The memory of the cold war is fading rapidly
in people's minds. Yet, the efforts for adaptation to a world not structured
by the East-West divide have not yet been undertaken. As the images of
violence, famine and destruction flicker on our television sets the urge that
something must be done quickly seizes the consciousness and imagination of
people everywhere.
The world community turns to the United Nations the only universal
forum at its disposal full of expectations that it will succeed in putting
an end to the violence, the senseless destruction of human life and economic
resources which, at this very moment, are plunging millions of people in every
part of the world into despair.
The end of the cold war confrontation opened the way for increased
cooperation. The triumph of democracy and the cooperation of the major Powers
created possibilities for the resolution of conflicts which had originated in,
or were maintained by, the earlier East-West confrontation. The universal
aspiration for a world of peace, liberated from the bondage of insecurity, was
thus quite rightly roused.
During this post-cold-war period we have witnessed positive developments
in many regional problems, particularly Cambodia, Southern Africa, Central
America and elsewhere. At the same time, an effort has been undertaken to
find lasting peace in the Middle East through the convening of a peace
conference. We welcome this positive and important development in the hope
that it will lead to a comprehensive solution, safeguarding the legitimate
rights of the Palestinian people while, at the same time, ensuring the
implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). For
it is our position that all United Nations resolutions must be implemented,
whichever country they concern, be it Iraq, Cyprus or former Yugoslavia.
Furthermore we welcome the developments in South Africa that should lead
to the end of the abhorrent regime of apartheid, in the hope that never again
will any human beings on the face of this Earth be forced to live in
conditions of racial, ethnic, religious or other separation from their fellow
human beings.
The fact that today we welcome 20 new Members in this universal
Organization is sufficient evidence of the tremendous forces at work following
the end of the East-West divide. Welcoming each and every one of these
countries, and all of them as a whole, I express our desire to work and
cooperate with them to uphold the principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, in the interest of peace, security and the well-being of all.
The conditions are favourable for the United Nations, as the process for
a much stronger and effective Organization matures and gains momentum.
However, the challenges that the Organization and its Members are called upon
to meet are also crucial, for, as the old order crumbled, unparalleled forces
of destruction were also unleashed.
The aspirations of humanity for a better world meet with disappointment
in every part of the world. The proliferation of conflicts, due to a variety
of reasons, is the other face of Janus. Along with the conflicts come the
long lines of refugees, the dead, the starving children, looking desperately
to each one of us.
Eighteen years after Cyprus suffered the devastating effects of "ethnic
cleansing" following the Turkish invasion of 1974, we are again witnessing the
restaging of similar tragedies in other parts of the world. In 1974, Turkey,
a strong neighbour of small Cyprus, invaded and occupied 37 per cent of the
territory of the Republic. One third of the Greek Cypriots were evicted from
their ancestral homes and properties in order to create "ethnically clean
areas". Being weak and defenseless, we turned to the United Nations. It is
to the United Nations that a great part of humanity is at this very moment
also turning for help.
The demands are greater now and they are tending to increase. The fact
that the world Organization is free of the fetters imposed by the adversarial
relations of the super-Powers in the cold war era enhances its possibilities.
The burden, however, will be unbearable if the process towards a more
effective United Nations, with the necessary resources and increased
capabilities not only in the field of peace-keeping, but particularly in the
fields of peace-making and conflict prevention, as analysed in the Secretary-
General's Agenda for Peace - is not quickly realized.
Cyprus can again be brought up as a case-study and example.
Following the invasion in 1974, the United Nations system was mobilised'
The Security Council and the General Assembly adopted resolutions demanding
respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus and an
immediate end to foreign military intervention and called urgently for a
cease-fire. The United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
supervised the cease-fire and assured the peace-keeping operation. It has
fulfilled this role as well as other humanitarian functions admirably. And we
are grateful to all the men who served in UNFICYP for their contribution. But
18 years later, the Cyprus problem is still not solved and as a consequence
UNFICYP is confronted with serious financial problems.
If even a small number of the peace-keeping operations the United Nations
is now undertaking have the duration of UNFICYP, given their scale and scope,
very soon the Organization will not be able to cope with the financial and
other burdens.
The Cyprus example is, I believe, sufficient evidence that an intense
peace-making effort must be pursued in parallel with every peace-keeping
operation. For the cost can be limited not by simply eliminating the role,
but by opening the way for just and viable solutions.
In the case of Cyprus, despite the lack of results because of the
negative attitude of the Turkish side during the long negotiations aimed at
finding a solution, the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
correctly seized the moment and pursued an intense, renewed effort to this
end. The Security Council, already actively involved in the process, put its
weight behind those efforts and engaged itself in an unprecedented way.
We took our share of responsibility and engaged in those talks in the
spirit of good will and conciliation. For we want to put an end to the
forcible division of our country and the resulting suffering of so many,
particularly of the families of the missing persons. In brief, we want to see
an end to the status quo, characterized by the Security Council as not
acceptable.
Unfortunately, the Turkish side remained intransigent on its aims of
perpetuating the division of Cyprus into two "ethnically clean" regions, in
utter violation of human rights and basic rules of international law. Even
today we hear voices from Turkey speaking against federation, claiming that
since two different communities live on Cyprus the island should be
partitioned. Just imagine how the world would look if this principle were
applied universally.
As the Secretary-General underlined in an interview a few days ago, the
new danger that will appear in the world in the next 10 years is more
fragmentation. Rather than 100 or 200 countries, said the Secretary-General,
there may be at the end of the century 400 countries. By way of example he
went on to say that in Africa there are 5,000 tribes, and if each tribe
claimed the right to self-determination we would end up with many small States
of 50,000 to 100,000 people each. We can all imagine the effects that this
would have on the hopes of humanity for sustainable development. That is why
what happens in Cyprus and the solution of the Cyprus problem based on United
Nations resolutions must be of concern to the international community.
The report of the Secretary-General on Cyprus (S/24472) clearly shows why
no progress was made in the July and August talks. Furthermore, the "Set of
ideas" and the map which are annexed to the report have been endorsed by the
Security Council in resolution 774 (1992) as the basis for reaching a
solution. We should like, in this context, to express our appreciation and
thanks to the Secretary-General and the Security Council for all their support
and involvement in our case.
The resolution also calls for resumption of the talks on 26 October. As
always, we intend to cooperate fully with the Secretary-General and negotiate
with good will. We sincerely hope that the Turkish side, despite its so-far
negative public statements, will at long last cooperate.
If, despite the efforts of the Secretary-General, our good will and the
involvement of the Security Council, the talks in October become a repetition
of the unpleasant exercise we experienced this summer, we are confident that
the Security Council and the Assembly will assure the conditions for progress.
For it would be tragic further to delay, or even frustrate, the effort
for a solution in Cyprus. The people of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots and Greek
Cypriots alike, want to put the past behind them and advance towards a better
future. The reunification of Cyprus will open a new era of prosperity and
progress to the benefit of all Cypriots in particular, of Turkish Cypriots
and our region. I am certain that the solution of the Cyprus problem is the
only way, and a necessary condition, for the economic and social development
of all Cypriots. In this competitive world of ours, only if Turkish Cypriots
and Greek Cypriots are united and join forces will they be able to win the
place they deserve in the world.
The Secretary-General's "Agenda for Peace" introduces peace-building and
preventive diplomacy as concepts of the utmost importance. The conceptual
framework of the "Agenda" is indeed remarkable in its ramifications and the
linkages it establishes between peace and security, international law,
democracy, human rights and sustainable development.
Cyprus, which accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the International
Court of Justice, welcomes and supports the Secretary-General's proposals in
the field of international law, as set out in the report.
Our long-term efforts should be aimed at creating such conditions as will
make the possibility of war unthinkable, even between nations that have a
history of enmity. In order to achieve such a result on a global basis the
United Nations must adapt itself swiftly to the changing conditions. A better
balance and coordination between the various bodies that form the Organization
and the specialized agencies are needed. A more effective and more democratic
United Nations is an essential component of a stable and democratic world
order. Furthermore, as the Secretary-General pointedly underlines in his
report to the General Assembly, we must render our Organization
"capable of dealing comprehensively with the economic, social,
environmental and political dimensions of human development." (A/47/1.
para. 9)
The General Assembly, representing all the Members of the United Nations,
has a major role to play in the realization of this major objective. And I am
certain that under the able leadership of our President, my good friend the
Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Mr. Ganev, it will rise to these challenges. I
also take this opportunity to pay tribute, Mr. President, to your predecessor,
Mr. Samir Shihabi of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for the skilful manner in
which he steered the work of the forty-sixth session.
Prominent among the challenges we have to meet is the protection of human
rights in all their dimensions, civil and political as well as social,
economic and cultural. The progress achieved in this field during recent
years, encouraging though it is, should not mislead us. Much progress still
needs to be achieved. That is why we look forward to the World Conference on
Human Rights, which will present us with a great opportunity not only to
assess the progress achieved so far, but also, and mainly, to define the means
for rendering our collective action for the protection of human rights more
effective.
The issue of human rights is crucial, for it relates not only to
peace-making and peace-building, but also to preventive diplomacy. The first
victims of galloping nationalism and micronationalism everywhere, as we can
clearly see, are the human rights of citizens. We in Cyprus, unfortunately,
have bitter experience of this fact.
Tolerance and respect for the beliefs and particularities of others
within societies and peaceful relations among nations are the conditions
for the prevalence of the rule of law and thus of human rights. And as
peace is no longer the end product of mutual fear, it will be maintained
only through the prevalence of mutual understanding, communication and
confidence. In this respect, the process of disarmament has a key
function to play.
In spite of the progress we all welcome, and in particular the
agreement reached within the Conference on Disarmament on a draft
convention for the elimination of chemical weapons, disarmament is still
of the utmost priority in our quest for general stability. The positive
developments in the field of nuclear weapons constitute an asset that has
to be safeguarded. However, the risk of intense arms races between
regional Powers is more than a threat: it is a reality.
It is only through eliminating the roots of insecurity, which makes
the acquisition of arms a vital need for States, and through creating the
institutional framework that will enhance the feeling of security and
thereby diminish to the maximum the need for self-help in case of
aggression, that real progress can be achieved.
We know how painful it is to spend precious resources on arms and we
hurt when we have to pay a few million dollars just to buy a new tank.
But what other choice are we left with when on a small island like Cyprus
the Turkish army outnumbers us in this field by a ratio of 7 to 1,
constantly threatening our physical existence? Time and again we have
proposed the demilitarization of Cyprus, together with the withdrawal of
the Turkish forces from Cyprus. We are committed to using the resources
thus saved for development purposes - most of them directed to projects
that will have an immediate effect on the standard of living of the
Turkish Cypriots. Thus, the peace-building process will be further
strengthened and the people of Cyprus as a whole will benefit.
Human rights and democracy will amount to little if social misery,
starvation and underdevelopment are the lot of the great majority of the
population of this planet. The fragile flower of democracy cannot bloom
on the arid soil of poverty. What sense can the right to vote have if one
is condemned to remain hungry, roofless and without the very basic
necessities?
As the Jakarta Declaration, adopted during the tenth non-aligned
summit only some weeks ago, clearly states:
"A shift of forces in international relations towards strengthening
multilateral cooperation for development has become indispensable."
The division between rich and poor, developed and developing, should
not be allowed to become a new source of instability and tension that
would undermine the foundations of international society. It is an
illusion to think that any country, however rich or great, can survive
isolated, surrounded by an archipelago of poverty.
If we want peace and social stability we must address the issues of
growth and sustainable development in their human and social dimensions.
Indebtedness, mainly due to the collapse of commodity prices and the
subsequent transfer of resources from poor to rich countries, continues to
hurt the developing world. Barriers to trade raise formidable obstacles
to the efforts of developing countries to reach the markets of the highly
industrialized North and limit their possibilities for growth while having
an adverse effect on the export prices of their products. That is why we
are anxious about the delay in concluding the Uruguay Round of
Multilateral Trade Negotiations and express the hope that the target for
completing the negotiations - that is, the end of 1992 will be achieved
this time. Developing nations' access to technology is still very
restricted and this adds to the already existing inequalities that hamper
growth on a global level.
Technology is not an end in itself. The transfer of technologies
from developed to developing countries is a pre-condition for sustainable
development on a global scale. The problem is also directly linked to
that of the flow of financial resources for productive investment in
developing countries. What is at stake here is not only the solidarity
that developed countries should demonstrate. It is also a rational
response that will guarantee their own ability to continue to progress in
a world which progresses as a whole.
It is now widely acknowledged that in our quest for development in
the past we regarded environment solely as a commodity ripe for
exploitation. Now we have come to realize that it is man who belongs to
the environment and not the environment to man. It is therefore necessary
to define a new synthesis between environment and development. The Rio
Conference was a major step in that direction. The world summit gave the
correct message; it shaped the international will and marked a new
beginning. Concrete and effective measures must follow. The Rio
Declaration must not remain a dead letter. We have to translate into
action its provisions, which should guide us in every policy decision.
The 1990s is a decade of dramatic changes. The contradictory forces
and undercurrents that shape the outcome of events must be shaped and
guided towards the creation of a peaceful and democratic world order. The
United Nations is the soul itself, the consciousness of humanity as a
collective entity. As such, it demonstrates a flexibility and a capacity
for adaptation which are admirable. People of worth, dedicated men and
women, work in every part of the world fulfilling impossible missions. We
thank them all.
We have reached a moment when, as Member States, we must assume
further responsibilities and, faithful to the principles of the Charter of
this Organization, work in unison in helping the United Nations to achieve
its objectives. Humanity has conquered mighty and formidable peaks. We
cannot turn back. We are committed to shaping and channelling the hopes
and aspirations of mankind for a more free, democratic and tolerant world,
with a better quality of life for all.