Spain, 1994

I

should like to convey to you, Sir, my warmest

congratulations on your election to the presidency of this

Assembly and to wish you great success in the performance

of your duties. With your election, the members of the

General Assembly recognize in your country, Côte d’Ivoire,

the decisive contribution of Africa to the work of the

Organization. I am confident that the General Assembly

will follow the course of consensus that was set in the

previous session, under the leadership of Ambassador

Insanally, to whom I should like to pay a warm tribute.

Moreover, I wish to once again assure Mr.

Boutros-Ghali, who honoured us last April with his official

visit to my country, of the full cooperation of the Spanish

authorities in assisting him in the difficult task he faces of

meeting the increasingly complex challenges with which

our Organization is faced.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal

Republic of Germany, in his address on behalf of the

European Union, has set forth our common points of view

in this general debate. These reflect the advances made on

the path to a common foreign and security policy, which is

a major goal of the Union. On behalf of my delegation, I

wish now to consider some issues in more detail.

The fundamental changes in the international system

that we have witnessed in recent years have provided the

United Nations with the great opportunity finally to

establish itself as the venue for the universal harmonization

of the efforts of the international community to fulfil the

common purposes contained in its Charter. However,

they have also confronted the Organization with one of

the greatest challenges in its history. Some have even

cast doubt on the actual ability of the United Nations to

contribute effectively to the solution of the many conflicts

that have arisen or have been rekindled over the past few

years.

After the first shock, provoked by crises such as

those in the former Yugoslavia, Somalia and Angola, we

have been confronted with appalling situations such as

that in Rwanda, where the Organization’s limited means

have unfortunately proved insufficient to redress the

plight of millions of human beings.

At the same time, the United Nations, with its

resources stretched to the limit, is undergoing a financial

crisis which can be addressed only with the resolute

cooperation of the Member States. This should entail,

first of all, the timely payment of their financial

contributions, an obligation specified in the Charter. Only

then will the Organization have the necessary means to

achieve its objectives. Moreover, these means must be

used in the most effective possible way.

Beyond the efforts for renewal already achieved or

in progress, we must undertake a process of careful

consideration at the highest level, with a view to deciding

whether we are willing to provide the Organization with

the legal, material and financial instruments it needs to

meet successfully the growing demands made on it by the

international community. The credibility of the United

Nations is at stake.

The reform of the Security Council is an extremely

important and complex matter, which will have to be

accomplished through a careful process of dialogue

leading to an understanding among all Member States.

Spain, which in the last two years has been a

non-permanent member of the Security Council, reiterates

its position in favour of a revision, without undue haste,

of the composition and functioning of the Security

Council, based on the criteria of representativity,

efficiency and transparency, with the ultimate goal of

reinforcing the legitimacy of the actions of the Council.

Spain, which has taken and will continue to take an

active part in the meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group

of this Assembly, favours a moderate increase of the

Council’s membership. This would allow for a more

frequent presence in the Council of States with specific

13

weight and influence in international relations, and which

are, likewise, able and willing to contribute in a significant

way to the maintenance of international peace and security

and to fulfil the other purposes of the United Nations. The

enlarged composition of the Council will also facilitate

equitable geographical distribution among the different

regions of the world.

Frightening events, such as those in Rwanda, make it

more necessary than ever to continue the strengthening of

the indispensable machinery for action required to execute

the increasingly broad and complex mandates given by the

Security Council to peace-keeping operations.

First of all, we must further improve the management

and control mechanisms here in New York. The Secretariat

has already made a major effort to strengthen the

Department of Peace-keeping Operations by adding a

Situation Centre, enlarging the Office of the Military

Adviser and giving a boost to the planning unit.

Secondly, in order to speed up the effective launching

of operations, the provisions relating to standby

arrangements for peace-keeping should come into effect.

Spain is prepared to participate in this mechanism, which

should be broadened to include the police components of

peace operations, as well as transport-related equipment and

logistics in general.

Thirdly, it is important to face the issues relating to

the safety of the personnel of the peace-keeping operations.

Many casualties have been suffered by United Nations

forces and humanitarian-assistance personnel, among them

Spanish nationals who gave their lives in the quest for

peace.

The setting up of an Ad Hoc Committee on the safety

and security of United Nations and associated personnel, in

particular those involved in peace-keeping operations, has

been a step in the right direction, and we hope that the draft

international convention on this matter will be adopted.

Notwithstanding the continuous efforts of the

international community and of many of the political forces

in the area, peace has not yet arrived in the Balkans. It is

true that developments have occurred that give us cause for

hope. We have witnessed a new international cohesiveness,

which we must preserve at all costs. A rapprochement has

taken place between the Croat and Muslim communities,

which has led to the agreements reached on federation. I

am pleased to underscore the important role that the

European Union is playing in the town of Mostar as a

contribution to this process. Spain is actively

participating in this effort; this is the area in which the

Spanish contingent in the United Nations Protection Force

(UNPROFOR) is carrying out its mission.

We welcome the establishment of the International

Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for

Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law

Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia.

We trust that the experience gained by this ad hoc

tribunal will serve as an incentive to the General

Assembly to give favourable consideration to the

proposed statute of an international criminal court, a

permanent body with universal jurisdiction, which was

drafted by the International Law Commission, and that

this idea - which is not new - will come to fruition very

soon.

Spain welcomes the process of political and

economic transition in which the countries of Central and

Eastern Europe are currently involved. Their future

accession to the European Union and their progressive

integration in the security mechanisms of the continent

will contribute to the stability of Europe.

We are also witnessing important moves towards

democracy and a free-market economy in the Russian

Federation and in the other States that emerged from the

former Soviet Union. Spain supports these changes, as

their success will contribute not only to strengthening

security in Europe but to world peace as well.

The community of Ibero-American nations has

endowed itself with a political forum of considerable

importance; this year, in Cartagena, Colombia, it once

again voiced satisfaction at the progress made on the path

to democracy and economic modernization.

Wherever internal armed conflicts are still active, as

in Guatemala, we are witnessing a negotiation process

promoted by and under the auspices of the United

Nations, with the assistance of the "Group of Friends".

Both the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad

revolucionaria nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) are fully

engaged in this process, with the ultimate goal of

achieving national reconciliation and full respect for

human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The delicate situation in Cuba calls for an additional

effort to promote dialogue and cooperation to make

possible the final incorporation of both the Government

and the people of Cuba into the democratic current that is

14

flowing through the continent at the present time. Dialogue

is essential. Inventive solutions among Cubans, without

excluding anyone, should be encouraged, with a view to

opening up new democratic possibilities leading to a

peaceful transition, with due respect for human rights,

national sovereignty and fundamental freedoms. The

Government of Spain, which remains opposed to the

embargo that has been imposed, notes with satisfaction the

talks taking place between Washington and Havana, where

these issues can be addressed.

The Government of Spain is attentively following the

situation in Haiti, with a view to the full implementation of

Security Council resolutions 917 (1994) and 940 (1994),

which will involve the return of the President legitimately

elected by the Haitian people. The international community

will have to concentrate its efforts on the reconstruction of

the country, so that democracy may rest on solid

foundations guaranteeing constitutional rule of law and

respect for human rights.

Spain attaches particular importance to the

establishment of a new process of dialogue and cooperation

in the Mediterranean that will make it possible to tackle the

economic, demographic and cultural differences existing in

the region, and to bring peace and prosperity to the

Mediterranean area.

My country has special ties of friendship and

cooperation with the Maghreb countries and is striving to

make a practical contribution to overcoming the problems

existing in this area, to which Spain attaches great priority.

The Spanish Government considers that the solution to

the problem of the Western Sahara lies in the holding of a

referendum on self-determination with all appropriate

international guarantees. My Government again expresses

its support for the Secretary-General and his Special

Representative in their efforts to ensure progress in

implementing the settlement plan accepted by the parties

and, in accordance with the relevant Security Council

resolutions, creating the necessary conditions for the

forthcoming holding of the referendum to which I have

referred.

The Spanish Government has expressed on many

occasions, its profound satisfaction at the progress achieved

in the Middle East peace process, which started at the

Madrid Conference. Thanks to the determination and

courage of the interested parties, 1994 has been a year of

significant achievements on the path to peace and

understanding. Spain has always supported the need for a

lasting and comprehensive peace, in conformity with

Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

Spain urges the parties and all the States in the region, on

the basis of their clear and unanimous rejection of

violence and the use of force, to coordinate all efforts

necessary to attain the desired goals of peace and

development.

This year, we have witnessed events of remarkable

importance in sub-Saharan Africa. Some have struck a

markedly hopeful note, whereas others - such as the

tragedy of Rwanda and the difficulties in the peace

process in Somalia - have demonstrated the fragility of

the continent’s structures.

Rwanda has appalled us. We have witnessed the

horrors of civil war with a feeling of bitterness and even

of impotence. Despite the efforts of the international

community, in which my country is actively participating,

no solution is yet in sight to this crisis or to the problem

posed by the millions of displaced people and refugees -

a problem which, moreover, is having serious

repercussions on the stability of the neighbouring

countries.

Those responsible for the atrocities, including

genocide, committed in Rwanda must be brought to

justice individually. Hence, Spain supports the work of

the Commission of Experts established under Security

Council resolution 935 (1994), which we actively

promoted and co-sponsored, as well as the work of the

High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special

Rapporteur for Rwanda. These events are extremely

serious and we must make an urgent legal response to

them through the establishment of an ad hoc jurisdiction

for Rwanda, following the model already provided by the

Tribunal established to deal with the former Yugoslavia.

South Africa has been the other side of the coin.

We are gratified at its return to the General Assembly as

a full-fledged Member of the United Nations, now that

the apartheid system has been abolished and a democratic

and non-racial Government has been installed.

In southern Africa, likewise, we are following with

the greatest interest, because of their importance, the

processes aimed at peace in Angola and Mozambique.

We hope that the Angolan Government and UNITA will

shortly conclude a lasting peace agreement that will put

an end to decades of suffering. We hope that in

Mozambique the coming elections will consolidate

national reconciliation. Spain will contribute to the

15

peaceful and democratic holding of these elections by

sending observers.

The decolonization of Gibraltar is a priority goal of

the Spanish Government. The General Assembly has

clearly established the doctrine that the decolonization of

Gibraltar is a case not of self-determination but of the

restoration of Spain’s territorial integrity. I wish here to

reiterate the Spanish Government’s firm resolve to continue

the process of negotiation with the Government of the

United Kingdom, in a constructive spirit and on the bases

of the Declaration of Brussels of 27 November 1984, taking

duly into account the legitimate interests of the population.

The Government of Spain expresses its profound hope that

these negotiations will put an end to this colonial

anachronism.

Disarmament and arms control are fundamental factors

in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Accordingly, during this year Spain has adopted a unilateral

moratorium on the export of anti-personnel land-mines, has

ratified the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions

on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May

Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have

Indiscriminate Effects and was among the first States to

ratify the chemical weapons Convention. We also support

the unconditional and indefinite extension of the non-

proliferation Treaty and the early conclusion of a nuclear

test-ban treaty.

Moreover, Spain hopes that a final decision on the

enlargement of the membership of the Conference on

Disarmament will be adopted shortly, thereby allowing for

the full participation of countries which, like Spain, have

demonstrated for many years their full commitment to the

work of the Conference.

The close relationship between peace and development

is especially well reflected in the report on agenda for

development submitted last May by the Secretary-General.

I wish to state my satisfaction at the publication of this

report. We share the approach presented by the

Secretary-General, which is based on the principle that

development is a fundamental right and the strongest

foundation for peace. We welcome the idea of defining the

five principal dimensions of development that are set forth

in the agenda - that is, peace as the basic foundation, the

economy as the engine of progress, the environment as a

basis for sustainability, justice as a pillar of society, and

democracy as a guarantor of good governance.

We must now determine what actions are required in

order to implement the agenda and formulate specific

recommendations on the assumption that development

cannot be reduced to a simple economic dimension, but

must, rather, be considered from its political, cultural,

environmental, social and humanitarian angles. Only by

means of this comprehensive approach will we be able to

tackle the deep inequalities and serious problems affecting

developing countries.

Furthermore, the financial resources devoted to this

end should be used in a more rational and efficient way.

To achieve this, we must continue to restructure the

economic and social sectors of the Organization and of

the United Nations system, particularly by strengthening

even further the coordinating role of the Economic and

Social Council.

In activities to promote development the protection

of the environment should always be taken into account.

Starting next year, Spain will participate in the work of

the Commission on Sustainable Development, which at its

last session dealt for the first time with the

implementation of "Agenda 21" and of other agreements

reached at the Rio Summit.

The global conferences convened by the United

Nations play an outstanding role in the search for

universal consensus on development. The Programme of

Action adopted in Cairo by the International Conference

on Population and Development will pave the way for a

new demographic policy, and places women at the axis of

every population policy. The key role played by women

in development will also be highlighted during the Fourth

World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in

September 1995.

The World Summit for Social Development, which

will be convened in Copenhagen in March 1995, must,

likewise, direct us to a new way of facing social problems

in the world, based on the principle that human beings

should be the core and ultimate goal of development.

Nobody can doubt the importance of the protection,

promotion and defence of human rights as fundamental

tasks of both Member States and the United Nations.

Intolerance, inequalities of all kinds and violations of

fundamental rights still endanger the lives, the freedom

and the safety of millions of human beings. In order to

eradicate these evils, we must honour the commitments

undertaken during the Vienna World Conference on

Human Rights and redouble our efforts to put into

16

practice principles that, although universally acknowledged,

are not universally observed.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights, the office which was created by this Assembly last

year, and whose first incumbent is Ambassador Ayala

Lasso, must be able to perform his duties properly. To this

end, it is essential to ensure that he has the adequate

budgetary means and sufficient personnel, as well as the

support and cooperation of all Member States. Such

personnel and additional means should also be made

available to the Centre for Human Rights.

In 1995 we shall commemorate the fiftieth anniversary

of the United Nations. This will be an opportunity to

reflect both on the Organization’s accomplishments - which

are not negligible - and on the challenges it will face. We

live in an increasingly complex and dynamic international

society, in which it is no longer possible totally to separate

national issues from international ones, nor to divide the

tasks of the Organization into watertight compartments.

Mankind’s full development will be achieved only when its

multiple aspects, which are complementary and

interdependent, are taken into account. The path to a better

world, in which the United Nations continues to play a

fundamental role, must be taken together by all the peoples

of the world, as we are reminded by the motto of the

fiftieth-anniversary commemoration. That is also the firm

conviction of the Government and the people of Spain.