I should first like to congratulate the President of the General Assembly on his election and to express our confidence in his capability to conduct the work of the current session. In congratulating him on his election, I am pleased by the fact that he represents a country, Malaysia, with which Portugal has excellent relations in addition to deep historical and cultural ties. I believe that it is understandable that I should also take this opportunity to pay tribute to the outgoing President, my fellow countryman Mr. Freitas do Amaral, for the dedicated, competent and innovative manner in which he directed the work of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly. I wish also to express to the Secretary-General my admiration for the manner in which he has carried out his functions during a period in which the United Nations has been called upon to take an ever more active role in a variety of aspects of international life. My colleague from Ireland has already addressed the Assembly on behalf of the 15 member States of the European Union, expressing positions to which Portugal fully subscribes. Nevertheless, I would like to reflect on some questions that are of particular importance to my country. Allow me to point out that while speaking in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal, I am also speaking as a representative of a country that is extremely proud to belong to the Lusophone Community. This is probably the newest international organization, and as President of its Council of Ministers, I foresee an important role for it in the concert of nations, in useful and effective cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies. It represents a strengthening of the solidarity and fraternity that unite these countries and will empower the economic and social development of its peoples, while affirming and disseminating the Portuguese language, which is the common heritage of over 200 million people scattered over every continent. The Lusophone Community, made up of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe and Portugal, is a political project based on the Portuguese language, which is the historic bond and a common heritage of the seven countries, despite geographical separation. It will always be an open forum, based on mutual support and close relationships with all Portuguese-speaking communities of the world and cooperation with other, similar organizations. One year after the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary, we are still far from meeting the expectations created and the real needs of the Organization. It is clear that a process on this scale can be realized only in the medium term. A core issue of the reform process that we must address is the resolution of the serious financial crisis of the United Nations. We believe that the resolution of the crisis can be found through three essential approaches: the fulfilment of commitments, in full and on time; review of the scale of assessments in order to reflect the capacity of Member States to pay; and financial rigour and rationalization of existing resources. In the spirit of contributing to the resolution of this crisis, Portugal voluntarily increased its 1995 contributions to the peacekeeping budget, moving from Group C to Group B 19 in the scale of assessments. That decision will result in a five-fold increase of our initial contribution. Equally important is the reform of the Security Council. We are convinced that only with an adequate and balanced representation of all the world’s regions will the Security Council be more democratic and, consequently, more effective in the formulation and implementation of its decisions. When considering the process of reform, I must also refer to issues related to the Agenda for Development and the Agenda for Peace. With regard to the former, we must recognize the need to review the entire system of international aid for development and consider the role the United Nations should play in this domain. The integrated and sustainable development we propose should be pursued in all its facets, not only in the economic field, but also in the consolidation of democratic institutions. To meet these objectives, it will also be necessary to implement the decisions taken at the major United Nations global conferences, as it has been at those conferences that the Agenda for Development has gradually taken shape. This question is all the more important to us in Portugal, since we focus special attention on the North-South dialogue, which is attested to by the fact that the North-South Centre is located in Lisbon. Aware of the fact that today the important task in this area is to help the developing countries, especially the more vulnerable ones, Portugal has gradually increased the funds it sets aside for development aid, both at the bilateral level and through the framework of international organizations of which it is a member. In this context, our official development assistance exceeds the goal established for donors at the Paris conference in 1990. At the multilateral level, allow me to single out the importance we attribute to the Lomé Convention as a vital instrument of aid and cooperation between the members of the European Union and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Thus, we have strongly advocated a review of the Convention based on maintaining the principles of partnership and cooperation. Maintaining international peace and security undoubtedly continues to be the priority challenge faced by the United Nations. The results achieved in most of the relevant missions lead us to conclude that we should not lessen our commitment or the dynamism of our activity. It is true that the United Nations cannot abdicate its mission of helping to restore peace. We also believe, however, that efforts should be focused on conflict prevention. But in both areas, the question of cooperation between the United Nations and regional intergovernmental organizations has been discerningly raised. This can be seen in some recent successful examples, such as the joint action of the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Western European Union (WEU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU) in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, organizations of which Portugal is a member and in which it participates actively. Another component of the efforts towards peace is disarmament. Portugal welcomes the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Portugal, which will contribute significantly to the CTBT verification system, has signed and will shortly ratify the Treaty, and appeals to all Member States of the United Nations to do the same. It is urgent that the process of enlarging the Conference on Disarmament be completed, as well as that of deliberating on its agenda and the rules for decision- making and for admission of new members, which should be improved. It is increasingly essential to seriously debate nuclear disarmament, with a view to achieving the ultimate goal of the permanent eradication of nuclear weapons. We advocate that the Conference on Disarmament should, early at its next session, begin negotiations on a treaty for the banning of the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. With regard to the serious problem of anti-personnel landmines, Portugal hopes that concrete measures will be taken this year towards a complete prohibition of the manufacture and export of those devices of death and destruction. For our part, we have already decreed a moratorium on the manufacture and export of such weapons. Furthermore, I would like to mention that on 23 August last my country ratified the Convention on the banning of chemical weapons. Among the many activities of the United Nations, I would like to single out two areas which I consider essential: the environment and human rights. The protection of the environment is becoming an increasingly prominent issue. In this field, we recognize the great importance of the problems of climate change, 20 desertification and the protection of the marine environment. For this reason, Portugal has been closely following the implementation of the principles and decisions adopted in this regard at major United Nations conferences. I would also like to underline the particular sensitivity of Portugal, whose territory includes two archipelagos — the Azores and Madeira — to questions relating to the sea from a perspective of the development of balanced management of fishing and marine resources. To this end, my country is currently concluding the necessary procedures that will soon permit it to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Furthermore, on Portugal’s initiative, the General Assembly, at its forty-ninth session, declared 1998 International Year of the Ocean. Focusing on this subject, Expo 98 will be held in Lisbon that same year, with the theme, “The oceans: a heritage for the future”. Its central focus will be the relationship between the current state of knowledge on marine resources and the urgency of ensuring, through a rational and scientific management process, a greater ecological equilibrium on our planet. The defence and promotion of human rights is one of the principal concerns of Portuguese foreign policy. We believe that it is the responsibility of every Government to guarantee in their respective countries the full enjoyment of all human rights, but that it is also legitimate for the international community to concern itself with ensuring the promotion and protection of those rights around the globe. We consider that the United Nations has a key role to play, and thus it is indispensable that the High Commissioner and the Centre for Human Rights be provided with adequate human and financial resources for the fulfilment of his important task. A constant pursuit of Portuguese foreign policy has been to stress the need to find a political and diplomatic solution to the question of East Timor, without which it will not be possible to put an to end the systematic abuses of human rights that continue to prevail in that territory. Portugal has repeatedly stated — and I do so here once again — that its sole objective, apart from the immediate concern of defending the human rights and identity of the people of East Timor in their different aspects, is to find a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the question of East Timor, in accordance with international law and the full respect for the rights of its people, namely its right to self-determination. Despite the difficulties that have been encountered, the difference between the substantive positions of Portugal and Indonesia and the slowness of the process, we continue to be committed to finding such a solution through dialogue and under the auspices of the Secretary- General, whose patient efforts I wish to pay tribute to here. In the pursuit of that objective, we consider it extremely important to continue the active association of Timorese representatives to that process, which deserves the unequivocal support of the international community. In this regard, I must note here the increasing support that this question has received from the international community, namely through the adoption of positions that range from the resolutions of the European Parliament to the declarations of the 21 Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the Ibero- American summit, and include the common position adopted this year by the 15 member States of the European Union, to which a further 14 European countries associated themselves. Portugal, exercising its responsibilities as administering Power of the non-self-governing territory of East Timor, will continue to cooperate constructively with the United Nations, with full regard for the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions, towards the indispensable conclusion of the process of decolonization in East Timor. In this era, at the close of the millennium, marked by such profound changes and close interdependencies, we believe that the African continent deserves special attention from the international community. To that end, all efforts should be pooled towards the creation of conditions that will permit it to benefit from a development process similar to that enjoyed by other regions of the world. We are therefore acting in the context of the international organizations of which we are members, with the aim of preventing the marginalization of the African continent and ensuring that it receives priority treatment on the agenda of the international community. Because we actively uphold this view, Portugal has proposed to its European Union partners that a Euro-African summit take place, open to the participation of all African States without exception, so as to allow for 21 a political dialogue at the very highest level on issues of mutual concern. The goal is to achieve a new dimension to our relations and provide a further impulse to traditional areas of mutual cooperation in order to create the foundations of a new global partnership. The 15 Member States of the European Union have already recognized the interest and importance of this initiative. In this manner, we are seeking to include Africa in all its aspects on the international agenda, stressing, on the one hand, the scale and economic potential of the African continent, which is deserving of a new approach and a new model for dialogue, and, on the other hand, encouraging African countries to embark on their own process of development based on the promotion of peace, democracy, stability and economic and social progress. We supported from the very beginning the creation and establishment of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution by the Organization of African Unity at the Cairo summit in 1993. Portugal attaches great importance to strengthening the dialogue between the European Union and the Southern African Development Community. The second ministerial summit, planned for this October in Windhoek, will certainly allow for a global review of the adequacy of the activities undertaken as a result of the Berlin conference. Portugal, a member of the troika of observers to the peace process in Angola, continues to be particularly engaged in the implementation of the Lusaka Protocol, which seeks, in general terms, the re-establishment in Angola of constitutional democratic life and the formation of a single national army. I take this opportunity to salute the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Alioune Blondin Beye, whose negotiating skills constitute an important factor in placing peace and hope in a better future once more on the horizon for all Angolans. We note with satisfaction the positive developments that have taken place over the last few months in the implementation of the Lusaka Protocol, which have permitted the cessation of hostilities throughout the entire territory of Angola. However, we cannot ignore the fact that important tasks remain to be completed, without which the irreversibility of the peace process cannot be guaranteed. The postponement of the resolution of military and political questions is difficult to understand and may jeopardize the process of consolidating peace. Allow me therefore to recall the concerns expressed in the declaration of the troika of observers — Portugal, the Russian Federation and the United States — issued on 22 August 1996. I appeal to the Government of Angola and to UNITA to continue to follow the path of peace they have set out on in order to contribute decisively to the full implementation of the Lusaka Protocol, namely through one armed force and the creation of conditions for the free movement of people and goods, which would make possible the normal functioning of society, the economy and the institutions in that great African country. I should also like to appeal to the international community to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Angola. In particular, it is urgent that the necessary funds be made available for the implementation of the programmes for the demobilization of former combatants. Social stability is indispensable to the success of the peace process. I would not like to end this reference to Africa without expressing concern for the situation currently prevailing in the Great Lakes region, which has tragic repercussions on the security and well-being of innocent peoples. Portugal is participating in the efforts of the international community to bring to an end this tragedy of the African continent and to ensure the return of stability to that region. Portugal did not remain indifferent to the suffering of the peoples of the Balkans or to a situation with serious consequences for peace and stability in the region. Portugal therefore participates in the Implementation Force with a significant military, police and civilian contingent, very often demonstrating a greater effort and engagement than that of other countries with larger economic capacities. The recent elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina represented an important step towards the consolidation of peace, and we are confident that they will have a lasting effect on the consolidation of the Bosnian State — based on its two entities — allowing for a self-sustained stability of the country and the reconfiguration of the International Force so as not to affect the fundamental goal of guaranteeing peace and the coexistence of the three communities. 22 Portugal will be the host country for the next summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which will take place in Lisbon on 2-3 December next. We hope that the 53 Heads of State and Government will take substantial decisions with regard to the cornerstone principles of a security model for the twenty- first century. I am certain that the Lisbon charter, to be adopted at that meeting, will represent a significant step towards the stability of the European continent and the institutional strengthening of the OSCE. Portugal has promoted closer and deeper ties with the countries of the Mediterranean, especially those of the Maghreb, a region of fundamental importance for the security, stability and development of the entire region. In the short term, it is necessary to adopt confidence-building measures that would contribute to launching the foundations of a new type of relationship between the peoples of both sides of the Mediterranean. Portugal is committed to the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean charter, a matrix for a new partnership that will contribute decisively to the political, economic, social and cultural development of our Mediterranean partners. Portugal is following with great concern the latest developments in the Middle East peace process. We believe that the future of the region depends essentially on the will of the parties urgently to restart the negotiations in accordance with the principles of Madrid and the Oslo terms of reference. I appeal to all interested parties to exhibit restraint and to honour previously assumed commitments, which is the only way to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace for the region. The dramatic incidents that have just occurred are the clearest demonstration that there is no alternative to the peace process. Portugal has very strong human, historical and cultural ties with Latin America. The next Ibero-American Summit, which will take place in Chile, will represent another occasion to debate the important advances that the processes of democratization and development have achieved on that continent. Furthermore Portugal welcomes the holding in 1998 of the seventh Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government. Portugal welcomes the projects for inter-American regional integration, as well as the mechanisms for cooperation, that have been gradually established between the countries of that continent and the European Union. The development of a relationship with Asia also constitutes one of the Government of Portugal’s foreign- policy priorities. We share a common historical heritage with many countries in that region. At the bilateral level, in addition to opening new embassies in South-East Asia, we will be seeking to strengthen even further our relationship with the Pacific island States, which will certainly be reflected in the framework of the Lomé Convention. In terms of our multilateral participation, we hope that the new dialogue created in the framework of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will represent a significant step in the relationship between Europe and Asia, leading to a more open and broader contact on all matters of mutual interest to the European Union and Asia. The transitional process in Macao, to be completed at the end of 1999, based on a constructive dialogue and close cooperation with China, is of the greatest importance to the Government of Portugal, whose fundamental concern is to guarantee the prosperity and stability of the territory, as well as to preserve its identity. The multilateral dynamic is undeniably gaining an ever-greater importance in the international realities of the present. Portugal has been developing unequivocal efforts towards strengthening its participation in the organizations to which it already belongs and becoming involved in new multilateral frameworks. Clear evidence of Portugal’s attitude in this respect is our increasing participation in peacekeeping operations. Portugal has considerable forces in Bosnia and Angola, and currently has the sensitive responsibility of ensuring command of the United Nations force in the Western Sahara. I am pleased to note that in the domain of peacekeeping and international security, we are the European Union’s sixth-largest troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations, and the ninth largest among those countries that make up the Western European and other States group. We are clearly in the top half of the list of countries that contribute forces to United Nations peacekeeping operations. We also lead other Member States with greater resources and per capita output. Portugal’s candidature for membership of the Security Council should be considered as an important expression of the will of my country to continue to participate, as fully as possible, in the multilateral dimension of today’s world. Portugal is a country with a universalist commitment, which is used to establishing 23 contact with many and diverse regions of the world, and to understanding and accepting different cultures and civilizations. We therefore believe that as a member of the Security Council we would be able to contribute to finding solutions in accordance with the principles and purposes enshrined in the Charter. We also believe that participation in the Security Council by States of a size and with characteristics similar to those of Portugal would contribute to greater equilibrium and representativity in the decisions taken by that body. This will be possible only when full respect is given to the principle of sovereign equality of all Member States, which, in truth, represents the principal guarantee of democracy in the Security Council. Yet this principle has not been observed in practice. Indeed, out of the 185 Member States, 79 have never served on the Security Council and 44 have served only once, as is the case with Portugal. We can and should improve this situation. Indeed, to guarantee adequate representation by Member States on the Security Council, obstacles or precedents must not be used that would prevent a healthy rotation in that organ. For these reasons, the Portuguese candidature for membership of the Security Council is based on its own merits. We refuse to resort to any alliances, coalitions or other artificial means that would limit and condition the right of choice of Member States. Portugal’s candidature was not launched to defend interests or to respond to the demands of domestic politics, nor was it launched to pursue or consolidate external ambitions. Portuguese foreign policy is an undivided whole. It is part of, and evolves within, a well-defined geo-strategic space. It is not based on arrogance or economic power, nor has it been altered to accommodate Portugal’s candidature. The foreign policy of my country is based consistently on its universalist commitment to dialogue with all the peoples of the world. Before concluding, I should like to cast my vote of confidence in the future of the United Nations and to reiterate Portugal’s full commitment to the reform of the Organization.