Paraguay, 1992

First

of all, permit me to express to you. Sir, my congratulations and best wishes

on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly in its work at the

forty-seventh session. We are sure that under your intelligent guidance, our

endeavours will achieve the results we all desire.

Also at the outset, allow me to extend to Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali,

Secretary-General of the United Nations, cordial greetings from the Government

and the people of the Republic of Paraguay, and to express our commitment to

support him at all times in the difficult task of leading this Organization in

its efforts for peace and international security.

In welcoming the admission to membership of the United Nations of

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Slovenia, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, we hail the triumph of freedom and of mankind's

universal desire to live in peace and democracy, while retaining the

individual's own identity. Ancient banners have come to wave proudly again

over their homelands.

A new order is emerging in our universe. On the one hand, we see the

rebirth of old nationalisms. On the other, we see plans for the integration

of countries which are seeking, by this means, the right direction for

achieving better economic development and trying to find, as in the case of

the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR), the proper response to the

requirements of their peoples for a better quality of life.

The integration of our countries Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and

Paraguay through MERCOSUR is something more than a mere strategy for

development: it is a commitment of peoples with the same origin, with common

cultural, historical, linguistic and religious identities, to share the common

destiny of nations that were born in a territory of equality and hope.

The timetable for our fledgling integration process is being met. The

Las Leilas meeting of Presidents on 26 and 27 June 1992 approved and is

implementing a programme of measures which sets out a process of alleviating

and eliminating customs duties and non-tariff barriers and of requiring the

gradual coordination of macroeconomic and sectoral policies. The recent

signing of an agreement with the European Community is an important element of

extraregional cooperation for MERCOSUR.

As part of this same commitment to integration, Paraguay is moving ahead

with the necessary legal instruments for making better uses of the

Paraguay-Paran waterway. This communications link, which has the support of

the Organization and other international communities, is designed to be one of

the major river transport routes and an effective instrument for development

by the MERCOSUR countries and our sister Republic of Bolivia.

The danger of a nuclear conflagration that would jeopardize the very

existence of mankind has disappeared. Common sense and moral values have

prevailed. Today there are very few cases of armed confrontation in the

world. Never, perhaps, in its history has mankind enjoyed so much peace as

now. But history has not come to an end: hunger, disease, lack of education,

intolerance and prejudice continue to affect most parts of the world. If we

love liberty, if we love democracy, we must find a solution to these

problems. No state of politics can endure when people do not have the minimum

they need for a life of dignity. If there is no tolerance, there will be

hatred and resentment. If there is no education, the future of the world

cannot be certain.

Now is the time for continental solidarity. Now is the time for doing

away with prejudices and egoism. Now that the arms race is over, it would

seem that the most powerful countries are preparing for another war, the

economic war. Alliances are forming; they are trying to improve their

competitiveness. The winner will be the one who produces and sells the most,

without regard to the social cost, without regard to the fact that the

products of the less developed countries are constantly losing value and that

as a result it is more and more difficult for them to achieve development.

The expectations the developing countries had for free trade are being blocked

by the barriers of protectionism set up by the industrialized countries,

which, paradoxically, are proclaiming the triumph of the free market.

We need to .seek solutions that will alleviate the tragedy of the

countries suffering the scourge of poverty. We are confident that, thanks to

the welcome initiative of Chile in calling for the holding of a summit

conference for social development, this will be a suitable opportunity for

achieving world planning to promote the development of the poorest countries.

The hatred, the intolerance and the constant violation of human rights in

former Yugoslavia, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Somalia

remind us that the battle for peace has not ended. Peace is a gift, and its

preservation requires constant work. Paraguay will support in the strongest

possible terms any action by the Security Council designed to seek a final

solution to this grave situation, as indeed we voted in favour of resolution

46/242 of the General Assembly. Exacerbated nationalisms, racisms, religious

hatreds and prejudices must disappear from the world if it wants to be more

fraternal and humane.

We are regarding with particular interest the continuation of

negotiations to find a final solution to the Palestine question. It is our

hope that these talks will contribute positively towards finding a peaceful

and negotiated, final and lasting solution which would provide, as we have

already said, for the right of the State of Israel to live in peace within its

own borders and the right of the Palestinian people to its own homeland.

The United Nations has lent its assistance to the peace process in South

Africa through the Security Council. It is now up to the Government and the

opposition to find appropriate solutions which provide, courageously and

realistically, for the possibility of coexistence in a climate of peace,

justice and security.

As the United Nations enters the new world order that is the fruit of

East-West detente, its structure and agenda must be reorganized. Social

development and the maintenance of peace must be its major concerns. It will

be vital for it to find appropriate machinery to fulfil these aims, and for it

to have the unreserved support of those who can provide their decisive

cooperation.

The "Agenda for Peace" proposed by the Secretary-General deserves all our

support: it could be the starting point for the search for new structures and

new paths towards lasting and constructive peace.

We believe, along with the Rio Group, that international peace and

security will be truly guaranteed only in so far as the underlying causes of

conflicts are eliminated. We therefore reaffirm the vital importance of

economic and social development in the process of consolidating peace. The

gap reflected in the disparity in wealth between the North and the South must

be narrowed if we want to avoid a chain reaction of unsatisfied needs leading

to profound crises in developing countries, with the danger of returning to

systems which we have abandoned and which have caused our peoples so much

suffering.

We cannot talk about a future of peace or of sustained development

without total respect for human rights. The dissemination of these rights and

their constant observance is also a task for the United Nations. Respect for

human rights must underpin any process of change. Hence, we welcome the World

Conference on Human Rights, to be held in June 1993 in Vienna, and are pleased

at the timeliness of its convening.

Flagrant violations of human rights, such as terrorism, still persist.

Once and for all we must accept that terrorism is on of the most serious

violations, attacking as it does fundamental human rights such as the rights

to life, security and patrimony.

Just a few days ago, in this very Hall, we were moved by the words of the

President of Colombia about the battle being waged by his people and

Government against drug trafficking. Murder, extortion, kidnapping and

corruption all have their - roots in the traffic in drugs. Magistrates, civil

servants and anyone opposed to this criminal traffic are under constant

threat, and many have paid for their ideals, their courage and their dignity

with their lives.

We agree with stress laid by the President of Colombia on the

responsibility of the major consuming centres, and on countries' obligation to

participate in a total war against drug trafficking. As the President said,

we must have determined, collective international and multilateral action to

combat this scourge on all fronts.

Five hundred years ago, the imagination and daring of Columbus ushered in

a new era. America, a continent of hope, was incorporated into the adventure

of mankind, and it was destined to have a profound effect on the future.

Today, as a coincidence, the world is entering into a new stage that is also

promising and full of hope. It is for this generation to consolidate the

future, and for our Organization to ensure that there is peace and to promote

social development.

To mark the quincentenary, the countries of Ibero-America met last year

in Guadalajara, Mexico, determined to make the strength of our community count

in the future. The response was positive, and at the second summit of Heads

of State and of Government of Ibero-America, held this year in Madrid,

effective projects designed to help the Ibero-American peoples were approved.

Joint efforts such as those we have mentioned and those promised in the

Americas Initiative, as well as the solidarity and support that my country has

received from other countries such as Japan and Germany, give us hope for a

future of concerted effort for the development of those who need it most.

In the course of this year, my country attended the Earth Summit in Rio,

eager to add its efforts to those of the other countries committed to

preserving the environment. We announced measures adopted in this area, such

as the declaration as a protected ecological zone of an area covering about

60,000 hectares of woods, with an indigenous population and natural fauna.

But what is more, we are currently studying a draft project for the

development of the western region of my country, with the support of the

European Community, paying particular attention to the preservation of the

environment in an area of more than 240,000 square kilometres, which

represents more than half of our territory.

The Rio Conference made it possible for the whole world to become more

aware of the relationship between development and the environment. It will be

difficult to achieve lasting success in the endeavour of bringing about

sustainable development of the Earth if the countries that bear the major

responsibility for polluting the planet do not make available the necessary

resources.

The process of democratization in Latin America in this new era was, in a

sense, what triggered the liberation movements in other parts of the world.

Today, in America, with a few exceptions. Governments enjoy a legitimacy

conferred upon them by free and unchallenged elections. The last flickers of

violence are dying out, and peoples are living in freedom and democracy, with

respect for human rights.

The civil war in El Salvador is now history. That country, together with

Honduras, has set an example for the international community by taking its

international conflicts to the International Court of Justice for settlement.

Peru is once again taking the path of restoring its constitution. In

November, it will be holding constituent elections with the participation, at

its request, of an observer mission from the Organization of American States.

We hope that Peru will find solutions to the grave problems it is confronting

and that we will shortly be able to welcome it back to the Rio Group.

The Rio Group showed that it is a reliable mechanism for political

consultation and cooperation, as it demonstrated when the crisis which

endangered the constitution of Venezuela occurred and when it sent a

delegation which took an active part in seeking to restore full democracy in

Peru.

Furthermore, through the Rio Group, meetings were held and a treaty of

cooperation with the European Community was signed, and meetings were also

held with countries of the Persian Gulf, Japan, China and Canada.

The process of regional integration, whose ultimate objective is that of

creating a vast common economic zone throughout the American continent, has,

in addition to MERCOSUR, made great progress in the form of the Andean Pact,

the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and, first and foremost, the North American

Free Trade Association (NAFTA), which is a blueprint for integration that has

already been agreed upon by the United States of America and by Mexico and

Canada. On behalf of my country, I should like to extend my congratulations

and best wishes for success to those countries.

Permit me to speak to you, however briefly, about Paraguay, my own

country, which was reborn to democracy and recovered its freedom just four

years ago. Our President, Andres Rodriguez, in this very Hall, addressing the

General Assembly during the forty-fourth session, said:

"Paraguay has set its feet firmly on the path of political

democracy." (A/44/PV.6. p. 21)

Today I can say, with legitimate pride, that the Government of Paraguay

is keeping its promise. My country is living in a legitimate, genuine and

fruitful democracy based on boundless respect for human rights and fundamental

human freedoms.

A new national Constitution, effective since 20 June 1992, is now

governing the destiny of my country. This is the result of a democratic

debate in a constituent national convention elected by popular will in free

elections with the participation of all political forces, and was observed by

members of international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.

In the economic and social realm, my country has continued to make

progress in consolidating its economy through the process of adjustment and

stabilization. We have liberalized trade, and we are giving priority

attention to regional integration.

Our whole policy of consolidating democracy, accompanied by the necessary

process of stabilizing the economy and finances, has been made possible by the

determination of the Paraguayan people, who made clear to their rulers that in

their country there is no longer room for dictatorship or totalitarianism.

But just as the Paraguayan people have become the masters of their new

democratic and free destiny, we must recognize the determined support of the

international community for our process of democratic consolidation and

economic and financial stabilization. In particular, we should like to thank

the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organization of American

States (OAS) and the European Community for their cooperation and confidence.

In conclusion, a few words about the United Nations. As it reaches what

we might term the first stage of its existence, the balance sheet is

favorable. Its work for peace has been effective. The near-unanimous opinion

in recommending structural changes to strengthen it and to endow it with

greater dynamism has as its sole cause the profound changes occurring in the

world, which call for an Organization more in keeping with new requirements.

To preserve peace will continue to be its principal task, but with a more

responsive structure that will help reduce the causes of conflict. The whole

world, longing as it does for a future of liberty, justice, peace and

security, has placed its trust in the United Nations and its effectiveness.