Spain, 1999

I sincerely

congratulate Mr. Gurirab on his election as President of

the General Assembly at this session, the last to be held

37

before the start of the new millennium, and I wish him

great success in the performance of his duties. At the same

time I wish to thank his predecessor, Mr. Didier Opertti, for

the effective way in which he presided over the previous

Assembly.

Spain subscribes fully to the statement made by the

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland on behalf of the

States members of the European Union and should like to

contribute to this general debate by presenting my

delegation’s point of view with regard to the complex

problems facing the United Nations at this time.

I should also like to welcome the Republic of Kiribati,

the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. Spain

offers them its full cooperation in the tasks that await them

as new Members of the Organization.

This has, indeed, been a difficult year for the

Organization. Serious crises have arisen in different parts of

the world and, at times, the role played in them by the

United Nations has been questioned. We are all aware of

the efforts made by the Secretary-General to enable the

Organization fully to play the role for which it was founded

in 1945. However, in certain sectors of international public

opinion the idea has taken hold that the United Nations has

been incapable of assuming its central and proper role in

such situations.

Like any human institution, the United Nations has

had its successes and its failures. Nevertheless, it has been

a key factor in international relations throughout the second

half of the twentieth century and it continues to be so on

the threshold of the twenty-first. It fulfils an essential

function, which will have to be progressively strengthened

as the phenomenon of globalization develops. It is indeed

a unique instrument for the international relations we are

sharing for the twenty-first century.

It is obvious that, while acknowledging the unique

value of the United Nations, we must revise some aspects

of the way in which it operates. That is why the process of

reform undertaken by the Secretary-General is so important.

We must continue to make further progress in that

direction.

I should like to stress that Spain does not think of the

reform of the United Nations as an exercise whose sole and

essential objective is to save money. Rather, we consider

such reform to be a way of enabling it successfully to meet

the challenges of the new century.

A key aspect of this process is the reform of the

Security Council. Spain believes that such reform must

pursue three basic goals. First, there must be greater

transparency in its working methods, with an increase in

the number and the quality of the consultations, both

between the countries that make up the Council and

between those countries and other Member States.

Secondly, it should be more efficient, for which purpose

it would be advisable to limit the exercise of the right of

veto. There are instances in which the exercise of this

right, or even the more or less veiled threat to exercise it,

has blocked the functioning of the Security Council and

prevented the adoption of essential decisions that enjoyed

a broad consensus within the international community. To

a large extent, that has promoted the image of the United

Nations as inefficient and impotent in the eyes of some

sectors of public opinion. Thirdly, it should be made more

democratic, which would mean adapting the Council’s

composition to recent developments in the international

community. In current circumstances, and given the split

between Member States, it seems possible to reach a

sufficient consensus only with regard to the idea of

increasing the number of non-permanent members. Spain

is in favour of increasing the representation on the

Security Council of all regional groups.

Delays in the payment of contributions by some

States are unjustifiable and endanger the very operation of

the Organization at the very time when it is called upon

to carry out increasingly complex tasks. It is not possible

to tolerate the current level of non-payment and at the

same time require the United Nations to set up the United

Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, to

organize the transition to independence in East Timor, to

establish international criminal courts, to deal with the

plight of refugees, to send peacekeeping forces to various

parts of the world, and to allocate sufficient resources to

its numerous development programmes.

I would like my Government’s position on this

subject to be properly understood. Spain is the eighth-

largest contributor to the Organization’s regular budget,

and as such has a very direct interest in matters such as

budgetary discipline and the effective use of resources.

Moreover, Spain considers that all matters of concern to

Member States on this issue can and must be thoroughly

discussed. What is not acceptable, however, is for anyone

to make payment conditional on the granting of unilateral

demands.

The coming Millennium Assembly will provide a

good opportunity to reflect on all these issues, as well as

38

on the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first

century. That Assembly, in the preparation of which civil

society will participate, must likewise encourage vigorous

debate yielding concrete results. That debate must, in my

opinion, focus on two main issues: the elimination of

poverty and the consequences of globalization.

A policy to eliminate poverty involves, inter alia, a

strategy of conflict prevention, sustainable development

policies, good governance and the regular provision of

funds for development financing. All these mean that

efforts must be pooled and responsibilities shared by

developed and developing States alike.

Globalization is a phenomenon that involves risks, but

that also creates opportunities. The risk is that the weakest

countries and the most defenceless sectors of the population

will be marginalized from its benefits. Clearly, decisive

action by Governments is needed, along with international

cooperation. Threats to cultural and linguistic plurality

likewise require decisive defensive measures.

At the same time, globalization also generates

opportunities and benefits: economic growth, better

communications and greater access to information, as well

as possibilities for bringing different peoples and cultures

closer together. It is especially here that the unique value of

the United Nations is most striking. In the face of all these

new global problems, which go far beyond the capacity of

States for individual action, only a multilateral response

will suffice, the result of dialogue and international

cooperation. The United Nations is the most appropriate

forum for this.

With regard to peacekeeping operations, only the

United Nations, in the final analysis, has the legitimacy

necessary to authorize them. This year Spain has doubled

the number of troops that it contributes to these operations;

they are currently deployed in United Nations missions in

Guatemala, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and East

Timor. To this should be added the large number of troops

that my country has placed at the service of missions

authorized by Security Council resolutions, such as the

Stabilization Force (SFOR) and KFOR. Spain participated

in the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola

(MONUA) until its recent termination, and is now

cooperating with the project to strengthen African

capabilities for peacekeeping operations.

As a reflection of my country’s commitment, Spain

will in the next few weeks sign a memorandum of

understanding on placing a rapidly deployable

peacekeeping force at the disposal of the United Nations.

On the eve of the twenty-first century, it is no longer

tolerable to mankind’s ethical conscience that atrocities

and war crimes should go unpunished. But until recently

the international community had not channeled these

generalized feelings into a course of concrete action. Yet

again, it was the United Nations that did this, by

convening the Rome Conference at which the Statute of

the International Criminal Court was adopted. Spain

signed the Statute, and the ratification process is now at

an advanced stage. Moreover, Spain has taken initiatives

to promote the signing and ratification of the treaty in

order that it may enter into force as soon as possible.

The United Nations has made a vital contribution to

the universalization of human rights. Having been elected

a member of the Commission on Human Rights for a

three-year period, Spain will continue to cooperate with

the United Nations in the defence of these rights in line

with one of the basic tenets of its foreign policy.

Closely related to this issue is the concept of human

security. At a previous session of the General Assembly,

Spain took the initiative to propose a draft resolution on

the safety and security of international humanitarian

personnel, which was ultimately adopted as resolution

52/167. The activity of the Special Committee on

Children and Armed Conflict is especially important at

this time, as is the significant work of the Secretary-

General’s Special Representative on this matter, Mr. Olara

Otunnu. The recent Security Council resolution 1261

(1999) is a major step forward in the approach to this

problem.

Development cooperation is undoubtedly one of the

main global issues on the United Nations agenda. The

special meeting on development financing planned for

2001 must be properly prepared, and the follow-up of the

major conferences must continue.

Spain attaches special importance to the Heavily

Indebted Poor Countries Debt (HIPC) Initiative, whose

scope and depth must be enhanced. In the wake of

hurricane Mitch, Spain initiated debt-cancellation

programmes for the most harshly affected countries of the

Central American region.

My country has made a substantial effort in recent

years in respect of its development cooperation

programmes. Not many years ago Spain was an aid

39

recipient, while it now stands above the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development average in the

percentage of its gross domestic product devoted to

development. In 1998, official development assistance funds

grew by 14 per cent, placing Spain among the three

developed countries which had most increased these funds

during the year.

With regard to disarmament, the United Nations and

the Conference on Disarmament will continue to prepare

for a conference on small arms to be held in 2001, and will

attempt to offset recent reversals in the non-proliferation

regime. It is essential that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-

Ban Treaty should speedily enter into force, and that

difficulties in the preparation of the next review conference

of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

be overcome.

It is also necessary to conclude negotiations on a

verification protocol to the Convention on the Prohibition

of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of

Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on

Their Destruction, and to address the issue of fissile

materials.

There are many other global issues on which the

United Nations plays a vital role, such as the fight against

terrorism, drugs and organized crime. However, I should

like to dwell for a moment on another matter to which my

Government attaches great importance: problems of ageing

and of older people. Spain wishes to contribute to the

debate on an international strategy on older people based on

the existing model in my country. Spain has also submitted

its candidacy as the venue for the second World Assembly

on Ageing, which could be convened in 2002.

Finally, allow me to refer to the problem of

decolonization. At the conclusion of this Decade for the

Eradication of Colonization, my country continues to

endure the presence of a colonial enclave on its territory.

Gibraltar was occupied by British troops in 1704, during

one of the European wars of succession. The Territory was

turned into a military base and the Spanish population was

expelled. Until very recently Spanish citizens in Gibraltar

suffered grave discrimination in the exercise of their rights.

General Assembly resolution 2353 (XXII) backed the

Spanish views on the decolonization of the Territory,

recognizing that Gibraltar’s colonial situation should be

settled not through self-determination, but, rather, through

the restoration of Spanish territorial integrity. Unfortunately,

its terms have been ignored by the colonial Power. Spain

and Great Britain began a process of negotiation on all

the issues, including sovereignty, based on the 1984

Brussels Declaration, but no significant progress has been

made. Spain has made a proposal to the United Kingdom

that takes into account the interests of the inhabitants of

the colony and would allow for the recovery of

sovereignty over the Territory after a lengthy period, so

far without reply. My Government will continue both its

dialogue with the United Kingdom and cooperation with

the decolonization Committee in following up on this

issue.

From the crises the world has lived through this

year, we must learn certain lessons. One is without doubt

that the political resolution of the crisis in Kosovo has

only been possible thanks to the United Nations, which

faced an urgent challenge, and on the success or failure

of its response depends to a large extent the public image

of our Organization.

In the Western Sahara Spain has supported with

concrete measures the action of the United Nations

Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

(MINURSO), and also the Secretary-General’s settlement

plan. It is willing to increase this support if asked to do

so by the Organization and if the parties directly involved

agree.

The new possibilities in the Middle East after the

signing of the Sharm-el Sheikh Memorandum are seen by

my country with great hope, and we are firmly committed

to continue cooperating with all sides so that the process

begun in Madrid continues on track.

Other regions of the world have suffered particularly

during this past year. Unfortunately, this is especially true

of Africa, and therefore I wish to emphasize my country’s

support for the integrated approach taken by the

Secretary-General in treating the causes of the conflicts

and promoting peace on that continent.

Finally, the most recent challenge to the United

Nations is the situation in East Timor. Spain welcomed

the adoption of Security Council resolution 1264 (1999),

and is willing to contribute to the multinational force to

guarantee security in the Territory. My country, likewise,

has announced a special contribution to the fund

established by the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) to deal urgently

with the acute humanitarian situation and the refugee

problems on the island.

40

The Organization’s undertakings are sometimes

visible, at other times hidden, but they are always

indispensable. The citizens of our countries must value

them so that the United Nations may enjoy the backing that

it needs in order to perform its important duties effectively.

On the threshold of the twenty-first century, Spain

reiterates yet again its firm commitment to the Organization

and its willingness to put its capacity for external action at

the service of the purposes and principles enumerated in the

Charter.