The euphoria and
enthusiasm that greeted, no so long ago, the disappearance of ideological
East-West confrontation and the progressive expansion of freedom and democracy
are today giving way to general discouragement because of the obstacles to the
natural aspirations of peoples to freedom and legitimate well-being.
The forty-seventh session of the General Assembly has begun at a
particularly difficult time in the history of humankind, which means that
Mr. Ganev has assumed the presidency of the Assembly in a context of disquiet,
but also one that is hopeful, because in all likelihood only our Organization
can help the world to meet these challenges.
On behalf of the delegation of Togo, we wish to convey to Mr. Ganev
heartfelt congratulations on his election to the presidency of this session.
The selection of Mr. Ganev, who possesses such great intellectual qualities
and experience, is for his country the true embodiment of the ideals of peace
and justice that it constantly advocates. We will be available at all times
to work with him to ensure the success of his daunting mission.
The delegation of Togo wishes to pay well-deserved tribute to his
predecessor, Mr. Shihabi, for his outstanding performance in conducting the
work of the forty-sixth session. His dynamism, his high standards of
excellence and his zeal for punctuality compelled our admiration and accounted
for the great success of our deliberations. I reiterate our sincere
congratulations to him.
We take this occasion to salute the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for the dynamic work that he has
undertaken since his election to the head of our Organization. The
serious-mindedness and pragmatism he has demonstrated since taking office in
January of this year lead us to believe that the United Nations will be able
to make an even greater contribution to the maintenance of peace throughout
the world and the promotion of solidarity among nations.
In recent months, the family of the United Nations has grown with the
addition of new Members. We wish to bid them welcome and to say how proud and
happy the international community is to welcome them to our midst, with the
hope that in keeping with the statements they made upon admission to
membership they will espouse the San Francisco Charter in its entirety and
will comply with its fundamental principles.
Since the end of the last session, many events have marked the world.
Efforts have been stepped up to build a new world order which must before all
else be liberal, because it is based on the absolute need to respect human
rights, which is a fundamental requirement for the establishment of relations
of trust, peace and solidarity among peoples of our planet.
The turmoil we have witnessed throughout the world, particularly in
Europe, Asia and Africa in recent years, reflects the resolve of peoples to
gain new freedom within which man can become the unchallenged artisan of his
Government's destiny. Throughout the world, peoples are seeking freedom,
peace and justice that only proper multipartite democracy can guarantee.
Among these are the people of Togo, which for 13 years has been persevering in
the effort to adapt the structures and the basic choices governing its
socio-political context to meet the needs of our time and changing attitudes.
Having broken with the previous regime and gained a constitution in 1979,
our country resolutely committed itself to implementing measures of
liberalization, detente and progressive democratization of our political
life. These measures inter alia made it possible to hold free elections under
the second and third legislatures and during municipal and prefectoral
referenda of 1987, at the same time as they strengthened protection of human
rights, particularly by setting up an independent commission.
The subsequent adoption of laws relating to the liberalization of the
press, political pluralism and general amnesty, along with the development of
a draft constitution to establish a multipartite regime, shows that already in
the middle of 1991 the Government and the people of Togo truly desired to move
on, without undue haste, to a higher stage in the process of democratizing our
institutions.
The tremendous speed of this movement that was started in the late 1980s
culminated with the National Sovereign Conference of the living forces of the
nation, which led to the transitional Government which was to lead Togo to
elections and establish democracy.
We must state that one year after the establishment of these transitional
institutions the Government has faced enormous difficulties, and that
tremendous efforts must be made before we attain our goals.
The recent adjustment of the machinery of the institutions of this
transition, proposed following the consultation meeting between the various
protagonists of political life and endorsed by the Government and the
legislature, the High Council of the Republic, overwhelmingly demonstrate the
desire of the people of Togo to do everything possible to achieve peace and
security, a State of law that they all sincerely want to see, by establishing
new institutions through free and dependable democratic elections. The latest
of these, the Presidential elections, are to end on 20 December of this year.
This recent adaptation of the workings of this transitional Government
meets the needs of our march forward, both by ensuring proper application of
the constitution for this transitional period, so that no organ be unjustly
deprived of its constitutional prerogatives, and by involving in the
democratic process all national political leaders to rally consensus around
the values underpinning our democratic renewal.
These bodies have sufficient power to lead the country to this
irreversible democratic peace process, but they do not have enough power to
block our march to democracy. Accordingly we can only express satisfaction
that the two senior officials of the executive branch, the President and the
Prime Minister, have solemnly proclaimed their determination to continue to
its end the democratic process that is under way and to devote all their
energy to organizing referenda set by the electoral timetable. It is at this
stage in our apprenticeship of democracy that the new Government of National
Union of Transition, formed by the Prime Minister together with the Head of
State and after consultations with the large political families, was approved
on 14 September by a majority of 60 per cent by the High Council of the
Republic and following a secret ballot.
Very revealing indeed of the resolve of the people of Togo to overcome
its contradictions in order to promote democratic renewal, this vote of
approval, cast in a particularly difficult context, sufficiently demonstrates
"that in Togo, whatever might be said, we can still say no in full freedom and
without any fear of a proposal from the executive power".
We take this opportunity to inform this Assembly that the draft
constitution of the Fourth Republic, submitted to referendum on Sunday
27 September 1992, was adopted by 99.09 per cent. The referendum met with
great enthusiasm and almost unanimous support, with a participation rate of
nearly 75 per cent. The Government will not fail to learn the lesson from
this first vote to correct the mistakes revealed in the first referendum.
This is a guarantee for the acceptance of ballot results by all parties.
It is appropriate to reiterate to our friendly countries and to the
United Nations, as well as to the entire international community, the profound
gratitude of the Government and the people of Togo for the invaluable support
they have given to our democratic process. We sincerely hope that this
assistance will be continued throughout the coming elections.
It is undeniable that the struggle to establish a State of law in Togo is
a job that falls essentially to the people of Togo themselves, and that they
bear the primary responsibility for fashioning their democracy, according to
the means they have and in keeping with their culture and their national
spirit. With courage and determination, we will strive to meet the challenge
in union and mutual acceptance.
In keeping with the conclusions of the work of the joint commission, the
Government has set up a security plan the results of which can already be seen
in the field.
Thanks to this consensus, political violence, which until recently was
rampant in my country, is now being stemmed throughout Togo. All political
parties will have access, without restriction and with complete security, to
all parts of Togo during their political campaigns.
Management by consensus in this short period of our political life is
without any doubt the driving force behind political detente in Togo and a
guarantee of the reliability and transparency of the coming elections.
Finally, the major protagonists of our political life have agreed to the
principle of mutual guarantees, whose importance is clear to all. We must
implement all the measures that we have decided on before, during and after
the elections. Our country, determined to restore peace and tranquillity,
assures the Assembly that the democratic process under way is irreversible.
Despite our hope that we can live from now on in an international society
without conflict, the world continues to witness a growth of armed conflict.
It is no longer merely Africa and Asia that contain pockets of tension.
Europe, with war raging in the former Yugoslavia more precisely, in Bosnia
and Herzegovina is now affected. That tragedy challenges the international
community to do all it can to ensure respect for man and human dignity. We
unreservedly support all the European initiatives and salute the laudable
efforts of the United Nations to restore peace to that part of Europe.
Elsewhere in the world, in Africa for some years now Somalia and Liberia
have been two more hotbeds of tension where fratricidal war rages, already
claiming thousands of victims. Death, desolation, poverty and hunger are the
daily lot of these peoples.
From this United Nations rostrum we call upon our Somali and Liberian
brothers to demonstrate positive nationalism and constructive patriotism to
help implement the relevant resolutions of the Organization of African Unity
(OAU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to contribute
to restoring peace to their respective countries.
The South African Government must understand that the wheels of history
are still turning and that it is now clear that structures imposed by force
cannot survive the determination of the people to live in peace. The
continued plight of that part of our continent demands that the General
Assembly intensify its efforts for victory in the fight to eradicate
apartheid. This requires that all forms of pressure be maintained to compel
the De Klerk Government to commit itself fully to the political and
institutional reforms that it has already courageously undertaken.
Togo is following with particular interest the developing situation in
the Middle East. It reiterates its full support for the peace process started
in October 1991 in Madrid, and calls upon the parties to demonstrate greater
wisdom, courage and restraint in order to strengthen that process and bring
about a final solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. It should be based on a
negotiated agreement acceptable to all, guaranteeing the security of all the
States of the region, including Israel, within secure, internationally
recognized borders, and allowing the Palestinian people freely and fully to
exercise their right to self-determination.
With regard to the Arab-Persian Gulf, where peace still seems to be
threatened, my country reiterates its appeal to all the States of the region
scrupulously to abide by the various relevant resolutions of the Security
Council, and to make every effort to avoid the risk of new confrontations
which still hovers over that part of the world.
In Asia, Togo appreciates the Secretary-General's efforts to deploy the
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). We hope that the
national reconciliation effort now going on will gain further ground.
Because of the great suffering they inflict on peoples, the conflicts to
which I have referred render sterile any notion of sovereignty and
independence. Is it not better, then, to prevent armed conflicts rather than
seek to resolve them?
Efforts made throughout the world by regional and international
organizations in the search for new machinery to prevent war and maintain
peace are likely to promote social progress and to establish better living
conditions for our peoples. Accordingly, my delegation welcomes the fact that
the Security Council on 31 January 1992 held a Summit meeting which considered
ways of strengthening and making more efficient the United Nations capacity
for preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping. Togo very much
appreciates the conclusions of that meeting and the report (A/47/277)
submitted by the Secretary-General at the Council's request.
In dealing with the many conflicts raging throughout the world,
preventive diplomacy would allow, with real determination by the protagonists
of international life, particularly the parties to a conflict, the speedy
attainment of its goal of peace.
The world is now witnessing the end of East-West antagonism, but the much
feared danger of a world war has not yet been overcome. Arsenals of highly
sophisticated weapons still exist throughout the world, posing serious threats
to international peace and security. There is an urgent need to destroy
weapons of mass destruction and halt the arms race; the military Powers should
devote themselves to that task in order to curb any reflex action to have
recourse to war.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty has been renewed without time-limit and the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and the Treaty on Conventional Armed
Forces in Europe (CFE) have entered into force. The final text of the
convention banning chemical weapons will be submitted for our consideration
this session. All these developments increase the international community's
hope that the military Powers will embark on general and complete disarmament.
Furthermore, with the end of the cold war, and with distrust now giving
way to trust and cooperation, the delegation of Togo believes that it is time
for the international community to envisage drafting, without delay, a
comprehensive test-ban treaty, after which the United Nations would play a
leading role as the main body where consensus can be forged on security and
disarmament problems.
We welcome the recent initiative of President Francois Mitterrand in
unilaterally decreeing a one-year moratorium on nuclear tests by his country.
We also welcome the statement made on 2 July 1992 by
President George Bush on repatriating certain tactical nuclear weapons of the
United States with a view to destroying them.
As we see it, recent events and initiatives, as well as many positive
world developments in the disarmament field, are encouraging. However, the
proliferation and international transfer of conventional weapons, particularly
in Africa, are a source of major concern on the part of the authorities of
Togo. In this respect, we believe that a United Nations regional centre for
peace and disarmament, like the one in Lome, is still useful and we should
seek to increase its role, its powers and the scope of its activities. The
United Nations should give the regional centres greater means so that they
could fully participate in the strengthening of security and peace.
Serious problems such as the ones connected with the maintenance of
international peace and security persist, and this absolutely dictates the
exploration of new approaches that could lead to a strengthening of the
ability of the United Nations to act. While the East-West confrontation
paralysed the Organization as it tried to carry out its noble mission, the
current detente seems to offer greater opportunities now to Member States to
reaffirm their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter. For
its part our country reiterates its faith in the United Nations and adheres to
the mechanisms for establishing preventive diplomacy and restoring and
maintaining peace. However, the efficient functioning of the United Nations
presupposes restructuring its organs and adapting them to contemporary facts.
The promotion of democracy and human rights means today that the fate of
mankind as a whole in the special and delicate field of the maintenance of
international peace and security should not be left to the discretion of only
a few States. The management of peace and security requires the concerted
action of States as a whole, whatever their geographical size or their
economic, financial or military power. Consequently, Togo unreservedly
supports any proposal to revise the composition of the Security Council. If
that were done, the democratic revolution going on in States will finally have
reached international organizations.
Peace and democracy presuppose the existence of a viable economy capable
of meeting the vital needs of food, health, training and housing. The
progress that needs to be made for man's full development is essential for
democracy and its consolidation. It is a basic truth that there can be no
development without democracy, just as one cannot conceive of democracy
without development or peace.
In order to safeguard peace in the world we must commit ourselves fully
to the idea of a fairer division of the riches of the Earth. But we must
note, with regret, that the international situation has not changed in this
respect.
At the end of this century an analysis of the international economic
situation points up many social inequalities between nations. The hopes we
had at the end of the cold war should find their justification in a
partnership between rich countries and developing countries so that the
appetites of some do not cause starvation in others. Unfortunately, we look
on, powerless, as the gap between rich and poor grows ever wider.
The economies of the developing countries are in a state of chronic
recession, the most serious in several decades. Growth has slowed,
particularly in Africa, where the crisis has fundamentally affected all
aspects of life, and a real deterioration of living conditions has resulted in
these countries. It is clear that this situation will continue unless efforts
are made to establish a new world economic order based on fairness and a more
generous humanistic vision of international cooperation. In this respect, we
very much appreciate the decision taken by Japan to make available to Africa
an aid package of $700 million spread out over the next three years. This
action, and other measures too, although encouraging are far from meeting the
real concerns of the developing countries, in particular the least developed
of them.
Indeed, if these countries are to break out of the profound crisis,
urgent and appropriate action must be taken by the international community to
guarantee remunerative prices for commodities and to dismantle tariff
barriers, which are obstacles to the exports of these countries. It is vital
that the international community mobilize larger resources to relaunch
investment and that it find a lasting solution to the debt problem.
Appropriate mechanisms must be found to make it possible to reimburse and
generate resources to ensure economic recovery.
The economic crises of our countries have social consequences that
particularly affect young people. Juvenile delinquency, illicit
drug-trafficking, drug abuse and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS) are serious threats for mankind. Constant attention should be focused
on them.
Sustainable and lasting economic and social development is impossible
unless there is a healthy environment. Fortunately, today the international
community has mobilized to solve the problems caused by the deterioration of
the Earth and of nature.
We are living in a new era today. This new era should be based on
freedom, understanding, and love of one's neighbour and of peace.
Guaranteeing peace and security, working for freedom and democracy, ensuring
world prosperity through free international trade, preserving a healthy
environment and creating stable international relations based on dialogue and
cooperation: all these, among others, are challenges that should be met by
the United Nations in order to establish the new world order that we all
sincerely wish to see. Therefore we must give of our very best to attain
these goals.
We hope that the twenty-first century will give us a world in which man,
freed from the plight of poverty, oppression, tyranny and destitution, can use
all his faculties and give free rein to his creativity in order to achieve his
own full development and the social and economic development of the State as
the guarantor of peace and security.