Venezuela

Speaking here on behalf of my country, I wish to congratulate the new Secretary-General of the Organization, Mr. Kofi Annan, who, after nine months in his post, now for the first time faces the responsibility of a session of the General Assembly, a session that is likely to be noteworthy and hard-working. Given his vast experience, he is well aware that the prestige and influence of his important post derive from the impartiality that places him above all pressure of interests and raises him to the permanent status of arbitrator for all and a symbol of the Organization. I also wish to offer my congratulations to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, on his appointment as President of this session of the General Assembly. The pace of events today means that subjects that we considered just last year seem obsolete. Nevertheless, as we have still not found solutions to the most pressing problems facing the international community, it is logical to keep returning to those that are of concern to every member of that community and to the community as a whole, which now finds itself in the midst of the most rapid process of change in history. Inevitably, therefore, we will again go over, for example, human rights, the rule of law, free elections, the war on drugs, corruption, disarmament, terrorism and other compelling issues that crop up constantly among our concerns and in our work nowadays. I must place on record the fact that the Government of Venezuela has taken measures on all these issues to ensure increased respect for human rights, to wage war on drugs and to promote further disarmament and assist in the fight against corruption. Naturally, it is not easy for any country to show a clean record. A Government’s good intentions as regards human rights will always immediately come up against recurring internal violence and still untamed unruly elements, as in the example constantly presented by the audiovisual media in developed countries. But the will exists and an effort is being made to make Government agencies increasingly aware of our resolve to protect guarantee human rights. I wish to highlight the work done by the first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Mr. José Ayala- Lasso, and welcome the new High Commissioner, the former President of Ireland, Mrs. Mary Robinson, to whom my country wishes every success in the stimulating but difficult task ahead of her. With regard to corruption, terrorism and disarmament, my country, which proposed and was able to gain approval for the Inter-American Convention — the first of its kind in the world — in March 1996, remains steadfast in its efforts to ensure that every country is aware of the need to punish wrongdoing in government, wrongdoing that has tended to be treated with great indulgence. It may not be possible to eradicate corruption, but timely punishment — by ending impunity — will make such action risky. We have been enthusiastic supporters of all initiatives aimed at limiting the arms trade, in addition to being aware that there are free markets often beyond Government control, we are concerned that the industrialized countries, by lifting embargoes in this field, may begin moving towards the opposite extreme and promote the sale of weapons everywhere, under pressure from the military industry, which has an extremely powerful lobby. My country has resolutely backed the programme to eliminate landmines, hundreds of millions of which have been irresponsibly and thoughtlessly scattered in territories on every continent, daily taking their toll of many innocent victims, particularly children, whose mutilation by landmines is a constant reminder that we need to ensure justice for humankind. The fact that Venezuela has a neighbour where illegal drugs continue to be planted, processed and sold places us in the unfortunate position of being part of the supply route and within an area influenced by drug money. That is why the Government of Venezuela has taken every precaution to keep this danger to a minimum. It fights trafficking on land and sea and in the air, and has intercepted large shipments of drugs. The official in charge of all Government action against this powerful enemy of humankind has been given the rank of Minister. It goes without saying that we look forward hopefully to the next special session of the General Assembly, on illegal drug trafficking, to be held at the request of Mexico. We hope that it will produce clear solutions that will enable us to wage a more successful war on this scourge and, above all, put an end to money laundering, where Government efforts have so far been least successful. 11 As the threat of ever more pitiless and atrocious acts of terrorism has spread around the world and, to no small extent, here on our American continent, Venezuela has taken an interest in ensuring that the international community is made increasingly aware of its responsibilities in joint efforts to approve a convention for the suppression of terrorist bombings. That convention is currently being considered by the General Assembly, in a body that should be completing its work shortly. When the Inter-American Convention against Corruption was approved, we voiced our hope that, given that the disregard for of ethical standards that has fostered this crime has been a worldwide and not a strictly American phenomenon, the subject would one day be taken up by the United Nations in order to produce an international convention giving voice to the concern felt by all countries over this problem and harnessing the general willingness to put an end to impunity. The day seems to have come when the Member States of this Organization will work together to do away with the tolerance encountered on all continents towards this canker afflicting politics and administration; a canker whose breeding ground is not underdevelopment, but the moral decay of the State and society; a canker that seriously and increasingly hinders the trade that is a necessary part of economic globalization. My Government has welcomed the idea of changes not only in the structure, but even in the philosophy of this 50- year-old Organization. Since the lives of the peoples of this world have undergone such profound changes, it would be inexcusable for the United Nations, which represents them all, to remain untouched. We have considered the various plans for reforms and watched the efforts made by the outgoing President of the General Assembly over these past few months to achieve some, at least, of the essential changes to the system during his term in office. And, although we believe this issue to be both timely and urgent, we do not feel that there is imminent consensus on the suggested changes which, above all, relate to membership on the Security Council. In any case, it is only fair to recognize the serious efforts being made to end the stagnation within this Organization and launch the debate that is just beginning. Venezuela supports an increase in the number of permanent Members on the Security Council, provided there is no discrimination of any kind and that there is due regard for the interests of the international community, including fair representation of all geographical regions, in line with other new circumstances. We feel that there are great expectations and high hopes that the Secretariat will become more efficient and that the Organization’s burden of projected expenditures may be eased. It is also essential that Member States pay their contributions on time. None of us can refuse to honour a freely accepted obligation, nor make payment conditional in a way that presents a threat to the equality of States and the dignity of the world forum of which we are a part. My country’s position, however, is not limited to this alone. It goes beyond an analysis of the opportunities and rules of the veto to the elimination of the veto altogether. It has to do with the reform of the Secretariat itself and with economic and social issues, especially funding for development, as envisaged in the relevant document. That is why we feel that consideration should be given to the ideas recently expressed by both the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement as regards not only this subject, but also consensus on the other reforms. Venezuela supports the convening of an international conference on financing for development, in cooperation with international financial institutions, to propose innovative and bold mechanisms in this area. Such mechanisms must include the mobilization of capital resources for investment in non-industrialized countries while at the same time, opening the door to the opportunities offered by the private sector. Non-governmental organizations — increasingly active in today’s world — could contribute even more towards attainment of the aims of the Charter of United Nations in this field of action. My country has launched an intensive round of consultations with these organizations in what it has called a “Dialogue between senior Government and non-governmental organizations”, so as to draw up a plan for the promotion, protection and observance of human rights in Venezuela. We welcomed the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses as a well-conceived initiative. That is why Venezuela played an active role in the various stages of the drafting of the document, which required years of work, and led to the successful conclusion of a document that includes virtually all the provisions on this subject that exist in international law. My country signed the Convention yesterday and we call upon other countries to do the same. 12 As Venezuela has always been in favour of the establishment of an international criminal court, we wish to draw attention to what the international community has done to deal with and punish international crimes against peace and security, first with the creation of ad hoc courts and then with the creation of a permanent body such as that court. By thus institutionalizing and centralizing the political will of States, we will help prevent the possibility of the winners in a conflict from being tempted to become the judges of the defeated. This seems the appropriate time and place to mention the Ibero-American community of which Venezuela is a part and the five hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s only landing on continental America in his voyages. Since 1991, 500 years after the discovery of America, thanks to an initiative of the King of Spain, the 21 countries that proudly share the honour of being members of the Ibero-American community have met once a year, in a different city each time. I say “proudly” because in their colonial endeavours both Spain and Portugal took a missionary approach. While imposing their political power and territorial government, they also disseminated Christianity and passed on with conviction their European civilization and culture. Thus in Spanish and Portuguese America, the mixing of blood and cultures took root, making our world a different one, a world characterized by social egalitarianism, religious tolerance and a strong and deeply rooted freedom. The effects of this situation, which defines and unites American existence from north to south, makes this community stand out. It does not set it apart from others, but, in this era of globalization, it affirms the very particular features of Ibero-American identity. This idea has evolved well, beginning in Guadalajara, then continuing in Madrid, Salvador de Bahia, Cartagena, Bariloche and Santiago. The seventh summit meeting will be held on Margarita Island in my country. As the host country suggests the key topic for discussion at each meeting, the President of Venezuela, Mr. Rafael Caldera, has proposed the general heading of “Ethical values of democracy”, a suggestion that has been accepted with great enthusiasm. The Governments of Venezuela and the other 20 countries of Ibero-America insist that it is not enough to have formal democracy if corruption is rampant, if inefficiency persists, if justice is not effective, or if the action taken by the democratic sectors is neither satisfactory nor transparent. Thus, this general topic encompasses other very specific issues having to do with social justice, human rights, electoral transparency elections, the sincerity of political parties and, unavoidably, truth in information. That is the nucleus of the agenda for the meeting to be held on 8 and 9 November on Margarita Island. It is not out of place to explain to this Assembly that there are good reasons for this agenda. The economic changes and the political upheavals of our world have wreaked havoc on the set of values that was, until recently, the foundation on which people’s lives rested. The weakness of social justice is pathetic. In more than a few countries, unavoidable macroeconomic adjustments have affected vast numbers of people who are victims of injustice and who are unable, both mentally and physically, of coping with these changes, leaving them even worse off than they were before. Something must be done to improve the lot of these multitudes during a transition that, although necessary, is still painful. The subject of human rights, which I mentioned briefly at the beginning of my statement, is vitally important, and it would not be surprising if some day it were to replace “democracy” as a term and as a concept. Certain statements on this subject may have been exaggerated in the heat of the moment. But the truth is that we must march firmly forward towards a time when every human being, without exception, feels for his fellow man the same respect that he asks for himself. This is a matter of education, training and will on the part of Governments, so that the bad examples from the more developed countries that are passed on by the media do not lead the developing countries to continue violating these rights. Despite the fact that democracy has taken root in virtually all the countries in our region — seemingly the desideratum of our times — it now faces a variety of dangers, such as elections rigged by international organized crime. The most specific and dangerous case has to do with the influential role that drug trafficking and money laundering now play in elections, allowing crime to become closely entwined with political power. My country’s position in this regard is to warn political parties to make sure their electoral campaigns are 13 transparent by keeping these campaigns short and to the point so as to avoid any improper financial influence. Democracy is, by its very nature, a system of political parties. There is no democratic system without political parties. Yet it is obvious that the downfall of democracy is often due to carelessness on the part of the political parties on which it is based, when, setting aside the ethics of service, ideology and efficiency, they are tempted to take advantage of the resources of the State using the pretext of lengthy, complex and costly election campaigns. It would seem that the time has come to return to the old political ideas or to invent new means of expression in order to heal and revitalize democracy. Many people reacted by voicing doubts and fears when the subject of the people’s right to truthful information was raised. Media groups have even claimed that this proposal is full of hidden dangers. Nevertheless, the straightforward intent of this proposal is to strengthen the influence of the media at a time when they are virtually the first estate. We consider this right to be the counterpart to the media’s right to carry out their activities in absolute freedom, given the fact that society legitimately aspires, in turn, to be properly, accurately and truthfully informed. In an era in which the media have the most amazing technologies at their disposal — such as those providing instantaneous communication — there can be no explanation for information that distorts, embellishes or tampers with the truth. All the power that we give the media, essential for the values of democracy, would be lost if the media were to step outside their role and begin voicing opinions instead of reporting or made themselves part of the day-to-day debate of ideas. What Venezuela hopes to achieve by this debate is to make clear the responsibilities that each actor must play in a democracy, and the media are very important actors. That is the reason for this initiative: to warn and caution them, not by suggesting rules, but by appealing to a sense of responsibility, prompted by their own conscience, with regard to the worthy part that information must play in building a safe and trusting society. Following on from comments I made at this year’s Ibero-American Summit in Venezuela, I wish to mention the five-hundredth anniversary of the day when Christopher Columbus set foot on continental America, in August 1498, at the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela. Until then the feats of exploration by the discoverer of the New World had been limited to the islands of the Caribbean. He was not absolutely sure that he was actually standing on continental soil when in 1498 he reached Macuro, a small village on the eastern coast of Venezuela, but he certainly wondered as he witnessed the thrust of a strong current that overcame the gentle waves and gave proof of the presence of a great river, the Orinoco. This was an extremely important event for my country, which we plan to commemorate properly. It was the only time the great admiral stood on terra firma, which he called “Land of Grace”. In making this announcement, we hope the global community will join us in our celebration. In closing, I wish to express Venezuela’s faith in the ability of the Organization to act as a permanent arbitrator for peace and development. There is a greater need every day for the United Nations to act as the voice and conscience of humanity, but never as the spokesperson or tool of any group, region or interest other than the community which created it and of which it is the core.