Nations cannot

perform without the necessary resources. It is no secret that

the operations of the Organization have in recent years been

hampered by financial constraints. We are encouraged by

the progress so far achieved in the High-level Open-ended

Working Group on the Financial Situation of the United

Nations. We, however, would have liked more sustained,

action-oriented progress so that we could put to rest a

matter which has greater implications, including for the

morale of the staff of the Organization. We trust that the

deliberations will continue to address the issues in an

open and transparent manner. At the same time, it is our

sincere hope that Member States will continue to honour

their existing obligations without introducing linkages.

Two years ago, the President of the Republic of

Malawi, His Excellency Mr. Bakili Muluzi, stood here at

this very rostrum to herald the dawning of a new era in

Malawi on 17 June 1994, when Malawians ushered in

their first democratically elected Government after 30

years of dictatorship. It is common knowledge that the

new Government inherited a multitude of problems with

debilitating consequences for the socio-economic

development and welfare of the Malawian people.

Undaunted by these enormous challenges, the new

Government, soon after assuming power, put into place

policies with the overall aim of reducing poverty and

improving education and social services, particularly

among people living in rural areas. Two and a half years

on, the wide-ranging economic and structural reforms that

the Government embarked upon are increasingly yielding

positive results. General economic activity is expanding

at a remarkable pace, inflation is coming down steadily,

public finances are in the process of being restored to

sustainable levels, and the situation of the balance of

payments and foreign reserves continues to improve, thus

gradually restoring confidence in the economy.

Most significantly, the liberalization of markets and

relative prices in commodities have increased work and

production incentives and opened opportunities for many

Malawians. We remain committed to removing the few

remaining rigidities in the economy, which in the past

have tended to cause discrimination against the common

man in the village. The opening up of the economy and

the expansion of opportunities for all will continue to

guide us in pursuing our economic agenda. We are,

however, the first to realize that there are many stumbling

blocks ahead.

Malawi is a very small country, and is landlocked.

Like other countries, we too have our own vision of a

better and more prosperous Malawi. Through our own

2020 Programme, we hope to solicit the views of the

various sectors of the national populace and chart the

direction of the country’s development to the year 2020.

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So far, the public has shown considerable enthusiasm in the

ongoing consultations, in the same way that they

participated in the political transformation of the country

two years ago. It is our desire and commitment to control

our economic destiny. The level of expectation created by

the democratic dispensation needs to be matched by

economic empowerment and social development. To have

it otherwise would be to compromise democracy.

The Government and the people of Malawi appreciate

and are thankful for the assistance which the international

community is rendering our country. We are hopeful that

the international community will continue to help Malawi

realize its dreams and its vision. We call upon our

development partners to continue to augment the assistance

that they are currently extending to the people of Malawi.

We also wish to appeal to our cooperating partners to come

and invest in our country. The economic and investment

climate is now more conducive than ever before.

Malawi has welcomed with enthusiasm the launching

by the international community of programmes which aim

at encouraging development in Africa. For the past few

years, hope in the continent was fanned by the adoption of

the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of

Africa in the 1990s. The much talked about diversification

of the economies of African States was warmly received as

a move which would strengthen the predominantly primary

raw material-producing basis of the countries’ economies.

It is sad to note that the financial resources required for the

programme have not matched the enthusiasm that revolved

around the launching of the New Agenda. My delegation

sincerely hopes that the mid-term review of the Agenda,

which has just concluded, will reignite the enthusiasm of us

all and enhance the political will of all the cooperating

partners.

More recently, my Government welcomed the

launching by the Secretary-General of the United Nations

System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. Malawi is

particularly pleased with the innovative nature of the

Initiative. The conferring of the leadership of the

programme on the Africans themselves only confirms what

we have always desired to see happen. In addition, the

specificity of the objectives sought under the Initiative is a

move in the right direction. We commend the international

community for this programme and call upon the lead

institutions not to waver at the implementation stage. For

our part, we stand ready to cooperate fully with the other

implementing partners, and so far that is precisely what we

are doing.

Malawi is following with interest the current work

on the elaboration of an Agenda for Development. My

delegation notes that the basic guidelines for an Agenda

for Development are well known and have already been

negotiated and agreed upon in the various United Nations

conferences and summits. What remains is essentially the

implementation of the action plans in a more integrated

and innovative way, entailing political commitment by all

active members of the international community. We look

forward to an early conclusion of an Agenda for

Development. We in Malawi see all these initiatives as

complementary to our own ongoing efforts to improve the

well-being of our people.

Malawi notes with satisfaction the important role

that the United Nations plays in the maintenance of

international peace and security in various parts of the

world. We welcome the steady progress which has been

achieved in Angola and hail the Government for

honouring its commitments. At the same time, we wish to

appeal to the leadership of the National Union for the

Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) to adhere to the

implementation of the Lusaka Protocol and related

agreements. We have always maintained that peace in

Angola will be beneficial not only to the people of

Angola, a people tired of war, but also to our southern

African subcontinent as a whole.

My Government remains disturbed by the recent

developments in Burundi. The July 1996 coup d’état was

a major setback to the democratic process, and we

support the position taken by the Organization of African

Unity (OAU) and the countries of the Great Lakes region.

We denounce the coup d’état. Malawi does not condone

any takeover of power by any party through

unconstitutional means. Quite frankly, we in Africa are

sick and tired of this “disease”. We want the ballot box

to be the referee in African politics, once and for all.

Coups d’états have contributed negatively to the fame of

our otherwise rich and beautiful continent. We remain

convinced that the Arusha process is the only credible

way of bringing about peace in Burundi. We therefore

call upon the military rulers in Burundi to pave the way

for the resumption of the Arusha peace negotiations.

The installation in August 1996 of an interim

Government in Liberia led by Mrs. Ruth Perry gives us

all hope that the warring factions have chosen the way of

peace and reconciliation after years of the senseless

killing of innocent civilians. Malawi commends the

leadership of the Economic Community of West African

States (ECOWAS) for having successfully brokered the

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peace plan among the warring factions. We reaffirm our

faith in the Abuja Agreement and express the hope that the

implementation schedule agreed upon recently will lead to

successful elections next year. We call upon the

international community to closely monitor developments

and assist the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in

the noble work that it is carrying out in Liberia.

There remains cause for genuine concern over

developments in Western Sahara. My Government has

noted that for a long time now, progress has stalled over

the identification of eligible voters in the referendum. The

repeated extension of the mandate of the United Nations

Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

(MINURSO) is a show of commitment by the international

community which should not be taken for granted. Malawi

therefore calls upon the principal players in the process to

show some flexibility so that an amicable solution to the

current impasse can be reached.

Developments in countries of the former Yugoslavia

have recently been encouraging. The cessation of hostilities

in the Balkans under the Dayton Peace Agreement signed

early this year and the recent elections have generated

considerable hope within the international community. It is

the hope of my Government that no reckless moves will be

taken which could jeopardize the existing momentum

towards stability.

During the past few years considerable progress

towards a comprehensive peace settlement has been made

in the Middle East. We have in the past expressed support

for the peace initiative which, since its birth at Madrid on

30 October 1991, has grown steadily and has given rise to

important agreements between Israel and the Palestine

Liberation Organization (PLO). We remain convinced that

the path that was started in Madrid is the way forward. We

therefore urge all the parties concerned to abide by their

previous commitments and move forward to achieve the

aspirations of the people of the region and the world. The

recent disturbing developments only show how thin the

dividing line is between peace and violence.

The international community has recently been

reminded, through violent clashes, of the volatile situation

that exists in divided Cyprus. The division, which arose

over two decades ago, remains a constant reminder that the

international community has yet to boldly tackle the

situation there. My Government hopes that the issue of

Cyprus will be pursued with commitment by both the

mediators and the parties concerned.

It is the wish of my Government that the long-

standing question of the international status of the

Republic of China on Taiwan will be peacefully resolved

in a manner acceptable to the Governments on both sides

of the Taiwan Strait. We are encouraged by the recent

reported indications that the two sides are ready to talk to

each other. However, the Malawi Government wishes to

reaffirm its commitment to the promotion of freedom,

human rights and democratic principles and therefore

supports the aspirations of the more than 21 million

Taiwanese people to recognition and full participation in

all the activities of the international community.

We and our prestigious Organization should be

preventing and resolving conflicts. We should not sit by

as confrontation builds. Instead, we should find the time

to initiate dialogue and lasting solutions, and not always

have to wake up and respond to emergencies. The

benchmark should not always be to please the stronger; it

should also be to support the weak and vulnerable and

those under stress. But apart from our trade interests, our

moral obligation must be renewed every day.

Let me conclude by reaffirming our faith in the

United Nations. We believe the United Nations has a vital

role to play in the maintenance of international peace and

security. Many areas of tension remain the world over.

We urge the United Nations to act more resolutely in

dealing with these many troubled areas. The United

Nations has made and continues to make a difference in

the lives of millions of people in many countries,

including my own, Malawi, in many areas of human

endeavour. We have no doubt that a reformed United

Nations will contribute more to making the world a better

place to live. We are confident, Sir, that under your

stewardship of the fifty-first session of the General

Assembly, we, the peoples of the United Nations, will

have taken another bold step towards a revitalized and

reformed United Nations, a United Nations capable of

fully responding to the challenges of the twenty-first

century. Our prayer is, let us boldly resolve and go

forward together to the next millennium.