It gives me great pleasure to extend to you, Sir,
the congratulations of the Government of Finland
on your election to the presidency of the General
Assembly. Finns and Hungarians have a common
ethnic and linguistic back¬ground spanning
thousands of years. This gives a special
character to our relationship which was evident
during the recent visit by the President of
Finland to your country. You personally bring to
your high office an exceptionally long
experiences in, and profound understanding of,
United Nations affairs. These, as well as your
determination and patience, will ensure effective
guidance of the Assembly's work at this
particularly crucial time.
243. The Secretary-General is not only the
chief administrative officer of the Organization;
he is also the symbol and the guardian of its
authority. In Mr. Perez de Cuellar the United
Nations has a Secre¬tary-General who has shown
that he will perform those functions well. His
strength of will—sisu we would call it in
Finnish—combined with political realism are both
necessary for fulfilling the tasks entrusted to
him by the Charter.
244. The new Secretary-General has taken
office at a particularly thankless time. Rarely
has the interna-tional environment been less
amenable to peaceful resolution of disputes by
collective action through the United Nations. The
Secretary-General himself has made a profound
analysis of this situation and the reasons for
it. His report on the work of the Organi¬zation
gives a graphic description of the erosion of the
authority of the Organization. His suggestions
for restoring the authority and ability of the
United Nations to act are of crucial importance
and have the full support of my Government.
245. The viability of the collective security
system, as provided for by the Charter, is of
particular concern to small countries such as
those comprising the Nordic group. The Government
of Finland has therefore followed with growing
concern the gradual weakening of the United
Nations in a world of tension and strife. In a
statement made in mid-August on behalf of the
Government of Finland, I had occasion to expound
on that same theme. The matter was further
discussed at the meeting of the Nordic Foreign
Ministers in Helsinki who agreed to study amongst
themselves and with other Member States which
share this concern ways and means to remedy the
situation. Taking into account those
consultations, we intend to return to this matter
in greater detail.
246. As a small neutral country, Finland has
sought and found security not through reliance on
military alliances but through a foreign policy
designed to keep it outside international
conflicts and controversies. We have a vested
interest in promoting the development of a
peaceful and rational world order based on the
universal collective security system provided by
the Charter. In the words of the
Secretary-General: "Without such a system there
will be no reliable defense or shelter for the
small and weak. And without such a system all of
our efforts on the economic and social side,
which also need their own collective impetus, may
well falter."
247. In his report the Secretary-General warns
us that we are perilously near to a new
international anarchy. In fact, the notion that
it pays to use force to solve international
problems is gaining currency. Regional and local
conflicts have erupted into open warfare.
International tension mounts. Relations between
great Powers have steadily deteriorated.
Confrontation has replaced dialogue and
competition has overwhelmed accommodation. The
arms race continues. Resources badly needed for
the alleviation of poverty and hungers are
squandered on the perfec¬tion of instruments of
death. Confidence in the pos-sibility of peaceful
settlement of disputes is breaking down. The
international system which was set up to maintain
peace and security and to promote interna¬tional
co-operation is in jeopardy.
248. This year has put the United Nations
security system to a harsh test. It has to meet
this challenge if it wishes to survive. The
conflict in th3 MiddleEast has assumed a new
dimension of violence compounded by the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon. The question of the Falkland
Islands (Malvinas) led to a bloody military
conflict. The war between Iran and Iraq
continues, causing devastation and suffering.
249. In addition, the persistent problems of
the situation in southern Africa, South-East
Asia, Afghani-stan, Central America, Western
Sahara and the Horn of Africa stand unresolved.
All these remain ques-tions of legitimate concern
to the international com¬munity, yet the United
Nations has been ignored or pushed aside. Its
potential for crisis management and peaceful
settlement of disputes has been neglected.
250. The United Nations has not been listened
to; there has been scant willingness to use its
services. At worst, the authority of the United
Nations has been flouted. The abuse of the United
Nations for short- term interests has
overshadowed its ultimate im¬portance to all
Member States as the only universal Organization
for finding peaceful and negotiated solu¬tions to
global problems.
251. In his report the Secretary-General has
proposed concrete measures to halt the erosion of
the authority of the United Nations and to
restore its capacity to act. The
Secretary-General proposes, as a first step, that
Governments consciously recommit themselves to
the Charter. He proposes that the Security
Council keep an active watch on dangerous
situations and, if necessary, initiate
discussions with the parties before they reach a
point of crisis. He considers it useful for the
Council to give renewed consideration to
reviewing and streamlining its practices and
pro¬cedures with a view to acting swiftly and
decisively in crises. He appeals to the permanent
members of the Security Council to reassess their
obligations and to fulfill them at the high level
of responsibility indicated in the Charter. He
intends to develop a wider and more systematic
capability for fact-finding in potential
con¬flict areas, in close co-ordination with the
Security Council. He proposes that the authority
of peace¬keeping operations be underpinned by
guarantees, including explicit guarantees for
collective or indi¬vidual supportive action. For
its part, my Government pledges its full support
for all these measures suggested by the
Secretary-General.
252. As a matter of consistent policy, Finland
has taken a balanced and conciliatory position on
the various controversial issues in the world. It
is our firm intention to continue this policy. We
believe that Finland can best contribute to the
search for a just and durable world order through
strict and consistent adherence to a policy of
neutrality which, while it enjoins us to refrain
from taking sides in disputes between the great
Powers, enables us to maintain friendly relations
with all States across the dividing lines of
ideology or military alignments and thus to work
whenever possible for the cause of conciliation
and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Neutral
States have, we believe, a special obligation,
not only to themselves but to the international
community as a whole, to conduct themselves with
objectivity and restraint in order to retain the
confidence of all sides and thus the ability to
perform such peaceful services as may be required
in the interests of international peace and
security.
253. The situation in the Middle East is often
perceived as a regional conflict. This conception
belittles the pivotal political, strategic and
economic importance of the region, which
transcends the regional confines of the conflict.
The situation in the Middle East continues to
pose the most persistent threat to international
peace and security. The dangers inherent in the
absence of peace in the Middle East have been
demonstrated once again by the events in Lebanon.
Israel has invaded and occupied and con¬tinues to
occupy a major part of a sovereign State Member
of the United Nations, in defiance of the
repeated calls by the Security Council and the
interna¬tional community as a whole. The tragedy
of Lebanon has been compounded by the massacre of hundreds
of innocent civilians in the refugee camps of
Sabra and Shatila. On 20 September the Government
of Finland expressed its profound shock at that
tragic event and gave its full support to
Security Council resolution 521 (1982). Having
entered west Beirut with the declared aim of
maintaining law and order in Beirut, Israel
cannot now escape its responsibility for what
took place.
254. In the conditions prevailing the
immediate concern of the international community
has under-standably focused on the crisis in
Lebanon. That crisis, however, should be seen in
a wider context. It is but a consequence of the
unresolved situation in the Middle East as a
whole. In our view the basic principles of a
peaceful settlement remain immutable. The
acquisition of territories by force is
inadmissible. Israel therefore must withdraw from
territories occupied since 1967. It is equally
imperative that the right of Israel and all other
States in the area to exist within secure and
recognized boundaries be guaranteed. Those
principles are embodied in Security Council
resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which we
continue to regard as basic. Furthermore,
provision must be made for the legitimate rights
of the Pal¬estinians, including their right to
national self- determination. This presupposes
the right of the Palestinians and the PLO, as the
most significant representative of their national
aspirations, to par¬ticipate in negotiations on
their own future within a comprehensive solution
in the Middle East.
255. Finland has given its support to all
those pro¬posals and initiatives that aim at a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the
Middle East. Thus we supported the joint approach
by the United States and the Soviet Union in
1977, the Camp David process and the initiatives
by the European Community and the King of Saudi
Arabia. In this general context, the initiatives
by President Reagan and President Brezhnev and
the proposals made at the Twelfth Arab Summit
Conference are of great significance. While these
initiatives approach the problem from different
premises, they all have a common denominator: the
achievement of peace in the Middle East through
negotiations. In substance they also have a
number of basically identical or similar
elements. In line with this general approach, the
Government of Finland has recently given its
support to another request bom out of the tragic
conflict in Lebanon and addressed to the
Secretary-General that he exert his influence to
convene an international conference on the
question of the Middle East.
256. In southern Africa the Namibian problem
con¬tinues to pose a basic challenge to the
Organization. My country has ties of friendship
with the Namibian people that span more than a
century. Our commit-ment to early independence
for Namibia has been demonstrated by our
initiatives and contributions in different United
Nations forums. Based on a Finnish initiative,
the International Court of Justice declared, in
its advisory opinion in 1971, that the presence
of South Africa in Namibia was illegal. The
United Nations Fund for Namibia and the
Nationhood Pro¬gramme for Namibia have also been
launched on our initiatives.
257. At present, the urgency of arriving at an
inter¬nationally acceptable solution to the
question of Namibia is more pressing than ever.
We support every effort towards a negotiated
settlement and hope that the people of Namibia
may be permitted without delay to determine their
own future through free and fair elections, under
the supervision and control of the United
Nations, as provided in Security Council
resolution 435 (1978).
258. Finland stands on its own record of
contributing to the goal of a free and
independent Namibia not only in words, but in
deeds. It is natural therefore that we have
pledged our best efforts to the imple-mentation
of the United Nations plan by making Namibia a
major recipient of our bilateral development aid
and by keeping a peace-keeping battalion in a
state of preparedness should the Security Council
and the parties concerned choose to avail themselves
of our services in this respect.
259. International tension fuels the arms
race, while the arms race feeds on tension. This
is the deadly logic of reality. The arms race
seems to be out¬stripping all efforts to contain
and control it. The continually increasing pace
of the arms race ultimately serves the interests
of none. Its new technological dimensions may
even undermine global strategic stability,
however imperfect and fragile. The arms race as a
threat to the security of nations was the
predominant theme when the special session of the
General Assembly on disarmament convened last
June. It generated a very high degree of public
attention and interest. Anxiety about the danger
of nuclear war had given rise to an increasingly
active world public. It would be a mistake to
belittle its significance. For all the intense
work and bargaining, the special session failed
to produce a commonly acceptable substantive
document.
260. Progress or lack of progress, in
disarmament is dictated by political realities.
The past few years have again shown how
disarmament negotiations only too easily fall
victim to political confrontation. Yet at times
of confrontation, disarmament negotiations would
be particularly urgent, both politically and
militarily.
26 L Since the introduction of nuclear weapons
more than a generation ago, nuclear arsenals have
grown in size, sophistication and destructiveness
beyond any conceivable purpose. The development
and refinement of nuclear weapons have proved to
be the most dynamic field of advancing arms
technology. Ulti¬mately, such advances may upset
global strategic stability, an outcome that would
have incalculable consequences. It is equally
alarming that the develop¬ment of military
technology is likely to complicate any future
efforts to curb the arms race. It will be ever
more difficult to agree as to what weapons should
be limited, and how.
262. The two major nuclear Powers, the Soviet
Union and the United States, have the main
responsi-bility for constraining the nuclear arms
race. They have recognized that responsibility by
engaging in the strategic arms limitation talks
in the early 1970s. The agreements reached have
marked limited but not insignificant efforts
towards constraining the arms race and reducing
the danger of nuclear war. The continuation of
the dialogue is, furthermore, in itself a vitally
important arms control measure and has intrinsic
political value. The Government of Finland has
therefore welcomed the resumption of the
strategic arms dialogue between the Soviet Union
and the United States last June. It is obvious
that the negotia¬tions will prove long and
arduous. Nevertheless, the goal should be a
significant quantitative and qualitative
reduction in nuclear arsenal.
263. Nuclear weapons are a particularly acute
con¬cern to the nations of Europe, the continent
of the deadliest concentration of weapons. It is
an urgent necessity for Europe to reach concrete
and compre-hensive results in the Geneva talks on
nuclear weapons. The goal should be to eliminate
the danger of nuclear weapons, deployed or
scheduled to be deployed.
264. The Committee on Disarmament has not for
the past few years produced tangible results in
the form of draft treaties on arms limitation.
This is to be regretted.
The Committee on Disarmament, as the central body
of the United Nations disarmament machinery, must
intensify its work. Its agenda reflects the
agreed priorities among disarmament issues: the
security of non-nuclear-weapon States, the
prohibition and destruction of chemical weapons
and the cessation of all nuclear testing. Finland
is prepared to continue its fullest possible
contribution to this work.
265. In the post-war era, the Nordic region
has been largely untouched by international
tension. Our security environment is one of
stability. The absence of nuclear weapons in the
region is an important feature of this situation.
It is the basis of the idea of estab¬lishing a
Nordic nuclear-weapon-free zone. Finland will
continue to pursue this idea. As emphasized by
6th President of Finland, Mr. Mauno Koivisto,
such a measure by the Nordic countries would
consolidate regional security. The question of
such a zone has been discussed between the Nordic
Governments in various forums, most recently by
the Foreign Ministers at their meeting last
August. The Ministers agreed to maintain contact
on the issue.
266. In view of our interest in
nuclear-weapon-free zones, it is natural that
eight years ago Finland took the initiative at
the United Nations to undertake a comprehensive
study on the question of nuclear- weapon-free
zones. Since the study, progress has been
achieved in arrangements for such zones. New
con¬crete ideas envisaging the establishment of
nuclear- weapon-free zones in various regions
suggest the need for updating the comprehensive
study to reflect new realities. It could
facilitate the creation of such zones and thus
advance limitation of nuclear arms. Finland
proposed an updated study at the second special
session devoted to disarmament and will pursue it
during the present session.
267. The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a
threat to all States, nuclear and non-nuclear
alike. It is par¬ticularly serious in regions
where international peace and security are
already in jeopardy. The Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons remains the
best instrument to combat that threat. As long as
some nations remain aloof from the Treaty and
refuse to accept interna¬tional safeguards on all
their nuclear activities, sus¬picion about their
intentions is justified. This also hampers
international co-operation in the peaceful uses
of nuclear energy, the benefits of which all
nations should equally share. In this respect, we
attach great importance to the forthcoming United
Nations Conference on the Promotion of
International Co¬operation in the Peaceful Uses
of Nuclear Energy.
268. While nuclear weapons represent the most
awesome threat, this should not overshadow the
problem of conventional weapons. The conventional
weapon is not only a threat but an instrument of
death and destruction used every day. Efforts
towards conventional disarmament and control of
arms transfers should therefore be intensified,
both globally and regionally. Results from the
Vienna Talks on Mutual Reduction of Forces,
Armaments and As¬sociated Measures in Central
Europe continue to be urgent.
269. The signatory States of the Conference on
Security and Co-operation in Europe should make
every effort to reach a decision on a conference
on confidence-building and security-building
measures and disarmament in Europe as envisaged
in the follow- up meeting of the Conference in
Madrid. A success¬ful outcome of the Madrid
meeting, which was inau¬gurated two years ago, is
of utmost importance in the present international
situation. The persistent efforts of this meeting
and the results achieved so far are proof of a
widely and seriously felt need to preserve the
process itself in order to revive and enhance its
con¬tribution to detente in Europe. A successful
outcome of the Madrid meeting would not only have
a positive effect on the relations between the
European States, but also have an impact on the
international situation as a whole.
270. The Charter of the United Nations
established respect and promotion of human rights
as one of the main principles of the
Organization. In terms of the Preamble, respect
for human rights is equal in urgency with saving
future generations from the scourge of war. The
United Nations has created an ample body of
international legislation on human rights. Yet
the implementation of these rights and freedoms
is woefully inadequate. Violations of human
rights are the rule rather than an exception. Yet
all Member States have undertaken a solemn
commitment to promote and respect human rights.
Observance of human rights is not an option but
an obligation. The rights of man are not
dependent on political or ideological
considerations.
271. The Finnish views and values in the field
of human rights are well known. They are based on
the Nordic concept of freedom, solidarity and
justice. While we firmly believe in the validity
of these funda-mental convictions, we are equally
aware that the international work in this Held
can best be carried out on the basis of common,
accepted codes of conduct; no purpose is served
by attempts to impose one set of values on
another. ESorts towards finding common ground are
therefore of primary importance. On the whole we
see a great task for all countries in promoting
and implementing human rights, both nationally
and internationally. Success in this task will
help to strengthen the rule of law and build a
durable world order in peace and security. It is
on that basis that Finland approaches its term as
representative of the Nordic countries in the
Commission on Human Rights.
272. The plight of an increasing number of
refugees and displaced persons fleeing wars,
oppression and persecution bears witness to a
serious aspect of human rights violations.
Refugee outflows confront the United Nations and
its Member States with some of their most
pressing humanitarian, legal and political
problems. The response of the international
com¬munity to the tragedy of the massive refugee
exodus cannot be limited to humanitarian concern
but must encompass all aspects of the problem,
including its underlying causes.
273. The Government of Finland notes with
satis¬faction that the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea'^ was adopted last spring
with the support of an overwhelming majority of
States, although full consensus could not be
reached. The general acceptance of the
Convention, which could well be the most
significant legal instrument of this century, is
obviously not in doubt. It is therefore of great
importance that the Convention gain the widest
possible adherence in order to serve its purpose
in accordance with General Assembly resolution
2749 (XXV), the Declaration of Principles
Governing the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor, and
the Subsoil There¬of, beyond the Limits of
National Jurisdiction. A satisfactory order
governing the world's oceans would greatly reduce
the possibilities of inter-State conflicts and
consolidate the role of the United Nations in the
codification and progressive development of
interna¬tional law in other fields of human
endeavor also.
274. In his report the Secretary-General has
drawn attention to the crisis in multilateralism.
His analysis applies also to international
economic co-operation. The lack of confidence in
the multilateral negotiating mechanism, the
increasing resort to unilateral action in the
field of trade and the decreasing financial
backing of multilateral development institutions
all point to this crisis in multilateralism.
275. The prolonged delay in launching the
global round of negotiations on international
economic co-operation and development is a case
in point; yet, given the global dimensions of
many of the difficulties currently affecting
national economies, a global effort to tackle
those difficulties should call for general
support. The envisaged global round should not,
however, hold up urgent remedial action.
Negotia¬tions in various economic forums must be
vigorously pursued and all multilateral
institutions must be fully utilized.
276. The tendency to resort to unilateral
trade measures as a means of coping with
structural problems in the world economy causes
serious concern. With a Western market economy
heavily dependent on international trade, my
country is affected by these developments. We
sincerely hope that the forth-coming ministerial
meeting of GATT may strengthen the determination
to maintain a free and open multi¬lateral trading
system and to resist protectionist pressures. The
sixth session of UNCTAD, to be held next spring,
can for its part give new stimulus to the
North-South dialogue, which at present lacks
dynamism.
277. The severity of the liquidity problems
faced by many developing countries is a serious
issue not only for those countries but also for
world trade as a whole. As a result of their
debt-servicing problems, developing countries
have had to resort to growth- reducing policies.
The poorest among them have fared particularly
badly. They are entitled to the special concern
of and action by the international community.
278. Multilateral development institutions
contribute to a more equitable geographical
distribution of aid, taking particularly into
account the needs of the poorest countries. Those
institutions must be provided with necessary
resources, and that can be done only by reversing
the decrease in official development assis¬tance
in general and in multilateral aid in particular.
279. Finland will continue its strong support
for multilateral development activities. In our
develop¬ment policies we have traditionally
concentrated on the poorest countries. Finland
has committed itself to allocating at least 30
per cent of its bilateral assis¬tance to the
least developed countries, in compliance with the
Substantial New Programme of Action for the 1980s
for the Least Developed Countries adopted at the
United Nations Conference on the Least Developed
Countries. We have also consistently emphasized
the value and the unique role of United Nations
programmes aimed at human resources development.
In that spirit, my Government is pro¬posing for
1983 to increase the Finnish contribution to UNDP
again by 14 per cent and to double our support to
UNICEF.
280. On this occasion I wish to reaffirm the
deter¬mination of the Finnish Government to
continue the rapid growth of our international
aid program. This year Finland has reached the
medium-term target aimed at doubling the share of
gross national product for official development
assistance which we set ourselves five years ago.
The budget proposal for 1983 includes a further
increase of aid appropriations by 28 per cent.
This means that we are well on our way to
reaching the United Nations target of 0.7 per
cent before the end of the decade.
281. While the realities of the present
international situation seem to give little cause
for encouragement, this should make us more aware
of our duties as Mem¬bers of the United Nations.
The United Nations is the principal instrument
available to the international community for the
maintenance of international peace and security.
It is the only universal forum where the nations
of the world can unite their efforts for that
purpose. The Charter of the United Nations is not
simply an expression of the aspirations of the
interna¬tional community: it is a legally binding
document through which nations, big and small,
have accepted a code of conduct for relations
between them. These obligations transcend
considerations of political expediency, which
only too often lead to their viola¬tion. During
its existence the United Nations has proved its
viability as an instrument for preventing
conflicts and assisting the peaceful settlement
of disputes, for enhancing the rule of law and
promoting human rights and economic development,
whenever it has been given the opportunity to do
so. Finland therefore remains committed to the
United Nations as the principal instrument for
the maintenance of international peace and
security and for averting the impending anarchy
of which the Secretary-General warns us.