The Bahamas, 1982

I should like to begin, Sir, by extending to you

my congratulations and those of the delegation of

the Bahamas on your unanimous election to the

presidency of the General Assembly. We are

confident that you will carry out the mandate of

your high office with the perseverance, ingenuity

for which you are well known. My delegation is

pleased to offer you its full co-operation in

making this session a successful and constructive

one. I take this opportunity to express my

profound gratitude to your predecessor, Mr.

Kittani, who held the office during a difficult

period. Yet he spared no effort to find solutions

to the problems before us, left a clear imprint

of patience and skill and displayed exemplary

distinction in the conduct of the affairs of the

General Assembly. My delegation wishes to pay a

tribute to the new Secretary-General Car the

dynamic, courageous and untiring effort and

initiative he has already displayed in upholding

the principles and objectives of the United

Nations. We are particularly pleased that he is a

son of our Latin American region and we pledge

the support of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

for his continuing efforts in the pursuit of

peace and harmony among nations.

It is fortuitous that I should be addressing the

Assembly today, 12 October 1982, the four hundred

and ninetieth anniversary of the landing by the

intrepid mariner Christopher Columbus en the

island now known as San Salvador in the

Commonwealth of the Bahamas. That event, as we

all know, marked the beginning of a new era in

the history of the world and of the Americas. The

Bahamas is proud of the role which fate destined

it to play in the early history of our

hemisphere, and it is in this spirit that the

Bahamas wishes to place on record its intention

to bring before the Assembly at the appropriate

time a resolution to commemorate the

quincentennial anniversary of Columbus's arrival

in the New World.

The Bahamas has devoted itself to the

establishment and development of a peaceful and

stable world order. This is essential

prerequisite if progress is to continue towards

improving the quality of life of our own people

and that of other nations of the world. Yet, as

one reviews the international situation over the

past year, it is evident that peace and security

have been frequently shattered, with very serious

consequences, in various regions. A number of

conflicts have interrupted international

tranquility and resulted in heavy losses of human

life and considerable material damage,

We in the Bahamas are profoundly saddened by the

events in Lebanon. We believe in the sanctity of

human life in a world seemingly desensitized by

violence and murder. We therefore deplore the

mass murders, particularly of innocent men, women

and children, in the refugee camps of Sabra and

Shatsla. Those responsible for such atrocities

should be held accountable. Unless the United

Nations is able to deal effectively with such

situations so as to serve as a deterrent to

others, then it will indeed become a useless

institution.

The wishes of the Government and people of

Lebanon must be respected and its sovereignty and

territorial integrity restored. Accordingly, we

urge the speedy withdrawal of all foreign forces

from Lebanon We are also deeply disappointed by

the absence of full compliance with the series of

Security Council resolutions on this matter. The

use of force against any nation must not take the

place of reason.

The right of all nations, including Israel and

Lebanon, to exist in peace and security must be

respected. There must also be recognition of the

legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,

including their right to self-determination.

Recent events in the Middle East give a clear

indication that a comprehensive, just and lasting

peace in the Middle East is now more than ever an

imperative.

It is regrettable that Iraq and the Islamic

Republic of Iran could not resolve their problems

except by war. The conflict continues to threaten

the stability of the region and, given the

interdependence of relations among States,

contributes to international economic dislocation.

We therefore appeal to the parties to put an end

to the hostilities and to arrive at a negotiated

settlement in accordance with Security Council

resolutions 479 (1980) and 514 (1982). We are

profoundly appreciative of the

Secretary-General's coordinated mediation efforts

aimed at preventing a further prolongation of the

conflict and at finding a solution to the

differences to the two sides.

The South Atlantic has not been spared the use of

force, costly in both human and material terms.

We would encourage the parties to bring about a

formal end to the conflict in order that

negotiations may commence with a view to a final

and lasting settlement.

The Bahamas is concerned by the violation of the

fundamental principles on which the Organization

is founded, especially the principle that the

threat or use of force in international relations

is prohibited. This principle is particularly

significant for small States and territories with

limited resources.

The dispute between Guyana and Venezuela owing to

the latter's revival of the claim to Guyana's

territory is another area of concern in our

hemisphere. The Bahamas accepts that a judicial

solution to this problem has already been found

under international law. We urge that Venezuela

respect Guyana's territorial integrity and that

the two parties arrive at a peaceful solution in

the spirit of the purposes and principles of the

Charter and of the agreements concluded between

them.

We continue to hope for an early, peaceful and

comprehensive solution to the situation in

Cyprus. We are cognizant of the gravity of the

situation and of its implications for the

well-being of the peoples involved and for the

continuance of their national unity, based on

their collective will, unhindered by outside

forces. However, we must begin seriously to

consider measures for improving the effectiveness

of the Organization, for in the Cyprus question

we see once again a situation where the decisions

taken by the Organization have not led to

significant progress.

Peace is indivisible. Violations of peace are to

be deplored. Indeed, recourse to the use of force

is apparently becoming a norm in international

relations, to the detriment of countries both

large and small. The proscription of the threat

or use of force, the principles of sovereignty,

independence, territorial integrity,

non-interference in the internal affairs of

States and the peaceful settlement of disputes

are indispensable norms of international life

which must be respected by all.

The world economy continues to be caught in the

most severe recession since the great depression

of the 1930s. The per capita gross national

product for developing countries as a whole has

fallen for the first time since the 1950s. The

present downward spiral follows two decades of

exceptional growth and development in both

industrialized and developing countries. But now

there are serious doubts with respect to the

prospects of growth during the rest of the

decade. The concern of Governments with immediate

domestic problems has intensified; protectionist

tendencies have re-emerged; recession, inflation

and high interest rates in the developed

countries have had an adverse impact on tourism

and financial and technological resources flows,

especially foreign direct investment, in the

developing countries.

It is hoped that agreement can be reached on the

framework and early launching of global

negotiations. The asymmetrical nature of the

interdependence between States has underscored

the need for measures to redress the structural

imbalances in the world economy, particularly in

the areas of trade, raw materials, energy, money

and finance. In our view, recovery and global

negotiations should not be regarded as

incompatible. The participating heads of

Government at the Versailles Economic Summit in

June agreed that the launching of global

negotiations was a major political objective.

That was a positive development. But further

efforts in good faith are required to resolve the

amendments and counter-amendments to the proposal

of the Group of 77 regarding the basis for

consultations.

Interdependence and the consequent necessity for

international economic co-operation are basic

principles of international economic relations,

as amply reflected in the International

Development Strategy for the Third United Nations

Development Decade. The uncertainty which has

clouded international economic co-operation must

be removed. International co-operation must again

be set on the track towards world economic

recovery and economic development of the

developing countries.

During the three decades that the General

Assembly has been considering the question of

apartheid the overwhelming majority of mankind

has rallied to the cause of eliminating that

affront to human dignity. In this International

Year of Mobilization for Sanctions against South

Africa, the international community should

continue to take energetic and concerted action

in support of the legitimate struggle of the

oppressed peoples of South Africa for human

rights. The need for collective action is

underscored by the continuing designation by

South Africa of so- called independent homelands

and by threats and acts of aggression against the

front-line States of southern Africa.

While the case of the violation of human rights

in South Africa is a blatant and obvious one, the

existence and persistence of human rights

violations throughout the world, in States

Members of the United Nations, cannot be denied.

The United Nations system has developed an

increasingly complex network of international

instruments and machinery to address the problems

of human rights violations. Yet lack of consensus

on human rights issues, double standards and a

growing trend towards selectivity have

undoubtedly impeded the efficiency of this

machinery. Unless the United Nations is prepared

constructively to utilize existing human rights

machinery in a non- political humanitarian

manner, universally applicable solutions to

problems of human rights violations will not be

found.

The direct responsibility of the United Nations

for Namibia cannot end until genuine

self-determination and independence are achieved

in a united Namibia. My delegation is aware of

reports of continuing mediation efforts by the

Western contact group and of guarded progress in

resolving the outstanding issues. Nevertheless,

we call upon South Africa to desist from defying

resolutions adopted by the United Nations for the

early independence of Namibia. South Africa

should not continue to use extraneous issues as

an excuse for delaying or refusing to cooperate

in the emancipation of Namibia.

At the recently concluded second special session

of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament,

the Bahamas stated that the challenge facing us

all was how to move from awareness, statements of

intent, machinery and procedures to genuine and

concrete disarmament measures. The Bahamas also

elaborated briefly on how that challenge could be

squarely and honestly met. Yet it seemed that we

could not resolve the contradictions that existed

between motivation, words and action, and that

special session ended in failure. Increased

militarization, far beyond legitimate security

needs, only serves to increase international

tension and exacerbate international conflict.

Thus, it behaves us all —nuclear-weapon States,

militarily significant States, non-militarily

significant States—to work collectively towards

significant disarmament measures which will

restore the confidence of our peoples in the

worth and effectiveness of the United Nations.

Mankind can no longer justify the enormous

resources spent on armaments. The poverty, hunger

and underdevelopment that face so many States

demand a redirection of those valuable resources.

In addition, the potential destructiveness of

those modem weapon systems is reason enough to

bring mankind to its senses and to the

realization of man's true purpose in this

universe. My delegation realizes that some

progress has been made towards disarmament, but

we must register our strong concern at the slow

pace of that progress.

The problem of drug abuse has come to be

regarded, rightfully, as a universal one. It

affects every region of the world. Over the past

several years, the Latin American region has

seemingly become a new focal point for

international drug traffickers, as production and

trafficking, primarily in cannabis, hashish,

cocaine and methaqualone have significantly

increased. The Bahamas, once uninvolved in such

matters, has become increasingly alarmed by the

realization that it has become a major conduit

for the illicit traffic moving from sources and

supply centers in South America to large and

profitable consumption centers in North America

and Europe.

In this connection the Bahamas was pleased to be

elected to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. It

had its first opportunity, at the seventh special

session, held at Vienna in February of this year,

to voice its concern with regard to the illicit

traffic in the Latin American region and, in

particular, in the Caribbean sub-region. The

dilemma of transit States cannot be overstated.

They can exercise no control over the illicit

production of or the illicit demand for narcotic

drugs. As victims of international drug

traffickers, they are forced to sacrifice much to

control a problem that is not of their making.

The Bahamas is therefore grateful for United

Nations intervention in the form of a study of

the problems of transit States.

The strengthening of international response to

the problem of drug abuse is vital. The Bahamas

therefore views the adoption at the thirty-sixth

session of the General Assembly of the

International Drug Abuse Control Strategy, and

the five-year programme of action to implement

the Strategy as a significant step. Drug

trafficking can affect any State, whether

producer, consumer or transit. In this regard it

is the hope of the Bahamas that initiatives

undertaken to focus, within the context of the

Strategy, on the actual movement of illicit drugs

will be supported.

Only consistency of purpose at the bilateral,

regional and international levels will retard

illicit production of, traffic in and demand for

narcotic drugs. Despite its limited resources the

Bahamas will continue, in conjunction with Member

States and the United Nations, to play an active

role in the struggle against drug abuse.

The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of

the Sea has succeeded, after many years of

lengthy negotiations, in producing a Convention

which is unprecedented in scope and size—a major

milestone in international co-operation and a

fundamental contribution to international order

and stability. A comprehensive document which is

in many respects innovative has been negotiated.

Compromises have been made to arrive at a

generally acceptable convention which constitutes

a delicate balance between conflicting interests.

Within the United Nations system, the work of the

Conference is an example for the international

community of what can be achieved by multilateral

negotiations.

The Bahamas is an archipelagic nation. We are

therefore particularly gratified that the United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea contains

provisions for the delimitation of the national

frontiers of archipelagic States. This Convention

corrects a serious omission in the law of the

sea, as the two previous texts did not address

the circumstances peculiar to archipelagic States.

We had hoped the Convention would receive the

unanimous support of the international community,

and we continue to hope that it will. It is none

the less our sincere desire that those

governments that have so far indicated their

non-participation will, in the final analysis,

come to the conclusion that their national

interests would be best secured by participation

in the new form of true international

co-operation represented by the Convention.

The report of the Secretary-General on the work

of the Organization raised the central issue of

the capacity of the United Nations to keep the

peace and to serve as a forum for negotiations.

The Bahamas congratulates the Secretary-General

on the approach taken in his first report and

concurs with his analysis of the factors and

circumstances which appear to have contributed to

the impaired effectiveness of the Organization.

We subscribe also to the view that the present

tendency of bypassing the Organization in

situations where it should and could play a

vital, constructive role is damaging and

dangerous for the future of the United Nations.

The Bahamas is of the view that a major role

should be played by the United Nations in dealing

with issues of universal concern and in taking

the initiative in the promotion of international

peace, justice and co-operation. We reaffirm our

commitment to making this body a more effective

instrument in bringing about positive changes in

the world.